Page 48 of The Widow's Dom

He glanced at her.

“Don’t panic. I had to come up with something, and it’s not your birthday,” she said.

“What anniversary?”

She grinned. “Eight months and four days.”

He chuckled and lifted the puppy up. It instantly went crazy trying to lick as much of Nick as he could. He tried to control it but was too happy to meet his human. Luna walked over and barked at it getting his attention away from the humans and fighting to be let down. Nick set it on its feet, and the puppy immediately tried to play with Luna.

“Luna, be nice,” Janessa said.

She tried running from the thing, but it followed, probably thinking they were playing tag or something.

Nick wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m speechless.”

“Oh, hell, that’s not good,” she said sarcastically.

He smacked her ass. “Not nice.” He pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.”

“I know you’ve always wanted a dog, and having Luna here isn’t the same. I wanted you to be able to train and bond with it from a very young age.”

They both laughed when the puppy flipped when his paws got in the way and tripped him.

“What are you going to name him?” she asked.

“Hell, if I know. Can’t I just call him Dog?”

She snorted. “Can I just call you Man?”

He snorted. “How about Thor?”

She grinned up at him. “It’s perfect.”

Nick whistled, gaining both dogs’ attention. The puppy followed Luna back to them, and Nick picked him up and held him in one arm.

“Yeah, I think he looks like a Thor.”

She chuckled when the puppy tried to get to Nick’s face. Nick held him away from them as he bent down and kissed her. They sputtered when the puppy got between them and bathed them with his tongue.

She dodged the puppy’s mouth. “Welcome to fatherhood. It’ll be just like having a baby for a while.”

“I’ll do what I need to, but I’m guessing this will reinforce our decision not even to adopt children.”

She laughed. “Oh, I think it will, too.”

Later that night, she pressed her hand over her mouth and giggled because of Nick’s sigh when Thor needed to go out again. He brought the puppy back and set him in the dog pallet by Nick’s side of the bed. She couldn’t hold back any longer when Nick had just gotten relaxed, and Thor started crying again.

“Just bring him up with us, Nick. This is his first night away from his mother and siblings. He’s scared.”

Nick reached down and set the puppy between them. Instead of settling down, he thought it was playtime and was all over them.

“How the hell did you do this three times? Twice with the boys and then Luna?”

“I just took it one day at a time. Just don’t forget they all grow out of these stages, and I guarantee you’ll miss this about him.”

She didn’t think Nick believed her, but she knew the truth.

Finally, after several minutes the puppy settled in between them and was tucked up against Nick’s chest.

---