THAT RING

by Dodd, Jillian

  All the kids stay put. Part of me wishes I could go play, but I know I have to stay and wish Angel farewell.

  The doctor enters the room. He’s wearing a white lab coat that makes him look official, and he has kind eyes. “I can see that Angel is a well-loved and special dog,” he says. “I’m going to give her two shots. This first one is a sedative. This will just make her very sleepy. I just need a little space to get close to her.”

  “What happens after she gets sleepy?” Chase asks as the kids move to make a little path.

  “You can all say your final words and give her a kiss,” the doctor replies. “After that, I’ll give her another shot that she won’t wake up from.”

  “My puppy is going to heaven,” Madden says to him.

  The doctor nods, gets between the kids, and administers the sedative. Angel was awake for most of the eulogies; she just wasn’t really what I would call alert.

  Now, she drifts into a medicated lull. The kids each give her another kiss and hug. The older kids are crying like crazy.

  I am, too, as Danny, Phillip, and I pay our final respects.

  Jadyn sits down next to her first baby. The dog that wasn’t really an angel but brought her so much joy. And laughter.

  And, now, heartbreak.

  She leans down and kisses the dog on the head. Whispers in her ear.

  “I wrote a little poem, Mom,” Chase says. “Can I read it now?”

  “Of course,” she replies.

  He takes a piece of paper out of his back pocket, unfolds it, and then reads:

  Angel was a special friend.

  She wasn’t just a dog.

  A tennis ball in her mouth,

  Out for her morning jog.

  Angel had a heart of gold.

  She liked everyone,

  And never passed up a treat,

  No matter who it was from.

  She knew that she was loved,

  And that we’ll miss her so much.

  Now, go to sleep our sweet Angel,

  And when you get to heaven,

  Tell Grandpa to feed you lunch.

  The last line really makes Jadyn cry. She nods at the doctor.

  Phillip gets on the floor with her, and together, they tell her good-bye as the doctor injects the overdose of anesthesia that will ultimately end her life.

  When the doctor finally nods his head, indicating that she’s gone, Chase and Damon go into the garage and bring back a wooden casket.

  The two of them help lift Angel into it.

  Haley and Devaney go into the dining room and retrieve a loose bouquet of brightly colored flowers.

  Starting with the youngest, it appears each child is to choose a flower and then place it in the casket with Angel.

  Madden adds a picture he drew of himself and Angel in the backyard.

  Ryder adds a chew bone.

  Haley has a photo of them together, sitting on the dock and sharing Cheetos.

  Damon adds a flower and then starts to take off Angel’s collar.

  Chase shakes his head and breaks down again.

  “No,” Devaney says, “Chase changed his mind. He doesn’t want to keep her collar. He wants everyone where she’s going to know who she is.”

  Devaney and Chase approach the casket together. She’s holding his hand tightly. And it’s so very sweet. You can just tell they are always going to be best friends, just like Jadyn and her dad.

  But the way she looks adoringly at him, I wonder if maybe they will be more like Phillip and Jadyn. Either way, friends for life.

  After they choose a flower and add it, Devaney lays a soft blue blanket that looks like it’s seen better days on top of Angel, tucking it in on the sides, and Chase sets a worn stuffed bear who is missing its eyes along with it.

  Danny nods his head toward the door, indicating to his daughter that they should all file out.

  Once the kids leave the room, Jadyn stands in front of the casket. “I wondered what he put in there,” she says. “Look, it’s the blanket he wouldn’t let go of when he was a toddler. The one Angel would always steal but somehow knew never to chew up.”

  “And Wings, the angel bear whose halo and wings Angel did destroy. But the bear remained,” Phillip says. He wipes his eyes. “This is tough.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  Danny walks up behind them, putting one arm around each of their backs in comfort.

  For a moment, I feel a little left out, but then he turns and motions for me to join them.

  And it means more to me than the heart sign on the television or him saying I love you.

  Because with one simple gesture, he literally made me feel like part of the family in the same way Angel did.

  November 15th

  Jennifer

  “It seems so weird not to have Angel begging for some of my breakfast,” Chase says this morning as he’s eating toaster waffles at the kitchen table while I wrap my hands around a warm cup of coffee.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” I tell him. “And I haven’t been here that long. Are you doing okay?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t want her to suffer, but it’s hard to let her go. I have two tests today that I haven’t studied for with everything, so I’ll be busy during school, trying to prep, which hopefully will take my mind off it. What are you doing today?”

  “It’s Danny’s bye week, so I think we’re going to hang out.”

  “Well, have fun,” he says, getting up, rinsing his plate, and putting it into the dishwasher before heading out the front door. “See ya.”

  I’ve moved into the study. Jadyn is up in her office, making calls, and I’m nursing my second cup of coffee and looking at the lake. It’s gotten cold, and the water has a frosty look that’s really pretty.

  “Hey,” Danny says, coming into the room and sitting on the ottoman next to me. “I just wanted to stop by and say hi before I headed to work.”

  “But it’s your bye week. I thought you were off?” I pout.

