Page 87 of The Wiener Across the Way

I snuggled her into my arms and whispered in her ear, “What I have is a future inside of a pop music star.”

“Ooh. I have been paying for a fancy hotel room here for weeks, maybe we should go see if we can use it one more time.”

“You two are disgustingly cute. Blech.”

Oops. I maybe had forgotten that Penelope was even here. I only had eyes for Kelsey. “Let’s just get home. I’d rather see your hair spread across my pillows than a bougie hotel any day.”

After our successful confrontation with Skeeter and Jake in Aspen, the drive back to Denver was quiet. That is until we got close enough to Denver to pick up the radio stations. I tuned to the top forties, but Kelsey turned the dial until she found an oldies station. The three of us sang along to a bunch of songs that my dad would probably be really upset to know were considered old, since they were all from when he was in college.

Our first stop once we got back into my neighborhood in Thornminster was to pop across the street and pick up Wiener the Pooh from my dad’s place. Penelope excused herself and headed down the street to play video games with the boys. She was becoming a popular player on their streaming channel. Turned out a lot of Besties were gamer girls and the boys’ subscription numbers had skyrocketed once she started playing with them.

I didn’t see dad inside the house, so we went into the back yard. What we found was one of the strangest things I’d ever seen. Chris, Trixie, my dad, and Jules were sitting on the patio watching Luke Skycocker ride around on Wiener the Pooh’s back.

Oh man. So many dick jokes, so little time.

Kelsey chuckled softly and walked over to Pooh to grab her so we could go home. Pooh had other ideas. When she saw her coming, she bucked Trixie’s rooster off her back and made a beeline for my dad, nuzzling into him as if she’d found her long-lost friend.

“Looks like Pooh’s got a new favorite,” Kelsey said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

I shook my head with a grin. “I guess I’ve been replaced. Pooh’s heart is fickle. But then again, she’s got good taste. Dad’s always been a dog whisperer.”

My dad, playing along, picked up Pooh, who wriggled in delight. “Looks like you’ve got some competition, son. I think Pooh’s figured out she’ll never win your heart, since it belongs to another.”

I wrapped my arm around Kelsey, pulling her close. “She’s right about that. Pooh’s smart, but even she knows Kelsey’s got my heart forever.”

We thanked Dad and headed back to my place with Pooh trotting alongside us. Once we were finally home, I dragged Kelsey upstairs to bed. I’d been fantasizing about all the things I wanted to do to her for most of the ride home and had been half-mast for hours.

The world outside faded away as I stripped her naked and licked every inch of her body. After I made her come a couple of times, she surprised me with a scene out of one of her now tall stack of smutty romance novels she’d taken over the bedside table with. Wolf shifter smut was top tier, and when she was done reading a mating scene to me, I flipped her over and took her from behind, just like the dirty wolf did. I even gave her a little bite right as she was coming with my dick buried deep inside of her.

Afterwards, we savored the peace we found in each other’s arms after days of emotional turmoil. Kelsey snuggled into me. “I think we should get your dad a dog for Christmas. He clearly loves them, and you said he’s a dog whisperer. You said you had dogs growing up, right?”

“Our first one was my dad’s dog, and he was pretty old when we were little. When I was three and Chris was four, Ev was just a baby, our parents didn’t want to tell us that their Bear had died. That was his name. He was some kind of a big Newfie mixthat really did look a lot like a big bear. So mom made dad go out to every shelter in town until he found another enormous, brown, fluffy dog, and brought it home and started calling it Bear.”

Kelsey popped her head up and her smile dazzled me. “And you guys didn’t notice? I guess you were really little.”

“No, I totally noticed, but I think at that age, I just thought all dogs were called Bear.” I enjoyed the little dachshund that Kelsey loved, but there was nothing like a big dog. “I didn’t figure it out until I was like eleven or twelve, I guess, and we got Bear number three. She was a good dog. Could fit a whole-ass football in her mouth.”

“Football family through and through. We’ll have to either teach Pooh to catch a ball or maybe just dress her up like one for Halloween. No Bear four?” She snuggled back into my chest, and I wrapped her tighter into my arms.

“Since Jules is the last kid living at home full-time, dad decided he wasn’t going to get a Bear four. We’ve talked about getting him one after Jules flies the coop for college. He’s not going to know what to do with himself with no more kids to raise.”

If any Kingman was going to buck the system and not get their degree from Denver State University, it would be Jules. She had a mind of her own and we all knew it.

As we lay there, Kelsey’s head resting on my chest, she broached the subject we’d both been ignoring for a little while. “We’ve got a lot of traveling coming up. My make-up tour and your games. It’s going to be crazy.”

I brushed a strand of hair from her face, pondering over our schedules. “It is going to be hectic. But I promise you, Kels, I’ll be at as many of your concerts as I can. I don’t want to miss watching you shine on stage.”

“I really enjoy watching you smack other guys into the grass. Which is not something I ever thought I’d say. I’ll be at your games, cheering you on.”

We lay there in silence for a moment, each lost in thoughts about our future together, a future filled with music, football, and shared dreams.

Kelsey lifted her head, meeting my gaze. “No matter where we are, whether on the road or on stage, we’ll always find our way back to each other, right?”

I nodded, sealing the promise with a kiss. “Always, Kels. No distance can keep us apart. We’re a team in everything we do now.”

She smiled, a beautiful, genuine smile that reached her eyes. “I love you, Declan Kingman.”

“I love you too, Kelsey Best, from the moment I first saw you until forever.”

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