Lark

Dan doesn’t often make me frown. Most of the time, I’m smiling. Even after seven years together, more if you count our friendship, I can’t think of a time when he made me angry.

That’s not to say I’m angry now. No. But as I look at my husband, our toddler on my hip and our oldest mimicking her father, hands in a begging position and those big brown eyes that match her daddy perfectly staring up at me, I can’t help but frown.

“This isn’t fair, you two. I said no dog until Atlas was in kindergarten. That’s three more years.”

“But Mommy, three years is forever.” Stella somehow makes her adorable pout even cuter. “And I promise I’ll feed it and it can sleep in my room.”

I turn to Dan, whose unrepentant grin is stretching across his handsome face. The scruff covering his jaw is thicker than it was when we first fell in love, but it just adds to how freakishly sexy he is to me. Is it weird to want the man just as desperately as I did back then, even after two kids and so many years together? Oh well. Guess I’m weird.

“Come on, Birdie. Kids should grow up with a dog. And I’ll do most of the work, I swear. You can have all the puppy snuggles and I’ll pick up all the poop.”

I can feel my resolve crumbling, even as a part of me worries this is going to be chaos. Then again, our house is already loud and crazy, even more so in the last year since Dan officially retired from the Tridents. He hasn’t decided fully what his next steps are, but he’s been chatting with some of the other retired players about setting up a foundation for youth sports. In the meantime, he’s been playing the stay-at-home-dad role and loving it. I still work for the team, now as head trainer, and come home to my happy family every night.

Life couldn’t be better.

And now these two maniacs want to add a dog. I’m sorry, not a dog, a puppy. A tiny creature that will need obedience training, crate training, and potty training.

We only just finished potty training Atlas, for heaven’s sake!

But as I look at Dan and Stella, I know I can’t say no to them. We’ve talked about getting a dog many times over the years, but it was something we knew had to wait until Dan’s retirement. I did come close to saying yes at least once, but then Atlas came along.

Now, there isn’t really a good reason to say no.

“I’ll say yes on one condition.” I fight back my smile as they both erupt in cheers, Atlas clapping along from his spot in my arms. He’s the chill one of our family, content no matter what. Easygoing, as long as he’s not hungry.

“Thank you, Mommy!” Stella shrieks as she throws her arms around my legs. She grabs Atlas’s hands next. “We’re getting a puppy, Atty!”

He just giggles at his sister, not fully understanding, but happy anyway.

“Hold on.” I raise my voice, looking straight at Dan, who’s typing something on his phone. “My condition is this. I get to veto any crazy name ideas. So don’t be thinking it’s going to be named after a Star Wars character.” I turn to Stella. “Or one of your cartoons.”

Dan finally moves, tucking his phone in his pocket before ambling over to wrap me in his arms, sandwiching Atlas between us. “What’s wrong with Chewie for a dog name?”

I arch my brow. “Nothing. Except you got your wish with two kids that have space-inspired names. Which means, it’s my turn to choose the dog’s name.”

“Okay, we can agree to that, right, Stells?”

“Yup, yup, yup, yup!” Our seven-year-old dances in circles around us. “Puppy day! It’s puppy day!”

“Wait, I didn’t say anything about getting one today.” I pull back just in time to see Dan cringe. I set Atlas down on the floor and cross my arms over my chest. And for the second time that day, I frown at my usually wonderful husband. “Daniel Montgomery, what did you do?”

“Okay, well, you can always say no. But you know how you’ve always loved Grayson’s dog.”

I nod because that’s true. Dan’s former Little Brother, now in his second year of university, does have an adorably sweet dog that lives with his mom. Whenever Leah, Grayson’s mom, comes over for dinner with him, she always brings the pup. Stella and Atlas love to run around the backyard with it.

Although, come to think of it, she didn’t bring the dog last month.

“It turns out Holly had puppies recently.” He scratches the back of his head and has the decency to look at least a little apologetic. “I asked Leah to save one for us. And…”

“And?” I press.

“And Grayson and Leah are waiting outside with her.”

My eyes close for a second. I’m not mad. Really, I’m not. Inside, I’m bubbling with excitement. Do I love that Dan basically tricked me into this? Not really. Do I love that he convinced our daughter today was puppy day? No. But does he know me well enough to know I was going to say yes?

Yes, he does.

When I open my eyes, he’s got a half grin, like he knows what’s going through my mind. He probably does.

“Alright, let’s let them in.”

That half grin goes to a full-blown smile, and his happiness is contagious as I feel my own grin breaking free.

Stella’s bouncing on her toes near the door and Atlas is pulling himself up to stand beside her, turning back with a toothy grin.

I let Dan take my hand and we go to the kids. I reach down to grab Atlas’s hand, then nod to Stella. “Go ahead, open the door.”

She flings it open, and sure enough, there’s Leah and Grayson. In Grayson’s arms is a black bundle of fluff with a teal bow around their neck.

“Oh my goodness,” I say softly, taking the puppy. She’s calm and looks at me with big soulful eyes as I snuggle her into my arms.

“So it’s a yes, I take it?” Grayson says with a smile.

I nod, still cuddling the puppy close, even as I feel my kids tugging at my shirt. “As if I could say no to these two.”

Grayson and his mom laugh, and then Leah and Dan step to the side to discuss things while I crouch down with Grayson, who’s helping me so the kids can see her.

And just like that, our family grows by four paws.

**

Later that night, after getting the puppy — who is, thankfully, already partially crate trained — settled in her bed and the kids in theirs, despite plenty of protests from Stella that she couldn’t possibly sleep without the puppy in her room, Dan and I lie down in our bed.

“You owe me, mister,” I say, tucking my hands under my head. Instead of apologizing, Dan just grabs my hips and pulls me on top of him. I place my forearms on either side of his head and try not to shiver as he runs his fingers up and down the sides of my body.

“However can I make it up to you?” he asks with an impish grin. I can already feel exactly what he wants to repay me with growing underneath me.

“Hmm.” I tilt my head to one side. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Quick as a flash, I’m rolled over, and then he’s looming over me, his lips finding my neck.

“Well, while you’re thinking about it, I’ll just keep myself occupied.”

I bite back a moan as he trails hot kisses down my neck and across the top of my chest. His hand pulls the strap of my tank top down, then moves to cup my bared breast. His lips follow, sucking my nipple before grazing his teeth over the tip.

“Dan,” I whisper-moan, my hands grasping at his hair. The rasp of his short beard over my skin heightens every single sensation. “Dan,” I gasp again.

He lifts his head and gives me a wolfish smirk. “Yeah, Birdie?”

“I figured out how you can make it up to me.”

“How?”

“Lots and lots and lots of…orgasms. Starting now.”

“You have yourself a deal. But you know” — his fingertip circles around my nipple — “you could’ve asked for anything. Orgasms are already a guarantee, babe.”

It’s my turn to smirk. “Yeah, but I said lots and lots and lots. That third lots is gonna keep you busy.”

His low chuckle makes both of our bodies vibrate, thanks to how closely pressed together we are.

“That’s true. Guess I better get started.”

THE END