Chapter 21 #2
Karla had fallen asleep in my arms at some point, probably tired from waiting. Ryan was sitting at the kitchen bar with his laptop in front of him and finishing some last bits of work for the day .
Meanwhile, I couldn’t do anything but keep watching. I was still lost in the magic of it all, still amazed at the beautiful pups my strong fur baby had given birth to.
I wasn’t aware of how much time had passed and continued to give Lily silent support. The vet had said she most likely had three pups inside of her, so I was just waiting for the last one to come out. But the baby of the litter seemed determined to keep us waiting.
It wasn’t until my legs started going numb that there was finally some movement from inside her belly.
“It’s happening!” I called Ryan over. Karla shifted in my arms and woke up from her nap. She rubbed her hand over her eyes, and the sleepiness was instantly gone from them when she saw the last pup.
The fur baby we were waiting for was obviously the runt of the litter and was a lot smaller than his siblings—and yes, he was definitely a boy. He was also a replica of Lily.
“Puppy!” Karla shouted again and lifted her stuffed doggy into the air. She sounded just as excited as when she’d met Lily for the first time.
“Papa, Daddy, it’s Puppy!” Karla repeated herself as she climbed to her feet to get a closer look.
“Baby, let’s not disturb them yet,” Ryan said and grabbed hold of her before she could try to grab the newborn pup.
I was still focused on our mama. It wasn’t until the last placenta released, and all three pups were cleaned and nursing, that I finally let go of the last of my tension .
“You did it, Lily! You did such a good job, Mama!” I cooed to her and slowly reached out to pet her head. Lily lolled her tongue, her tail wagging, though not as energetically as it usually did. It was understandable, as my poor baby had to push three pups out of her.
“Let me get her something to eat,” I told them and stood to fix a bowl of the special puppy food she’d switched to these past couple of weeks. I placed the bowl by Lily’s head, and she took no time gobbling it down.
The three of us laughed as we watched her eat. Then Karla tugged on Ryan’s arm and asked, “Daddy, can we keep Puppy?”
“Aw, baby,” Ryan said, looking distressed. He knelt, so he was on her level. “We can’t have a dog running around at Gigi’s place, and I’m not sure if we can find a rental that’ll let us have a pet.”
The look of pure heartbreak on Karla’s face had me blurting, “You can keep him here.”
I winced as soon as the words came out, since I really should have talked to Ryan first before I offered. What if the real issue was that he didn’t want Karla to have a pet in the first place?
But Karla was already happily dancing around from my words, so I couldn’t just take back my offer. I regretted how it came out, but I didn’t regret making the offer.
“What do you mean? Like you’ll keep him here for her?” Ryan asked, head tilted similarly to how Karla often did.
Karla had stopped dancing, still in her own little world, as she lay on her stomach in front of the puppies and watched them.
I looped my arms around Ryan. I still didn’t know if the timing was right or proper, but it felt right to me. Like Ryker said, when you know, you know.
“Yeah, but I was more so thinking that the pup could stay here…as could you and Karla. Stay here permanently, I mean,” I told him.
His brows scrunched up. “As in, move in with you?”
I nodded. “I know I should have talked to you in private before bringing anything up in front of Karla, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I have all this space in my cabin, and honestly, I hate when you leave.”
He pressed his lips flat, digesting my words, and I wondered if I’d gone and fucked it all up. One thing was for sure, though: I wouldn’t back down without a fight.
“I know you’ve been looking for a place outside of town, and I hate the thought of you and Karla not being here anymore.
I know I can’t force you to do anything, but if I had any say in it, you’d stay here.
With me. This is our home ,” I said, voice sounding pleading even to my ears.
But now that the floodgates were open, I couldn’t stop the words from gushing out.
“And I know I told you just yesterday that you didn’t have to rush to give me an answer about anything, and here I am now, trying to get you to stay. But I don’t want to watch you leave again and be left with my regrets. So I’m just gonna lay it all on the table.”
Ryan continued to stare at me, with obvious shock on his face. And oh god, I just knew I messed up.
“Do you hate me now?” I asked in a whisper when he still hadn’t said anything.
That seemed to have brought him out of his daze, and he laughed. He laughed so hard that Karla pulled her attention to glance our way. She quickly returned to watching the fur babies, probably seeing that we weren’t doing anything that interested her.
I pouted, unhappy that Ryan was laughing at my grand speech. The last of my hope that he might agree to stay quickly evaporated, and my arms dropped from his waist.
“Wait,” he said, reaching for my hands and placing them back on him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“Then you shouldn’t have,” I grumbled, gripping his hips again.
He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling with joy. “I love you.”
Oh hell, he was going to reject me. I just knew it.
“But?” I prodded, wishing he’d just tell me straight up instead of letting me stew in my anxiety.
His eyes softened, curving in a gentle arc as he watched me. “There’s no but,” he murmured. “I love you, Jones. And there’s no way in hell I’d willingly leave you again. I told you, I made that mistake once, and there wouldn’t be a repeat.”
My mouth flapped open and closed. It took me a second to fully comprehend his words. “Then why have you been looking at places outside of town?”
“Stupid rumor mill,” he muttered and let out a frustrated huff of air. “I only went to look because my real estate agent kept insisting, since there were no suitable places for rent in town.”
He looped his arms around my neck. “And I’ve been urgently trying to find a place to settle down because I know you’ve been anxious, thinking I might up and leave again. I thought if I had roots, it might help ease your worries.”
“I’m that obvious, huh?” I said with a forced laugh.
“It’s my fault you have the worries in the first place,” he said bitterly. He looked like he was about to apologize again, so I kissed him before he could.
“You’re not leaving?” I asked against his lips.
He shook his head, then confirmed, “I promised you I wouldn’t.”
“Then stay here. Move in with me.”
He hesitated and pulled back to study me. “I don’t want to take advantage of you?—”
“Please take advantage of me! I want nothing more!”
One side of his lips curved up. “I don’t want to feel like I’m forcing you?—”
“Does it sound like I’m being forced? I’m literally begging you to move in! ”
He huffed out a laugh, and I knew I had him. Whatever issues he had about staying here, I’d reassure him.
“Karla’s gonna be up in your space all the time. You’re never gonna have any alone time,” he said.
“Then it’s a good thing I love spending time with my baby girl,” I reassured him.
He smiled fully, no words leaving his mouth. “Are you sure, Jones?” he tried one last time, probably running out of excuses to say no.
“More than anything,” I said, brushing the words against his lips. “Come live with me, please?”
He chuckled and finally agreed. “Okay, but I have to talk to Karla first.”
“Yes!” I yelled, picked him up, and spun us in a circle. This caught Karla’s interest, and she came running over to ask for a turn as well.
I picked her up and spun her. Ryan smiled indulgently as he watched us. Our happy laughter filled the room, and I knew there would be many more moments like this in the future.