Chapter 13
Dixie
When Penn suggested getting a puppy, I didn’t know what to expect. I honestly thought it would be something he’d put off, claiming the right one wasn’t out there yet, or the cost was too much. Instead, he woke me up and said he has an appointment with a breeder to get a purebred puppy.
The gravel driveway of the dog breeder is long and windy, and I love how it’s lined with large trees casting heavy shadows over the pickup. I’d offered to let him take my car, but he refused.
“I don’t really fit in your car, babe,” he had joked.
Sort of joked.
He doesn’t really fit well in my car. And this trip would have been very uncomfortable for him.
My fingers dig into the fabric of the jeans that are starting to get too small as I stare out the passenger side window.
My heart does that little dance it does every time I’m in close quarters with Penn.
The one that tells me I want more than to just live under his roof.
Especially because getting a dog together feels oddly like a declaration. A commitment.
Penn parks the pickup, and I feel his excitement. The desire to get a dog wasn’t something he came up with on the fly. He genuinely wants this puppy, and it warms my heart to see it. It’s the first time he’s looked young and carefree. Less like a biker and more like a man.
He turns to look at me, and his brown eyes are warm and sparkling. The way he looks at me makes me feel like the only person in the world. It’s both terrifying and addictive. No one has ever looked at me like this before, and he does it often. Even when he doesn’t realize I can see him.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks, his hands trembling slightly as he turns in his seat.
I smile at him. Even if I wasn’t, I’m not sure I would be able to tell this man no. “Let’s go see these puppies.”
We step out of the pickup, and he’s next to me in a flash, helping me as we walk the worn gravel parking area until we reach the sidewalk.
An older couple walks out to greet us. They’re both in their sixties, and I’d trust anything they tell me.
They look like dog people, but I can’t really explain what that means. How I know that. I just do.
“Welcome!” the woman says with a bright smile. “I’m Clara, and this is Tim. The puppies are in the back around this way.”
They lead us around the house to a small fenced-in area where a group of six or seven puppies lay. Some chew on toys while others barely open their eyes. “We must’ve interrupted naptime,” I say.
“It’s a bit deceiving. They have a lot of energy, I promise you that,” Tim says.
“They’re twelve weeks old,” Clara says, and she leads us into the area. “All healthy, fully vetted, and ready for their new homes. Is there a certain gender you’re looking for?”
Penn looks like a kid on Christmas as he walks in, and one of the sleeping puppies immediately perks up and runs over, pawing at Penn’s leg. He bends down to pick it up, and it immediately starts licking his face.
“I think this one likes you,” I say.
“I think we should get her,” Penn says.
Setting her down, we both sit on the ground, and she prances around with her oversized paws. The others come to join us, but she barks at them, giving a warning to back off.
“What is that?” I ask, laughing as she walks over, sniffs my belly, and curls up on my lap.
“I think she’s claimed us,” Penn says, scratching her ears. “What do you think?”
Her nose nuzzles my belly before sniffing and giving it a little lick. As if she’s telling us she knows I have a baby growing in there, and she loves him or her already.
“Well, look at you,” I whisper, petting her softly. “I’ve never had a dog before. Will you teach me what to do?”
The puppy barks in response. Just one, quick little yip, and she settles down again.
“I think that was a yes,” Clara says with a chuckle. “She hasn’t taken to anyone who has come looking to buy a puppy. Must’ve been waiting for the right couple to come along and claim as her mom and dad.”
I wait for Penn to clarify that we’re not a couple. That we’re just co-parenting a dog. But he doesn’t.
“What do you think, Dixie?” Penn asks.
“I don’t think I’m leaving without her,” I say. “How does this work?”
“We have all the paperwork ready to go,” Tim says. “Vet visits, vaccinations, tests, and purebred documentation.”
Penn pulls out his wallet and asks, “Is cash okay?”
“Perfect,” Clara says.
He counts out bill after bill, and I just stand there, a sleeping pup in my arms, as I count at least twenty-five hundred dollars. For a dog.
“Thank you, sir,” Tim says, shaking Penn’s hand. “I hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the puppy before your little one joins the world.”
I open my mouth to share that we’re not a couple, but Penn says, “Thank you. We will.”
The familiar unease hits me. Penn paid for the puppy. I knew he would, but I didn’t realize how much it would cost. I figured a few hundred at most. Not into the thousands.
