For half a second I worry I’ve said too much, but in the next half a second, I don’t care. She needs to know I’ll risk anything for her. Even risk her pushing me away.
“Well, cowboy, I think we’d make adorable babies.”
I nearly sit up. “Don’t fuck with me, because I’m absolutely crazy about you, Molly.”
She grins and kisses my chin. “One t
hing I don’t do is fuck with people.”
I laugh. “Other than giving me blue balls, you mean?”
“Turnabout is fair play,” she says huskily.
My fingers tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, my thumb taking the opportunity to brush against her soft skin. “I might be in love with you.”
“But we still have an elephant in the room. You want to turn my home into a golf course.”
My body stiffens. Yeah, that elephant.
She bites her bottom lip. “You’ve given me every reason to trust you. And if you say you’re going to compensate me fairly, then I believe you. So I’ll take the money and do what I want with it, elsewhere. On one condition.”
“What’s that?” I ask her.
“You learn to love dogs.”
I process this for a second before I laugh and nip her shoulder playfully. “Once again, just because I’m not a dog person doesn’t mean I’m a monster.”
She giggles and bites my earlobe, a little harder than I nipped her, and I wince. “I didn’t say you were. So do you agree to my terms?”
I extract my arm slowly from under her and sit up. I check my phone.
“It’s late. You got dogs to feed and whatnot, and I have some phone calls to make. I’ll be by later to give you an answer to that.”
Chapter Fifteen
Molly
Well, it’s not how I want to leave the conversation, but I do need to check on Fluffy. She’s gonna have pups soon.
I have a comfy box set up for Fluffy in my bedroom. And what I see when I walk in disturbs me to my core. Blood in her fur, her eyes pleading with me.
I’m kicking myself for going on that spontaneous date with Daniel. And even more for having sex. I’ve been gone for hours and here she was the whole time, going into early labor, alone.
She’s not due until next week.
Shit.
I run to the kitchen to grab my new phone, but I can’t remember where I put it. I have to use the rotary to call the emergency vet because the regular vet is already closed for the day.
She tells me to bring Fluffy in immediately if I can move her safely.
I lift the entire cardboard box—with her and her blankets in it—into the cab of my truck. Once Fluffy is secure and I’m back behind the wheel, I drive like a bat out of hell, nearly clipping that slow-ass automatic gate at the end of the driveway.
I have half a thought to tell Daniel what’s happening.
I know that dogs are not his favorite creatures, but I also know he would drop everything to come with me right now.
But he said something about having to make some important phone calls, and I don’t want to disturb him. Besides, what if I end up spending the entire night at the emergency vet clinic?