Page 47 of Small-Town Secrets
My question was answered for me when I heard the back door open. So he'd been in the yard. All right then.
"Puppy!!!" Tyler squealed before I even registered the little dog that came dashing into the kitchen. I didn't know enough about dogs to know what breed he was, but he looked like a wrinkly bundle of love.
There went my chances of getting my son to focus on his homework for the next little while.
Not that I could be mad.
"He's adorable," I cooed at the puppy as Aaron came in.
"Adorable and not completely housebroken," Aaron informed me. "I gotta go clean up the family room. Can you two watch the dog for a minute?"
"Sure." After Aaron had watched Chris all day, I could watch this little cutie for a few minutes. The dog pawed at my legs begging for attention and I picked him up to hold in my arms. Tyler was immediately jealous of course.
"I want to hold the dog!" he insisted, stretching his hands out to the fur bundle.
"You have to be careful with him," I instructed. "He's a baby."
"I'll be super careful!"
"Okay. Slowly now. That's a living creature. Don't drop him and don't run while you're holding him."
Tyler nodded as I handed the puppy over to him, something almost reverent in his gaze. "He's so warm!"
"Yeah, he is." I grinned as I watched the dog lick my son's face, making him laugh. I had to get a picture of that, so I snapped one with the camera on my phone. It was moments like these that kept me going through the hard days, after all.
"Oh, I see you made a new friend," Aaron addressed Tyler when he came back into the kitchen.
"Can I keep him?"
"I'm afraid he's already got an owner," Aaron said with a hint of amusement in his voice. When Tyler's face fell, he added, "But he'll be visiting us a lot in the future. And other dogs too."
"Other dogs?"
"Yes, lots of other dogs. Wait 'til you meet Ophelia. You're going to love her."
"Really?" Tyler looked as if Aaron had just told him that his birthday was coming early this year.
"Yeah, really." Aaron ruffled the boy's hair, then he looked at me. "Since you're home now, it's okay if I go out, right?"
"Yeah, sure. Where are you headed?"
"I'll drop the puppy off with his owner and then I gotta go to the tattoo studio. Believe it or not, Jake wants to get one. Somebody has to be there to save him from himself."
"Sounds serious. You better go."
"You're taking the puppy?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah, sorry buddy."
"It's okay." Tyler carefully handed the dog over to Aaron. "He'll come back."
"And you have homework to do," I reminded him. Instantly, his face fell. I laughed.
Once Aaron was gone with the dog and Tyler sat at the kitchen table working on his math homework, I left him for a moment to check up on my other son. Chris was still lying on the couch, but he turned to look at me when I entered the living room.
"Hey," he said sleepily.
"Hey," I returned. "How are you feeling?" I sat on the edge of the couch and carded my fingers through my son's soft brown hair.