When we get into the pickup, he grabs a blanket from the back he brought with us and puts it on my lap. The pup curls up on my lap and immediately goes to sleep. Like this is exactly where she planned to be today.
“That’s a lot for a puppy, Penn,” I say. “I didn’t think it would be that much.”
“Three grand for a purebred isn’t bad at all. And we have her family’s medical history as well as all the vet documentation. This is a well-cared-for puppy, and I’d have paid more than that for her.”
Three grand? Holy shit.
I can’t remember the last time I spent three grand on anything.
Actually, I don’t think I ever have.
He drives to the pet store as I sit in shock, and he helps us climb out. “Gotta keep hold of her since we don’t have a leash or collar for her yet. You got her?”
“I got her,” I say.
He pushes the cart and walks around like he’s been here a thousand times before. “Clara says she’s on a high-protein puppy kibble. Gotta find that.”
His intensity is humorous, and I laugh. “Okay, sir.”
“I kind of like that,” he says. “I’d like it in a different context, though.”
Heat floods between my legs, and I choose to ignore it. It’s been a big enough day that I don’t need to let a sexual comment derail me. “Is that the food you want?”
“Look at you! You’re a natural.”
We spend at least an hour walking around the pet store, putting things into the cart. Food bowl, filtered water fountain, memory foam bed he insists she needs, and a mountain of chew toys and treats for training.
I pick up a Lamb Chop chew toy and smile. “I used to watch reruns of this with my mom.”
“Get it. She’ll love it,” Penn says. “Probably too much, and it’ll be torn apart in three minutes. Better pick up a couple.”
Laughing, I think he’s kidding. Until I realize he’s adding three of every plush toy he’s picking out. “Why are we getting toys we know she’ll destroy?”
“Because she’ll have a hell of a lot of fun doing it.”
Next, we walk down the collar and leash aisle. I stand close to him, and I love how his body heat warms me. And his cologne sends shivers down my spine. God, this pregnancy is doing strange things to me.
I catch myself staring at his neck, the strong line of his jaw covered with a neat beard that was scruff only two days ago, and a sudden sharp wave of need hits me to the point my knees go weak.
I want him.
I want to feel his heavy weight on top of me. His rough hands on my most sensitive skin. Taking what he wants from me and giving me exactly what I need.
If I didn’t have a puppy in my arms, I’d fan myself at the heat this carnal, desperate craving washes over me, overheating me to the point of sweat beads forming on the back of my neck.
This has nothing to do with logic and everything to do with the magnetic pull I’ve been denying since I first met him.
“Dixie?” Penn asks, breaking me from my thoughts of us doing things I can’t imagine ever voicing to him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just got really warm, all of a sudden,” I say, leaving out the reason why.
“Do you need to sit?”
Sitting will only make it worse right now, and I shake my head. “No, I’m okay.”
He steps closer, and his chest nearly brushes against my breasts. The nipples I know are pebbled because they hurt as they rub against my bra. I’m just thankful the padding is thick enough that he can’t see how turned on I am. “Are you sure?”
Swallowing, I smile. “I’m sure. Weird pregnancy symptoms.”
“I don’t remember reading this one,” he says. “But if you need a break, just tell me.”
And he’s considerate and sweet on top of it. “Thanks.”
“We need a name for her.”
Frowning, I realize I’ve forgotten I’m holding a puppy in my arms. Not enough to drop her, but enough to think he might be referencing a different part of my body that I shouldn’t let anyone name. “Um… What do you think?”
“I think you should name her. You’ll be with her more than I will.”
I giggle. “There’s only one name that’s coming to mind, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”
“Try me.”
“Princess.”
He bites his lower lip and studies her. “Princess, huh? You know, I could get on board with that. A little fancy for a biker’s dog, but she’ll be treated just like one.”
I believe that. “Then it’s settled.”
At the checkout, Penn pulls out his wallet to pay for everything without even a question, and I don’t like the guilt that fills me. Sure, I’m going to be spending the most time with the dog, but I should be paying for something. Even if it’s just the toys.
Today has been going so well after our bump in the road last night, so I don’t offer to pay for the Lamb Chop toys. I know it’ll be a fight, and I’m not in the mood to fight.
I’m in the mood to do something else, but that’s neither here nor there. We’re just friends. And co-parents to a new puppy named Princess currently snoring in my arms.