17. Chapter Seventeen #2
“You caught that too?” He straightened. “Now we’ve got the mushy stuff out of the way…can we look at dogs in need of rescue?”
I laughed. “Of course. Just one more thing, though. I’d like to hire a driving instructor to give you lessons. Mission City has decent transit, but it’s also a bit isolated. I want you to be able to drive to Abbotsford or even Vancouver if you need to.”
“What if I never want to leave Mission City?” He blinked.
“There’s a big, wide world beyond Mission City.” I cocked my head. “Are you frightened?”
“A bit.” Said earnestly.
“Then perhaps you can talk to your counselor about that. I even have a car we can transfer to your name. You’ll need to switch your province of residence as well.
To continue your health coverage.” Canada had universal healthcare, but the program was administered by provinces. “We have lots of things to do.”
“Puppies first. Legal stuff second.”
I didn’t point out the animal shelter would likely check ID. For now, we could adopt a dog under my name. I was happy to pay the adoption fee as well as any vet bills. “Yes, puppies first.” I opened my browser and located the Hearts and Paws website. “Take a look.”
Andre grasped the phone as he sat up properly.
Immediately, he curled into my side so he could show me the screen.
Slowly, he scrolled through the list of dogs in need of new homes.
He appeared to pass over larger dogs. Because he was worried about Daphne?
That thought was more proof of how considerate he was. “How about this one?”
I squinted at the picture. “Is that—"
“It says she’s a Pembroke Welsh corgi named Pixie.” He eyed me. “Is that name okay, or would you want to change it?”
“Apparently she’s three years old—so it’s probably safe to say it’s a name she’s familiar with. Pixie is fine, Andre. Unless you want to change it. We should talk to Torah. The dog trainer I told you about. And—”
“Pixie’s a great name. I like her ears and the nubby tail. This says she was surrendered by a family who loved her, but were moving and couldn’t take her with them.” He blinked. “That’s so sad. I’d never leave a dog behind.”
“Things happen. I doubt they wanted to. Look, why don’t we fill out the application and see what the shelter says?
Yanna is the manager, and she helped me rescue Daphne.
I’m certain she’ll be thrilled to see me back.
” In fact, she’d made it clear she felt my darling girl would be okay with a canine or feline companion.
I hadn’t been up for more than one at the time—what with just having lost Marty and PJ.
Now, though, the advantages of having another dog were clear.
“We’ll have to take Daphne with us to meet Pixie. Or whoever we rescue.”
Andre nodded vigorously. “So can we fill out the application?”
“Why don’t we do it on my laptop? I hate fiddling with things on my phone.” I offered a sheepish grin.
He laughed. “Whereas I don’t have a computer and do everything on my phone.”
I made a note to look into buying him a tablet or a laptop.
A way for him to further interact with the world.
Plus, he might decide to explore more options if he had that access.
Or he might just stick to what he knew. As well, if he decided to take on personal clients with a fitness business, he might need a website.
You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Application first… life stuff later.
An hour later, we had the application submitted. Twenty minutes after that, Yanna called. Thirty minutes beyond that, Daphne and Pixie were greeting each other with butts wiggling and general happiness.
Yanna smiled. “Now, Daphne might feel territorial or jealous if you bring Pixie home—”
“If?” Andre frowned. “Is there something wrong with our application? We were so careful—”
A hand held up by Yanna had him halting his words.
“There’s nothing wrong with your application. I can see you’re both deeply devoted to Daphne, and I have no doubt that love would extend to another dog. I’m just going to ask you to go home and think carefully. This is a huge commitment.”
“And we should call Torah Dixon about training.” I had to make Andre understand this was a normal part of rescuing. “Has Pixie seen Dr. Zephyra?” She was Daphne’s vet—as well as Torah’s older sister.
Yanna nodded. “Zephyra saw Pixie when she arrived. Perfect health, vaccines up to date, everything well in hand. ”
“That’s good.” Andre vibrated with excitement. “How long do we have to wait?”
“How about forty-eight hours?” Yanna fingered our application which she’d printed out and had us sign.
“Will she be okay for that time? Because Zahir and I are ready now.” Another furrow crossed my pup’s brow.
“She’s already been here three days. Another two won’t hurt too much.”
The door opened behind us and instinctively I guided Andre and the dogs to the side.
A tall, ginger with stunning blue eyes entered the office.
I smiled. “Hey, Finn.”
“Zahir.” The firefighter grinned. “You here to rescue another dog?” He bent to give Daphne scritches. “She was one of my favorites to visit. I was thrilled she found a good home.” He turned his attention to Pixie. “You’re new here.”
“And soon to be moving on.” Yanna smiled. “I’ve approved Zahir and Andre’s application.”
Finn rose. “That’s great.” He pulled me into a hug. “You’re such a good person.” When he pulled back, he turned his attention to Andre. “We haven’t met. I’m Finn O’Sullivan. I volunteer here.”
Andre shook the proffered hand. “Andre…Fulton. New arrival.”
“Fulton?” Finn cocked a brow. “Related to Demetrius?”
“Half-brother. Newly discovered.”
I was surprised Andre had said that much, but this was his journey. Demetrius had made it clear he was happy for the world to know he had a younger brother. Pride had shone in his eyes. He’d also made it clear the decision was up to Andre on how to proceed. Clearly Andre had made up his mind .
“That’s cool.” Finn grinned. “My husband and I are both only children.”
“How is Ulysses these days?” I returned Finn’s grin. “His featuring animals in need of rescue is one of my favorite parts of the newspaper. I always find it hard not to run down here all the time.” Ulysses was the editor of the Mission City Gazette.
“Apparently you made it on your own as I know Pixie hasn’t been featured yet.
” Finn shrugged. “Featuring the animals might’ve been my idea, but you’re right—it’s one of the most popular parts of the paper.
” He eyed Pixie. “You want to come with me for a cuddle? To keep you going until you can go home with your two daddies? Oh.” His cheeks brightened to a red that almost matched his hair. “I shouldn’t have assumed—”
Andre tucked his hand in mine and leaned against me. “You can safely assume.”
Finn caught my gaze. “I’m really happy—for both of you.”
I didn’t know the firefighter well, but he’d been kind to me when Marty died. “Thank you. New relationship, but I’m over the moon.”
“And so you should be.” He gestured to Pixie’s leash.
Andre handed it over. Then he crouched. “We’ll be back in forty-eight hours, and you’re coming home with us.”
She leaned over to lick his cheek.
“Pixie gave me a kiss.” He whispered the words reverently.
Not to be outdone, Daphne kissed his other cheek.
We all laughed.
Then Finn guided Pixie back to the kennel, I wrapped my arms around Andre to offer comfort, and—eventually—we went home.
That night, as we lay in bed, Andre curled against me. “I didn’t know being this happy was possible.”
I scratched his scalp. “I didn’t know to wish for you, but now you’re here, I plan to make your life the best I can.”
“You already have, Daddy.”
“Glad to hear it, Rocky.”
With that, we fell into a deep sleep—undoubtedly dreaming of our new life together.