Chapter Six
Emily
“That’s the second time Gigi’s thrown up,” I said, almost gagging. “I’m going to take her to the vet.”
“Okay.” His response was simple enough, but I could tell he thought I was overreacting. “If anything happens to her, Celine will have my hide.”
Chris closed his eyes momentarily as he cupped my arms. “I know you’re nervous, babe, but I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Probably.”
He pressed his lips together. “Better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
“Exactly.” I gave him a peck on the lips and grabbed Gigi’s leash. Even at the sight of it in my hands, she didn’t perk up. “See? Something’s definitely up,” I said, patting my thigh so she’d come to me.
Gigi looked at me with sad eyes as I clipped her leash to her collar.
“Maybe she misses Celine,” Chris said. “Or maybe she’s homesick.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, remembering this was the longest she’d been away from Celine or her own home. I pushed my fingers through Gigi’s curls and massaged her head and ears. “Do you miss your mommy? Do you miss Celine?” I asked. Gigi’s tail, a tuft of snow-white, wagged at the mention of her master’s name.
“Be good,” I said to the three boys still sprawled out on the floor. Giving Chris a weak smile, I prayed nothing was wrong with the little princess.
Nothing could have prepared me for Dr. Gray’s assessment.
“Pregnant?” I repeated for what must have been the third time since she broke the news.
“About two weeks, I’d say,” she said.
“But how?” I looked at Gigi and thought I might be the one to throw up on the vet’s floor.
She tilted her head to the side, eyeing me like she wondered if she really needed to explain the birds and the bees to a grown woman.
I groaned. “That mother fucker! I’m sorry,” I apologized immediately as my insides knotted together again.
“I take it this wasn’t planned?”
I sputtered a laugh. “Not in the slightest.”
“So? Do you know who the father is?”
“It’s Chris’s dog, Luke—the golden retriever. Him and his damn dog!”
“Oh!” she crooned. “I know Luke. He’s so sweet.”
“I thought the same thing. Now all I can think is that he’s a scoundrel and a manwhore!” Gigi laid her head on my knee. I stroked her fur as she looked at me with nervous eyes.
The corner of Dr. Gray’s mouth twitched. “I assume we’re talking about Luke and not your boyfriend?”
As crazy as the situation was, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks,” I said. “I needed that.”
“Celine is going to kill me for letting this happen.” Anxiety surged through me as the words left my mouth. My palms started sweating, and my forehead broke out with beads of perspiration.
“Gigi had a litter a couple of years ago. Celine didn’t fix her because she wanted the option to breed her.”
“You know how I feel about that, though,” I said.
“I know you prefer to rescue, but some people still like their pooches to be purebred.”
“To each their own.”
“She warned me that Gigi might go into heat while she was with me. I kept a careful eye on her. I know the signs. I just didn’t see them.”
“Well,”—Dr. Gray sighed.
“I know.” I couldn’t believe it. Gigi was pregnant. Luke was the father. I would have been better off if she’d had a mild parasite. At least that could be cured with an antibiotic. Gigi seemed to listen intently as I did as Dr. Gray went through what to expect when your dog is expecting.
The weight of the world pressed down on my shoulders as I walked Gigi back to my truck. I went into this trying to do a nice thing for a wonderful woman. The only thing I managed to do successfully was screw over her and her precious pooch.
“Yeah,” I said, looking at Gigi. “You definitely are the one who got screwed in this whole scenario.”
Gigi woofed in agreement. I laughed like a cackling madman as we rounded the bend to my street.
“We’re totally screwed,” I told Chris when he asked how it went at the vet’s.
We both looked toward Hudson’s room to make sure he wouldn’t hear us.
“Why?” he asked.
“More like Gigi is totally screwed. Or got totally screwed.”
“I need a little more detail, honey,” he said as I swallowed the last of my wine.
I promptly refilled my glass and took another large gulp. “Gigi’s pregnant.”
“Excuse me?” he sputtered.
“You heard me correctly,” I said. “Your fucking devil dog knocked her up.”
Chris’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates in his handsome head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” Swallowing two more huge sips of wine, I narrowed my eyes at Luke. He was crouched in the corner like the bad boy he was. “Your dog is a manwhore.”
Chris erupted in laughter. “I’m sorry, babe,” he said when I shot him a death stare. “But for the first time ever, you’re calling Luke names you forbid me to use on him.”
“You were right, Chris. Your dog really is Lucifer.”
Luke barked in excitement as if he knew we were talking about him, then laid his head down when I glared at him from over my wine glass.
“Do you know how this happened?” Chris asked.
“I’m going out on a limb and guessing the night of Halloween when we left them all here unsupervised. She’s a little over two weeks pregnant, and it’s been a little over two weeks since we took Hudson trick or treating.”
“Oh, shit,” he said, covering his face with his hands. “This is all my fault.”
“Stop,” I said. “As much as I hate this, it’s my fault. I was the one who agreed to take care of her. I should have done a better job.”
“Em, don’t do that.” As soon as he touched me, tears welled in my eyes.
“I fucked up, Chris. I seriously fucked up. Celine could sue me over this.”
His eyes turned soft at the realization of my level of stress. “She’s not going to sue you.”
“But she could. She might.”
“Emily, I highly doubt Celine is the kind of woman who would sue you for an innocent mistake like this.”
“People have been sued for less,” I countered as the tears spilled over.
“I won’t tell you that’s not true.” He stroked my arms, offering me comfort and support. “But I don’t think Celine is capable of that kind of malice. Do you?”
I looked into his eyes and thought about Celine. “No. I suppose you’re right.”
“Good.” He wrapped me in his arms and hugged me tightly.
I sighed and asked the question anyway. “But what if she does?”
“Then we deal with it,” he answered. “Together.”
The comfort of his embrace was nothing compared to the comfort of being part of his team.
Chris, Hudson, our dogs, and I were a team.
We were family. And nothing gave me more comfort than knowing I would never be alone again.
Chris was my rock. I mentally prepared for my conversation with Celine as best as I could.
Bullet points ensured I would address everything I needed to and stay on point. I had Gigi’s stellar report of health in hand.
My cell phone mocked me from the coffee table.
“You ready?” he asked, handing my phone to me.
“No.”
His cute chuckle made me smile. I pulled up my call log and huffed a breath before I pressed Celine’s name.