Alexei #2
Maggie reaches into the kennel, carefully lifting the puppy before bringing him close, her hand adjusting beneath him before she passes him to Ivy.
The change is immediate. Ivy’s shoulders drop, her grip tightening just enough to hold without squeezing, her face opening as if nothing else matters right then.
“Oh,” she breathes, almost under her breath. “Daisy’s going to like you.”
The puppy presses into her, going still, his small body fitting easily into her arms.
Maggie watches her for a moment, something quiet moving across her expression before she looks up at me again.
“You still thinkin’ about it,” she says, one brow lifting, her tone easy, watching me for the answer.
I hold her eyes.
“I’ve made the decision,” I tell her.
Ivy’s head snaps up. “Really?” Her whole face opens, her grip tightening just enough to keep hold without hurting him. “We can take him home?”
“Yes,” I say, glancing at the puppy before returning to her.
She lets out a breath that turns into an elated giggle, pulling the puppy closer as if he might disappear if she loosens her hold.
“Okay,” Maggie says, nodding fast. She exhales through her nose as she pushes to her feet, brushing her hands down her jeans. “Guess we’re doin’ this.”
Jules leans in beside her, his eyes on me, and his mouth lifting on one side.
“Man shows up one time and walks out with a dog,” he says.
“Two,” Ivy cuts in without looking up. “Daisy too.”
Ivy meets my eyes, going still, like she’s holding her breath for my answer.
“Yes,” I say, keeping my focus on her. “We won’t leave Daisy behind.”
The relief is immediate. Ivy’s shoulders drop again, and she nods once, satisfied.
Jules lets out a low breath. “That was fast.”
Maggie’s smiles before she looks away, turning toward the counter. “Let’s get you set up, sweetheart.”
She moves past me, close enough that I smell the clean soap on her skin with a trace of heat beneath it that’s hers alone.
My eyes stay on her.
She reaches for a clipboard, quickly flipping through papers, her fingers brushing the edge before she pulls one free.
“You’re gonna need food, bowls, and a crate if you don’t already have one,” she says, glancing up at me before looking back down. “Leash, collar… and a bed for Daisy. The puppy can start in the crate at night.”
“Well, he won’t be in my bed,” I say.
Jules huffs a laugh as he gathers the items. “That’s what they all say.”
Maggie’s lips press together, holding back a smile as she writes.
“You sure about that?” she asks, looking up again, her eyes locking on mine. “He’s already gettin’ comfortable.”
I glance at the puppy, then back to her.
“I’ll manage.”
She holds my gaze for a second longer, then looks down again. “Mm-hmm.”
Jules moves beside her, folding his arms. “This is new.”
Maggie doesn’t look at him. “What is?”
“You doin’ paperwork,” he says, tipping his head toward the clipboard. “You don’t trust me now?”
Maggie just keeps writing. “I trust you to talk too much.”
Jules presses his lips together, like he’s holding back a grin. “That’s fair.”
I watch the ease between them, the way they move through this place effortlessly, like it runs through them as much as they run it.
Maggie sets the clipboard down and steps back from the counter, her attention turning toward the kennels.
“Alright,” she says. “Give me a minute.”
She moves past us and heads down the row, stopping at one of the kennels. Daisy is already up on her feet, her tail starting to wag the second she sees Maggie.
“Well, hey there, pretty girl,” Maggie says, her voice lowering as she crouches down. She opens the kennel and reaches in, wrapping one arm around Daisy’s neck, pulling her in close. “I know, I know.”
Daisy leans into her as Maggie runs her hand along her back, slow and reassuring.
“You’re gonna be alright,” she murmurs, her hand moving up to scratch behind Daisy’s ears. “Ivy’s gonna take real good care of you, I promise.”
She stays there a second longer, giving Daisy one more squeeze before standing.
Ivy adjusts the puppy in her arms, her attention fixed on them, like she’s trying to take it all in at once.
“Can I still come here?” she asks, worrying her bottom lip.
Maggie stills while Jules goes quiet beside her.
I turn my attention to Ivy.
“To help,” she says. “With the dogs.”
Maggie’s eyes lift to mine. She doesn’t answer for me or step in. She waits.
“She’s been a mighty big help,” she says after a moment. “If it’s alright with you, she can keep comin’ by.”
I hold her eyes, finding no push in them, just that same look she gave me the first time, direct and clear.
