Page 33 of Take Me
I never knew she did this.“You even take paw prints with pets who’ve been abandoned?”
“Just in case.”Annabelle shrugs.“You never know if the owner might have second thoughts and come back to claim them.”
That thought breaks my heart even more.“You think that might happen?That somebody could come back for Scrumpy?”
“Doubtful,” she says.“I held onto him for nearly two weeks.He needed time to heal, and I wanted to be sure they weren’t planning to return.”
Erika touches my shoulder.“It’s a good thing you came along.He already knows you’re his person.”
I look down and, yeah.The dog’s got his butt on my shoe.
“That’s a sign of affection and trust.”Annabelle winks.“They also have anal glands they use for scent marking, so he’s letting the world know you’re his.”
The punchline slips out before I can stop it.So does my arm, which ropes around Erika’s waist.“Guess I need to start rubbing my butt on you, huh?”
Rolling her eyes, she looks at Annabelle.“However did you tear yourself away from such poetry?”
Belle looks surprised that she went there.“God, I’m so glad we’re all open about this.No hard feelings, right?”
“Of course.”Erika sounds so breezy and bright, while I’m standing here with my arm locked around her like I think she might run.“Mason and I are great.”
That sounded convincing, so I nod.“Yep.Couldn’t be happier.”
“It was meant to be, then.”Annabelle sighs with relief.“Things work out for a reason, right?”
“Absolutely.”
My ex-girlfriend searches my eyes.“I’d love it if you and I could catch up sometime.As friends,” she says quickly, glancing at Erika.“Is that okay with you?”
“Sure.”She puts the paw print back in the box.“I already rubbed my butt on Mason, so he’s good to go out of the house.”
“Great.”She laughs and stoops down to pet Scrumpy.“I’ll just leave your parents to it then, huh?Seems like I interrupted something.”
My dog licks her face, then jerks his head to his tail.He gnaws on the base, then does some spring cleaning while he’s down there.
“At least he did it in that order,” I offer.“Sucks when the face lick comes after the butt lick.”
“We’re working on proper booty lick hygiene,” Erika deadpans.
Annabelle laughs.“Have a good night, you two.”
“Thanks for bringing the stuff by.”
“My pleasure.”She flashes a bright smile at Erika.“I’m really glad things all worked out like they did.”
“So am I.”
There’s a quick swap of farewell hugs, and we wave from the porch as the pale-yellow Volkswagen backs down my drive.As soon as she’s gone, I draw a deep breath.
“I’d apologize for the awkward moment,” I say, “but I’m not sure you’d know which one I meant.”
“Hmm.”Erika pretends to ponder.“It’s a tossup between you tearing my clothes off on your couch or informing your ex we’re into anal play.”
“Shit.”I glance at the driveway where Annabelle’s car disappeared.“You think she thought that?”
“I have no idea what she thought.”She takes a step back like she thinks I might strip her naked again.“Did it seem weird she kept spouting clichés?Like ‘everything happens for a reason’ or ‘things worked out for the best.’”
“Or ‘I’ve got good tits.’”I tap a finger to the side of my face.“No, wait—that wasyou.”
