“Thank you,” I tell him before standing on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek. “It’ll be fast. Promise.”
“Take your time, Sunshine. Me and the Raffster have some hardcore relaxing to do.”
Noah’s just starting to slosh his way into the pool when I feel a presence and a shadow passes over me. I look up to see a woman standing next to me. “Hello . . . uhm, I know this is weird, but are you Riley Sunshine? And is that Raffy?”
“Yes, can I help you?” I ask, sitting all the way up. The woman’s wearing a floppy sunhat and a one-piece top with shorts that say, ‘I’m here to run around with my dog, not flirt with you, random stranger.’ Something about that reassures me, dog mom to dog mom.
“I’m a fan of yours and I was hoping . . . could I get a picture of you guys with Muggles?”
“Muggles?” I ask, and the woman nods.
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have been reassured because I think she’s gotten a bit too much sun today.
“My daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan,” the woman says with a laugh. “He’s just over here.”
Oh, her dog’s name is Muggles. That makes much more sense, and who am I to judge with a dog named Raffy?
I look over, expecting to see a little dog the size of Raffy. Instead, what I see is something the size of a small bear, a Newfoundland. “Wow . . . Muggles.”
“It’s so hard as the weather warms up to keep him cool, but since he’s a water breed, we bring him out as often as we can,” the woman explains. “Don’t worry, he really deserves his name.”
“No problem . . . Noah!”
Noah looks over, and when he sees the woman beside me, he’s already moving this way. When I point to Muggles, he scoops Raffy up protectively and comes over to join us even faster. “Hey,” he says questioningly, trying to get a feel for the situation.
“This is Muggles,” I start explaining.
“Beautiful dog.”
“This nice lady—”
“Stephanie.”
“Stephanie wanted to grab a picture of Raffy and me with Muggles. Can you take the picture?”
Noah nods, more relaxed as he takes Stephanie’s phone from her.
A minute later, we’ve got two women and two dogs posing for pictures together. Muggles is a sweetheart, sniffing noses with Raffy before plopping down contentedly in a big fluffball of dark fur.
My favorite picture has to be with me and Stephanie squatting on either side of Muggles with Raffy sitting on the ground between Muggles’ massive front paws, his chin thrust out like he’s full of piss and vinegar.
“Thanks so much,” Stephanie says when Noah hands her phone back. But now that she’s gotten her pictures, it’s like being that close to Noah and all his oozing sex appeal finally registers for Stephanie. “Oh . . . uhm . . . yeah, thanks. So are you two . . . friends? Or like dating or something?”
Noah meets my eyes over Stephanie’s head. I don’t know what to say to that. We’re definitely dating, but this is a follower, not family. We haven’t talked about that yet because going that type of public is a whole different thing. One Noah needs to be prepared for.
He swallows thickly but smiles warmly at Stephanie. “Or something.”
Stephanie looks from Noah to me, though it seems like she has a hard time prying her eyes away from Noah. She makes a sound of surprise when Noah offers a wink. “Oh! I get it! You might not want to say. Silly me, sorry!” She mimes locking her lips and throwing away the key. “Thanks again, Riley. ’Bye, Raffy!”
She pets Raffy one more time, and he rolls over, offering his belly. Stephanie smiles but walks away with Muggles. Raffy sniffs in displeasure at the rebuke.
We go back to our chairs, and Noah looks around as we sit down. I think his headcount of people has changed from potential dollars and cents to possible threats, even though Stephanie was totally polite. “How often does that happen?”
“I think that’s the first time. Certainly the first time with a dog.”
Noah recoils. “That wasn’t a dog. It was a small bear with droopy jowls.”
“But he was so cute,” I argue.
Noah goes quiet, watching the water for a bit. “You know,” he says after a moment, “if you don’t want me on your feed, that’s okay.”
“No!” I protest, sitting up. “I mean . . . that’s a big step. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Well, our families know at this point. I mean, isn’t it a thing now to be ‘Social Media Official’, capitalized?”
I laugh, rolling my eyes. “Probably for some people. But this is different. We’re not a marketing ploy, and I don’t want to use you like that. At the same time,” I say carefully, “I try to be honest about my life. That’s the deal. I’m not fake. I tell people when there’s a filter or it’s a sponsored thing. I want people to be authentic, and I want to practice what I preach. But that doesn’t have to mean you want to do that. I’ll honor your wishes on that too, of course.”
He’s thoughtful for a moment, scratching Raffy’s belly.
“I want people to know about us, like our families and your followers, I guess. Because they’re important to you too. I want everyone to know you’re mine and I’m yours. I don’t want to be this secret you hide away.”
“Noah, no.” I do not want him to think for a second that I’m hiding him. That’s not what this is. I’m protecting him. People can be vicious behind the anonymity of a keyboard. “How about this . . . let’s do a teaser post. You can read the comments and get a feel for how things go, and then you can decide. No pressure either way.”
“A teaser?” Noah repeats.
“I know just the thing. Lie back,” I direct him, and then I snuggle in between Noah’s legs, leaning back against his chest while he puts his head next to mine. Lifting his chin a little, we get a perfect shot of my smiling face and Noah’s smile from the nose down, a sexy bit of scruff on his chin catching a strand of my hair. Just the right amount of tease.
“And . . . caption,” I tell him, typing quickly. My new favorite sight. Seeing him happy makes me happy. “And . . . post.”
I put my phone down, turning and giving Noah a soft kiss. “There. It’s official. We can let you see what you’re getting into first. And then if you can take it, we’ll do a full reveal when you’re ready.”
“If I can take it?” Noah asks wryly. “And what does that mean?”
“Trust me, you’ll see. But for now . . . if that isn’t the sunscreen bottle pressed against my butt, I think you need to get in the pool again.”
Noah hums and nuzzles my neck. “I will . . . if you’ll join me. I seriously doubt the pool’s any wetter than you are.”
“I’m definitely getting there,” I admit, and he flashes a cocky smile. “Come on, let’s have some fun. I still want Raffy to try the waterslide.”
“Because of course a doggy water park has a doggy waterslide,” he deadpans.
I giggle and get up. That definitely wasn’t the sunscreen pressed against my butt. “Of course there is. This place is fun for the whole family.”