Chapter 26
Aubrey
As we’re leaving the appointment, I order a rideshare before Jamie can.
While we wait, I double-check his calendar and mine, and neither of us have meetings until later in the afternoon.
The only time we’ve spent together since he got here was either eating at home, or him eating me.
He’s correct that it’s time we have a proper date that doesn’t involve him devouring something.
Our car arrives and the driver confirms the address for the animal shelter without divulging the name itself.
They’ve been looking for volunteers to walk the dogs or snuggle the cats, and while I’ve never been much of a cat person—probably because felines and I have far too much in common—I’d love to spend time with the pups there.
Brows pinched, Jamie asks, “Don’t we have to get back?”
“Not yet. We’re just going to take a little detour.” I slide my hand onto his thigh and squeeze once. “Trust me. We won’t be there long.”
I’m about to pull my hand away when he covers it with his, tucking his fingers to keep me in place. It isn’t as if the driver would say anything, but even if they did, it would only move up the timeline I have in my head about hard-launching whatever this is with Jamie. It’s scary yet inevitable.
We arrive at the shelter and Jamie’s trademark boyish grin appears. “Please tell me you’re adopting a dog.”
“No,” I chuckle. “They contacted me a few weeks ago about wanting Livy to come by for a photo op. They need volunteers to spend time with the animals, so I figured why not scope it out first before I have you coordinate it for her.”
“Fuck, you’re serious. This is going to be so much fun.”
Jamie practically drags me out of the car, and after we make our way into the building, we check in with the receptionist. She lets us know that there are a few puppies brought in last week.
They’re newly vaccinated and ready to be adopted, but they haven’t had anyone inquire about them yet, so the only human interaction they get is with staff.
We start there, meeting the four Alaskan Malamute mixes. They look like mini wolves, and I can only imagine how big they’ll get based on their size as puppies. “These four were dropped off by animal control,” the woman explains. “The breeder was selling them as being purebred, scamming pet owners.”
“They’re adorable,” I coo. “Are they friendly?”
“Absolutely. They’re quite loud, but none of them are showing any signs of aggression.” She reaches for one and it snuggles against her hand. “Feel free to pet them.”
Jamie doesn’t hesitate, sitting on the ground with them, and within seconds, all four pile onto him, trying to lick his face.
He tries to keep them at bay, but they are persistent pups.
I take out my phone and snap a quick picture; it’s truly one of the most wholesome sights I’ve seen in my life but will also make for great social media content.
“Not going to help me out?” he laughs as one of the pups laps at his cheek.
“Oh, no, I’ll just watch from here as your new friends maul your face.” I reach to pet one of them, but they’re all enamored with Jamie. I can’t blame them, I am too.
“Can I take them all home?”
“I’m pretty sure the apartment has a rule about no more than two pets per unit.”
“Perfect,” he beams. “Two will live with me and two will live with you.”
“They’re going to be huge,” the woman warns. “Usually seventy-five to eighty-five pounds. Definitely don’t recommend for apartment living. But if you’re serious about adopting, we do have a few smaller breeds that need a home.”
Jamie admits, “I honestly haven’t thought about it, but could you show us?”
He stands, and she leads the way to another area of the shelter. The wolf-dogs begin whining, and if he finds a smaller dog that falls in love with him like they did, there’s no way we’re leaving the shelter without one.
There are dozens of dogs, most appearing to be older. One catches Jamie’s eye—an Alaskan Klee Kai, which looks like a small Alaskan Husky—and I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a more adorable dog. I check the information above her kennel, and she’s six years old, but she’s so tiny.
A man appears from down the hall. “I heard we have a few volunteers today.”
“Yes, sir,” Jamie replies with a nod. “Could we take a few of them for a walk?”
“Timothy will help you from here,” the woman offers, and I hate how I didn’t even bother to learn her name when we entered.
Could be pregnancy brain or the insomnia catching up with me.
