4. Belle
A SHORT TIME LATER…
“Let me find out that you have a crush on a country boy. Say it ain’t so, Miss Adabelle Caroline Lee!” Gabrielle said.
She did the giddy wiggle that she always did when she was overly excited.
We were on our daily video call.
I missed her so much.
Distance didn’t appear to have an effect on our relationship.
I’d just finished giving her an update on what was going on with Gunner and me.
Not that anything was going on with us, but yeah.
It’d been almost three weeks since I started spending time with My Boy.
I decided not to change his name because I liked the name My Boy.
I wasn’t sure what the hell was taking Gunner so long to let me take my baby home.
At this point, I went to his house, used the spare key that he hid, and started the dogs’ morning routine while his ass was still sleeping.
The first morning that I did it, he walked into the feed room where I’d just put down their food and watched me silently.
He didn’t interrupt or help me; he just watched.
After that day, he didn’t wake up until it was time for the dogs to go out for a walk.
His dogs had a certain area on his land that they used for the bathroom.
That wasn’t unusual in the least. What was unusual to me was that he still picked up their poop and disposed of it.
After they used the bathroom, they went to play in the massive doggy park that he had built on his land.
I didn’t think that I’d ever seen one as big, even in Los Angeles.
It had stuff for them to play with, climb on, and all kinds of activities within the gates.
“No one said anything about having a crush on anyone. I can think someone is sexy without having a crush on them,” I fussed.
“Besides, he talks reckless to me.”
Gabrielle gaped at me for a beat before she chortled.
“Girl, shut the hell up. I know you talk to that man crazy, and he returns the favor. Furthermore, I bet ya lil kitty gets wet when he lets you know he’s not going to play with you.” When I didn’t say anything, she laughed.
“I fuckin’ knew it!”
My head dropped.
She was right, and I hated it for myself.
As much as I wanted to not like him, I did.
“Shut up. I don’t give a fuck what my kitty does because broke boys don’t deserve no pussy.”
“Girl, you sound stupid. Did you forget that you had me on video when you were getting the food ready for the dogs? Plus, you told me how many full-grown dogs and puppies he has. There is no way that man is broke.” Gabrielle’s lip twitched.
“I know you’re not very good with money outside of spending it, but let’s use deductive reasoning here.”
I heard what she was saying, but I didn’t give a damn.
“First, fuck you. Secondly, he may be country rich, but that’s not the same as being rich, rich. Trust me. I can promise his bank account is not hitting on shit that Carson’s is.”
“Girl, that man’s bank account is none of your concern anymore. Please let that and him go. Money is what blinded you from realizing that you were in a fake ass marriage. The signs were there that Carson was on some funny shit, but you were too busy spending his money to care. How about you take a step back and get to know a person, not their bank account. Although her words were sharp, her eyes were soft.
I didn’t want to talk about this shit anymore. “You should come see me this weekend.
I miss you. I need one of your amazing hugs and some of your tacos.
”
She smiled. “Well, my boss told me last week that I had too many vacation hours. He told me that I need to take at least forty within the next sixty days. Let me text him to see if I can get next week off.”
By the end of our conversation, she’d got permission from her boss to take the next week off and booked her flight.
I paid for her flight with some of the money that I got from the sale of my house.
Before I put my house on the market, I took a loan out to pay my back mortgage.
Once my house closed, I paid the loan off.
Gabrielle made sure I did too.
After Gabrielle and I got off the phone, I took a shower.
It was almost time for dinner with My Boy.
I spent most of my time at Gunner’s house with My Boy.
Today I planned to broach the subject of taking him home.
There was no need for him to still be at Gunner’s.
I blew out air when I pulled into his yard and saw his cousin Tink’s car.
We hadn’t liked each other since high school.
She talked shit about me.
I talked shit about her.
It was a revolving door of fuck yous.
I heard the dogs when I got out of my Wagon.
Instead of going into the house, I walked around it toward the doggy park.
My smile widened when I saw my baby boy running around with whom I considered his best friend, Stitch.
He was a year-old American Foxhound.
I never thought that I would like bigger kinds of dogs like My Boy and Stitch.
When they noticed me after I entered the gates, they came charging at me.
I bent down to receive their love.
“Hey, my babies!”
It took less than a few seconds for the other dogs that were in the park to join the love party.
I laughed as I toppled over from them all jumping on me.
This time with the dogs made me realize something that I never knew: I was a dog person.
“I didn’t know Gunner added another bitch to his numbers.” Tink had a very peculiar voice that sounded like nails on a damn chalkboard.
It could have been just me because I couldn’t stand her or her voice.
I ignored her as I got myself up from the ground.
I heard another female voice tell her to stop being so mean.
When I finally trained my eyes on her after I got up from the ground, I saw another female standing next to her.
I wasn’t 100 percent sure who she was, but if I had to guess, I would say another family member.
“Ignore my cousin. I’m Nadine, Gunner’s sister.” She stepped closer to the gate.
“You must be Belle. It’s nice to meet you.”
I was confused by her niceness.
I hadn’t been around many people in this town since I’d been back.
The ones that I had interacted with had not been the most pleasant.
My daddy said that was my fault because of my nasty attitude.
I wouldn’t deny or confirm his theory.