  “It’s considered a recovery week. Our goal is to heal up but stay in good condition. We still have to practice; it’s just a little less strenuous. And,” he says with a grin, “I’ll be home by one.”

  He leans over and kisses me hard.

  “And I need you to be ready when I get here,” he says, taking my hand in his and grinning. “We have somewhere to go.”

  “And where’s that, Danny?” I coo, assuming he’s referring to my bed.

  “Dallas.”

  “Oh,” I say, surprised. “What for?”

  “Where’s Jadyn?” he asks, looking around.

  “Up in her office.”

  “Cool. ’Cause I don’t want her to hear this. So, there’s this dog breeder who raises and shows English Labradors. Her name is Carrie, and she’s incredible. I touched base with her years ago when I was hoping to talk Lori into a dog. Now, I’m obsessed with following her on social media. Her dogs are so well trained.” He grabs his phone and scrolls for a few moments. “Watch this.”

  While I watch, he narrates, and I can tell he’s watched the video multiple times. “See, it’s this dog’s birthday, and they are all celebrating. But look how she sets out ten little individual birthday treats. How the dogs wait until she tells them to eat. And they only eat the one in front of them.”

  “Not only are they well trained, but they have good manners, too,” I tease.

  “And look at this,” he says, pulling up another video. “In this one, she’s lying in a chaise by the pool. Each dog is lined up with their own ball and waiting for their turn for her to throw it in the pool, so they can retrieve it. And once they do, they take their ball and go wait at the end of the line.”

  “It is pretty impressive,” I say with a smile.

  “And don’t even get me started on the puppies. Look at these babies,” he says, showing me more photos.

  “They are adorable,” I gush.

  “I called her yesterday. I want to get a puppy for the Mackenzies. I’ve alrea
dy been vetted, and I told her the story about Angel. It just so happens that she has an older puppy she thinks would be perfect for them. And because she’s a little older, the puppy has the added benefit of being almost completely potty-trained. We’ll go down there, see if we like her, and then bring her home with us if we do.” He shows me another photo. “This is her. She’s even yellow like Angel.”

  “She’s beautiful, Danny. That’s so sweet of you.”

  “Thank you,” he tells me. And I know he means it.

  “I’d love to go with you. I also wanted to thank you for something you did for me yesterday.”

  He smirks. “You mean, late last night?”

  I grin back. “Well, that was amazing, as always, but I was referring to when you hugged Jadyn and Phillip, and you invited me in.” I put my head down, feeling overcome with emotion again. “A lot of people say they love you, but you showed me last night. I just want you to know how much I appreciated it.”

  He puts his finger under my chin, gently lifting it, and then finds my lips with his.

  “I appreciate that you appreciated it,” he says sweetly. “I wish I could take you to bed and stay there all day, but I have to go.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m going to need a really good kiss to tide me over then.”

  I’m surprised that Jadyn didn’t question us about why we needed their plane this afternoon. Normally, she would be all over whatever lame excuse Danny must have given her, but she’s probably got a lot on her mind right now with the hotel and the kids. Not to mention, her own grieving. I haven’t stayed at their house all that long, and even I feel the lack of Angel’s presence, and when I took my coffee into the study, I cried over her again.

  “I think what you’re doing is wonderful, but do you think it’s too soon to get them a dog? Like, do they need to grieve a little first?”

  “I’m not trying to make them get over losing Angel. They’ve had a puppy ever since they lived in their house. It seems odd not to have one.”

  “But Jadyn is traveling all the time, and Phillip works hard and travels, too. With the kids in school all day, the puppy would be alone. Plus, you don’t want to add to Jadyn’s stress.”

  “Phillip and I hung out the other night. He told Tripp the only way he would sell the company is if he became chairman of the board and gave up his role as CEO. It would allow him to retire but still help oversee the company he helped to build.”

  “What did Tripp say?”

  “He agreed. Now, they just have to get it all on paper.”

  “That’s crazy. Tripp talked to Jadyn just the other day about buying hers, too. I don’t know if she’s even told Phillip.”

  “I’m sure she has. She tells him everything. Always has.” He leans his head back in the seat and smiles happily.

  “What?”

  “I was just thinking about the timing of all this. I’ll retire after this season. Phillip takes on an advisory role. And maybe Jadyn gets to slow down some. The constant travel is rough on her.”

  “She works the whole time she’s on the plane. She says she gets a lot done. But what about until all that happens? What about the puppy?”

  “Angel went to work with Phillip every day until recently. As she aged, it seemed to wear her out, so he kept taking her less and less. Mostly because if she went to work, she didn’t have the energy to play with the kids when they got home from school. She loved her car rides though. And she was like his company’s mascot. His employees will be thrilled if he brings a puppy to work again.”

  “I think if you like the puppy, you should bring her home.”

  When we get to Carrie’s farm, we meet a whole lot of Labradors of varying ages. All are sweet and well mannered. And I can’t even fathom how this woman’s house stays so tidy with all of them, but it is.

  “Come on, kids,” she says to all the dogs who greet us outside. “Go play in the backyard while we introduce these nice people to Winger.”

  “Winger?” I ask.

