Page 31 of A Furry Thing Called Love
“Yeah,” I say carefully, “I will.”
“Well, good meeting,”Jon cuts in, probably sensing my mild distress.“Let me know if you need anything for your project, Arlo.”
“Will do.I’ll talk to you guys soon.”
We sign off, and it’s just me in my home office, wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into, and how the fuck my sister manages to make her bad ideas seem like good ones, even from over a thousand miles away.
She calls it a twin gift.I call it me being a sucker.Either way, I pick up my phone and text Jordan, because while it’s only been a few days since the offer to go with him, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t changed his mind.
I don’t know if Iwanthim to have changed his mind or not…
Lying to yourself isn’t cute.For some reason, my inner voice sounds a lot like my sister…
Chapter18
Arlo
“I promise,I’ll send you pictures every day.She’ll be fine,” Brooklyn says gently, his hazel eyes are kind as I hand over Millie’s lead to him.
“I’ll probably miss her more than she’ll miss me.”I look down at Millie, who while patiently sitting, also looks as if she’s going to vibrate out of her fur.
“That’s not true at all,” Brooklyn reassures me.“She’ll miss you, but I promise, I’ll make sure she has fun as well.”
Reaching down, I pet Millie, giving her some love before saying goodbye for the next ten days.“Thanks, Brooklyn.Don’t hesitate to call or text for any reason.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”
Taking a breath, I straighten up.“Okay.We’ll see you soon.Have fun, Millie.”
One final goodbye to Brooklyn, and Jordan ushers me into the car.“She’ll be okay,” Jordan says.“You know and trust Brooklyn.”
“Yeah,” I agree.“I just… I’ve never been away from her for longer than a few hours before.”
Jordan reaches over and sets a hand on my thigh in comfort.Placing my hand over his, I sink into my seat and try not to worry.I’m eternally grateful Brooklyn is willing to do boarding on top of his daycare, because otherwise, I have no idea what I would have done.I probably would have made my sister fly down to stay with her.It would have been worth the lifetime of teasing to ensure my baby was safe.
Traveling is stressful enough, and I’m already feeling guilty that I couldn’t bring Millie along, so not having the comfort and familiarity of Brooklyn would have most likely scared me enough to stay home.
The driveto the airport is uneventful.Thankfully, it’s early enough in the day that the traffic isn’t terrible—though I did feel bad for making Brooklyn get up at stupid o’clock so we could make sure we beat the worst of the LA traffic.
At the airport, Jordan gets our bags and the dogs situated, while I unfold my wheelchair and put my crutches in the holder on the back.
I hate having to travel with so many things, but even I’m not quite reckless enough to not bring the chair while going through the airport—having my own is much preferable to using an airport issued one.
Check-in goes smoothly, with them only glancing at Indie’s papers, and offering to assist me through the airport.
“Please,” Jordan tells the woman, giving me aDon’t you fucking arguelook.
Internally, I sigh.While I’d argue under normal circumstances, since I can manage myself, thank you very much, it’s been years since I’ve been on a plane, and that was before I needed the chair.Well, before I admitted I needed the chair.
The last time I flew was for my sister’s wedding, and while I didn’t admit it until it was too late, I should have asked for more help.The resulting relapse from putting my body through that was hell—that was a year or so before I got Eli, and was part of my decision to look into a service animal.I was jaded about needing help, and getting a dog trained for mobility seemed like less of a step back than any other mobility aids.
The airline attendant helps get us through security, and to our gate.Jordan speaks to the attendants at the gate about early boarding, and that is one good thing about having him with me—I don’t have to speak to people myself.His mother henning may be slightly annoying and overbearing normally, but I won’t deny he’s a good person to travel with.
“Need anything?”Jordan asks.
I shake my head.“I’m good.”After a quick look around, I lean over a little and say quietly, “How’d you get Indie cleared to fly in the cabin?”
Jordan smiles.“You didn’t think the ‘Therapy Animal’ vest was just for show, did you?I’m not that type of person.”
