The closest to having a childhood pet I ever got was when the neighbors asked me to cat-sit, and when I was old enough to start volunteering at the local shelter.
There was a stab of guilt in me each time I heard Remy make a trip inside, bringing in dogs, setting up baby gates and pens, doing all the stuff that was my responsibility since I’d been the ones to spring the dogs in the first place.
But, somehow, watching the fish was kind of meditative, and I felt myself almost start to drift in and out of consciousness as Remy continued to work.
It wasn’t until I felt a fingertip tucking some stray hair behind my ear that I realized I’d fully fallen asleep.
“It’s okay. You’re alright,” Remy assured me when I jolted awake.
“I’m sorry you’re missing your party,” I mumbled because, somehow, that was what was at the front of my mind right then.
“What?”
“Your party. I’m sorry.”
“Babe, I can party anytime I want. I’m not missing anything. Each of the dogs has a place. The puppies are in the bathroom since, well, puppies,” he said, shrugging, and my mind flipped to the many puppies I’d fostered over the years. And the endless messes I’d needed to clean up. Which was one of the main reasons I had no interest in any sort of carpet in my home.
“Okay. Where’s everyone else?”
The girl is now in the laundry room. And the other boy is in the front office. And I have Lyle currently in two connected exercise pens on the other side of the kitchen island. I can use those to block him into the kitchen or in here,” he said, meaning the living room. “Or you can give him free rein of the unblocked rooms in the lower level for some added peace of mind.”
“The other dogs are secure?” I asked.
“Yeah. The bathroom and laundry room each have doors. And I put up two gates on top of each other in the office. Plus, I put a second set of x-pens in the office as a block. No way is Lyle getting past all that. Or the other dog, for that matter. Everyone is safe. They are also fed and watered and walked for the night.”
“How long have I been asleep?” I asked, slow blinking at him.
“An hour or so. I hope you don’t mind, but I let your girls out too.”
“No, I don’t mind at all. Thank you, actually. I wasn’t looking forward to going up and down those stairs to take them out for the last time.”
“Yeah, stairs are going to be a bitch for a while. Don’t be a hero. Take the damn ibuprofen and acetaminophen. You are going to need it for a while. I will pick you up some pain patches and gel too. They help.”
“You don’t have to go out of your way to do that,” I assured him. “You’ve already done so much.”
“Barely did anything,” he said, brushing it off. “And it isn’t out of my way. I want to check in. Pitch in. You are going to have your hands full until you can find some rescues for the four you want to re-home for sure.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. But I did plan to get right on finding them a place in the morning. It would be better for them if they found themselves in more permanent foster homes or into their forever homes than with me.
“Thank you. Really,” I said, shaking my head, feeling my eyes getting a little glassy.
I was generally someone who handled everything myself. Sure, I had Myles around if I really needed him, but as a whole, I did everything for myself and my animals. No one else lended a hand.
Here was this guy who barely knew me at all.
And he wanted to help me.
No, he insisted upon it.
He wouldn’t hear any nonsense about not needing him.
Damn if that wasn’t one of the hottest things ever.
Was there anything sexier than a guy who didn’t always think of himself and his needs and his desires first?
I was pretty sure there wasn’t.
I had a feeling it came along with his love of animals. He put them and their needs ahead of his own. Which was even more proof that you should only date someone who not only had a pet, but treated it like spun gold. Those were the kind of men who would go out of their way to bring you home a coffee from your favorite place just because they knew you would love it. Or would make you breakfast because they got up first. Or would put a blanket over you when you fall asleep on the couch.