Page 23 of Far from Destined
I made my way into the front waiting room and nearly tripped over my feet as Nate stood there, a frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Considering how many times members of our family had been hurt recently, and with Arden in and out of hospitals, it wasn’t an out-of-the-blue or unreasonable question.
He shook his head. “Everything’s good, at least as I know it. I just came in to ask you a question. And see if you would drive me to the family thing.”
I frowned, grateful that we were alone. “Did you get a car service to drive you to my place of business before heading to Prior’s? Why didn’t you just have them take you there directly?”
“First, it was cheaper to come to you. Second, I wanted to talk about getting a puppy.”
I knew Nate didn’t often drive because of his headaches, and the fact that my brother was currently rubbing his temple made me want to reach out and help. But Nate knew what meds he needed to take, so I wasn’t going to offer to get him anything. If Nate needed help, he would ask. Of all of the Brady family members, he was pretty much the only one who was good at asking for what he needed.
“I’ll drive you, no problem. You should’ve just called. I would have come out to pick you up.”
Nate shook his head and then winced. “I know, but I needed to get out of the house. And I wanted to see you at work. And…talk about a puppy.”
“You really want a puppy?” I asked, walking off to get my stuff as I listened.
“Yes, and I figured your place of business was a good place to start.”
I snorted. “We aren’t a shelter, Nate.”
“That’s true. But you can tell me where to find one.”
“So, you want a puppy? Not an older dog?”
“I want one I can grow with.”
I snorted. “You may be the baby brother, but you’re not a baby.”
“Fuck you,” he whispered, flipping me off.
I flipped him off right back.
Nate continued. “What I meant is that I want a puppy that can work with me and understand that sometimes I have bad days. I don’t know. I always thought about holding a little one and growing up with him or her. And it doesn’t have to be a purebred.”
“But you don’t want a breed that has too much energy and needs extra training you might not be able to handle. Or one that constantly barks at a decibel that will give you worse headaches.”
Nate winced again. “True. Maybe getting a dog isn’t a good idea.”
“No, I think you’d be a great dog parent. We can look into the shelters and see what’s going on. Who knows, you might fall in love with a dog that’s not a puppy.”
“I’m completely open to that. I know that shelters around here are usually filled with pit mixes, right?”
“These days, yes. Which is fucking annoying. We’d have to check with your neighborhood to see if there are any issues with certain breeds. I hate that there could be a problem. Some of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met have been pits, but people are assholes. Not dogs.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me. I get it. And, thanks. Whenever you’re free.”
“Well, I thought I should get a dog as well. And maybe a cat since it’s time. We can look together.”
Nate grinned. “That’s awesome. Perfect.”
“Glad I could make you happy. Now, let’s get to Prior’s. If we’re late, Paris will beat us up.”
“It’s amazing how strong she is for such a tiny woman,” Nate said, and I laughed.
“Pretty much,” I replied.
We headed over to Prior’s, and I parked behind Paris’s car. “Arden, Liam, Hazel, and Cross aren’t coming tonight, are they?” I asked. The fact that our family was growing as quickly as it was should be alarming, but I didn’t mind. I liked the people my siblings had chosen to anchor their lives to.