Chapter 4
Tobias
“Are you kidding?” Titus stares at me from where he stands, frowning down at me from the back stoop of the house he shares with his very pregnant fiancée, Mariah. “You can’t give my kids a puppy. They haven’t even been born yet.”
“I’m not giving them a puppy.” I motion at the tiny furballs rolling around the sprigs of grass poking up from the dirt. “I’m giving them two puppies.” It wouldn’t make sense to bring only one dog when there’s gonna be two kids.
That would just be ridiculous.
“You’re not giving them any puppies.” Titus crosses both arms over his chest. “I’m the one who’ll be stuck taking care of them. And with my luck, they’ll be horny little psychopaths just like Copper.”
And what would be so wrong with that? Yes, Copper is all for free love, but outside of her propensity for humping anything that holds still, she’s been one hell of a good dog.
Even if there are days it’s hard for me to look at her.
I gesture at the miniature poodles chewing on my boot laces. “What in the hell am I supposed to do with them then?” I’m trying to be a good uncle here. Show my future nieces or nephews how much I love them. “I know you’ve never had a pet, but they’re not really a returnable item.”
My brother shrugs. “That’s not my problem.” He turns to go inside, but stops, swinging back my way while lifting an accusatory finger. “And don’t even think you’re going to bring this up when they’re five. Tell them how you tried to give them puppies but their mean old daddy wouldn’t let you.”
I stretch both my arms wide. “Isn’t that what’s happening?”
It’s not like I brought miniature cows that are going to shit all over his lawn. I sorta wish I had now. At least I would’ve gotten some enjoyment out of that.
“Oh my gosh.” Before Titus can make it inside, Mariah rushes out the back door, face lit up in a way that gives me hope. “What do you have?”
“Tobias brought puppies for the twins.” Titus’s tone is dry. “I was just telling him he’s going to have to take them somewhere else, because we don’t want two puppies.”
Mariah’s face falls, taking my hope with it.
“That is true.” She crouches down, cooing at the littermates who are rolling around making cute little snarling noises as they play.
“Two puppies would be a lot of work.” She reaches out, picking up the bi-colored female sporting tan and white curls.
“But I think we could totally manage one.” Mariah sets the tiny dog on top of her very pregnant belly, cuddling it close as she turns to my brother. “Right?”
I can’t stop the grin that spreads across my face. I might not have accomplished my full goal, but there’s no way in hell Titus will tell Mariah no. Ever. About anything.
My brother closes his eyes, letting out a long-suffering sigh. “Right.”
Mariah makes a little squeak of glee as she moves in at his side, beaming up at Titus as he pulls her against him. “What should we name…” Her eyes come my way, one brow lifting in question.
“Her.” I crouch down, scooping up the other puppy. “That one’s a female.”
Mariah lifts the puppy until they're looking into each other’s eyes. “You look like a Betty.”
My brother shoots me a glare over his fiancée’s head, pointing in the direction of my house. “Go. Before she decides we do need two dogs after all.”
“Aren’t you going to invite me in for a snack?” I know damn well he’s got some good shit inside that house. Mariah is always making him caramel cakes and cookies and anything else he wants.
Titus turns Mariah and Betty toward the door. “Nope.”
“Asshole.” I don’t manage to get the whole insult out before the door’s closing in my face, but it feels good to say anyway. Not just because I’m stuck with a puppy, but also because now I have to go sit in my house alone instead of hanging out with them, eating cookies and drinking coffee.
Taking the pale tan male under my arm, I stomp my way to where I left the ATV I drove over. “I hate this place.”
I don’t really hate it here. I actually love living in Willow Bend. I love my house. I love that I can look out the windows and see the mountains. I love my job.
I just also love to bitch.
Sliding behind the wheel of the side-by-side, I keep the puppy in my lap as I aim for a second possible place to permanently deposit him.
I genuinely thought my brother would take both puppies. Did I also genuinely think they would be a total pain in his ass? Yes. That was a main selling point of the gift. Dogs are a pain in the ass, and Titus needs something to annoy him now that he has everything he’s ever wanted.