Since we’ll be traveling for the next few days, I may need to beg Jamie to stay the night with me tonight so I can be well rested.
Timothy escorts us to a small field with dog toys and what appears to be almost like an obstacle course.
“I’ll bring a few of them out here. Most of our older dogs like to play out here more than take a traditional walk.
The one you were eyeing prefers to sit on your lap.
That little girl has been through a lot.
She was hurt by her previous owners, so she was skittish for the first few months she was here. ”
“Months?” I gasp. “How long do the dogs usually stay here before being adopted?”
Timothy rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “Most don’t make it out of here, so we try to give them a good life while we can.”
He leaves, presumably to bring out a few of the dogs, and my heart breaks for all of these precious animals.
The urge to buy a large piece of property and adopt all of them is overwhelming.
He brings out the dog Jamie was looking at first, and she runs up to me, reaching her paws to the sky as she sits on her hind legs.
“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” I shift my purse back and bend to pick her up. She licks my face, making me giggle.
I pass her to Jamie, and she does the same thing. She looks even smaller tucked against his broad chest. “Can I keep her?” he whines, and I can’t tell if he’s serious with his faux pout.
Someone needs to be the voice of reason.
“Are you really thinking about adopting?” I whisper, not wanting the pup or Timothy to get their hopes up.
“I’ve always wanted a dog. Someone once told me that for the time a dog’s in my life, they’ll be my best friend, but for the pup, I’ll be their best friend their whole life.
I don’t want to go the rest of my life worrying about this dog who was hurt by her previous owner, wondering if someone wonderful would show her how much joy she could bring to this world. ”
“But we’re going to be traveling a lot, and we can’t bring her with us.”
“Our whole team isn’t traveling. I’m sure I could have someone watch her while I’m gone. Honestly, I shouldn’t be on the road much, since I’m overseeing a lot and need to be close to Sacramento in case something happens while Olivia is gone.”
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Yeah, I am. I mean, look at this face. She’s the most beautiful thing in the world… other than you, of course.” He winks, and I instinctively roll my eyes.
“But what happens when your visa expires? Someone could send you back to Canada, and what would happen with her?”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Are you referring to me or the dog?”
“Both,” he chuckles. Checking behind us, a wicked grin splits his face, and then, in an instant, his lips are on mine. I whimper on contact, and so does the dog, likely jealous of me. Too bad she’ll have to learn how to share.
A throat clears behind us, and I quickly step back. “The other dogs I planned on bringing out are sleeping or about to eat,” Timothy hedges.
“We were just going to spend time with a few of them before we coordinated a visit from Governor Harris,” I explain, “but it seems Jamie can’t help himself and wants to bring one home.”
“To be fair, I did want to take home four. This is a good compromise.”
“I suppose.” I pet the little pup’s head. “She is precious.”
“All adoptions are handled through the front desk. There’s a small fee for the license, and you’ll receive vouchers and coupons for anything your new dog may need.”
“Does she have a name?” Jamie asks, unable to tear his eyes away from the tiny creature.
“We’ve called her Angel, but with a little training, dogs can easily answer to other names.”
“No,” Jamie insists. “Angel is perfect. Could we leave her with you once we pay the fee to buy everything we need for her?”
“Of course.”
Jamie excitedly hands over Angel, then grabs my hand and makes a beeline for the reception desk. “Slow down,” I laugh, trying to keep up. “There’s no rush. If we have to reschedule a meeting or two, it’ll be fine.”
Nearly out of breath as we reach the desk, he pulls out his wallet. “All right, let’s do this.”
“I, uh, do what exactly?” the woman replies, and this time I ensure I have her name—Candice.
“What my friend here is trying to say is that we met Angel and he’d love to adopt her,” I reply, but there’s a flash of hurt on Jamie’s face.
I mouth, “What?” to him, but he just shakes his head.
It could be because I called him a friend.
