Page 12 of Puppy Love

“No, never had any pets.”

“Not even a goldfish?” I joke.

She giggles with her eyes still closed. “Nope, not even a goldfish.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I ask.

She turns her head, opening her eyes. The bright blue that was there before is gone and I fucking hate it. “No,” she whispers.

“Me either. I’m an only child. My dad took off before I was born, so it was always just me and my mom.” My heart squeezes when I think of her. I miss her every day.

“Does your mom live around here?” she asks, trying to search my eyes through my sunglasses.

“My mom died two years ago.”

When I say it, Ace rests his head on me. As if he knows how deeply it still hurts.

“Oh, Jayden, I’m so sorry,” she says, reaching over and placing her hand on mine. “I truly am sorry.”

I nod, squeezing her hand back. “Thanks.” I clear my throat and try to move on. “What about your parents?”

She pulls her hand away and leans back again. “I don’t have parents.”

My brows dip as I look at her serious expression. “You don’t have parents? They both died?”

“No, I don’t have any. I’m a foster kid. I was pushed through the system from group home to group home until I was eighteen and they said good luck with life,” she says, shrugging.

I move over until I’m sitting right next to her. She looks at me and I wrap my arm around her, pulling her against my chest. “I’m sorry, Cambri. I had no idea.”

“Please don’t do that. I’m not looking for pity. It’s why I never tell anyone. They look at you differently after they know,” she says, adjusting herself to be closer to me.

“I’m not looking at you any differently. Your past is what made you the person you are today and I really fucking like that person,” I say, tightening my hold on her.

She pulls away and sits up, smiling at me. “You really are different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

I laugh, petting Ace’s head. “Is that a good thing?”

She nods her head, and that blush makes an appearance. “Yeah it is,” she whispers.

“Alright, what was your longest relationship?” I ask.

She smiles and I know it’s because she’s thankful I’m not dwelling on her past. It’s fucking horrible and I hate that she’s always been alone, but I’d never judge her or treat her differently. I think it’s what’s made her so strong and independent. It’s probably why she gets shy and pulls back whenever I hint about how I feel about her.

It makes me wonder if she’s ever been in love; experienced love.

“Six months. What’s yours?” she asks, breaking my thoughts.

I grin looking down at Ace. “Two years.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “With a human.”

“Oh, a human,” I say, giving her a wink. “A year.” I reach into the cooler and pull us both out a bottle of water. “Worst date.”

She thanks me for the water and takes a few sips. “Worst date would have to be when he invited me to his place and when I walked in I realized he lived with his parents. What’s yours?”

I laugh thinking about how red her face must have been that night. “She got trashed and when I was driving her home, she puked all over my truck.”

She starts laughing as I shake my head.

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