Plus, kids love dogs, and I want my future nieces and nephews—or whatever combination of the two comes out—to love me, so it seemed like a win-win. Titus is annoyed. I’m the favorite uncle. Everybody's happy.
Or at least I am. For a minute anyway.
I pull up in front of my parents’ house, slotting the side-by-side into a spot near the side door we all use to come and go.
Carrying the puppy along with me, I skip up the steps and let myself in.
I don’t hear anything as I make my way toward the kitchen, which is weird.
Normally my mom would be greeting me from wherever she is in the house. Giving me a location to head for.
But the place is eerily quiet. Quiet enough I start to think no one’s home.
“Are you kidding me?” I stare down at the puppy, his big brown eyes locking onto mine. “What the hell am I going to do with you now?”
I’m turning, ready to go back the way I came, when I finally hear some sign of another person in this house with me. A grin spreads across my face as I turn in place, trying to figure out where she is, because I’m pretty damn confident I can talk my mom into taking this puppy.
And maybe she’ll even feed me snacks and give me coffee. Help me kill a little more time before I have to go home.
I can't quite pinpoint the location of the sound I heard, but I know it was coming from upstairs. Heading for the back staircase since it's closest to me, I move upward quickly, but carefully. I don't want to bust my ass with a tiny puppy in my arms.
The little bastard is adorable, and if I have to keep him, I will.
I guess it would give me something else to do besides sit around my house like an idiot while Titus cuddles his fiancée and Tucker rolls across his mattress with whatever woman was dumb enough to go home with him.
I guess at least I can be happy knowing Trevor and Walker are as alone as I am.
Even if they don't seem quite as miserable by it.
If my mom doesn’t take him, maybe I could try to give Walker this puppy. I know there's no way in hell Trevor would take it. He's too fucking anal about the pristine state of his house to ever let anything that might make a mess inside. But Walker? He could probably use a friend.
Feeling pretty confident in my new plan B, I stride down the long hall, aiming for my mother’s gift wrapping room.
She's probably got a head start on all the shit she's planning to buy for Titus’s babies and is in there wrapping away.
I walk into the space with a smirk on my face, because it doesn't matter what she got them because uncle Toby already bought them a—
My boots fuse to the floor as my eyes land on the woman standing at the table. She’s wrapping something, but I highly doubt it's for my future nieces or nephews.
"Brooke." I hate the way her name comes out of my mouth. It's an embarrassment that there's still so much goddamn emotion tied to it after all these years. She's got a new life. A fucking fiancé—
Wait. Not a fiancé. She’s got a hus—
My eyes snap to her left hand as my brain scrambles through all the information I pretend I don’t sit and stew on while I’m alone at night in a dark, empty house. But her third finger is empty. There's no wedding ring to indicate she's now someone's wife.
There's also no engagement ring marking her as someone's fiancée.
I don't have any right to claim ownership of the kernel of hope trying to grow roots in my chest. It's been years since she walked away from me—rightfully. Years since we knew each other in any sort of real way.
Years since I made the biggest mistake of my life by being a goddamned coward. Too uncertain of myself and too afraid of the future to claim what I knew was true.
When her gaze lifts to meet mine, my heart stutters to a stop. I've seen her a handful of times since she left, and done my best to act appropriately in her presence. But I can't even make an attempt at the sight of her red rimmed eyes and irritated nose.
"What's wrong?" I don't have any right to demand answers from her—not after what I did—but if anyone in this world deserves to be happy, it's Brooke.
And right now she is anything but happy.
One hand lifts, immediately scrubbing at her watery eyes while she turns away. "What are you doing here?"
I step closer, drawn to her the way I always have been. "It's my parents’ house. I come here all the time." I tip my head as I take in her slumped posture. The way her shoulders curl in, making her look almost defeated. "What are you doing here?"
She sucks in a deep breath before spinning toward me, the fakest smile I've ever seen in my life plastered on her face. "That is a very long story, and I don't really feel like telling it right now."
Fair enough.
