by Ciara Shayee
It would be like having a newborn baby all over again.
“Did you guys decide on a name, or are you letting the kids choose one?” Kelly asked cheerily, relaxing back against the counter to watch the puppies tumbling over each other to get to Marley and Bodhi.
Laker and Indie shared a loaded glance. “We kind of like ‘Faith,’ if that’s okay with Marley and Bodhi.”
Marley looked between their faces, then down at the puppy whose amber eyes were bright and trained intently on the face of her new little mistress. Marley beamed back at her mamma and daddy. “I think ‘Faith’ is perfect. Good choice, Mamma and Daddy.”
“Okay, so this is your paperwork. These are all her details from the veterinarian visits. Her first vaccination, hearing test, microchip, all that jazz. Her birth weight and three-week check-up details are in there, too. This is her Kennel Club registration and details.”
“Does she have some fancy schmancy name?” Reagan asked with a grin.
Kelly smirked. “My husband decided them all. Your little Faith here is Chahill’s Princess Posey.”
Marley giggled into her hands, leaning over to kiss Faith’s spotty head. She’d fallen asleep in Marley’s lap while Kelly, Laker, Reagan, and Indie talked. Bodhi had also made a friend.
“W-what’s this o-one’s n-n-name?” Bodhi asked quietly, tickling the soft black ear of the puppy asleep in the nest of his crossed legs.
Kelly’s expression softened as her eyes landed on Bodhi and the puppy in his lap. “We call him Tiny. He’s the smallest of the litter.”
She met Laker’s eyes, “He’s deaf. The owners who’d put the deposit on him changed their minds after his hearing test. Poor little boy is the only one without perfect hearing, and we haven’t found a home for him yet.”
Marley and Bodhi cried out, their expressions sad as they immediately turned to gaze up at their parents.
Indie’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! No way, you two. We’re getting one puppy. One.”
“But, Mamma—” Marley began, arranging her features into the expression she often used to get her way with her daddy. Indie quickly reached up to cover Laker’s eyes; they were already softening. She could see him caving already.
~ oOo ~
Despite their disappointment, and with the assurance from Kelly that little Tiny would remain with her until he found his forever home, Indie eventually made her way out to the car with just one spotted puppy. Faith wriggled in her arms, looking around at the snow-speckled landscape with bright, curious eyes. Indie bundled her inside her zip-up hoodie to protect her from the freezing December air, hurrying back to the car.
“Mamma, I want to hold Faith!” Marley complained.
“No, Mamma! I-I wanna h-h-hold h-her!”
Reagan sighed, shaking his head as he lifted Bodhi and buckled him into his seat. “Look, kids—it’s better if your mamma holds her. There’s more room in the front, and if she pees you don’t want it to be on you, right?”
Bodhi and Marley exchanged disgusted glances before vehemently shaking their heads.
He chucked and climbed into his spot between his grandchildren, offering his daughter a wink when she shot him a grateful grin in the rear-view mirror.
Thankfully, Faith didn’t use her new mother’s lap as a toilet during the drive home. She was remarkably well-behaved and settled comfortably on Indie’s thighs, content to peer out of the window and stretch up to lick her chin every now and then with a happy wag of her tail. Halfway home, Indie managed to take a picture of Faith as she curled against her chest cradled in one of her arms, her pink tongue poking out just enough for it to be visible in the resulting photo.
She quickly sent it to everyone waiting for news of the new arrival; Archie and the boys, Grace and Ryan, Peter, Sarah and Andy, the twins, and Mark and Josie—who promised they weren’t upset about the new puppy despite the recent loss of their girl. Apparently, Clarke and Dave were itching to come over to meet Faith, so Indie expected the Walters clan over later. Which worked well, seeing as Indie and Josie hadn’t seen each other for a couple of weeks and had plenty to catch up on.
Grace – Oh my gosh! She’s so cute!
Grace’s text was followed by a series of seven, heart-eyed emojis and a reminder that they wanted to come over as soon as Faith was settled. Indie responded with her promise that she’d let them know just as they rolled to a stop outside the house and piled out onto the driveway.
