The sad sack was standing, staring at the vitamins. I figured this would be a difficult decision for him to make. “Need some help?” I asked as I sashayed toward him with an exaggerated flair.
Beau’s eyes came to us and his face changed immediately. “No fucking way, G,” he said, pointing his finger at me—and the puppies.
“Aww, Daddy doesn’t like our new baby carrier,” I cooed to the puppies as they sat in the front harness, puppy carrier that I was wearing.
It was difficult not to crack up when Beau’s hands hit his hips and his stance widened. “Geneviève, that shit is for humans. Human babies. Not puppies,” he said, leaning into me.
His serious expression was too much. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I let out a huge laugh, in the process, also shaking the puppies in the carrier. They started whining and carrying on.
“You’re a nut, woman. An actual, certifiable crazy person,” he said, his hands on my shoulders, perhaps attempting to steady me.
“And you’re an angry shopper. It’s too easy to tease you. But just in case, I picked out a carrier for you, too.” I held a leopard print one out to him.
Finally, he let his head fall forward as he cracked up. It was music to my ears. “Honestly, you are driving me crazy,” he said, our faces close now. “No way in hell am I ever carrying a puppy around in one of those.”
“Lots of people do. You’d get used to it.” I chuckled, thinking of Beau Moreau, star hockey forward, wearing a puppy carrier.
His eyes gazed over my face and he smiled down at me. “Put that crap away, G. I’ll meet you at the register.” Then he did the most unexpected thing. Beau leaned forward and kissed my forehead. A tiny zing traveled from my forehead to the rest of my body, causing a warmth to circle my heart.
Did he just kiss me? It was only my forehead, but still…
“But first, pick out some vitamins. I don’t know which ones to get,” he mumbled as he let go of my shoulders. My head was spinning while I chose the most appropriate type for their size and breed.
When I handed the box over to Beau, I said, “We’ll meet you at the counter.” Then I hurried off, still feeling Beau’s lips on my forehead.
It was hours after shopping,hours after Beau had kissed my forehead for whatever reason, and hours after these two puppies had been separated from their parents.
My puppy was whining a constant, pitiful, cry. Nothing I did seemed to matter. Not cuddling, not walking around, not anything.
She wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t sleep, and would not stop crying. In all honesty, neither could I.
In my desperation, I texted Beau.
Me: My puppy won’t stop whining. How’s yours?
Beau: Same. They just need to get used to being away from their family.
Gulp. That hit me hard. So hard, I started sobbing while I rocked my little fur baby. Beau texted a few more times. I couldn’t answer. This was all so sad.
When a message popped up that he wanted to video chat with me—for some unknown reason, I answered.
Beau’s handsome face filled the screen. But it was the sound of his puppy crying that hit me right in the stomach. And twisted. I sniffled even though I tried my best not to cry in front of Beau.
“G, don’t worry, they’ll—fuck, are you crying, too?” he asked, his face now completely distorted and pixelated on my screen as he moved too close to the camera.
“It-it-it’s all so sad. They’re away from their parents and fr-fr-from each other,” I cried, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
He sighed as he sat back on what looked like his couch. “They’ll get used to it. The first few nights will be the worst. Then it’ll get better. I promise.”
I shook my head. “She’s so miserable, Beau. Listen to her cry,” I said, holding my baby up to the phone. “She doesn’t even want me to hold her.” And she didn’t. She wanted to jump through the screen to cuddle with her sibling.
“Bring her over here. It’s late. At least we can all get a few hours of sleep. It’s better than nothing,” Beau suggested.
“Really?”
“Uh huh. I’ll leave the door unlocked. Geneviève?” he asked in his sweet, raspy voice.
“What?”