Page 55 of Fake Out Hearts

ME: Aww, thanks. I hope you’re right!

I hesitate again, thinking about whether I should tell him about the text I got from Shawn. But he seems to have backed off and I don’t want to put Theo in a bad mood, so I decide against it. My phone vibrates again, and a picture appears in my thread with Theo. It’s a photo of a large, adorable golden retriever with its tongue lolling out and a goofy, happy look on its face.

ME: OMG, he’s so cute!

THEO: I’m glad you think so, because I’m adopting him.

ME: WHAT? Seriously?

THEO: Seriously. Didn’t you say you always wanted a dog?

I can’t believe he remembered that. It was an offhand comment I made that first night after I moved into his loft, soI’m shocked it even registered, let alone that it stuck in his brain enough to do something like this.

ME: I did. But Theo, you don’t have to do this. You’re spoiling me!

THEO: I keep telling you, princess. I like spoiling you. We’ll see you when you get home.

He sends another picture, this time of him kneeling so the dog can jump all over him and lick his face. It’s blurry from the action but I can still make it out, and it makes me laugh.

I’m still several blocks away from the condo, so I’m sure he’ll beat me back, but I hurry anyway. I still can’t believe he got me a dog. Especially after he’s already bought me an incredibly expensive ring and a brand new car. As much as Theo calls me a princess, I’m really starting to feel like one.

Half an hour or so later when I let myself into the condo with my key, as soon as the door opens, a golden blur comes charging at me. The dog jumps up, resting its paws on my stomach, and whimpers excitedly.

“Welcome home,” Theo calls from the living room where he’s standing with a red rubber chew toy in one hand. “I think it’s safe to say he likes you.”

I scratch the dog’s head and laugh at the way his tongue flops everywhere. But true to a dog’s chaotic nature, he loses interest and bolts back to Theo, where he jumps up and tries to snatch the chew toy from his hand.

“No, no,” Theo warns. “Watch this. Sit!” Instantly, the dog parks on his haunches, staring up at Theo expectantly with his tail and tongue wagging. “Good boy.” He drops the toy, and the dog snatches it out of thin air so quickly that I almost miss it. Then he trots over to me to drop the toy at my feet.

“Think he wants to play?”

“Oh, hedefinitelywants to play. Toss it here,” Theo says, holding his hands out.

I scoop up the toy and throw it toward him. The dog bounds in his direction and skids to a stop at Theo’s feet, then sits and stares up at him again.

“He’s learning!” Theo laughs, a warm, happy sound. “I know he seems kind of dopey, but he really is a smart dog.”

“If he’s already responding to commands like this, that’s a great sign. He’s definitely not a puppy, but he seems pretty young.”

“The vet wasn’t sure exactly how old he was since he was a stray, but their best guess is that he’s about three years old.”

“Poor guy. I wonder if he got lost or separated from his family?”

Theo shrugs and tosses the toy to the other side of the condo, making the dog bolt after it. “No idea. The vet said he just wandered into someone’s yard one night, so they brought him in. But he wasn’t wearing a collar or microchipped or anything, so they had no way of tracking down his owners. They put up flyers around town and online, but no one claimed him, so they put him up for adoption.”

“He definitely seems like he grew up with people though,” I say, and Theo nods.

“For sure. I mean, golden retrievers are usually good with people, but you can tell he’s used to being around humans. What do you want to name him?” he asks after the dog brings the toy back to him to play tug of war.

I bite my lip, smiling at the fact that Theo wants me to name the dog. It makes it feel more real, like this sweet animal is really mine. Reallyours.

“What about Milo?”

“I like it.” Theo glances down at the retriever, who’s currently swinging the toy around in his teeth like a shark. “What do you think, Milo?”

The dog barks loudly, filling the whole condo, and Theo laughs.

“Alright, Milo it is.” He pats Milo’s head a few times, and I come over to join them.

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