“It’s okay, pretty girl,” Indie cooed when Faith poked her head out from her jumper, once again tucked inside but just for the quick walk up the driveway into the house. She peered up at her with sleepy eyes. “We’re home, Faith. This is your new home.”
The puppy simply stretched up, licked Indie’s chin, and ducked back inside her warm cocoon where she promptly fell back to sleep, much to the consternation of Marley and Bodhi.
~ oOo ~
“She’s just precious, Indie,” Grace sighed, her lips spread in a wide smile as she watched Marley, Bodhi, and Faith tumbling around the living room.
Faith had slept for almost an hour after arriving at her new home, and Indie had followed the puppy-rearing book Reagan gave her, settling Faith in her new bed in the kitchen so she’d learn where she should sleep. She was content enough to remain there for fifty minutes, somehow managing to sleep through the children’s thinly disguised attempts at waking her.
Eventually, Marley and Bodhi wound up sitting side-by-side on the naughty step wearing sulky pouts, their mother fed up with their purposeful crashing and banging around in the hallway.
When Faith did awaken she padded her way into the living room by herself, greeting her little master and mistress with plentiful kisses and tail wags. The children had been playing with her ever since and were delighted when Laker pulled a basket of brand new puppy toys from the under-stairs cupboard. So far, Faith’s favourite was a small, stuffed football and the trio had been playing piggy in the middle with it for almost a half hour by the time Indie noticed Faith’s tongue lolling and her faltering footsteps.
She inhaled a deep breath, already knowing the kids were going to throw a tantrum when she informed them that their little friend would soon need another nap.
But first…
“All right, Faith probably needs to go potty now, guys.”
“I’ll come, Mamma!” Marley declared, scowling when Indie shook her head.
“No, baby girl; you two stay here, so she doesn’t get distracted.”
Indie scooped Faith from the rug in the centre of the room, kissing her head and carrying her to the hall. She’d always thought it was silly to buy clothes for dogs, but she’d seen how cold Faith had gotten earlier just on the short walk in from the car, so she was glad she’d ignored her instincts and bought a small yellow jumper for Faith.
Just in case, she’d told herself. Faith looked appreciative of the forethought when she padded around the chilly garden, glancing over at Indie every few seconds. It took almost ten minutes, and the threat of the naughty step for Bodhi and Marley when they refused to stop teasing Faith through the patio doors, but Faith finally squatted and did a quick wee on the grass.
As Indie rushed over to praise her and hand her a tiny cube of cheese as a reward for doing her business, she inwardly sighed at herself and wondered just how ridiculous she looked to her family on the other side of the glass doors.
~ oOo ~
Nine days later, she was utterly in love with her third baby and couldn’t believe she hadn’t given in sooner on the puppy debate.
It was Christmas morning, and Reagan’s house was complete mayhem.
Archie and his boys had come over bright and early, Sarah and Andy close behind them. Peter and the twins arrived only ten minutes later with Ryan and Grace hot on their heels.
Just like last year, they all wore matching jumpers; this year they were green and white striped with reindeer emblazoned across the front.
Laker and Indie were woken by two over-excited children
just before seven a.m.
“Mamma, Daddy! Wake up! It’s Christmas!” Marley yelled, bouncing up onto the bed before tugging Bodhi up by his arms to join her.
Indie quickly pulled both children to her side of the bed, trying to stifle her laughter when Laker let out a soft whine and rolled onto his side. “Marley, sweetie, I think you stomped on Daddy’s misters.”
Marley’s smile fell, but she giggled an apology behind her hands. “Sorry, Daddy.”
“S’okay,” he croaked. After clearing his throat and relaxing a little into the mattress, he exhaled a deep breath and gently guided Marley down to sit beside him. “Merry Christmas, Little Sweet.”
“Merry Christmas, Daddy.”
“Mewwy Chwistmas, D-Daddy!” Bodhi crowed, crawling over to sit on Laker’s stomach.
Indie couldn’t resist swiping her phone from the nightstand to take photos of her little family. Bodhi had shed the long-sleeved, candy-cane pattern t-shirt she’d put on him before bed last night, but he was still wearing the matching trousers; Marley had the same pyjamas, but unlike her brother, she was still wearing both parts. They both wore fluffy white slipper boots and had majorly messy bedheads. Laker did, too.