Unfortunately, until we make our relationship public, that’s all we can be.
“I’d like to adopt Angel,” he confirms, then glances at a price list on the wall listing adoption fees and any additional licensing fees.
Candice types something on the computer.
“Great, if you live here in Sacramento, you’ll have a one-year license, and since Angel is an adult dog who has been with us for a while, your fee is only $25.
I’ll just need to see some ID to add your information into the system.
” Jamie passes her his Canadian passport, and Candice frowns.
“I’m sorry, but I’d need identification that proves you live here.
Do you have a lease agreement or something? ”
Jamie begins searching through his phone for the agreement, but I cover his device with my hand. “Jamie,” I say softly, “I’ll adopt her. That way if anything happens, you’ll know she’ll have a safe home. But to be clear, she’ll be yours and stay next door until you have her fully potty trained.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. You’re helping me through this pregnancy, so I’ll help you with Angel.” I hand Candice my driver’s license, and she puts my information in the system.
Jamie tucks his phone in his back pocket, then interlaces his fingers with mine, squeezing once, but doesn’t let go.
We joked about playing house last week, but this doesn’t feel like pretending.
No matter how hard I put on the brakes, we seem to be picking up speed instead.
I take my hand back, just in case someone notices.
Once everything is processed, Candice passes us a copy of the paperwork, dozens of coupons and vouchers, a leash, and a collar.
We explain that we’ll be back in an hour once we purchase food and everything Angel will need at home.
I hate leaving her here, but we’ll need to dog-proof his apartment and ensure she has food and maybe a crate.
There shouldn’t be much to do, since Jamie has minimal furniture, but it has me thinking about everything I’ll need to do with my own place.
I have months to ensure my home is safe for a baby, but it’s more of the mental load—adding one more thing I need to do to a list.
We make our way to a local small business that specializes in dog grooming and supplies.
The woman who owns it is incredibly helpful, researching the best foods for the breed and shows us our options.
Even though the vouchers won’t work at her store, I’ll happily pay full price for anything to make sure Angel has the best. Jamie picks out a black collar, and while he has a tag engraved with her name and his phone number, I find the matching harness and leash.
After we decide on the perfect dog bed and pick up a few other essentials, Jamie has his credit card out faster than I can, then we make our way back to the shelter.
Jamie retrieves Angel, and I ping Olivia to let her know I’ll be working from home for the rest of the day, then request to have a car service pick up Jamie and his new addition. He has a few things to work out at the office, so I offer to help get Angel settled in while he finishes up.
His apartment is smaller than mine, but the layout is very similar.
Over the weekend, he unpacked several of his boxes and even added a few plants.
It reminds me of his place back in Ottawa, but significantly less green.
I put out a bowl of food and water for Angel, then do a quick sweep to ensure there’s nothing she can get into.
Everything seems to be all right, and I take a seat on his couch, though it’s more of a loveseat with only two cushions.
Angel paws at me. I’m not sure if she’ll be able to hop up on her own or not, so I help her onto my lap. Just like at the shelter, she gives me kisses, and it’s no wonder why Jamie needed to bring her home; she’s such an affectionate girl.
It hits me—Jamie’s so full of love, and his whole life he’s only had his mom.
He never had a dog growing up, brothers or sisters.
His dad wasn’t in the picture, and though it was no one’s fault, it still breaks my heart.
We haven’t talked much about his dating life before me, mostly because it was almost non-existent.
Jamie deserves more than a sweet dog loving him, he deserves someone in his life who will pour as much love into him as he does for everyone.
The thought of anyone else being with him sours my stomach.
I don’t care that I’ve only been dating him for a short time, I’ve never felt this kind of connection with anyone else.
When I think about what I want, and what a perfect life would look like after my child is born, I see Jamie.
If I’m lucky, maybe one day we’ll promise forever to each other, but for now, I’m going to lean in and enjoy every second being with him and his new pup, even if it has to be in secret.