“It’s an adoption fair.” Her eyes widen, and I hold up my hand. “Now, I’ve already reserved one from a litter for us, because God knows I can’t see you down again if we got here and all the dogs were gone.”
She laughs, but I don’t find it funny. I don’t want to see her disappointed like that ever.
“We’re getting a dog?” Her smile beams like sunlight in my direction.
“We are.” I pull her across the street by her hand and walk her over to the booth set up by the no-kill shelter I talked to on the phone. “Hi, I’m Dylan. This is Rian, my girlfriend. We spoke on the phone.”
The woman shakes our hands and points at the pen. “Your boyfriend is very persuasive. You get to pick before anyone else.”
Rian looks at me as though I just granted her queen for the day. I’ll never stop striving for that look on her face.
She bends down and picks up one of the puppies. He has black and white spotted fur and squirms in her arms. She holds him out to me. “What do you think?”
Five other puppies push on the metal fence, eager for attention. A few kids come over and squeal, giving the puppies enough attention that they shift their attention to them.
“Is something wrong with that one?” I point at the one in the back, curled up in a ball on the grass, not interested in the kids, just chilling.
“He’s the runt of the litter. Never demands a ton of attention but loves to snuggle.” She picks him up and hands him to me.
He curls up in my arms, nuzzling his face between my arm and rib. Rian coos and puts the other dog back down.
I chuckle. “Is this like when I hold Jolie?”
She nods, pulling out her phone and snapping a picture.
“Remember what I said earlier.” I wink at Rian.
She turns to the woman. “We’ll take him.”
“Oh!” Her surprise has me wanting to ask more questions. Maybe people don’t normally want the runt? “Let me get the paperwork.”
“Are you sure?” I hand him to Rian and he puts his face on her breast, staring up at her. I pet his head. “That’s my favorite spot too, buddy.”
“I love him. He’s so sweet and quiet.” She looks at the pen filled with all the high energy dogs. I guess we’re on the same wavelength.
“I did this so you can pick one out, not me.”
“And I did.” She bends down and kisses his head. “Now we need a name.”
“And about a million other things.”
We fill out the paperwork, now officially co-owners of a dog without a name, and head to a booth that sells everything we’ll need.
Rian
I nuzzle baby Winston in my arms as we leave with all the puppy supplies.
“You will have to put him down eventually.” Dylan kisses my cheek, his hands full of bags.
“He can’t walk on a leash yet.”
“We could try to train him on the way home,” he says.
Seth and Knox walk out of Las Tacos, spotting us.
“You got a dog?” Knox asks.
Seth pets Winston and Winston eats up the attention. “What’s his name?”
“Winston,” I say.
Seth looks at Dylan. “Is that your dog or hers?”
“Ours,” Dylan says with a smile.
“You gave your dog an old man name,” Seth says.
“It fits him.” I shrug. “You not a dog person, Knox?” I ask since he’s quiet.
He meets my gaze. The poor guy is still sporting heartbreak, although he’s been trying to heal it with an array of women.
“I’ll be right back,” he says and crosses the street.
We all watch him head over to the gazebo, where there’s an open area for the dogs to play.
“Isn’t that Evan Erickson?” Dylan asks, nudging Seth.
Seth looks around as though he can’t locate her. As if her dark curly hair is hard to miss. With the wind today, it’s blowing all over her face. She reaches into her purse and grabs a ponytail holder. The guy she’s with pulls it back for her, securing her hair into a low ponytail.
“Who’s that?” Dylan asks.
“You guys need to stop. It’s probably her boy…” His eyes turn murderous. Not a common look for Seth. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”
“What?” I ask, looking at Dylan for some backstory.
“That douchebag she’s with is my brother’s drug dealer. Fuck.” Seth turns away, clenching his fists at his sides.
“Well, that sucks,” Dylan says.
“Do you think she knows?” I ask.
“Fucking A. Goddamnit.” His hands go behind his head and he weaves his fingers, staring at Evan and the man, blowing out a breath. “To answer your question, no. I’m sure she doesn’t. She would never, which means…”
“What?” Dylan bit his lip to stop from laughing because we all know Seth. He’s too good of a guy, regardless of their history.
Seth steps off the curb then steps back on. “See. This is why”—he points at Dylan—“I like it smooth as vanilla ice cream. I don’t need a bunch of shit to muddle through. And now.” He’s already in the middle of the street, his hands out to his sides. “I gotta go deal with rocky road.”
“Stop making excuses and go save the girl,” Dylan yells.
Seth flips him off but continues on his path toward Evan.
My back rests on Dylan’s chest, and I turn and look up at him. The love of my life. He bends down and kisses me.
“I fucking love our life,” he says.
I giggle and nod. I couldn’t agree more.
“Let’s go home,” he says.
And we do, the three of us, to start a life together that might have a little rocky road. But as long as we charter those peaks and valleys together, that’s all we need.
What happens when you fall for the daughter of your family’s sworn enemy? You keep it a secret. But in a town as small as Cliffton Heights, there are eyes peeking around every corner.
Read the next book in the Rooftop Crew series in Our Star Crossed Kiss
About Piper Rayne
Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write “heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle” about families, whether that be blood or found. They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they're married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they're both chauffeurs to their kids. Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!
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Blurb
Pain. It hurts us. It pushes us. It punishes us.
Or, for the few poor souls out there like me...it defines us.
I'm not a good person.
There are no redeeming qualities about me...not anymore.
Any that I had, I'd given to the devil on the night that changed everything.
The night my baby sister died.