  “Yes, that’s her name. She was pretty rambunctious when she was little. High-spirited. She would try to keep up with the older dogs—jumping, running, just throwing herself into everything she did. That, and her perfect bone structure led me to believe she would be a great show dog. One of the trainers who helps me used to tease that she did everything on a wing and a prayer. She got the nickname Winger, and it stuck. On paper, she is Lady Guinevere. I was going to call her Winnie, so it’s close. Hang on, I’ll go get her.”

  “Wasn’t that the name of the stuffed dog that Chase put in the casket with Angel?” I turn to ask Danny.

  “No, that was Wings, but close enough. They can call it either.”

  Carrie returns with a chunky puppy trotting behind her.

  Danny and I sit down on the floor to meet her. She barrels straight into Danny’s face, hitting his nose.

  “Ouch,” he says, but then he grabs the dog and picks her up. “Aren’t you the cutest thing ever?”

  When he sets her down, she waggles her tail and comes to check me out by sniffing my crotch and then jumping on my lap to lick my face.

  “I think she likes me,” I joke.

  “I understand your backyards open up to each other, so it sounds like the puppy can run around in a pretty big area.”

  “That’s correct,” Danny says. “And one of these days, I’m going to get her a friend.”

  “How about a cousin?” Carrie suggests.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know that you were waiting until you retire to get a puppy,” Carrie says, “but I have one ready to go home. The family who was supposed to adopt her called a couple of days ago, and due to an illness in the family, they didn’t feel like they could handle her right now even though they were heartbroken. I also think Winger is one of those dogs who would benefit from having a sister. She’s used to being around a lot of dogs here.”

  “Uh, yeah,” I say. “Your kids would go crazy. I cried when they talked yesterday about how their mom wouldn’t let them have their own dog.”

  “Can I take a look at her?” Danny asks.

  Carrie comes back with the most adorable puppy. She’s smaller than Winger, and she has black fur. She’s got a piece of red rickrack tied around her neck instead of a collar.

  Carrie sets her down, and the two puppies play with one another, running around me and Danny, jumping over our laps.

  After a few minutes of hard exercise, the black puppy comes and plops down in Danny’s lap, panting hard.

  Winger follows, curling up next to me and promptly falling asleep.

  The little puppy on Danny’s lap chews on his finger for a few minutes and then looks at me and licks my face. Which is easy since I’m bent over as close to the little thing as I can get.

  “She has puppy breath. Is there anything better? Can we take her home?” I realize what I just said. “Uh, I mean, can you take her home?”

  “Are you a couple?” Carrie asks.

  Danny and I look at each other, emotion filling our eyes.

  “We’re friends,” I say. “It would be his dog, of course, but I’m going to love her, too.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude. I’m just very particular as to where I place my babies,” she replies.

  “And that’s exactly why you’re the only breeder that I called,” Danny says, flashing a grin that causes Carrie to practically swoon.

  I put my head down, nuzzling it into the dog’s head to hide my smirk. There’s something very sexy about Danny Diamond being charming. The crazy thing is that when I met him, he was all young, cocky charisma. He’s still got swagger for days, but he’s grown into it. Like he almost doesn’t realize its potential anymore, whereas before he’d power it up—on purpose. Now, it seems to sneak out of him in the most endearing ways.

  And I love it.

  Actually, I love him.

  Danny quickly fills Carrie in on our situation, telling her the truth about our past and his upcoming di
vorce.

  “Have you had a dog before?” Carrie asks me.

  “No, but I’ve always wanted one. And I just bought a new home in LA for when we would be there. It’s got a nice-sized backyard, and it’s fully fenced.” I take out my phone and show her photos. “And I checked. The iron rails are pretty close together, so once a puppy grows a little bigger, you won’t have to worry about her getting out. Although I would never leave my dog alone outside.”

  “I would worry about other wildlife in the hills even though it’s a suburban setting,” Carrie says. “They also shed. A lot.”

  As if in a show of solidarity, the puppy leaps out of Danny’s lap and into mine, nipping me on the nose while giving me a big kiss at the same time.

  “You little rascal,” I say, cooing at the puppy. “Oh, look at her paws. They are huge. Her calves run straight into her foot. She has cankles!” I crack up. “What are you going to call her, Danny?”

  “What makes you think I’m taking her home?” he replies.

  I roll my eyes at him. “Because there’s no way you couldn’t. I mean, if Carrie approves.” The puppy jumps off my lap, runs in a circle, chases her tail, and then goes to pick up a toy, bringing it back to Danny.

  “Look at her, already a retriever. My kids are going to die with happiness.”

  “How do you think the Mackenzies will take it?” I ask. “Carrie, you have more experience with this. Is it too soon? Do they need more time to grieve? Will they feel like they are betraying Angel?”

  “No, I don’t think so. There’s nothing that heals a broken heart better than a puppy.”

  “I’d very much like to take them both home then,” Danny says.

  Danny

  The puppies are good on the flight home. Of course, neither one wanted to be in their kennels; they are much more content while curled up in a ball on our laps or nibbling on our fingers.