“You done?”
“Not by a long shot, but considering we’ll be together in a few hours, I can wait to bust your balls.”
“Where is he?”
Pierce goes to his truck, hauling out a cage and opening the door. The Golden Retriever puppy rolls out, anxiously hopping around. There’s a huge rainbow colored bow covering his neck.
“What the hell is that?”
“That is Darby and Maya. They insisted on it.”
As if the dog hears my disgust, he starts to paw at his neck, rolling toward me.
I crouch, petting his head and stopping his assault. “Hey, terror, give it a few minutes before you destroy it. Poppy will love it.”
At the first mention of her name, his ear perks and he’s on the move, dashing around me.
“Better go,” Pierce suggests. “See you later.”
“Thanks, man.” I flick a wave and take off after my new dog.
He’s fast, but I catch him before he hits the cabana bed, hitching him up and inching close quietly. He sees the sleeping form and whines, wiggling to get free. Poppy’s eyes flutter open and in a split second she bolts up.
“Is that a puppy?”
“Yes.”
“Is it lost? Where’d it come from?”
I put him down, and he races to her side, pawing excitedly. She lifts him, finally registering the bow around his neck.
“Evin, is it…”
I kneel on the bed, swinging behind her, and situating them between my legs. “It is a he, and he’s ours. Happy thirtieth, Poppy.”
She squeals so loud the dog and I both jerk. “Shit, baby, if that last orgasm didn’t wake the neighbors, your scream just did.”
“I can’t help it! You bought us a puppy.”
He squirms to get free, and she lets him loose to roam around the bed. Her body settles into mine and she sighs contently.
“Last year, I woke up on my birthday with buyer’s remorse. I’d spontaneously spent four-hundred dollars on a spa package in a luxury hotel to send off the last year in my twenties. There was a no-refund policy, so I pushed through, telling myself it was a lesson to learn about impulse control.”
My heart races knowing that four hundred dollars is what brought her into my life. Her face tips to mine, the hazel a glittery green shade. “Best money I’ve ever spent, sweetie. That magical twist of fate sent me to you.”
“I’ll give you that, baby. That magical twist of fate brought you to me.” My hands splay across her stomach, and we watch the puppy fight with the bow, finally tearing it off the collar. He trots back up the bed and hops on our thighs, looking for attention.
Poppy folds into me, rubbing his head as we watch the sun rise fully into the sky. I hold tight to my wife and our unborn children.
“Be careful, man. Don’t be seduced by the bright lights of the city. Even the strongest of men find their weakness.”
Out of nowhere, Jackson’s words come back to me. I’ll never admit it, but he was right. It wasn’t the lights of the city that seduced me. It was the woman.
Flawless Flower Child… Gypsy Goddess… The Breathtaking Bohemian I never saw coming. My weakness…
I run my lips over Poppy’s head and smile to myself. Finding my weakness and losing control gave me everything.