Chapter Eighteen
Felix
May: One Month Ago
“Why does your truck still smell like piss?” I asked, crinkling my nose. “It’s been over a week since Calvin detailed it.”
“I honestly don’t know. He charges four hundred dollars for a full detail, and his customers are always coming back.
He has regulars who are like clockwork every quarter.
His detailing makes a ton of money for the garage and is the main reason I keep him, but I’m starting to wonder if he’s any good at this job,” Bennett said.
“Though to be honest, it smells like you, so it isn’t bothering me. ”
“Well, I don’t like it, so let’s drop it at the full-service car wash place in Crescent River. It’s a front for drugs, which nearly everyone in town knows, but they do a decent job.”
Bennett looked at me curiously as he pulled up to a stop sign two blocks from my sister’s house.
We were on our way to visit Clara and it was my first time in Crescent River since I’d left for rehab.
When I’d told Bennett I wanted to try to visit my sister, he’d insisted on being with me in case it became overwhelming.
And I wonder why I’m falling hopelessly in love with this man.
Part of me was worried about how fast Bennett had swept me off my feet, but for the most part I was unapologetically in love.
I mean, falling in love.
No, definitely in love.
Shit.
“The car detailing place in your town is a front for drugs?” Bennett asked, pulling me out of my spiral. I’d been in my head about how quickly I was falling in love for the last two weeks and the truth was, I needed to get over it and accept it.
There’s no right length of time to fall in love with someone, and Bennett is everything I could ever want in a partner—and then some.
“Yeah. This guy Victor has run it for years. He sells the drugs himself; the whole thing is a front.”
“Huh,” Bennett said. “Well, if Calvin’s doing that shit at my garage, I hope he’s a better drug dealer than he is detailer.”
I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder. “You should definitely look into it if he really sucks like you said, but I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”
Bennett turned onto Main Street, and I bolted upright as something on the sidewalk caught my eye. I smacked his shoulder. “Wait! Stop!”
He slammed on the breaks and looked in his rearview mirror before turning to face me. “What the hell happened? Are you okay?”
I slid across the seat, already reaching for the passenger side door. “Just park the truck and come find me,” I said, swinging the door open.
“How the hell am I going to find you? Where are you going?” Bennett called after me as I shut the door. I ran around the back of his truck and across the street toward the cardboard box sitting on the ground next to the trash can.
Inside the box, a dark brown, fluffy puppy sat shaking. His stocky frame and big paws gave me the impression he was a Newfoundland. He peered up at me with sad eyes as I squatted down and reached my hand out for him to sniff.
“How did you end up here, little guy?” I asked. He sniffed my hand and I took that as an invitation to pet him, slowly stroking the top of his head. “You’re all alone?”
He rubbed against my hand as I moved to scratch behind his ears, looking him over for a collar before checking inside the box. A piece of paper under the puppy’s feet read, Our dog had puppies, but we can’t keep them. Please give them a good life.
My heart broke as I picked up the heavy puppy. He must have been about eight weeks old. Maybe they kept him just long enough to be weaned from his mother safely. At least they did that much.
He rubbed his head against my chest, and I wrapped both arms around him as he snuggled against me. It’s barely fifty degrees out and who knows how long this guy has been here.
“Did your siblings already get picked up, or did they take off?” I asked. “What kind of monster would leave you behind?”
I scratched his ears and looked up at the sound of feet approaching.
“I see,” Bennett said, towering over me. “Did we just get a puppy?”
I picked up the paper from the box and handed it to him.
“Well, fuck,” he said, tossing the paper back into the box.
“Do you have a problem with dogs?” I asked. “Because I am already very attached to this guy.”
Bennett bent down and let the dog sniff his hand. The puppy immediately lowered his nose in a sign of submission.
“Seriously?” I asked. “Do all dogs do that with you?”
He smirked. “Most dogs recognize an alpha when they see one. If they don’t, they’re usually terribly behaved.”
“A lot of experience with dogs?”
“We had one growing up. He was terribly behaved.”
I laughed while Bennett pet the puppy and kissed my temple. “If you’re attached to him, then he’s ours. We can stop at the pet store after we visit your sister.”
I gave Bennett the most charming smile possible. “Babe, what about Marley?”
He shook his head at me. “The puppy can live with me. But we need to get him and Marley used to each other for when they inevitably have to live together.”
“She’s going to hate that.”
