Page 114 of That First Night
“Come with me, Thomas,” she murmurs between ragged breaths.
“Always, baby.” I press a kiss to the hollow of our neck before we both fall apart. Her orgasm causing her body to convulse around me as I pour my release into her. Her head falls down to my shoulder, and she wraps her arms tight around me as both of our movements begin to slow.
Peyton lifts her head off my shoulder, arms still tight around my neck as she meets my gaze. I’m silent as my eyes bounce between hers and I brush the loose strands of hair away from her face. My lips curve into a smile, and I’m reminded again how fucking lucky I am to have found this connection and this kind of love with someone.
I spent my whole life swearing off relationships and wanting nothing to do with love, and then Peyton walked into my life and flipped my world upside down.
“I love you so much, Sunshine.”
“I love you too, Mr. Ford.”
“I’m fucking late,” I roar into the phone.
“First of all,” Kali screams back. “Relax, you psycho.”
“Don’t tell me to relax,” I huff back. “You can’t tell someone freaking out to relax. Don’t you know this already? Besides… I AM LATE.”
As much as I love… hell, even crave… sex with Thomas, this morning was just so he didn’t sense me acting weird on him. I could tell he was going to question what I was doing today. Over breakfast, I told him I was going to clean the house. I havenevercleaned the house aside from just tidying up James’ toys or dishes. Then to make it worse, I told him I was going to have a lazy day watching a movie. I can’t help but laugh at myself for that. The only time I ever have a lazy day is when I am sick. There is always something to do.
We’re officially getting married in a few months. Listen, it might seem fast to some but when you know, you know. I knew he was the one, from that first night. I was a complete goner for him. I often wonder what life would be like if the kitchen fire never started. Would I have really gone home with him? Would we have dated?
I stop my own thoughts most of the time because I can’t focus on what if. I was an entirely different person back then. I was shy, reserved and broken from past relationships. Thomas was probably a total playboy. If I went home with him, I could have easily been just another notch on his bedpost. Who the hell knows.
Not for nothing, James wouldn’t be in the picture. While I despise the thought of Thomas with another woman, it brought him that amazing little boy. Without James, I wouldn’t have been hired to be his nanny and Thomas wouldn’t be back in my life.
Fate works in wild ways.
“Did you call her and tell her you were at least on your way?” Kali cuts through my thoughts.
“No. FUCK!” I scream as I drive south on the Parkway.
“I just texted her,” Kali says in a calming tone. It doesn’t matter how irrational I am when I am angry or upset. This girl grounds me. Fucking love her for that. “She said you’re not late. I’m going to say it again, relax, you psycho. Because otherwise your fancy spaceship of a car will end up in a ditch on the side of the Parkway.”
“I know, okay?” I sigh. “I just don’t want anyone to take him.”
“No one is going to take him.” I can feel a smile through her words. “He’s yours and was meant for you.”
I let out a long breath as I relax into my seat a little more. I’ve spent months searching high and low for the perfect puppy. James once told me that he would love a fluffy puppy that he can dress up as a dinosaur. I knew I would surprise him with this when we got settled into the house with more property. You know, something a little more pet friendly.
I’ve talked to Thomas about a puppy before and he’s not opposed to it. However, he’s always pushing it off. Saying next month, next year or after the wedding. I don’t think there will ever be aperfecttime to get a puppy.
Ireallywanted to surprise James for his birthday back in February, but we took him to Florida instead. We met up with his brother Oliver, who I met for the first time. He is nothing like his siblings. Oliver is certainly the party animal of the family. Single and ready to fucking mingle. That’s putting it mildly.
Needless to say, today is the day I surprise my boys with the cutest puppy I found online. It’s the cutest little cavapoo, or cavoodle. The internet has so many different names for them. He is a crossbreed of a Cavalier King Charles and a miniature toy poodle. Everything I read online says they are easy to train, hypoallergenic and the perfect family dog. Everything I could have only dreamed of in a dog.
The best part? I am not getting him from a breeder. I wanted to adopt and change the life of a dog, not shop from a storefront or a mill. This little guy is just a puppy but was placed in foster care when he was just a few months old because the owners changed their mind just after Christmas. You know, the family that gets the dog as an extravagant Christmas gift but forgets how much work is involved in caring for an animal? Their loss is my gain because this puppy is checking off all my boxes.
Small and fluffy? Check.
Family dog? Check.
Up for adoption and not from a chain store? Check.
“I just can’t wait to pick him up, Kali,” I say into the phone.
“I can’t wait to come over and cuddle up on the little man,” she coos. “Did you pick out a name yet? Or are you going with a name the foster parents picked?”
“I don’t know if I like the nameMattyfor a little puppy.”
