Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Barking. It’s a dog.
“Did a stray follow you?” I push back, looking up to see a rare smile exposing Hudson’s manly, sexy teeth.
“Told you I was going to get a surprise. Yeah, I went shopping. I hired a shopper to help because what the fuck do I know about what a girl needs? So I just told her to get you everything she would want, then everything her sister or her best friend would want, and finally everything she thought a couple who can’t keep their hands off each other would want. Told her I’d let you tell me I was a dumbass and didn’t get anything you needed.”
“Daddy…” I soften as he steps to the door.
“I was trying to tell you. There’s a shelter for special needs dogs, and they had one that was a black Labrador. He only has one eye, and I heard this other couple saying that he creeped them out, but honestly I couldn’t leave without—”
“My dog!” I squeal, and I’m already heading out the door. “You got me a dog? A black Lab?”
The bags of gifts lie forgotten on the hall tiles as I rush out of the door as he pulls it open, heading for his Bentley where the barking starts again. I see the dog before I even reach the car, his face squished up against the glass, steaming it up with his breath. It is a black Labrador! No, wait, there’s another set of ears and a tail. Two black Labs! I do think I’m in a coma, but I never want to wake up!
As soon as they see me their tails are swishing back and forth. They’re hopping up and down, doing these little puppy yelping sounds, and I feel like my heart is about to explode.
And yes, there’s an empty eye socket, but who cares? He’s not creepy, he’s adorable, and he needs me. They need me.
As soon as the door is open, the first one is on my chest and I catch him with both arms, so excited to have a home and—
Wait, I don’t have a home. This isn’t Hudson’s home. That much I’ve puzzled out. There’s some details here that need flushing out.
“Is this their home?” I ask as I turn to find Hudson watching us. I narrow my eyes. “I mean, it’s not your home, is it?”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s not. This is Jackson and Chastity’s place.”
“So when do I get to see where you live?”
“We, baby,” he says, stepping toward the car. “Get in. I’m going to show you our new home. For all four of us,” he says with a grin, knuckling one dog’s head, then the other. Then his hand goes to my belly, pulling me in close, and he adds, “Soon to be five.”
Epilogue
Hudson
A year later...
“Man, it never felt better to fail at something.” Wilson grins as he stares at the building that used to be the strip club, closed now that the will conditions have expired.
Soon, the two strip clubs he inherited from his older brother will be refurbished and reopened as independent book stores. There will be books for sale, but each one will also give readers the option to borrow and read books for a small membership fee, and include a quiet area with beanbags, pillows and couches, along with the option to purchase snacks and drinks. Like a private library, slash reading café.
The plan is to expand on that idea, get a little chain going and turn it into a thriving business, and this time I saw the potential for investment. Besides, Fay was so excited by the whole thing she practically begged to be involved, and what my baby wants, she gets.
Wilson never wanted strip clubs anyway, and he felt uncomfortable with how close the girls were in age to his niece. No judgment, but he was getting more and more depressed about it as time went on. He’s helped those of the strippers that wanted something different to get a start in new careers, and those that didn’t have moved on to other clubs.
I changed the name of my business from Clancy’s Carriages to Hudson’s Transportation Services. I’ve expanded from limos to shuttles and tour buses. It’s a legit eight-figure business, and it looks like generational wealth is something I’ll pass down to my kids if I so choose.
Jackson and Chastity are coming to dinner tonight. I’m cooking, of course, because my wife has many talents, but cooking is not one of them. The only thing I’m not allowed to cook inside is Jiffy Pop.
But, I had a special outdoor kitchen built, so my Jiffy Pop addiction is still thriving.
Jackson and Chastity are bringing some other friends as well, so we will have a houseful, but the chaos is fun and I love giving Fay the kind of home and life she missed out on growing up.