As she took a series of photos of the trio, Indie couldn’t help but realise how alike they seemed. Bodhi’s sunny blond mane and Marley’s long, dark locks were curly, whereas Laker’s was pretty much just a chocolate mess, but you’d be forgiven for thinking they were related when you looked at them wearing matching bright, beaming smiles and snuggling up under the covers. Indie felt her heart fill to the bursting point. It was an adorable sight.
“Mamma, y-you snuggle t-too?”
She smiled, setting down her phone and wriggling over to join her family. She leaned down to kiss Bodhi’s curls and mentally praise Sarah for suggesting she and Laker invest in a bigger bed, now that the kids were in their own room. They often had the kids in with them on Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch cartoons, but they never would have all fit in the old twin bed. The king Sarah had talked them into was far better.
“Mewwy Chwistmas, Mamma,” Bodhi said quietly, offering her a toothy, dimpled smile.
“Merry Christmas, baby boy.”
“Oh! I forgot!”
Before Indie or Laker could ask what she’d forgotten, Marley was bouncing out of bed and running from the room. They shared a curious glance, then listened to her thumping footsteps as she came back up the stairs a few moments later.
As soon as she appeared in the doorway, Indie sighed. “Sweetheart, they can’t—”
“Please, Mamma? It is Christmas…”
Laker chuckled, “Yeah, Mamma. It is Christmas.”
Shooting him a look that said ‘traitor,’ she realised it was fruitless to argue with her daughter and Laker—and likely Bodhi, too—and huffed. “All right. But just this once! They’re not meant to be up here.”
With a wide, triumphant grin, Marley set down the big, squirming bundle in her arms.
This wasn’t the first puppy-related argument Indie had given up on.
She’d said ‘no’ to getting a puppy in the first place, and wound up bringing Faith home six weeks later.
She’d said ‘no’ to Faith being allowed on the furniture or having extra treats besides her food and training treats; so far this past week she’d caught Laker and Reagan sneaking her tidbits when they thought she wasn’t looking. That wasn’t including the bits and pieces the kids snuck her from the table.
She’d said ‘no’ to taking Tiny off Kelly’s hands.
And yet, as Faith ran up to the foot of the bed, stretching on her short legs to peer through the poles of the footboard, she was quickly joined by her spotty, deaf, pink-nosed brother.
Yes, she’d caved, and it was no one’s fault but her own.
She’d sent Kelly some photos of Faith with the kids on day four and had wound up speaking to her on the phone later that day to clear up an issue with Faith’s microchip information. Kelly had offhandedly mentioned that Tiny was still there, and Indie hadn’t been able to push the sweet puppy’s face from her mind all evening. Of course, Laker noticed her preoccupation, and he’d been surprisingly reserved in his opinions of whether or not they should take on the added responsibility of another puppy so quickly after getting their first—especially a deaf puppy.
Two days of intensive research and with guidance from experienced Dalmatian owners on the page Laker frequented online, their minds were made up. They left Marley and Bodhi with Ryan and Grace, put Faith’s travel harness on, and buckled her into the back seat as they set off on the forty-minute trip to Kelly’s house.
“Here, let me help,” Laker chuckled, crawling to the end of the bed to scoop up the puppies.
Indie smiled and shook her head, remembering Kelly’s face as she’d pulled the door open upon their arrival.
“Well, well. You know, I wasn’t surprised at all to get your phone call. He’s a lovable boy.”
Indie sighed and smiled, shaking her head. “I just couldn’t stop picturing his sad little face when we left last time.”
Kelly took Faith from Laker’s arms, peppering kisses over her head. “Hello, sweet girl. You’ve grown so much already!”
“That’s because she eats like a horse!” he exclaimed. “We follow that guide you gave us, but man! She’d constantly eat if we let her.”
A laugh bubbled out of Kelly as she gestured for them to follow her inside. Once the front door was closed, she set Faith on the floor and let out a soft whistle, followed by a quiet, “Lulu!” A few moments later, a slim, pretty dog trotted into the hall with a slow tail wag. Faith immediately darted toward her, bouncing around her legs and trying to lick her face.
