Page 7 of Love is Blind

“No.” I cut him off. He frowns, looking confused.

“I’m sorry, what?” he asks, looking a bit nervous now. It could be from me, standing in front of his desk, practically towering over him.

“I’m leaving with a dog today.”

“I’m sorry sir but,” he starts, but I cut him off again.

“I’m walking out of here with a dog for my girlfriend and everything it might need. If you can do that for me, I will donate 50,000 dollars to this wonderful facility.” Collen’s eyes widen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, but no words come out. After a few minutes of no reply, I ask. “Well?”

“Well, ummm, I suppose we could work something out, Mr. Alder. Ummm… why don’t we go take a look at a few of the available dogs and see if any pique your interest.” And with that, I was on my way to getting our woman the best present ever.

Chapter six

WREN

I’mstillhalfasleep,not ready to face the guys or anyone, after my earlier confession, when I hear barking. A dog barking. That can’t be right, since the guys don’t have a dog. After a long minute of listening for clues, my curiosity gets the better of me as I slip off the bed and reach for the robe usually to my right. My fingers touch the fluffy material and I smile. One of the guys learned quickly that I enjoy soft, fluffy things. Slippers, socks, pajamas, you name it, if it’s soft and cozy I want it. My bet is on Jax since he is basically a giant teddy bear when it comes to me. Pulling on the robe, I tie a knot around my waist and head towards the noise. I make sure to keep my steps quiet as I descend the steps, the barking noise getting louder as I go.

“Will you keep him down? Wren is asleep and needs her rest. Why the hell did you bring this mutt home? One second you’re saying you just need a drive, then hours later you bring home this, without even talking to us,” Xander sneers. I can hear the disgust in his tone as I pause, pressing my body into the wall. If my sense of direction of the house is correct, I believe the guys are in the living room.

“He’s not a mutt, he is a pure breed German shepherd, and I got him because he is a service dog. He is for Wren.” Maverick responds. “Isn’t that right? You’re a good boy, huh? You’ll protect our girl and keep her safe when we have to go to work, won’t you?” I almost let out a giggle at Maverick’s baby talk to this supposed dog. The man is usually as gruff as Xander. This is a side of him I’ve never experienced, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

“You don’t think she has enough going on? You had to add a dog to the mix. What if she’s allergic or doesn’t like dogs? You don’t think sometimes, Mav.” Xander exclaims, sounding a bit on edge.

“Maybe she will like him. If he is a service dog, then he is trained to help people like Wren. He could help her get around,” Jax speaks next. He sounds a bit more up to the idea, making me smile. Since I’ve known these men, Jax has always been the one to make me smile. Doing everything he can to do it.

“She has us to get around. I’m not letting her leave this house. Not until we find that bastard, Adrian.” Xander’s words feel like a slap to the face. Who the hell does Xander think he is? Thinking he can just command me to stay in this house. That I’m some kind of pet he can tell to sit and behave. That’s not going to happen.

I’m about to turn the corner and give Xander a piece of my mind when a cold wet nose bumps my hand. I startle, letting out a squeak when I feel a furry head bump me next. It’s the dog. I hear footsteps heading in my direction, but I’m too annoyed with my stupid controlling men to give them my attention now, so I drop to my knees and stick out my hand for the dog to sniff. The furry head nudges my hand again in what I’m guessing is approval, so I lean forward, sliding my hands through his fur and finding his ears, giving it a few good scratches. The dog instantly bows his head more to give me better access.

“Awww, do you like that boy? Does that feel good?” I coo. In answer, the dog drops to his belly and lays his head on my knee. “I think you do.”

“I agree with Xander now. She doesn’t need a dog. She is going to give him all the love and attention.” I can hear the pout in Jax’s words, and I let out the giggle I held back earlier.

“Why is there a dog in the house, anyway?” I ask, even after hearing Mav say it was for me. I move to sit on my butt, but arms scoop me up bridal style.

“Come sit on the couch, and I’ll explain.” Mav carries me to said couch before sitting with me in his lap. I hear the click, clack of dog nails on the hardwood floor before the seat next to us dips and a furry head lands in my lap.

“Get the fucking dog off the couch!” Xander exclaims, but I ignore him and continue my petting session with a grin on my face. I hope it pisses him off because I’m also pissed at him.

“I think she prefers him with her already.” I can hear the smug response in Mav’s voice. Shaking my head at the overgrown children, I wait for an explanation. “Why don’t you get a drink, brother, and calm down a bit? Wren seems to like him, and I can explain my entire reasoning.” I hear a low hum before the clinking of glasses and liquor being poured.

I nuzzle deeper into Mav’s lap, chasing his warmth, when I hear a sudden hiss of breath against my ear. “You keep rubbing up against me like that, and we’ve going to have something better to talk about.” He whispers, nipping at my ear as he reaches between us and readjusts himself. Oops.

Deciding its best not to go there right now, I focus back on the furry body nudging me with his head for more pets. “What’s his name?” I ask as I give in and scratch behind the dog’s ears again.

“Well, his name is Ares, and he’s a 1-year-old German Shepard. They were getting ready to send him to a shelter because he couldn’t pass all his training.” I frown at this, but before I can ask what training, Xander is opening his big month.

“Wow. You couldn’t even get her a real trained dog. You got a dropout, and a young one at that. What good is he, then? If he shits in the house, you’re cleaning his mess-up.” He growls out the last part. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

“He is trained enough. He was being trained for the police academy program, but apparently, he never caught on. They said he was well-behaved for the most part. He knows commands, and the trainer said he catches on quickly, so training him further for Wren’s needs shouldn’t be a problem.” As if Ares knows we are talking about him, he lets out a chuffing noise. “Look, I know we all want to keep Wren safe, but if it’s not clear enough, Adrian is after more than our woman. We can’t keep her locked up, and before you say anything, Xan, how about we ask Wren what she wants?” When no one says anything after that, I realize Maverick is serious. He wants to know what I think about this situation.

Honestly, I’m a bit too shocked to even answer the question. These men haven’t cared once what I thought about this last month. No, they kidnapped me and told me I had a month to “get to know them”. I was told to give them a chance, and now Maverick was asking for my opinion. The man didn’t even want me here at first, and now he’s the one advocating for my wants. What kind of twisted alternate universe did I wake up in?

“Angel.” Mav whispers, his hot breath caressing the side of my face. “Tell us what you want. I know a lot has happened in your life over the last month and most of it has been out of your control, so how do you want to move forward?” He’s right about one thing. This last month has been completely out of my control, and it feels like it’s just been one thing after another, but I know one thing for sure. I will not roll over and hide, not anymore.

Taking a deep breath, I decide its time I take my life back.

I’m fresh out of the shower and sitting at my vanity when Abby enters the room from my walk-in closet. “OMG, Wren, I would kill to have your closet as my own. It’s basically a high-end retail store in there.”

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