Chapter 41
Lexi
We’d long said our goodbyes to Barbie and Tootsie in the parking lot of the casino hotel, and Gwen had issued them both an invitation to her wedding, before I pulled out my phone to call Slash.
Basia was asleep in the front seat, Gwen had passed out next to me in the back, and Gray was listening to music of her choice softly on the radio. Ginger snored in my lap, her stomach full after another pup cup and a hamburger without the bun.
It was just after seven thirty in the morning. My early-rising husband had probably been up for an hour.
He answered on the second ring. “Cara, you okay?”
“I am. Are you up?”
“Of course, just finishing up tai chi.”
I loved the predictability of him. “I just wanted to let you know we’re heading home a little early. Girls’ weekend is over.”
There was a momentary pause. “Okay…that sounds like a story. I hope it’s a good one.”
“Oh, it is. You’ll get the full version later. The short version is…we’re going to have a temporary housemate.”
He paused. “Okay. Girl or guy?”
“Girl, but not human.”
Another pause. “Please tell me you didn’t steal the dog from the lab.”
“I did not steal Ginger,” I said. “Not exactly. I kind of agreed to foster her. Temporarily. Possibly. It’s complicated.”
Another pause, even longer this time. “You’re bringing the dog home?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I know I should’ve asked you first, but things just happened so fast. The lab was worse than we thought.
And while Barbie and the people from the local animal control and SPCA are making sure the rest of the lab animals go safely to vets and shelters, Ginger would’ve been stressed bouncing around the system.
Since she already trusts me, everyone thought this would be the right solution. So, I agreed.”
I stopped, aware I was rambling. “I didn’t plan for this.”
He was quiet for a beat. I could almost hear him thinking as he put the pieces together. “Who’s Barbie?” he asked.
“Oh, she’s the amazing investigative reporter who did the exposé on the lab in Arizona. Remember that article you sent to us? It was instrumental in helping us bring down the lab, Slash. She’s great. You’ll really like her.”
“You…brought down the lab?” he asked.
“Yes, but that’s the long part of the story. The short part is that Barbie is our friend now, we helped her get her dog Tootsie back, and we’re heading home with Ginger.”
Silence again. This time for a stretch of time that went on for so long I wondered if we’d been disconnected. “Slash, are you still there?” I finally asked.
“You made friends with a reporter?” His voice sounded a little strangled. “On purpose?”
I sighed. “Yes, but it’s all good. She’s not like the paparazzi. You have to trust me on this.”
“I do trust you, but you’re sure you trust her?” he asked.
“Absolutely. You’ll like her. But right now, I’m absolutely exhausted, not to mention covered in dog fur. I’m so ready to sleep in my own bed…with you.”
“As am I. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“It’s weird, but I’m feeling good—really good. We shut the lab down for real this time. It’s not going to hurt any more animals. Oh, and there’s a potential national security angle, but I’ll fill you in on that part later, too.”
“I’m proud of you,” he said, simple and certain. “And I can’t wait to hear how this all went down, especially with Ginger.”
Something warm bloomed in my chest. “I don’t even really like dogs,” I confessed. “You know that, right? I don’t do animals. I don’t foster. I don’t rescue things. I make spreadsheets, fight little black clouds, and avoid all entanglements with living creatures.”
“And yet…” he added gently.
“And yet,” I echoed, looking down at Ginger as she sighed against me. “Here we are.”
He chuckled. “I’ll get some dog food. See you soon.”
Just like that. No hesitation. No negotiation. No conditions. Was that how marriage really worked? Sometimes he ate the last piece of cake without permission, and sometimes I brought home a dog, and somehow we just went with it?
Gray looked at me in the mirror. I’m not sure how much of the conversation she heard, but somehow she knew. “You married well, Lexi.”
“I know,” I said, leaning my head back against the headrest. “And apparently, I’m better for it.”
Ginger was asleep on our couch. Not curled politely, not delicately, and not even remotely ladylike. She sprawled upside down, legs in the air, tongue out, snoring softly.
My couch. My throw pillows. My personal space. Gone.
Slash stood in the doorway, arms folded, watching her. “She stole my spot,” he said gravely.
“She stole mine, too,” I said. “But she also saved the world…or at least contributed meaningfully to the prevention of an international biotech disaster. I think that earns her couch privileges.”
He looked at me. “You said you didn’t like dogs.”
“I said dogs didn’t like me,” I replied. “There’s a difference.”
Ginger twitched in her sleep and let out a happy woof. Slash walked over and scratched her belly. Traitor.
I remembered how she’d reacted the first time she met him.
She’d looked at him, tilted her head, and visibly melted.
Full-body wag, immediate adoration, and an insta-crush so pure it bordered on embarrassing.
He’d scratched her ears once and she’d gazed up at him like he’d personally invented happiness.
I couldn’t even be offended. I’d seen that reaction before. Ginger simply joined a very large club.
I walked to the couch and wiggled my way to the end, making room for myself. Ginger barely moved.
Slash squeezed onto the couch beside me and pulled me against his side. I pretended to resist for exactly half a second before settling in. His hand traced lazy circles on my palm.
“So,” he said casually. “We need to talk about the wager.”
I rested my hand on his thigh. “I guess we do. Let’s lay it out.
We girls saved a boatload of abused animals, exposed an illegal lab, outwitted a bunch of scientists, protected national security, and adopted an investigative reporter and a golden retriever.
I also won nearly ten thousand dollars in cash, although a thousand of it went to an all-night vet, who we also sort of adopted. ”
Slash sighed. “I’m afraid I only won a modest amount of money playing cards with our friends and family and spent most of it feeding the horde. I also had a stomachache, a hangover, and took the first antacid of my life.”
I lifted my head and looked at him, eyebrow raised. “So, what does that mean in terms of the wager?”
“You won the weekend,” he said without hesitation. “By a landslide.”
I blinked. “Really?”
“Really.” He smiled. “There’s no competing with what you guys did.”
A slow grin spread across my face. “Then I accept your surrender and two weeks of dinner duty.”
He leaned in and kissed my temple. “You really had fun, cara.”
It was not a question, and that caught me off guard.
I replayed the weekend in flashes—the card counting in the casino, the laughter, the beach air, the silly shopping fiasco.
Gwen beaming as she showed us the bridesmaids’ dresses and glowing every time she said Elvis’s name.
Gray acting detached while being emotionally invested in absolutely everything.
Angel calling me a dinosaur. Barbie crying with happiness when she got her dog back.
The warmth of it settled deep in my chest.
“I had a blast,” I admitted, a little stunned. “I actually had fun. Me. I had fun.”
Slash’s smile softened into something quieter, prouder. “I know.”
We sat there with that truth between us while Ginger rolled over and shoved her head into my lap, determined to participate in the moment. I laughed and leaned into Slash, resting my head on his shoulder. The house was quiet. The chaos was over. For once, the little black cloud felt distant.
Maybe it was still out there. But it wasn’t in here.
Here, in our house, there was warmth. There was laughter echoing in memory. There was a ridiculous dog snoring on my lap. There was a man beside me—my husband—steady, solid, and smiling like the world made sense.
I laced my fingers through his. “If this is what winning feels like, we should do it more often.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Deal.”
My world was quiet, so I held on to it and let myself believe it might stay that way…at least until morning.
Thank you for taking the time to read No Bones About It.