Page 94 of Summer Heat
We walked outside, holding hands. It felt good to be openly affectionate with him.
Before we reached the area with the lights hanging on the trees, Shep held up a hand. "I just want to say that we agreed to move in together, so I'll be the one to help?—"
"Mommy! Look," Maya cried, drawing my attention to where a black puppy sat in her lap. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, petting him.
"A puppy?" I asked.
The puppy was on a leash that was looped around a nearby palm tree.
"As I was saying, I'm home a lot, and I can take him with me on the job. So there won't be an issue of us taking care of him."
"I can't believe you got a dog," I said at the same time Maya said, "Is he your dog?"
Shep dropped to his knees next to Maya. "That's what we want to talk to you about."
I sat next to him, my heart beating more rapidly. Would she be okay with us dating? I hadn't wanted to think about the possibility that this couldn't work. Shep pulled my hand onto his thigh, drawing Maya's attention. He was waiting for me to take the lead in this conversation.
"Shep and I wanted to see if you'd be okay if we dated."
Maya frowned. "Like boyfriend girlfriend?"
Shep sandwiched my hand between us. "Yeah, your mom would be my girlfriend."
Maya was quiet for a few seconds, watching us and absently patting the dog.
I could see why he gave her the dog first, to keep her calm. I wasn't sure what she was thinking about this situation. We'd never discussed me dating anyone because I'd never come close to finding anyone I'd introduce her too.
"Dad has girlfriends."
I winced at that. "I don't know how he handles relationships, so we might be a little different."
She looked from me to Shep. "Would we still live here?"
"That's something else we wanted to discuss with you. We'd be dating, and we'd continue to live here. At some point, I might sleep in Shep's bedroom, if that's okay with you."
Her eyes lit up. "Like a sleepover? Can I sleep with you too?"
I shook my head. "You can sleep in your bed, or in a tent if we're camping together."
Her face fell.
"But you can come in, first thing in the morning," Shep promised, and I'd have to warn him how she'd interpret that. She might show up at one a.m. We'd have to see.
"I love you so much, and I want to make sure you're okay with this new arrangement." I reached over to pet the dog with my free hand, worried about how she'd react.
Finally, she said, "I want to live here with Shep."
I exchanged a relieved look with Shep.
"Does this mean we're a family?" Maya asked tentatively. I knew she was sensitive that the other kids had a mommy and a daddy, even if not all kids did.
"We're a family." Maya launched herself at us, sending the pup scrambling. Her arms came around our necks, and we squeezed each other.
When she pulled back, I said, "What should we name this guy?"
"Lucky," Shep said. "Ever since you two moved in with me, I've felt like the luckiest guy in the world."
Maya grinned. "Lucky!"
