Chapter 33
MATEO
“Tucker, you ready to go?” I smiled down at the newest Boone, leash in hand. His tail thumped against the couch, head lifting from where he laid it on the armrest. The corner of the couch was now his spot, claiming it the moment we stepped through the door.
It’s only been a week since I adopted him, gave him a new name, and brought him home. In that time, he’s turned from a shy, timid pup, to one that’s playful and goofy. He was still a bit skittish and unsure of himself and his surroundings, but he was slowly coming out of his shell.
I fully expected him to be a bit standoffish with me, but as soon as I sat on the couch, he was in my lap, licking my face to no end.
I’ve never been closer to crying in my entire life than on the first night.
The way he stayed as close to me as he could, slowly fighting sleep until he clonked out entirely.
It was like he finally knew he was safe and could sleep.
He’s done a lot of sleeping this past week, but Wendy said it was normal since most shelter dogs don’t fully relax while there. The poor guy was trying to catch up on the sleep he’s missed while being at the shelter for months.
Tucker was only a year old, and was randomly dropped off by some man one day without a single word.
Like all animals, they took him in and gave him a bunch of shots, but other than that, they had no clue about his medical history.
Wendy already gave me a number to a vet to take him to in a few months.
“Alright, let's go then.” I patted my thigh and turned for the door.
I smiled at the sound of him jumping off the couch and trotting to the foyer. I’d never met his past owners—thank god because I’d most likely end up in jail—but they clearly house-trained him and had him on a leash.
“We’re going to see Emmie.” I hooked the leash to his collar. I didn’t bother with his harness this time since where we were going we didn't need it.
At Emmie’s name, his tail wagged harder. “I know you love her, don’t you. Buddy? Me too.”
Emmie has been at the apartment almost everyday this week, but she hasn’t stayed the night, giving Tucker and me time to bond. But every time she came, he went right to her and leaned against her legs. My dog was going to steal my girl one day.
Before we left, I grabbed the backpack I had beside the door, already filled with water, a portable bowl, a few balls and toys, and some treats.
The two of us left the apartment and headed for the elevator. Tucker was still a bit iffy about it, but I didn’t blame him. A big metal box could be scary.
As we made our way through the lobby, a few people stopped to say hello.
With his dark brown, almost red, coat and long ears, Tucker was constantly stopped to be petted.
Having a redbone coonhound in a city like Buffalo was uncommon, at least from all the research I’d done.
With every new person we met, Tucker’s confidence grew, which was amazing to see.
“Well, isn’t it my two favorites.” Edwin, the doorman, grinned.
Like the good boy he was, Tucker immediately sat down, tail wagging and tongue rolling out of his mouth. He waited patiently for the treat Edwin started to keep on hand. “Where are we headed today?” he asked.
“We’re meeting Emmie at the practice facility, aren’t we, Tucker?” I rubbed the spot behind his left ear that he seemed to love.
“Aren’t you the best boy ever?” Edwin’s tone turned high pitched, almost like he was talking to a baby. It was the same voice I adopted this past week. Tucker eagerly gobbled up the treat, lips smacking in the cutest way.
It was my mission to help him gain some weight back. The poor boy was too skinny, his ribs and spine sticking out, so we needed to get him back to a healthy weight. Wendy sent me some tips on how to introduce food to him in a way that didn’t make him sick due to having a sensitive stomach.
“You two have a fun day. I’ll see you later, Tucker.” Edwin rubbed his head one last time before I gently tugged him toward the parking garage.
Once I had him in the passenger seat ready to go, I sent Emmie a quick text to tell her we were on our way. Tucker shifted beside me, paws braced against the seat, head forward and staring out the front windshield.
The drive to the practice facility only took us ten minutes, and when we pulled in, Emmie was already there, leaning against the hood of her own car.
My grin grew at the sight of her. It only took minor convincing and a lot of promises for her to agree watching after Tucker.
Not to mention how hard it was to get permission for Emmie and me to be here.
I wanted to be at the stadium, but with games in two days that was a no-go. We’d done a lot of cute dates together, but we had yet to do anything football related, and that changed today. It was time to see if Emmie knew her way around a football field.
With my backpack and key card to get in the doors, Tucker and I got out of the car. I thought the smile she sent my way was meant for me—nope. Her eyes were for Tucker.
He pulled at the length of his leash to get to her, butt wagging so hard his tail was practically slapping him in the face. Emmie dropped to her knees, letting him kiss all over her face as she laughed.
