Until June (Until Her 2)

“Kayan said there are a couple dogs here we can look at. If one of them isn’t the one, there’s another shelter a few towns over we can go to.”

“I want a cat,” I repeat and he shakes his head.

“You’re not getting a cat.”

“Remember when I said you’re more annoying?” I glare.

“I remember,” he says with a smile.

“Well, it’s even more true now.”

His eyes scan my face and his smile turns into a grin. “As cute as you’re being right now, we don’t have all day to argue.”

“Annoying,” I mutter, and July laughs while leading us down the hall into the back of the clinic to look at dogs.

Chapter 7

Evan

“He’s kinda scary looking, right?” June asks, as I open the back door to my truck. “I mean, he’s white as snow, but it looks like he just killed someone.”

Chuckling, I shut the door after the dog jumps in the back then turn, pressing her against the side of the truck.

“His food stained his coat. He didn’t kill anyone.” I smile, and her eyes drop to my mouth then lift to meet mine.

“I know, but it still looks like he did.” She’s right. The one-hundred-and-thirty-pound dog is pure white, but around his mouth is stained a deep red, making it look like he just ripped someone’s throat out. Hopefully, that, his size, and his bark will have someone second-guessing stepping foot in June’s house without being invited in. June, who had been against the idea of getting a dog, took one look at the large Akita and started cooing at him like he was a baby the moment July showed him to us.

“He needs a name.” I wrap my hands around the sides of her neck and tilt her head back.

“T-bone.” She smiles, placing her hands against my chest then tilts her head to the side, putting pressure on one of my hands while I laugh. And I notice, not for the first time, that she always stops to watch me laugh. She didn’t do it before, but something about it hits my chest in a not-unpleasant way every time she does it now.

“T-bone?” I repeat, and she smiles and shrugs.

“T-bone, or maybe Snow. I like both, but I think T-bone is cooler.”

“I think you should think about this for a while.” I smile, touching my mouth to hers.

“He’s already going to have a hard time settling in, since he’s going to a new home. If he has to have a new name too, that’s just going to make it harder on him. I don’t want to call him ‘dog’ for a week and have him answering to that, only to figure out a name for him later,” she says in one long breath, and by the time she’s done, I’m pressing my lips tighter together to keep from laughing.

“T-bone, though? You really think that’s a good name?” I ask, and she looks to the sky like she’s thinking about it then meets my gaze once more.

“What about Fuzzy or Harry?”

“Now you’re just being cute.” I shake my head and ask, “What about Killer?”

“What?” her nose scrunches up.

“We’ll call him Killer.”

“How about a name that doesn’t scare everyone, like Ninja?”

“Ninja?”

“Well, he’s an Akita. I think they’re Japanese dogs, so Ninja fits.”

“It’s better than, T-bone, Snow, Fuzzy, or Harry,” I mutter, and she leans in, giving me a blinding smile.

“Ninja it is.” She presses up on her tiptoes, kissing the underside of my jaw, then leans back grinning.

“Ninja it is, baby,” I agree and with a press of my thumbs to the underside of her jaw, and a tilt of her head, I kiss her once more softly.

Dropping one hand to her hip, I lean her to the side, open the door, and help her in. I hear her say, “Ninja boy, you’re such a good boy,” to the dog, which barks once as I shut the door. Jogging around to the driver side and sliding behind the wheel, I start up The Beast, back out of the parking spot, and head out of the lot.

“Can we stop at the cell phone store in town?” she asks, as I make sure the road’s clear and coast into traffic on the highway. “I don’t think the rice trick will work on my phone since it was submerged in water over night,” she continues and I look over at her, nabbing her hand from her lap and dragging it to mine.

“You’re probably right. We’ll stop on the way back to your place, then pick up dog food and supplies for Ninja while were out.”

“I told my parents we were married,” she says like she didn’t mean to say it then moves to take her hand from my thigh, but I hold it tighter.

“I’m glad you told them,” I say gently squeezing her hand. I already knew she had. Her dad was waiting at the compound for me when I got back from dropping her at work this morning. He told me he would be watching me and that he hopes I have what it takes to fight whatever it is that made me leave his girl behind the first time. He didn’t give me his stamp of approval, but that didn’t surprise me either. I’m going to have to earn his respect, and I have a feeling that isn’t going to be easy. “I should have told them about you, about us, before,” she whispers after a moment of silence and I shake my head.