Moving them aside carefully, she reached in and pulled out a metal stand with two bowls in it.
“This would’ve been awesome a week ago so I didn’t pull the stitches, but I can still use it. Wait, is it for us?”
Us. I fucking loved that. I was also slightly concerned that she’d eat out of a raised dog bowl.
“Keep going,” I urged, pointing at the next box.
By the time she was done, she was surrounded by empty boxes that’d been piled on top of each other again, the bowls on the stand, a big fluffy bed, squeaky toys, soft toys, dog treats, dog food, dog vitamins, a leash and matching collar, and sprays of all kinds in case he peed in the house.
“I know some of it’s for a dog, but what’s the rest for? Are you getting a service K9?”
Winking at her, I skirted around where she was sitting, stroking the bed, and walked over to the backdoor.
“Close your eyes.”
Not arguing, she covered them with both hands, and I opened the door.
I didn’t have to shout or whistle to get his attention because the oaf came bounding in, almost knocking me over.
Gently grabbing the collar Alex had put on him, I got his focus on Zuri and whispered, “Go get her.”
And that’s what he did. He went shooting across the floor and skidded to a stop in front of her. I’m not even sure he breathed as he leaned in and started licking her frantically, making my stomach twist again. I mean, I’m fairly certain he licked his balls with that tongue, and he was only an inch away from her mouth.
“Uh, Garrett? I don’t know if this means that you want to take our relationship to a new place, but would you brush your teeth?”
Closing the door with a bang, I strolled across the room again. “Lower your hands, pretty girl.”
Dropping them back to her lap, Zuri blinked rapidly and froze when she came face to face with her surprise. “You got a bear?”
“How the hell did you get a bear from that? He’s a freakin’ dog.”
Gently holding him around the neck, Zuri inspected him while he wagged his ass and tail.
“Wow, he’s so pretty,” she breathed, carefully moving her hand near his face and freezing when he licked it. “Hey, baby. Did you kiss me? Thank you.”
Then, just to show off, the dog sat down and scratched her leg with his paw like he was stroking her.
“Who’s a clever boy?”
Me!
“He’s yours, pretty girl. Alex named him Clyde, but you can—”
“I want to keep Clyde,” she interrupted, laughing when he barked. “Why are his paws so big?”
“Because he’s a Great Dane.”
Blinking at me, she shrugged. “I don’t know what that means. I know they come in different breeds, colors, and sizes, but I don’t know enough about the breeds to know what’s what.”
Scratching the back of my neck, I winced. “It means he’s going to grow a little bit more.”
Like another sixty pounds or so. If she paid attention to my brother’s dog, she’d have known this tidbit of information by now, especially seeing as how he was Clyde’s father.
Clyde, the asshole, leaned in and rested his head under her chin, totally stealing the thunder from me.
“That’s so cool. I’ll have to look online how to look after him, but he’s just the sweetest baby ever.”
Admittedly, he was. He was a rare color mix of blue-grey with white paws and a white patch around his eye and on the end of his tail. He also had one blue eye and one brown one.
“Clyde’s been taking lessons on how to be a protection dog for you. He only has another two weeks until he graduates, so he has to do these last two with you and the school together.” I told her, squatting down beside her and reaching out to put a hand on her arm.
I was two inches away from my destination when he growled at me. “Don’t you fucking dare. I can take you back!”
“Isn’t that dangerous for him?”
Still glaring at the dog, I replied, “No, Alex is a great guy who loved the puppies. In fact, he’s been helping train Clyde for—”
“No, I meant being a guard dog. What if someone breaks in and hurts him?”
Frowning, I tried to think of the rationale behind what she’d just said, but I couldn’t get it. “Baby, he’s there to help if you if someone breaks in and hurts you.”
Holding Clyde with both arms around his neck, she shook her head. “No, I don’t want to risk it. He’s only a baby, and when he’s grown up, dogs are meant to be protected and cherished.”
And this was where I could see that she’d never had a pet at all. Anyone else would understand how smart dogs were to begin with, and with training, that smartness just increased.