“It’s right there,” I said. “Building C. Look at the key.” I slid my finger to the next screen and zoomed in once again. “Paws in Hand Animal Haven. It’s right there in black and white. We’ve got Julia’s Pizza, Joe on the Go, and your shelter.”
“I didn’t see this key on the website,” she said.
“Then I will have someone fix it,” I replied. I put my phone back in my pocket. “Like I said, we’re moving fast on this. We’re trying to capitalize on the popularity of this building. We’re selling out quick. We want to be able to tell interested buyers our next building will be up and running within a year if we’re lucky.”
The wind seemed to go out of her sails. “Oh.”
I wasn’t one to let an opportunity for a little humble pie to escape. “Oh,” I said and ran my hands up and down her arms. “Is that all you have to say, oh? I’m missing a good three inches off my backside after that tongue lashing and all you have to say is oh?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t know. You could have told me. We could have avoided all this drama if you would have just told me.”
“I was planning on it, but I hoped to be able to present you with the final mockup.”
“There’s a sign on the property and people are already talking,” she said. “A woman asked me if we were relocating or closing down. I didn’t know what to think. I looked on the website and didn’t see anything. My lawyer emailed me and told me there was an offer I needed to move on, or the building would be condemned.”
“Shit.” I grimaced. “Sorry. My team has a boilerplate message we send out in these situations. It’s meant to encourage people to sell. I didn’t know they were already working on the acquisition of that property. I was going to tell you. This was never supposed to be a secret. I wanted it to be a pleasant surprise. I’m sorry I stressed you out.”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she said.
“Apology accepted with a couple of conditions,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “This should be good.”
“Don’t expect the worst from me,” I said. “I know I haven’t given you a lot to go on, but I swear, I only want to make you happy.”
“I’ll try,” she said. “Next.”
I smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Promise me Kona will sleep in the hall tonight? It’s a little weird having sex with her watching. She licked my toes last night. It was a little disturbing.”
She giggled and put her hand on my cheek. “I love you.”
The world went still. I blinked several times. I didn’t want to try and move. It might make this moment not true. I wanted to believe I heard it, but I could be having some weird out-of-body experience. “What?”
“You heard me. I love you. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you. Please be kind to me.”
“I love you,” I replied. “I’ve never stopped. Not a single day went by that I didn’t think about you. I love you and I am willing to move mountains to make you happy. I will build you a hundred shelters if you’ll let me. I’m not making the same mistake I made before. It’s going to take an act of God to get you away from me this time.”
“Does that mean me and my posse can stay with you a little while longer?”
“You can stay forever,” I answered. “I want you to stay forever.”
“And the dogs?” she said.
“Three dogs. That’s it.”
She trailed a finger down my chest. “I can’t agree to that.”
“Why not?”
“Because sometimes we get a special case in. Not every animal can survive in a shelter. Those are the ones I have to bring home and foster until they can be adopted.”
“Like Bryce and Peppy?” I asked dryly.
“They are my only two foster fails, which is pretty damn good considering the number of animals I’ve brought home. It’s not always dogs though.”
I shook my head. “Nothing reptilian. I don’t do reptiles. Reptiles belong outside in the wild. That’s a hard no.”
“Oh, come on,” she pouted. “I had a bearded dragon once that was very sweet.”