23. King
“Spare is going to rip your balls off your body when she finds out you lied to her.” Rolling my eyes, I glance over at Ace in my passenger seat. I told Bird that he and I needed to go to the bar to look at a leak in the roof, but that’s not the truth.
I hope she doesn’t kill me.
She isn’t going to be happy.
I'm on my way to get a puppy, one that is going to grow up and be a ‘fuck around and find out’ dog. We are on our way to pick up a ten-week-old Cane Corso puppy, who will protect my family in no time. The kids ask for a puppy every day, I’m just making them happy. No reason for Sparrow to get mad at me.
Except I didn’t talk to her about this beforehand. Actually, I think she told the kids no on multiple occasions.
“Shut up, Ace.” I’m starting to wish my other brother came with, at least then it would be a quiet ride. It’s physically impossible for Ace to stay silent. But River had an appointment, and I would never ask him to cancel an appointment to be an accomplice.
“I’m just saying, I think this is the type of thing you are supposed to talk to your woman about. But what do I know.” I see Ace shrug his shoulders from the corner of my eye, making me roll my eyes. Ace has never had an actual girlfriend. Sure, he’s seen with women, but they are just a means to an end. His words, not mine. I was more discreet with the women that I was sleeping with. But they always knew it was never going to be anything.
“You ever going to stop sleeping around and find someone worthwhile?” Neither one of my brothers has been in a committed relationship. It’s going to take a special kind of person to reign Ace in.
“Nobody wants to put up with my shit and you know it,” he mutters. Ace always beats himself up over what he considers his broken brain. It’s not broken, but it hasn’t been kind to him.
“You don’t know that. I for one can’t wait for someone to tame you.” I start laughing as I imagine the brave soul that Ace lets in.
“Yeah, yeah. You seem like you have been on your best behavior since Spare got here,” he grumbles out as he starts messing with his lighter.
“I have a purpose now. I will try to be the best fucking man and father until I take my last breath. You’ll get it one day.”
Ace just shakes his head as I turn down a driveway. This guy has been breeding and protection training Corsos for almost twenty years, and he just so happens to know my dad.
Walking up to the house, I’m met with the sound of at least a few different dogs barking. This is what we need; even though I’ve been invited here, these dogs are not happy.
“You guys can come back here.” We turn to find an older man coming out of a Morton building. Once we get to the building and shake the man’s hand, we follow him inside.
“Alright, these are the three pups I have available. I have the parents out back right now, but I can bring them in.”
Walking into a room, the puppies quickly run over, with a bigger one coming in through a doggie door. Ace bends over to pay attention to the one not available, while I try to choose a puppy. A fawn-colored puppy comes up and sits down on my boot, swiping its paw at its siblings when they get close.
“Ahh, that guy is a natural protector. He keeps his siblings in line too. I was tempted to keep him, but my wife had to put her foot down.” The man laughs as he tells me this, while I pick the puppy in question up.
“Do you know how he is with kids? I have two that he will be growing up with.” That’s the most important thing; I need a dog that’s going to be good with the twins.
“Oh, yeah. My grandkids come every weekend to play with all the dogs. I take pride in the genetics of my dogs. You won’t have any problems with that,” the man answers proudly.
Looking over at Ace, my mouth falls open. He has his head thrown back, laughing, while he has a dog sitting in his lap, licking his face. This is the happiest I’ve seen my brother in a long time. “Ya good, Ace?”
“Oh, yeah. What’s this one’s story?” Ace asks as he stands up with the puppy in his arms.
“That girl is from my last litter. I had an owner for her, but they backed out last minute. And I just never put her back up for sale.”
I have a very good feeling that we are leaving with two dogs, and Sparrow really will be killing me when we get back.
“How much for her?” Ace asks with a shit eating grin on his face. He knows Sparrow is already going to flip out with one puppy.
“You getting him?” He points to the puppy in my hand and I nod. He continues, “Since I know your dad, and I know these guys will get a good home, two thousand for both. I usually charge two thousand per puppy.”
Looking down at the puppy in my arms, and back over to Ace, my mind’s made up. These guys are coming home with us, and I’ll just have to face the consequences.
“Alright, well…we’ll take them.”
After meeting the parents, paying, and getting a bag of dog food, Ace and I are back in the truck and headed back home.
Ace breaks out in laughter, and I know that it’s at my expense. But jokes on him, only one of these puppies is mine. He is going to have to explain to her how he also has a puppy.
“She is going to kill us, you know that, right?” Ace gets out in between fits of laughter.
Parking next to Sparrow’s truck, I’m trying to psych myself up to go inside. A puppy isn’t the worst thing I could have brought home for the kids. I’m already thinking about getting project cars for the kids so we can work on them and by the time they're sixteen, they will have a fully restored vehicle.
That’s a hell of a lot more money than a puppy.
“On a scale of one to ten, how mad is she going to be?” Ace asks as he looks around, like he expects Sparrow to jump out from around the corner.
“I’m going with at least an eight.”
“Shit. Okay, c’mon, Lilith. Time to face the music.” Ace starts to get out of the truck, while I grab a hold of my puppy, who has been sleeping in my lap for the whole drive.
“You named her already?”
“Of course I did,” Ace says, like it’s a crazy question. We literally just got them.
Pausing at the back door, I count to ten before slowly opening it. The kids and Sparrow are in the kitchen, eating lunch when we walk in.
“Hey, we were just making you lunch. We were going to bring it up to you—” Sparrow stops talking when she notices what is in my arms.
“King,” Sparrow slowly warns me.
“Puppies!” Loch notices first and runs over. The puppy in my arms is fully awake now and squirming in my arms to get down.
“Uncle Ace, you have one too!” Telle exclaims as he runs over.
Taking a chance, I look over at Sparrow and find her standing in front of us with her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed.
Shit.
“How about I take the kids and puppies outside so that you guys can talk?” Ace asks slowly.
Smart man.
I nod while I hand the puppy over to him, Ace and the kids quickly take their exit. “Bird, these guys are great with kids, and great pro—” I’m shocked when Sparrow throws herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck.
“I’ve never had a dog, but we are going to discuss you being the good cop, making me the bad cop.” Her lips meet mine, and I waste no time deepening the kiss. Picking her up, Sparrow wraps her legs around my waist as I walk towards the island, as she kisses up my neck.
Sparrow lowers herself onto the island, lying down as my hands begin to explore under her shirt.
“King.” Sparrow arches off the island as I pull down her bra and pinch her nipple. This was not the reaction I was expecting, I was actually thinking I would have blue balls at the end of the day.
“Are you wet for me, Bird?” She nods her head as I reach in her leggings with my other hand. We should take this at least somewhere in our wing, but I’m not stopping now.
Leaning closer to her, I whisper in her ear, “I want you to come for me, B—”
The door crashes open so I quickly cover Sparrow’s body with mine. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. But you guys have your own damn wing.” Without looking, I know that River just got home, and completely cockblocked me.
Sparrow starts hysterically laughing from underneath me, making me break out in laughter.
“You guys are fucking weird.” River laughs out.
“I guess we should go check out this puppy, King,” Sparrow says as she brings a hand up to my face.
Kissing the inside of her wrist, I help her sit up as River rummages around in the fridge. “Spare, did you make these sandwiches?”
“I did. I thought your brothers were hard at work at the bar, when they were actually getting puppies. Help yourself.” After fixing her bun, she hops off the island; halfway to the door, she turns around. “Are you coming, King?”
I’ll follow her anywhere.