“Yes,” I say. “You can keep coming.”
Jules lets out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Well, look at that. Miss Ivy’s about to be our best volunteer.”
Maggie bumps his shoulder with her own as she passes him, a smile slipping through. “He’s not wrong.”
Jules tilts his head, his lips pursing before they curve. “I’m just statin’ facts.”
Ivy looks up again, a big smile spreading across her face as her eyes move between us before landing on Maggie.
“You should come over,” she says.
Maggie blinks. “What?”
“For dinner,” Ivy adds, like it’s obvious. “We should celebrate.”
Maggie’s attention snaps to me, then back to Ivy, her hand lifting to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Oh, sugar, I don’t know if—”
Jules bumps her lightly with his elbow. “You’ve been invited.”
She shoots him a look.
I let it play out for a moment, watching the surprise catch her. I decide for her.
“Tomorrow night,” I say.
She looks at me again, and this time she doesn’t glance away, her eyes holding mine like she’s trying to read what I’m not saying. Her breath catches, just enough to notice, her fingers curling slightly at her side like she needs something to hold onto.
“Seven.”
It isn’t a question.
Her mouth parts, then closes again, her eyes staying on mine, like she’s considering it and understands exactly what I’m offering.
“Okay,” she says.
Jules lets out a low laugh. “Well, that was easy.”
Maggie doesn’t look at him.
“No,” she says quietly, her eyes still on mine. “It wasn’t.”
Jules grabs a bag of supplies, slinging it over his shoulder. “I’ll get the rest,” he says, already turning. “Before you change your mind and walk out with a third one.”
“I’m not taking a third dog,” I say.
“Give it a week,” he says over his shoulder.
Maggie huffs under her breath, but there’s a smile there as she moves to help, gathering what’s needed without wasting time. Bowls, food, a folded crate, a leash, and a collar that are already clipped together. I take the crate carrying it toward the door.
Ivy stays close, the puppy still in her arms, and Daisy now at her side on a leash that Maggie hands over carefully. “Hold it firm,” Maggie says, guiding Ivy’s hand. “She’ll test you if you don’t.”
“I got it,” Ivy says, serious now, her grip tightening as Daisy steps forward.
Maggie watches her for a second, then nods once. “You do.” Her eyes find mine, and I don’t look away. After a moment, I turn and head for the door.
The air outside is cooler, the late afternoon light cutting across the lot. The driver is already moving, opening the trunk as I approach. I set the crate in then step back as Ivy climbs in the back seat, careful with the puppy, and Daisy following with a small jump once the leash loosens.
“Easy,” I say.
“I know,” she answers, already adjusting them both, her hands moving between them like she’s done this longer than she has.
I get in after her, the door closing behind me with a solid click, and the car pulls away.
Ivy doesn’t stop talking. “We need a name,” she says, looking down at the puppy, then at Daisy, then back again like she’s trying to solve it in real time. “It has to match. Not the same, but like… it goes together.”
I lean back, watching her. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know yet,” she says quickly. “Maybe something with an ‘S’ or a ‘B’ or… no, wait. What if it’s something funny, but not too funny, because then it won’t sound right when I call him.”
She keeps going, her words running together, and her attention moving between the two dogs as she tests names out loud, rejecting them almost as fast as she says them.
My focus moves elsewhere. Not to the road. To Maggie. The way she stood in front of me without backing down, even when she knew what I was doing. The way she looked at me when I told her to come to my house, like she understood exactly what that meant and chose to accept it anyway.
My hand rests against my thigh, my fingers pressing once before easing.
The pull is still there, stronger now. It’s not just the way she looks, though, that’s part of it.
The curve of her mouth when she’s holding something back.
The way her hair slips loose around her face, and she doesn’t fix it.
The heat under her skin when she passes close enough.
That part is easy, familiar. This isn’t, and it lingers in a way I don’t ignore.
My jaw clenches as I look out through the window, the city moving past without pulling my attention with it. I have no use for complications, no interest in anything that doesn’t stay where I put it. And yet…
“She looks like a Daisy,” Ivy says suddenly, nodding toward Daisy before pointing at the puppy. “So, he can’t be another flower. That would be weird.”
I glance at her again. “And you decided that already?”
“Yes,” she says matter-of-factly. “It has to make sense.”
Of course it does.
I look back out the window, already thinking ahead to tomorrow night at my estate. My cock twitches. This is a decision I intend to see through.