Page 11 of The Gift of the Maltipoo
Tyler cupped his cheeks and guided Anthony to his lips. “That, sweetheart, was Daisy going somewhere else because we’re too loud for her.” He drew Anthony down into a kiss that curled his toes, and he forgot all about everything else but Tyler.
Chapter 5
TYLER WOKEto getting his face licked. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found Daisy with her paws on his chest, looking down at him. “I take it you want some attention.”
“What I think she wants is to go out, and then she needs to eat,” Anthony said softly and then yawned. “Morning, gorgeous.”
He pushed the covers back and then pulled them up again. “It’s cold out there.”
“Yeah.”
He got out of bed anyway and pulled on sweatpants and a shirt before lifting Daisy off the bed and setting her down. She followed him down the stairs and through the house to the back door. He let her out and then got her some food and fresh water before letting her back in. Daisy attacked her dish, cleaning it quickly, and then drank before trotting through the house and up the stairs. She still had a few issues with her leg, but fortunately she had her mobility back, which was good. Nothing much stopped her now.
By the time he got back to the bedroom, Daisy was on the bed and had settled on his side. “Come on, princess. You have your own bed. This is mine.” He carried her to her bed and then climbed in with Anthony, who was warm and still half sleepy. “I figured you’d be keyed up.”
Anthony groaned. “I’m sorry. I have been working insane hours for months, and I finally get to relax. I have the whole weekend with nothing to do. I don’t even have to go into the office, and I get to sleep in a little.” He yawned and tugged Tyler to him. “You’re warm and comfy.”
“Yeah. Ummm.” He whispered something, and Daisy joined them on the bed. She tramped around until she found a place she liked near their feet.
“The princess doesn’t want to get left out,” Anthony whispered. “What do you have to do today?”
“I need to visit my mom. She had her last chemo treatment earlier this week. I stopped in to check on her Wednesday, and she was resting. I’ve talked to her a few times, but I have to go see her and see how she’s doing.” He settled down because it was warm and cozy in bed with Anthony.
“Do you need to see her now?”
“No. I can go visit her later this morning,” Tyler said.
“Good.” Anthony pulled up the covers and snuggled against him. “Give me an hour and I’ll be all ready to go.” He sighed. “You wore me out last night. I have to have a little time to recover before I meet your mother.”
GETTING READYto go took more time than Tyler figured. First they had to shower. You’d think showering together would save water, but nope. It took until the hot water ran out for them to get out and dress. Anthony ran home to get fresh clothes because he didn’t think he needed to meet Tyler’s mother in his rumpled tux, and Tyler picked him up ten minutes later.
He drove to his mother’s in town, and once inside, he set Daisy down. She immediately began exploring, sniffing around the furniture and into each corner. “What is she looking for?” his mother asked as he gave her a hug.
“Who knows? She’ll be over to say hello in a minute.” He sat down and introduced Anthony.
“You’re the lawyer,” she said and sat back against her pillows. “How did the party go last night?” She seemed with it, and her eyes were bright.
“It was nice. And the senior partner’s wife used her influence to stop her husband from requesting the Chicken Dance, so that was a real win.” He smiled, and Tyler took the chair near his.
“Anthony just won a big case.” Tyler seemed proud, and Anthony liked that. Tyler took his hand.
“How are you feeling, Mrs. Lemieux? Tyler said that you had your last treatment this week.”
She nodded. “I know it’s too soon, and maybe it’s just anticipation, but I feel better than I have in a while. It will take a while longer before my energy begins to come back, but every day I feel better. It won’t be long until my hair grows back, and I have some real plans. A bunch of my friends go to the Y every day for exercise class, and I’m going to join them and keep moving. That’s going to be my new life.”
“Well, Mom.” Tyler looked over at Daisy. “You asked me to get you a dog, and I originally thought that—”
She put up her hand. “No, honey. I was out of my mind on pain meds and chemotherapy drugs. You know that.” She called Daisy, who came over, got pets, and then hurried over to Tyler and put her paws on his knees to tell him to pick her up. “Besides, she’s your dog. Daisy is all about you, and that’s so good. The more I think about it, the more I want to travel and see as much of the world as I can in the next few years.”
“Okay.” He cuddled her closer. “That’s really good, because I was going to tell you that I was going to find something else for you for Christmas, because this little one is too precious to me.” Daisy licked his chin.
Mom smiled. “I know who’s important to you. You could never keep that sort of thing a secret. Remember Lance Crawford in the tenth grade? You had such a crush on him. He never knew; no one else did but me. And you don’t need to worry about that sort of thing. I want you to be happy, and Daisy—and Anthony—make you happy.” She turned to Anthony. “He told me about you last summer. You were the hot neighbor who mowed his lawn without a shirt.”
Anthony laughed, while Tyler wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. “I talk to people all day and I can be a tiger in the courtroom, but when it comes to my personal life, I’m a mess. So I would mow my lawn on hot days, without a shirt, to try to get the attention of my cute neighbor, and I was sort of hoping that he might come over and say hello or something. But he never did. And I got too busy and wound up in my own crapulence until a few weeks ago, when I needed a date for my work party and I thought I’d ask my cute neighbor.”
“Awww,” Mom said softly. “You two are so cute… and so stupid.”
“Mom,” Tyler protested.
