30. Chapter Thirty
Chapter thirty
R yder
I smiled all the way back to the job. Brennan had loved the puppy, but I’d known he would.
“So, Brennan didn’t mind you bringing home a puppy then?” Desi asked when he saw the smile on my face.
“Did you know he’s never had one?” I asked.
“Really?”
“Nope, he’s going take it to the vet and get it all checked out, but he’s excited. I’ll take him shopping for stuff tonight when we get done here.”
We got back to work, but my mind was never far from Brennan and how he was doing with the puppy. It wasn’t long before my phone buzzed and I had a text from him.
Angel: I ’ m filling out the paperwork. I have to give him a name.
Me: You can always change it if you don’t know what you want to call him .
Angel: I ’ m thinking Frisco , but not sure .
Me: Put that , and if you change your mind, we can always change it .
Angel: okay.
I didn’t hear from him again for a little while, but then the phone rang.
My first thought was that the vet had found something wrong with the puppy, and I panicked.
If the owner dumped him because he was sick, Brennan would be heartbroken.
I should have thought it through better instead of just taking him the puppy.
“Hey Angel, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Dr. Morrison said he’s about eight weeks old, but that he’s small for his age.
He said that might be why they dumped him, because he was the runt of the litter.
He said he looks healthy enough. He gave him his first round of shots and gave me a book on taking care of a puppy.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know he said he looked healthy. ”
“I’m glad, Angel. Desi and I should be finished up here in a few hours and then we can go shopping for some puppy things.”
“Sounds good. Travis and I are going back to the house for lunch, and then I’m going to try to get some work done.”
“Angel, there’s nothing work-wise that you need to get done today. You just love on that puppy, and don’t worry about work.”
“Somebody should have told me having a puppy was like having a baby,” Brennan said, collapsing on the couch.
“I think once he adjusts, it won’t be so bad,” I said, pulling him against me.
“It’s not bad,” he insisted. “It’s exhausting. Do you think the reason he cries when we aren’t holding him is because he misses his litter mates?”
“Probably. He’ll get used to it, though.”
“I just hate to hear him cry.”
“I know you do, Angel. But we have the snuggle puppy we bought him at the pet store so let’s get him settled in his crate and then we can go to bed.”
“I think the snuggle puppy will help. I know I sleep better when I have my snuggle Daddy with me,” he said.
“Oh, your snuggle Daddy, huh?” I teased, grabbing and tickling him. He squirmed and laughed as he faked trying to get away. We continued playing around until we were both breathless, and we collapsed on the couch.
“Can I ask you a question?” he asked.
“Sure you can.”
“You really like it when I call you Daddy?”
“Yes, Angel, I really like it.”
“Can you tell me why?”
“Because when you call me Daddy, that tells me that you know that you can count on me and depend on me to take care of you. And it means even more to me coming from you because I know how hard that is for you to depend on other people. But I like that you are capable and independent, so you don’t depend on me because you need to.
Instead of needing me to take care of you, you’re choosing to let me, and that means a lot to me. ”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that,” he said.
“I love that you want to take care of me. I was worried that it would make me feel…I don’t know, weak maybe.
But it doesn’t. Instead, knowing that I have someone I can count on makes me feel stronger.
But if I call you Daddy, shouldn’t you have a special name for me?
Like shouldn’t you call me your boy then? ” he asked.
“I can if you want me to, but I already have a special name for you.”
“I like it when you call me Angel,” he said quietly, dropping his head. “But if it matters to you—”
I put my finger under his chin and lifted his head. “I have been thinking of you as my boy for a long time now, so for me, nothing’s changed.”
“I don’t want to call you Daddy around other people, is that okay? I mean, I know Travis calls Max Daddy all the time, but—”
“Angel, you don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.
I would never want that. The beauty of a Daddy/boy relationship is that it’s individual to us.
There aren’t any rules for how this works.
We do whatever works for us as a couple.
And just like any other relationship grows, so will that dynamic.
We just have to communicate how we’re feeling.
” I leaned over and kissed his temple. “Now, let’s go to bed. ”