“Well, she’s going to have to come around or I don’t want a dog after all.”
The puppy wiggled in my arms and I smiled at Bennett. “I can’t believe you want to live with Marely so badly.”
“Something like that,” Bennett said, taking the puppy from me. “I was kind of hoping Marley would want to move in with me eventually, and maybe she could bring her owner too.”
“I’m sorry, do you think I’m her owner? Have you met that cat? She owns me.” He held out a hand for me and helped me stand, rising with me. “Marley would probably like your house. She’s really not going to be a fan of you, or this dog, but I’ll help her adjust.”
Bennett kissed me with a sly smile. “Good, start warming her up to the idea, will you? I’m taking home a stray puppy for you, and if you don’t make the other side of my bed yours soon, I can’t promise you this cutie won’t lay claim to it.
” Bennett held up the dog with outstretched arms. “And look at this face. Are you going to kick him out of his own bed?”
I laughed and took the dog back from him. “You can use my side until my lease is up in six weeks,” I said to the dog before looking at Bennett. “Does that work for you, alpha?”
Bennett’s smile filled his whole face, and I melted at the affection in his eyes. “Do you really mean that?”
I grinned at him. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Bennett. Why wouldn’t I want to move in with you?”
“What I am is stupidly fucking in love,” he said, cupping my face and giving me a soft, slow kiss. He pulled back. “You don’t have to say it back. I don’t want to pressure you. I am just so in love with you, Felix. I can’t keep it to myself anymore.”
The words were right there, on the tip of my tongue as I let his love wash over me.
Him saying it out loud felt nice, but I’d already known.
I’d probably known from the beginning that Bennett loved me, and I no longer cared if that made any sense.
Bennett and I were connected in a way that I didn’t even know was possible, the depth of our feelings from the first time we saw each other transcended logic, and I was starting to think there was only one explanation that really made sense.
Bennett is my true mate, and I’m pretty sure he knows it. I’m almost certain he’s known since the moment he saw me. It would explain his confident persistence and the way he dropped to his knee in the bar that night when I felt afraid of how he’d respond to my arousal.
“You can tell me that as many times as you want to,” I said, kissing him softly. “I will never get tired of hearing it.”
I knew Bennett meant it when he told me we could take this relationship at my pace, which is why I knew it was okay that I didn’t say those three words back to him. I had something I needed to take care of first, and then I’d be his.
Forever.
“Can we name him Benny?” I asked, still grinning as I held the puppy between us.
“Why on earth would we name him that?” Bennett softly stroked the dog’s head.
“Because he reminds me of you,” I said proudly. “And I think he’s a Newfoundland. Don’t they call them Newfies sometimes?”
“I still don’t see how you got to Benny. My sister calls me that sometimes. Which, for the record, I don’t love.” Bennett sighed, gazing adoringly at the puppy.
Bennett in love with a puppy might be even better to witness than Bennett in love with me.
His eyes shot to mine. “Wait a second. He reminds you of me? In what way? You just met him and he’s a dog!”
I chuckled and wrapped one arm around Bennett’s shoulders as he looped an arm around my waist and steered us toward his truck.
“Well, first of all, he looks big and strong on the outside, but when I started petting him, he became a total softy, giving me all sorts of love. Watch.” I reached behind Bennett’s ear and scratched him.
Bennett groaned pleasurably and rubbed his head into my hand.
I laughed heartily. “See!”
He scowled at me.
“Babe, you are basically writing this argument for me.”
“Okay fine, even if I can get over the mild offense at being compared to our new puppy. Can we at least call him something that won’t be confusing?”
“I don’t know, I feel like he’s already a Benny.” I looked down at the dog, nearly tripping over the curb as Bennett stopped walking. “We can keep thinking though.”
“Good.” Bennett opened the passenger side of the truck for me and took Benny as I climbed in. He handed me the puppy, and I settled him in the middle of the seat as Bennett rounded the front of his truck.
The scent of fresh urine filled the air, and I grimaced as Bennett sat down and pulled his door shut, his nostrils flaring.
“Handsome, did Benny just pee in my truck?” Bennett asked.
“In his defense, it smelled like pee, so he probably thought it was okay,” I said, prepared to defend my new dog to the ends of the earth. “Also, you just called him Benny.”
“Damnit,” Bennett said, turning the truck on. He looked sternly at the dog and issued a command, “No more peeing in the truck.”