My eyes drop pointedly to the hand still wiping the corner of one eye. "Where's your engagement ring?" It's yet another question I don't have any right to ask. A topic I shouldn't even bring up.
But fuck if I can help it.
Her eyes follow the same direction as mine, shifting to one side as she pulls her hand away and stares at her ringless finger. "On the hand of a very happy woman in Reno."
Reno? I’ve got so many questions right now. Hell, there's so much I want to say to her in general. So many things I don't have any right to declare. Confessions she likely has no interest in hearing.
So instead of telling Brooke everything I've held close since she moved away, I stretch a hand—and the wiggling animal in it—her way. "You want a puppy?"
Brooke’s dark brows pinch together in confusion. "You want to give me a puppy?"
Again, I know I can't answer honestly and tell her I want to give her a hell of a lot more than a puppy, so I go with something I hope is acceptable. "You look like you could use a puppy."
A single tear manages to loosen, driving a betraying path over the soft curve of her cheek as she laughs, the sound a heart wrenching combination of sadness and joy. "You know what? I really could."
I step closer to the woman I've worked hard to stay away from, keeping my arm as straight as I can to ensure an adequate amount of distance stays between us. Because I know I'm weak, and if there’s an opening for the opportunity to have Brooke in my arms again, I'm a big enough asshole to take it.
Even if it's only so I can hold her while she cries over the loss of another man.
Brooke doesn’t reach for the puppy. Her expression is weirdly confused as she looks from the pup to me. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.” I’ll joke about a lot of shit, but not this.
Not her.
Brooke’s eyes go back to the curly-furred monster wiggling in my grip. “I can just have him?”
“You can just have him.” I try to stretch the tiny tornado closer, hoping she’ll grab him before he manages to get free. “I owe you one anyway.”
Brooke’s ringless hand slowly lifts to stroke a single finger along the puppy’s soft fur. “What’s his name?”
“Whatever you want it to be.” I smile as the puppy stretches as far as it can reach, attempting to lick Brooke’s face. “I think Mariah named his sister Betty.”
Finally, Brooke takes the dog, cooing softly at the furball as he happily flails around in her hold. After a few seconds, she softly asks, “Who’s Mariah?”
There’s something strange in her voice I can’t quite identify.
But in all fairness, this whole interaction has been strange—from finding her in my mom’s gift wrapping room, to the tears she’s still holding back, to the rings missing from her finger—so I don’t spend too much time trying to figure out what’s off about it. “Titus’s fiancée.”
Brooke’s smile is soft. “I heard about that. I’m happy for him.”
Me too. Most of the time. “And he’s gonna be a dad of twins.” I know I have no room to brag about the new addition to our family—I sure as hell didn’t have shit to do with it—but my chest swells anyway. “That’s why I bought two dogs. One for each kid.”
Brooke angles a brow at me, the line of her lips barely twitching. “You bought puppies for babies who aren’t even born yet?”
“Titus would only take one. And don’t be judgmental.” I act affronted. “I’m going to be the favorite uncle, and it’s better if everyone figures that out now.”
Brooke lifts her brows. “I don’t know.” She rolls her eyes away from me. “I bet Tucker can build one heck of a playhouse.”
I snort. Fucking Tucker. It would be just like him to swoop in and build a two-story playhouse with running water and electricity.
Probably a damn elevator too.
“They’ll be able to play with a dog before they can run around a playhouse.” I know it’s the truth, but I’m still wondering if there’s something more I can do to secure my position in the uncle hierarchy. “Kids like to swim, right?”
A little more of the sadness bleeds from Brooke’s face, replaced by amusement I’m sure is at my expense. “You’re going to put a pool in Titus’s yard?”
“No.” I adjust the rolled cuff of the sleeve on my flannel. “I’m going to put a pool in at my house so they want to come over all the time.”
That’s actually a brilliant plan. It’ll hit two birds with one stone. The kids will like my house best, and I’ll have someone to keep me company besides a horny miniature poodle.
But all my visions of a future playing with whatever niece/nephew combination I get are pushed aside when Brooke says, “Careful. If you put a pool in, I’ll want to come over all the time too.”