Page 49 of No Rhyme or Roughing
“This isn’t funny.”
“Teddy just got a living, breathing puppy,” she said, her grin widening. “He can barely take care of himself.”
She wasn’t wrong. If Rowan didn’t cook for him, Teddy would probably survive on DoorDash. And if I didn’t clean, this house would be a disaster zone.
I collapsed onto the couch beside her. “I just got a dog, didn’t I?”
Teddy returned, tossing the dog to Sydney before peeling off his pants. The pee had soaked through to his boxers. When he started to remove those too, I yelled, “Whoa!”
Sydney added, “No, no, no!”
He rolled his eyes and headed for the stairs, leaving the two of us with the puppy. The little guy circled once before curling up against Sydney.
“You have to admit, he’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen,” she said, scratching him behind the ears. He leaned into her hand, clearly wanting more.
I sighed. “Of course he is. I want to stare at him for hours and let him nap with me. But that doesn’t mean we should have a puppy in this house.”
“That was… intense.” She leaned forward, burying her nose against his fur. “Mmm, he smells good. Like new puppy.”
“There’s no such thing as a new puppy smell.”
“I beg to differ.” She tilted her head, still nuzzling the pup. “Smell his breath.”
“What? No.”
“Smell his breath, Ryder.”
After everything I’d confessed to her today, I couldn’t say no. I leaned in, taking a cautious sniff near the puppy’s mouth. My face was close to hers, her citrusy scent mingling with something… sweet.
“See?” Her smile softened. “Perfect, right?”
She was. I forced myself to lean back.
The puppy opened one eye and gave me a look—almost territorial. Like he too had claimed her.
I sighed again. “We’re keeping this dog, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” she hummed into his fur. “You are.”
Heavy thudding on the stairs announced Teddy’s return. He froze when he saw his sister. “No.” He crossed his arms. “You are not stealing this dog.”
“Too late.” She hugged the puppy possessively, locking eyes with her brother in a silent challenge.
Teddy huffed. “He’s meant to be inspiration for the team.”
“Okay.” She shrugged.
“His name is Guardian.”
“Fine.” She didn’t loosen her grip. “Where’s his crate? I think he’s tired.”
“Crate? You think I’m going to lock up my dog?”
Sydney closed her eyes, visibly summoning patience. I just watched.
“Okay, did you at least get food?”
Teddy frowned.