Laker grinned, sliding his fingers through Indie’s as they followed Kelly, Lulu, and Faith into the kitchen. “It looks like Faith has missed her mamma. I bet Lulu’s missing her babies, huh?”
Kelly hummed, offering them a tea or coffee. As she started making their lattes, she murmured, “I think she does, but she’s definitely enjoying the freedom of just having one pup left. She’s had a very busy eight weeks with all of them, and now she just has one to deal with.”
Indie was listening to the other woman, but her eyes travelled to the bed across the room where Tiny was sleeping. He obviously couldn’t hear that they’d entered, so he was snoozing happily with his legs out-stretched; he wasn’t having to share a bed anymore, which struck Indie as sad. It must be lonely to be one of eleven and suddenly find yourself alone, she thought.
“Here, Faith—go wake your brother,” Kelly said as she opened the gate separating the two halves of the kitchen. Faith sniffed cautiously before stepping through, then bounded right over to her sleeping brother.
He didn’t stay asleep for long.
Faith pounced right on him. Soon, they were tumbling around, their excited yaps and happy tails bringing tears to Indie’s eyes. Lulu waded in but kept her distance, content just to watch her babies play.
“Are you okay?” Laker asked gently, squeezing her to him.
“I’m fine,” she promised. “I think we made the right decision.”
Kelly beamed as she handed over Tiny’s paperwork and bagged up the last of the puppy toys, informing Indie and Laker that she wouldn’t need them now all the pups had gone to their homes. Lulu gave each of her babies a thorough wash while Indie ran outside to pack the car with all the paraphernalia; Tiny’s favourite cushion, the puppy toys, some leftover packs of mince which Lulu didn’t like, but the puppies did.
Having never had a dog before, Indie found it odd to be feeding her almost, ten-week-old puppy raw mince and chicken wings, but it made sense once she thought about and researched it. The benefits far outweighed the surrealism of watching a tiny puppy crunch up raw bones as though they were biscuits.
She’d picked out a travel harness for Tiny to match Faith’s, except his was black and hers was pink, so she slipped it over his head and adjusted it to fit comfortably before scoop
ing him into her arms as Laker did the same with Faith. Kelly sighed as they stood by the front door, Lulu sitting contentedly at her the feet of her mistress, her puppies in the arms of their new parents.
“I’ll miss this little guy,” she cooed as she reached out to fondle his soft, spotty ear. He peered at her through his mismatched eyes—one blue, one chocolate brown—and let out a squeaky yawn as he turned to snuggle his head under Indie’s chin, where he promptly fell asleep.
Kelly and Laker’s laughter didn’t disturb him, because he couldn’t hear it, so he slept peacefully through Indie’s promise to take care of him and his sister and his journey from the house out to the car. Laker opened the back door, but hesitated and turned to face Indie when she asked him to wait.
She frowned for a moment. “Don’t worry about putting her in the back. I’ll have them both on my lap, I think.”
He raised his eyebrows, smirking. “You sure? Brave move considering we don’t know how the boy’s gonna deal with being in the car.”
She snuggled Tiny tighter, his head still nestled under her chin, and opened the door to the front passenger seat. “I’m sure. I’ve got towels and puppy pads for accidents.”
“All right, mi amore,” Laker chuckled. He waited for Indie to get comfortable and buckle herself in, then handed Faith to her. Tiny woke briefly to curl into his sister, and by the time Laker had rounded the car, offered Kelly a parting wave, and climbed into his seat, both puppies were fast asleep curled up in Indie’s lap. She turned to him with a smug smile—he laughed, shaking his head and starting the engine.
Only time would tell whether or not both Faith and Tiny would remain that placid until they made it home.
~ oOo ~
“Awww, look, Mamma!” Marley cooed, pulling Indie from her thoughts.
She followed Marley’s adoring gaze to Laker, Bodhi, and the puppies. Faith was curled up on Laker’s lap—he’d shuffled back to sit against the headboard—and her brother was spread along Bodhi’s side with his spotted head resting on his little master’s shoulder.