Page 56 of Take This Heart
I’m not dealing with Milo today.
Nope.
Every time the image of him laughing with Ava freaking Piper, Bruce’s art-critic daughter from hell, comes to mind, I get angry at him all over again.
My dad might trust him, but I don’t.
More than ever, I don’t.
I manage to avoid him all day, once turning around and walking the other way when I spot him across the property. By the end of the day, I’m exhausted. Noah has a few questions for me about the plans and I deal with those and then call Erin.
“Puppies,” I say when she answers. “I’m ready.”
“Meet at Carrie’s in ten?” she says, no questions asked.
“See you there.”
Carrie’s house smells like cinnamon and the Garden Phlox flowers that are blooming by her front door. She ushers us in, giddy. “The puppies just woke up from a nap. Come on back.”
The moment we step into the room, we’re rushed by a flurry of floof. Five marshmallows with wagging tails tumble over our feet.
“Oh my God,” I breathe. “I wasn’t prepared for their cuteness.”
Erin already has a silky black puppy in her arms. She holds it up and kisses its nose. “Look at this face. This is therapy right here.”
A smaller white one bounds over to me and belly-flops right on my foot. When it looks up at me, I melt even more. I swear it’s saying,Hi, I’ve chosen you.
“Okay,” I whisper. “I choose you too.”
I scoop up the puppy and it nuzzles my chin before nestling against my chest. I don’t stand a chance. We never had a dog growing up because my parents always said we were too busy, and they were always doing different house projects where a puppy would be in the way. I didn’t even know if I was a pet person.
But oh my goodness, this is love.
Carrie beams. “Looks like you’ve been won over. They’re ready to go today if you want them!”
Erin and I exchange a look and nod. We’re done for.
On the drive back, my new furry sidekick sits in a little nest of blankets on the passenger seat. Every time I glance over, he’s looking up at me adoringly. I pull into the driveway, feeling lighter than I did earlier. Maybe it’s reckless to adopt a puppy in the middle of a family project during a stressful time, but I feel pretty good about it.
Dad’s in the living room looking like he might’ve just woken up from a snooze when I walk inside. He’s covered with the blanket Grandma Donna made. After they found out about Dad, they made a trip home to get their things the next day and were back that night. They haven’t stopped fluttering over him since. I’m surprised they aren’t now.
“Where are the grandmas?”
“Making more food than any of us will ever eat.” He points at the bundle in my arms. “What’s that?” he asks.
I hold up the puppy and his head pops out of the blankets. “This is the new love of my life. Also known as a puppy.”
He squints. “Is it alive?”
“Well, actually I stopped at Build-A-Bear on the way home,” I tease.
I walk past him and set the little guy next to Dad on the couch. He scrambles out of the blankets and toddles over to Dad.
Dad looks at him and then at me, shaking his head. “Oh my, buttercup. You’ve always added more to your plate than any one person should. I mean, it’s not like we don’t have a million other things going on right now.”
“I know, but hear me out. I thought we could use some joy around here. Erin got his sister, and just look at him.” Ipick him up and hold his face next to mine. “Look at this face.”
Dad tries not to smile. “He looks like a cotton ball.”