“Oh, I love you, too! I love you, too!”
Yep, he was stealing my girlfriend. I couldn’t be all that mad because Emmie truly was one of a kind.
“And where’s my greeting?” I asked, arms crossed.
“Oh, hi.” She flashed me a quick grin and then turned back to Tucker.
“Smart ass,” I mumbled, but it lacked any heat.
“Not my fault he likes me more.” Emmie stood, wiping the dirt off her leggings while shooting me a smirk.
I didn’t reply. Instead, I brought my hand to the side of her face and pulled her into a kiss. She instantly melted against my lips, hands resting on my chest.
“Hi,” I said when I pulled away.
“Hi,” she breathed.
Tucker shoved his way between us, clearly unimpressed with being ignored.
Emmie laughed, running a hand over his head before rising onto her toes to kiss me again, soft and quick.
She pulled back before I could deepen it.
Staying in the parking lot to make out sounded like a much better idea than my original one.
“So, what's the plan for today?”
Knowing the parking lot dream was not going to happen, I inwardly sighed. The three of us headed toward the building, Tucker walking between us.
“You brought me into the figure skating world, so I thought why not bring you into mine as well.”
A smile broke out across her face. “Sounds perfect. But should I be worried?” she asked. “Is this where you try to impress me with your football skills?”
“I don’t need to impress you, you’ve already seen my amazing skills firsthand.”
“Uh, huh.” Emmie rolled her eyes. “But just know…I’m a quick learner. In no time, I’ll be kicking your ass.”
“I mean, you do seem to have a fetish for my ass,” I mused.
Emmie stopped walking and turned to face me with wide eyes. “I do not.”
“Yes, you do. You stare at it every time I walk past. Like you want to take a bite out of it.” It wasn’t a lie either. I felt and caught her staring countless times.
My new favorite pastime was teasing Emmie—watching the way she blushed and the way her lips pinched together when she tried to hold back a retort.
“Like you don’t stare at my ass,” she shot back.
“Oh, I do. I constantly want to grab it.” I shrugged. This wasn’t new news. “But feel free to grab mine anytime you want, Emmie baby. I’ll be your piece of meat any day.”
“You’re insufferable,” Emmie muttered, marching ahead of us toward the doors. She wouldn’t get far without the key, but it was cute to see her stomp off. And yes, I stared at her ass the entire time.
Laughing under my breath, I trailed behind her, Tucker happily trotting at our heels.
Emmie stopped at the door, arms crossed and waiting expectantly for me to open it.
I leaned past her, pressing the keycard to the reader until the lock clicked.
The moment she pulled the door open and stepped through, I couldn’t resist. I reached out and smacked her ass, the sharp sound echoing down the empty hallway.
She yelped, spinning around to slap my chest in retaliation.
“Mateo!” She shook her head. “In front of Tucker, too. You’re teaching him bad things as a doggy dad.”
“What? It wasn’t me.” I playfully looked around like it wasn’t just the two of us.
“Just you wait. I’ll get my revenge.” Her attempt at intimidation was adorable.
“I look forward to it.”
Emmie huffed, continuing down the hallway. With it just being us, I let Tucker off his leash so he could roam the hallway. His head dipped low, ears grazing the floor as he sniffed every nook and cranny.
“You know,” I called out to her, “if you’re into butt stuff you can just tell me. I won’t judge.”
Emmie turned around, walking backward so she could face me. “With all this butt talk, I’m starting to think it's you who’s into it.”
My tennis shoes slapped against the flooring, Tucker’s nails clicking as he trotted ahead of us and sniffed around.
“And if I was?” I asked.
“You want me to peg you? Wow, this is a new side to you.” She raised an eyebrow, a grin playing at the corner of her lips.
“I’ve got depth, you know.”
Emmie glanced at me, unimpressed. “Do you?”
“Absolutely.”
Her lips twitched. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“Mhm,” I hummed, noting the door coming up behind her. “Em.”
She kept on walking backward, unaware of her surroundings.
“Em, door,” I warned. She spun around, catching herself at the last second with a hand pressed against the metal.
I snorted, dragging a hand down my face. “Wow.”
She shot me a glare over her shoulder. “I had it handled.”
“Yeah, I saw. Elite reflexes.” I stepped up behind her, reaching past to push the door open. Tucker nudged his way past our legs to get out first. “Remind me again how you’re gonna kick my ass at football?”