Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“These definitely aren’t puppies. The only breed you’re missing is a Pitbull. My God. Did you go to a breeder and say, ‘Give me the biggest and deadliest dogs you have?’”
“Baby, it’s cool. I got them. SIT!” All three of them sat down at the same time.
“This here is my baby, Dior. The Rottweiler. She’s the youngest, but tries to beat the other two up all the time. I got her from a breeder as a puppy. That right there is Trigger, my German Shepherd. He was a retired show dog. Last but not least is my Doberman, Tank. Got him from the shelter. He was going to be put down after bein’ used in dog fights.”
“They’re looking right at you, like they won’t do anything without your permission. Wow.”
“I trained them myself since at the time, I couldn’t afford for them to be in obedience school. I just got some books and looked at online videos.”
“You just couldn’t have a Chihuahua or Poodle, could you?” She slowly stood up. “Should I walk up to them or something? I ain’t had a dog in so long.” She laughed nervously.
“Nah, just stay right there.” He whistled, then pointed. “Up.” All three dogs stood. “Dior, you first.” He grabbed the leash and led the dog over to Desiree. Dior sniffed at her ankles, the sounds loud and her rummaging nose invasive. Legend held onto her leash, then Dior licked her hand, sniffed her fingers, and licked again, this time more vigorously.
“She wants something from you. Wait, do you have crumbs on your hands or something?”
“I was eatin’ BBQ chips in my car on the way over.”
Legend rolled his eyes and smiled. “Well then, consider her your new best friend.” He did the same introduction with the other two dogs, and before long, he and Desiree were sitting next to one another on his white leather couch, the dogs at their feet, chomping on some treats he’d brought in from the kitchen.
“So,” She looked confused and threw up her hands. “Let’s talk. What’s been going on, Legend?”
“What do you mean?”
She snorted, cocked her head to the side, and put her hand on her hip, then looked him up and down with disdain.
“Oh, me, being busy lately?” Anything to buy time…
“See? You’re playing games. You know you’ve been acting strange, and I want to know why?”
Tank was sniffing around on the floor like he’d dropped a crack rock, and needed it badly.
“I’ll be right back. Let me feed them lunch right quick, then let ’em out back in the yard.” She nodded as he rounded up his babies, filled their bowls with a mixture of kibble and homemade dog food he’d created, then stepped back and watched them devour the concoction. As the dogs ate, he grabbed two glasses and filled them with the bit of wine he had left over from the evening before. He returned to her, handing her one of the glasses.
“Oh, thank you.” She looked rather surprised. Anxious. Beautiful…
“You’re welcome.”
He returned to the kitchen and sipped his wine there, his heart beating so fast it burned with each thump. Are you going to tell her? He practically fell to his knees as his nightmares slammed into him—flashes of his darkest memories. Ms. Florence’s words crept into his mind, too. The ones she’d said as she lay on her death bed in the hospital…
She caressed my face, told me she loved me, and said I was going to grow up and be great. Ms. Florence, I made you a promise! I didn’t do what I said I’d do, and I’m sorry. I told you I couldn’t do it by myself. So, you sent someone to help me, and yet again, I didn’t do it, because I wasn’t sure if I could trust her at first. I’ve never discussed this with anyone I’ve dated. In fact, only one person knows, besides you. I’M SCARED TO TELL HER, MS. FLORENCE… I don’t want to lose her. Part of me feels like I don’t even deserve her, but another part of me believes I do deserve her, and so much more in life. I know I have to walk on faith, or crawl around blind… I choose sight.
He closed his eyes tight as tears flooded them, and tried to steady himself against the kitchen counter. He heard Desiree stirring, perhaps talking on her phone, and the sound grabbed him from the dark moment, forcing him to collect himself. Never before had he felt compelled to confide in any woman he’d dated or was in a relationship with, about such matters. He trusted no one. Ever.
Once the dogs were finished eating, he marched them outside and let them run around in a large, fenced-in backyard. That was one of the perks of being in this particular apartment. Two of the units were empty for renovations, and the only one occupied was by an old man who barely made a sound. He had free reign of the backyard. He glanced down at his watch and made his way back into the apartment. He found her looking down at her phone and sipping her wine.