The fact that nice Nadine was related to mean ass Gunner and stupid ass Tink was even more confusing.
I guess I should say something.
“Yes, I’m Belle.” I walked out of the gate.
“It’s nice to meet you as well.”
I wanted to say something snippy to Tink, but it wasn’t worth it.
I didn’t feel like the aggravation of it all.
She was a bitch, I was a bitch, so all it would be was two bitches bitchin’.
Tink stood there looking, well, stupid.
“Gunner is in the house with the other dogs. He sent us out here to bring them in,” Nadine let me know.
“I don’t think he knew you were here.”
I looked back at the dogs in the gate.
“Yeah, I just got here. I wanted to spend time with My Boy and Stitch. I can bring them in.”
“Yeah, you do that, pack leader. Be a good doggy bitch,” Tink asserted.
This bitch was a problem.
Nadine smacked Tink’s arm.
“Tink, shut the hell up. I told you to stop being mean to that damn girl.”
“There’s no need to tell her to stop. Her attitude is like her face… ugly as fuck. To think, she called me the dog bitch. Woof, woof, sis.” That bitch could kiss my ass.
I reached behind me to open the gate.
“Come on, babies. Let’s go in.”
The dogs ran out of the gate toward their house.
When I walked past Tink and Nadine, I felt the heat that came from Tink and the shock that came from Nadine.
I wasn’t a fan of letting insignificant people knock me off my square.
“I didn’t know you were here,” Gunner said when I walked into the doghouse.
Why the fuck did he have to look so good?
“Yeah, I just got here not too long ago. I wanted to spend time with My Boy and Stitch.”
His brow rose as a smirk showcased on his face.
“My Boy and Stitch, huh? You like my boy Stitch too?”
With a shrug, I responded.
“I mean, yeah. He’s my baby’s best friend.” I shuffled a little before I took a deep breath.
“I was wondering if My Boy and Stitch can come home with me tonight?”
His head bucked back a little.
Before he could respond, a loud banshee came into the doghouse.
“Bitch, I’ma beat…”
Gunner grabbed his cousin Tink.
“What the fuck, Tink? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Tink, stop! You said fuck shit to her too,” Nadine fussed at her.
“Y’all both need to stop.”
Gunner looked between us.
His face was tight with furrowed brows.
“Why the fuck y’all don’t like each other?”
I snickered.
“So we’re supposed to have an intervention here in the doghouse? I rather not. Why she doesn’t like me is none of my business.”
He pointed toward his house.
“Y’all go the hell in there. Now!”
“Why you yelling at me? That’s Tink and Belle. I didn’t do anything,” Nadine whined.
I wanted to laugh at the whole situation.
Tink stood there with an ugly, mad face while Nadine stood there with a pout.
I was annoyed, so I was sure my face conveyed that.
Gunner looked like a fed up father.
“Nadine, go in there so I can get these babies together. Make sure those two act like they got some damn sense.”
I took the lead to go into the house and sat on the couch.
Tink and Nadine weren’t too far behind.
I scrolled on social media until Gunner decided to bring his slow ass inside.
He stood in front of the couches that we sat on with his arms over his broad chest. “Now tell me why y’all don’t like each other again. Neither of you can say shit about high school either. That shit was too long ago.”
“I don’t have shit against that girl. I don’t know that girl,” I confirmed.
I barely knew her in high school outside of the snarky comments that we exchanged in passing.
I knew she was Gunner’s cousin, but that meant nothing to me.
Tink rolled her eyes.
“Bitch, please. You think you’re better than everybody.”
My head shook side to side.
“No, I don’t think I’m better than everyone. I just know I’m better than you.”
Gunner tittered.
“Yeah, let me stop you there. That’s why she doesn’t like you. You’re a bitch.” His words caught me off guard.
He’d never outright called me a bitch.
“I’m not sure why you think that you’re better than her.
“Tink is a successful business owner, with two college degrees.
She owns a home that was not given to her.
Contrary to her attitude with you, she is the sweetest, most dependable, selfless, and giving person anyone will ever meet.
” Gunner spoke with so much pride about his cousin.
“Now please tell me how you are better than her when you literally possess none of those things that I just mentioned. You so busy trying to point out bum bitches, but you keep forgetting to point a finger at yourself.”
Something in his words hurt.
Gunner and I had been doing well with not being mean and petty with each other.
Today felt like one hundred steps back.
Yeah, I’m not doing this.
I shot up from my seat.
“Gunner, fuck you.” I sized him up, then said, “It’s giving lil dick energy.”
Where the hell did that come from?
I pushed past him to the doghouse.
My Boy and Stitch were in the same room, so all I had to do was open their gate.
“Come on, my babies. Let’s go home.”
They ran toward me with excitement and followed me out the back door.
When I got to my Wagon, I opened the back door.
Both of my babies jumped right in.
They knew they belonged to me.
Since I’d been spending time with My Boy and Stitch, I’d been busy turning one of my bedrooms into a room for my babies.
I was proud of how it turned out.
I ordered the furniture from a cute store that I found in a town over.
I knew that I wanted to take them home today earlier this week, so I prepared myself and made food for them for a few days, just in case.
I figured if he said no, I would just bring it with me to his house to make sure it didn’t go to waste.