Quick as a flash, he dropped down onto the floor and ran up to the door, pulling the key out of his pocket.
Once we’d made sure Wrecker hadn’t left any ‘gifts for Daddy,’ I picked up my big boy and walked over to the couch.
“Now, tell me what the problem really is.”
Playing with a chunk of hair that’d fallen over my shoulder from my ponytail, he mumbled, “Wrecker sleeps in Zara’s room. It makes me sad.”
The shortened version of her name was easier for him to say, and we loved it. However, the genuine sadness in his voice and little pout really pulled at my heartstrings.
I now knew why he was acting the way he was. He was jealous about his buddy.
“Wrecker loves to make sure babies are safe, Bub. He was the same way with you when you were little.” He knew this because I had the photos with random moments of them together all over the walls.
“But he’s mine.”
Hoping I could negotiate a way for them to share the dog, I suggested, “Can Zahara borrow him at night?”
“No. That’s when he makes me have nice dreams.”
Shit.
Chewing my lip, I checked the time. Remy had said the meeting would take roughly an hour, and that’d been thirty minutes ago.
“Tell you what, I’ll talk to Daddy, and we’ll see what we can sort out, okay?”
When he sighed and snuggled into me, I closed my eyes and enjoyed just holding him for a moment. They don’t warn you that you lose your snuggly baby once they become mobile and start thinking for themselves, so I made sure I appreciated it every time he granted me some cuddle time.
Unaware of the mayhem he was causing, Wrecker walked in and sank down with a dramatic groan at my feet.
Sitting up abruptly, Toby shouted, “Yo, Wreck. Ball time.”
And that was it. My snuggle bug was gone and in his place was the energizer bunny. I swear the dog looked at me and pleaded for peace to have a nap, but given that he was the reason people thought I’d stolen my daughter, I wasn’t going to help him out.
“It’s not funny,” I hissed, pulling on one of Remy’s t-shirts before I got into bed. “Need I remind you about that woman saying we were bad people for stealing a baby and the fact we almost had CPS here about it?”
“That police officer knew we didn’t steal Zahara, baby. He was just curious why people were saying we had.”
“I still get funny looks when I go to the store,” I pouted, pulling the covers up to my neck.
“I can’t believe he’s been doing it because he’s jealous about Wrecker.” Remy got into bed and pulled me across the mattress until I was pressed up against him. “Maybe we should get another dog?”
“That had crossed my mind. Dad’s new neighbor’s dog had puppies five weeks ago. Apparently someone backed out of a sale when she wouldn’t drop the price to fifty dollars.”
People were entitled assholes. It was as simple as that.
Remy began sifting his fingers through my hair. “What kind?”
“Canine with four legs and a tail,” I said sarcastically, squealing when he poked me in my side.
“Smartass.”
“They’re red Labradors. I’ve never seen one that color before, but they’re seriously cute.”
Pulling away, I reached out for my phone and opened up the message with the photo Dad had sent earlier after I’d told him what was going on with Toby. “I think there’s something going on between him and the neighbor.”
“We all knew that already. As always, we were just waiting for you to see it.”
I’d never live down engagement-gate.
Giving him a droll look, I shoved the phone in his face. “What do you think?”
He took the phone out of my hand and studied it. “Is it a girl or a boy?”
“It’s a girl, and she’ll be ready to come home with us in six weeks.”
Looking from the screen to my face, he rolled his eyes. “You’ve already said you’ll take it, haven’t you?”
“Mebbe?”
Passing the phone back to me, he rolled us until we were pressed up against each other again. “Guess we’ll have two dogs and two kids, then.”
That’s how easy life was with Remy. He didn’t get angry about things, he just took them in stride. The stressed and defensive man he’d started his journey as a parent as had disappeared, and although he worried about us all, he tended to just go with the flow.
We’d discussed it when I was pregnant, and he’d said I balanced him and gave him the security he’d been missing. Given that he did the same for me, I knew exactly what he meant.
When you’re on your own, it’s hard to make decisions or know if you’re doing something right. When you have someone beside you, it’s just easier because you know they’ll catch you if you stumble and reassure you when you need it.