Chapter 53
Derek had proposed, on bended knee no less. Then stole her doormat, which looked damn good in front of his mahogany door. He chuckled again, ‘The dog’s friendly, but the owner’s not. Go away.’ It was perfect. His phone dinged with an incoming text.
Did you steal my doormat?
I did He thumbed a reply and hit send. If she wanted it back, she could come and get it.
He stepped back and took a picture, capturing the mat along with his front door. He sent the picture along with another text. It looks better at my front door. And you don’t have a dog
Ding. Neither do you
Derek scooped up the German Shepherd puppy and set her on the doormat. He quickly snapped the picture before she scampered off after Tommy’s puppy.
I do now He typed and sent his reply along with the new picture.
Three dots appeared on his phone screen, indicating that Jayna was typing. Then they disappeared. He chuckled. She was speechless, which was quite the feat. Glancing at his watch, he gave her 15 minutes. Exactly 14 minutes later, her truck pulled into his driveway.
Predictable.
“I can’t believe you!” Jayna had barely climbed out of her pickup and was already ranting. “Where do you get off proposing, running straight out the door, and stealing my brand-new doormat?”
His heart skipped a beat. Jayna had always been gorgeous, but an angry Jayna was a sight to behold. Her cheeks flushed a very becoming shade of pink and her blue eyes deepened in color. As she stepped closer, the sun caught her flaxen blonde hair. For a brief moment, the long curls turned golden. Wow. She took his breath away.
“Hey, fake fiancée who is now my real fiancée!”
“Oh, don’t get ahead of yourself. I can give back the ring.”
Tommy dropped the soapy sponge back into the bucket. “If this engagement is off, then I’m not washing your truck.”
“And that’s another thing!” Jayna pointed at Tommy, who stood next to Derek’s pickup. “Who makes a bet on their proposal?”
“It was his idea,” Tommy held up both soapy hands and then pointed at Derek.
“Snitch.” Derek shook his head.
Jayna stalked up the front path to the deck where he stood. The new puppy and Tommy’s puppy charged toward her, tails wagging, barking that high pitched joyful puppy bark.
“Hi you two.” She bent down and scratched Norbert’s head and then scooped up the German Shepherd puppy. “Hey little guy.”
“Girl,” Derek supplied.
“Hey little girl, you sure are cute. What’s your name?”
“Chaos.”
“That’s a really stupid name.” Jayna kissed the puppy’s soft head.
“Told you so,” Tommy added.
“Stay out of it,” Derek snapped, then pointed. “You missed a spot.”
“Where?”
“The other side.”
“She looks like a Bella.” Jayna sighed, holding the puppy up, staring into her face.
“No dog looks like a Bella,” Derek grumbled. “Definitely not a badass German Shepherd.”
“She’s not a badass, she’s a sweetie.” Jayna turned her attention from the puppy back to him. “Her name is Bella!”
Jayna sank onto the first step of the deck, hugging the puppy to her. Was she crying? His chest felt tight, panic surging. Was she here to return the ring?
“What’s wrong?”
“You bought a puppy.” She was crying.
“You don’t like puppies?”
“I love puppies,” she sniffled.
This is why he didn’t do relationships. Women were complicated. He glanced over at Tommy and lifted his hands. What was he supposed to do?
Tommy pointed at Jayna. Derek shrugged, shaking his head. “Comfort her,” Tommy mouthed and made a circle with his arms, imitating a hug.
Damn it. Jayna was a tough chick. She’d pretty much taken Sonny out before he stormed into the cellar. Blood had been pouring from the psycho’s nose. But a puppy had her bawling her eyes out?
He sank down beside her, draping his arm across her shoulders. “So, what’s the problem?”
She inhaled deeply. “Couples start with a puppy before they have kids.”
“You don’t like kids?”
“Kids are fine. It’s just me. I won’t make a good mother,” her voice cracked. “You were raised by these great parents. I mean, look at Tommy. He was a great kid and turned into an incredible man.”
“That is true,” Tommy spoke up.
Derek shot him an annoyed glance, then turned back to Jayna. “What about me?”
She harrumphed. “Well, they did the best they could with you.”
Tommy let out a loud laugh, and Derek glared at him again.
“Jayna, you will be a great mother. You are nothing like your parents.”
Jayna sniffed again, rubbing her cheek against the puppy’s soft fur. “You don’t know that. I could be a disaster. What if I turn into them?”
“You won’t,” Derek said firmly. “You’ve already proven you’re different. You work for a living, and barely touch your trust fund.”
Jayna let out a shaky breath. “But a puppy, Derek? That’s a big step.”
“We don’t have to figure everything out now. We’ll just figure it out as we go along. Together.”
She looked up at him, eyes still glistening with tears. “You really think we can do this?”
“I know we can,” he replied, his voice steady and reassuring. “One step at a time. We start with Chaos, then we’ll see if we decide to pop out a kid or two. Whatever you want Jayna, sign me up.”
Jayna glanced down at the puppy, who started licking her face. “You can’t call her Chaos. It’s like tempting fate.”
“We aren’t naming her Bella,” Derek confirmed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “And I get to name our kids, too.”
She smiled through her tears, hugging the puppy closer. “Oh, that’s not going to happen.”
Tommy cleared his throat loudly from behind them. “Does this mean I’m off truck-washing duty?”
Jayna shook her head, roughly wiping away the tears. “Definitely not. You’re washing my truck when you’re done with Derek’s.”
“Seriously?” Tommy muttered, pulling the soapy sponge out of the bucket.
Jayna stood up, cradling Bella in her arms. “Derek is helping.”
“I am?”
“You are. I can practice my parenting skills on you. Pick up where your parents left off,” Jayna laughed at his confused expression. “You made a bet on our engagement. Not cool! Then you stole my doormat. Also, not cool! Consider this punishment for your bad behavior.”
Tommy laughed again and tossed the soaked sponge at him. Derek caught it, soapy water splashing into his face. Damn, he really didn’t think this entire engagement thing through. He now had a puppy and a fiancée. A real fiancée. And a bossy one at that. Had this been Jayna’s plan all along when she’d proposed the fake dating scheme? She did have a wedding altar installed in his backyard.
Jayna set the puppy down on the grass. “Come on, Norbert and Bella,” she called to the puppies and ran to the edge of the property where the archway stood.
“Her name isn’t Bella,” Derek called after her.
“Is too,” Jayna turned, running backward. The smile on her face nearly dropped him to his knees.
“Admit it,” he yelled, pointing at the arch. “That is a wedding altar you and Jamie built.”
“I’ll admit no such thing.” The grin on her face said otherwise.
Tommy squeezed his shoulder. “The puppy’s name is Bella, and that is a wedding altar which you will be marrying that girl under. Just give in. It’s much simpler.”
He could only nod. The arch was definitely a wedding altar, and he was definitely going to marry Jayna under it.