I took him from her arms and about died in cute-heaven when he wrapped his big paws around my arm like he was hugging it. “You just know you’re cute so you use that to your advantage, don’t you?” I crooned at him, and snuggled him closer when he plopped his head on my chest. “Such a guy.”

Maddie laughed as she held the other one. “I’m sad they’re all going to be gone soon.”

“Why don’t you get one?”

“Right”—she snorted—“and pay the thousand-dollar pet deposit at my apartment? Um, no thank you.”

“One thousand dollars? Why? It was like, two-fifty at the place we were at in Texas!”

“I’d like to know the same thing, and I would have a monthly ‘pet rent.’ Isn’t that crazy?”

“So that’s how you work here and don’t adopt them. Got it.” I looked down and watched my little flirt gnawing on my thumb, and the second he realized I was looking at him, he tried to jump out of my arms and fully onto my chest. He has puppy breath! “Kash is going to be so pissed,” I murmured against his nose. “Maddie, I’m in love.”

“I know, they’re just so dang cute.”

“How much to adopt?”

She gasped and did a weird little dance while holding the other puppy. “Wait! Kash would be pissed!”

“I just told Trip that.”

“Who?”

I pointed at the puppy. “You said he was a trip, and I think it’s cute. So how much?”

“Oh, I love that! It’s only thirty-five dollars. But I really think that maybe you should wait, maybe talk to Kash first?”

“I told you I’m in love! I want him now.” Then I looked down at the pup and fake-whispered, “We just aren’t going to tell Daddy until he gets home.”

Maddie laughed and put the other puppy back in the kennel. “Shit, he’s going to be so mad!”

“Don’t care. In puppy love.”

“Whatever, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Got it, put all the blame on you.” Trip gave me little kisses, and I knew the fight coming my way was totally worth it.

Kash

THE SIGHT I WAS MET WITH IN THE KITCHEN was a dead giveaway. Rachel wanted something. She only voluntarily made pancakes when she wanted something, or was showing me her appreciation for something I’d done. And since I’d been gone for thirteen hours at work, I knew it wasn’t the latter.

“Hey, babe! How was work? I really missed you and I’m glad you’re home. You hungry? You were gone so long today; did you stay over? What time is it? Why don’t you go get comfortable and I’ll finish up here?”

What in the f**k? My eyes widened as she wrapped her arms around my neck. She was rambling, which means I had been wrong about both. She didn’t want something; she’d done something. “What’d you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You suck at trying to act normal. And you’re making pancakes without me asking you to.” She just sat there with a plastered smile on her face, and I decided to push it more. “You’re really shitty at hiding things from me, you know that?”

“So how many do you want?”

“None. No, wait, that’s a lie. I want four. But who the f**k is this Barbie in my kitchen and what did she do with my Rachel? My Rachel would have snapped at me just then and told me to make pancakes myself.”

“I just wanted to do something—”

A crash from the back of the house sounded, and Rachel froze but didn’t look scared. I pulled out my gun from the holster and maneuvered out of her arms.

“No, Kash! Please put the gun away, I don’t want you to shoot or scare him!”

“Him? Who the f**k is in my house, Rachel?!” Without waiting for an answer, I stalked off down the hall and straight toward the shut bedroom door. This wasn’t f**king happening, she would never cheat on me. I knew she wouldn’t. Another loud noise sounded, and I swore I would kill the son of a bitch. Shoot first, ask questions after.

“Kash, wait!”

I flung open the door, and my eyes went to the perfectly made bed and lamp that had been knocked onto the floor. Before I could say anything, I heard a whine coming from the corner of the room and walked slowly toward it.

Huddled into the corner near the other nightstand was a puppy looking up at me like he knew exactly what he had done. Rachel was talking quickly, and I knew she was trying to explain why the dog was here, but I was just trying not to laugh. I holstered my gun and bent down to pick up the shaking puppy.

“. . . please don’t make me take him back!”

I turned and looked at my beautiful fiancée. I wanted to play with her so bad, but when she was giving me puppy-eyes about as good as the little shit in my arms could, all I could think about was giving her anything in the world that she asked for.

“Did you get him from the shelter where Maddie works?”

“Maybe.”

I nodded and scratched behind the pup’s ears. “And I’m guessing Maddie was with you?” When Rachel nodded, I continued, “Did she say anything to you about getting the puppy? Like maybe . . . don’t?”

“But I’m in puppy love with him! I wanted him so bad, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me, I knew you would say no and I couldn’t stand the thought of letting him go to someone else!”