Page 73 of Intangible
With a happy sigh, she looked at him. “What do you have planned for the rest of our day?” He squirted some of the soap in his hand, working it into a lather on Thayer’s back as he considered.
“Well, I probably need to stop at the clinic to get a feel for what I’m walking back into on Monday. We had also better go grocery shopping so we can eat for the rest of the week.
“Then, just in case you’re interested, I had a reliable source text me that the Browns have a new litter of puppies ready to be weaned if you’d like to go see them. That’s where I got Murphy from.” He had bent down, washing her lower body as he spoke.
“Can we? I would love to see Murphy in puppy form!” she said with a little happy dance.
“Absolutely, rinse off so we can go.” Memphis laughed when Thayer bounced out of the shower, quickly pulling him behind her. He barely got a chance to shut the water off before she was throwing a towel at him.
With their clothes back on, Thayer made a quick check of the kitchen to get an idea of what they needed from the store later.
After locking up the new house, Memphis opened the driver’s side door of the vet truck. Murphy jumped in first, settling happily next to the passenger window to bark at the scenery as it passed him by.
Thayer followed him, stopping in the middle of the bench seat, hooking the seat belt. She had folded up the console in the middle earlier so she could sit next to Memphis as he drove.
He cringed a little, wondering what kind of mess he would have to clean up later in the back seat. At any one time, you could find anything from syringes to bubble gum to a pair of gloves shoved into the console. It would be worth it, though, to have Thayer so close as he drove.
Memphis climbed into the driver’s seat, starting the truck so it could start warming up. He had checked that Thayer’s mud boots and coveralls were still in the back of the truck. Someone had obviously cleaned them for him before returning them to the same spot. He would have to remember to thank his receptionist for more than just the use of her Bronco for so long.
Sliding the truck into reverse, he laid his arm on the back of the seat so he could use the side mirror next to Murphy a little easier. The large vet box in the bed of the truck rendered the rearview mirror next to useless.
Thayer snuggled against his side, sliding her hands between his thighs in an effort to get warmer. He sat for a second, taking in the scene inside his truck. Sliding his arm around Thayer, he placed a kiss on her head.
He wondered if this was what all of the obstacles in his life were leading up to. He tried not to allow the hardships in his past to bring him down. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger has been the mantra for a long time.
It made sense now. He had had to be even stronger than he thought he could be in order to save Thayer. He had walked through hell for her and had come out on the other side, a little banged up, but not any worse for wear. Now, he had it all and he was happy. Really fucking happy.
“Is everything okay?” Thayer asked, looking up at him. With a gentle kiss on her lips, he squeezed her closer before turning around to take her to see the new litter of puppies.
“Everything is perfect.”
Epilogue - Four Months Later
Knox sat at the table enjoying his afternoon coffee as he watched the boats making their way down the Thames River. Between the naval base and the Coast Guard Academy, there was always plenty to see in this part of Connecticut.
He was trying to decide if it was time for a change of scenery, though. Teaching math to high school students had always been the most rewarding part of his life and he was itching to get back in the classroom. It was nearing the end of spring, so he needed to make a decision soon.
He looked down at his feet when he heard a grunt, followed by a whimper. Stretched out underneath him, Harry Styles kicked his paws as he dreamed.
Knox had not given the tiny ball of hair the name Harry Styles. After all, who named a dog after a member of a fucking boy band? It had been on the tag attached to the tiny collar he had shown up wearing.
He had been relaxing in his apartment one evening when a knock at the door had brought the tiny puppy into his life. A kid carrying a dog crate had handed Knox a bag of items, along with the crate, when he opened the door before disappearing.
There was no note with the puppy, but he had a pretty good suspicion of who had sent him the present since he looked similar to Murphy. Setting the crate on the ground, he had opened the door to see what emerged before making a decision on what to do with it.
He had let out a string of curse words when a tiny ball of fluff trotted out, yipped once at him, then peed all over his front entry. Thus began the love/hate relationship between Knox and Harry.
That had been almost four months ago. Leaning down, he rubbed Harry’s side as the dog kicked his leg. Knox had just gotten him back from Senator Kent’s house, where he had left him in the care of the senator’s staff while they attended Thayer and Memphis’ wedding.
They had managed to make it a whole four months living together before they found the nearest preacher to marry them. Their friends and family had been given a week’s notice. Thayer had tried to talk him into staying with them for a while to visit, but the last thing he wanted was to be trapped in the middle of nowhere with two horny newlyweds.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Knox looked up to meet the eyes of a man he had come to know fairly well during the case involving Thayer.
“Depends,” he answered, pointing to the chair next to him. Knox watched the tall man as he placed his order for coffee. He was the agent with the FBI working out of the Washington, D.C. office, which made Knox suspicious of why he was down here.
When Thayer was abducted, there was some confusion about which office would handle such a high-profile case. Finally it landed on Agent Dex Tanaka’s desk with the office in Massachusetts lending support since that was the state she had been in when she was kidnapped.
“What does it depend on?” Dex asked, sipping his coffee.
