Page 14 of Easton

He’s shaking, standing beside her on the leash like he’s not sure what to do.

“It’s okay…we’re friends.” I keep my voice low and soft so I don’t scare him. “We’re hoping to take you home with us.”

I hold my hand out, but he still doesn’t seem to know what to do. And then…then Pretty Girl takes slow, measured steps his way. Their noses touch tentatively before they start smelling each other. They do that for what feels like an eternity before I realize Pretty Girl is backing up, taking small steps until she’s beside me again and the pup is right in front of me.

She lays her head on my lap, and somehow, I know she’s telling him it’s okay. That I’m going to take care of them. My eyes begin to sting, and I want to wipe the tears before they fall, but I also don’t want to make any sharp movements and scare him.

“I won’t hurt you,” I tell him softly, and then…damned if he doesn’t lie down too, his head next to Pretty Girl’s on my lap. He’s still shaking, still scared, but he’s trusting her that it will be okay.

Slowly, I ease my hand out and pet him.

“I want him,” I tell Bailey, without looking up at her.

“I knew you would. And somehow, I knew he would want you too.”

I spend a good hour in the room with the dogs. Bailey leaves me alone with them, and I talk to them, pet them, and get the new dog used to us.

I fill out the paperwork, and now that they know he and Pretty Girl will be okay together, that means I can bring him home today.

Once everything is done, I’m walking down the hall with both dogs on leash, when I notice a guy at the counter. He has his back to me, but I know instantly who the long, lean man with black hair is. Archer Thorn. And beside him is Meadow Cassidy.

“There was a black dog here earlier,” Archer says. “I want to inquire about adopting him.”

I freeze, trying to make sense of what I hear. Archer is there, and he wants to adopt my dog.

The desk guy chuckles. “Happens to the best of us. Come in to volunteer, want to leave with a dog.”

Archer nods. “Yeah, I can’t say that was part of the plan today. But this little lady and I fell in love with him.”

“Uncle Archer fell in love first. He would be my uncle’s dog, but I can see him all the time,” Meadow says while I stand there, rooted to the floor. I can’t say why this is so shocking to me. I’ve never seen Archer here before, though. I’ve been doing a good job avoiding him since he got me out of jail, and now he’s here, with Meadow, trying to adopt my dog.

Tell him hi, silly, Ella nudges me.

He’s got his niece with him.

So?

What if he doesn’t want me around her because of the shit I do? Or what if Cass doesn’t?

“Unfortunately, he was just adopted. Oh, look. There he is behind you.”

Do I have time to run? I probably would if Meadow wasn’t there, but she and Archer turn around to look at me, his eyes going wide when he sees it’s me.

“Mr. Easton!” Meadow exclaims. “You have two dogs? I don’t have any. Dad’s not sure about the dog thing yet, but Uncle Archer was going to get him.” She walks over, Archer beside her. “Can I pet them?”

I nod. “Pretty Girl for sure. He might be a little nervous, though.”

“He let me pet him earlier, but I’ll be careful.” She kneels, and Pretty Girl immediately goes to her. It takes a moment, but after he sees how Meadow is petting Pretty Girl, and that it’s okay, he eases her way too.

“You adopted my dog.” Archer crosses his arms, but there’s a smirk on his face. He’s…too fucking sexy. I try not to think about it most of the time—his full lips and square jawline; the way his dark hair hangs over his forehead, his eyes either full of mischief or heart. Not the love kind, just the one that says he’s a good guy who cares about everyone.

My initial reaction is to tell him to fuck off, that the pup is mine, but I wouldn’t say that in front of Meadow, and I know Archer is teasing me. Instead, I find myself cocking my head, looking at him while trying to make sense of this. “You wanted him? Even the way he is?”

“He deserves love too. Hell, I probably wanted himbecauseof the way he is. I hadn’t planned on getting a dog, and it shouldn’t be a spur-of-the-moment decision, but there’ssomething about him. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

My stomach twists up. What he said, that’s a good thing, and I shouldn’t be surprised, not with Archer, this man who saw me losing my shit in the woods and held me all night…and then again the following year… But it’s a struggle to trust the good in people, to believe it can be real. “Mr. Perfect,” I say, trying not to show my conflicting emotions.

“I mean, I’m not going to argue with that.” He winks.