The puppy could not have been more adorable, and I couldn’t have been strangely happier for Henry. He needed someone else at home, even if it was just a dog. He needed that companionship and that friendship, and it would be a hell of a lot harder for him to push a dog away that wouldn’t be able to talk back like I could.
Out the window I glanced toward his house. I wondered what Henry was doing right then and what he was thinking. Had he known I would be the one to come?
My heart fluttered with the thought that he’d done it on purpose before I slammed that idea down. There was no way that was what had happened. I knew better. He’d told me clear as day he didn’t want whatever had been between us ever again.
Still, I at least found it in myself to be happy for him. Hopefully Teddy the pup would mean a new start that would put him on the right path. Whether or not that someday involved me or not would be solely up to him.
“Now,” I murmured to Teddy, “how do you feel about water?” His whole backside shook in a mock wag of his stub tail. Laughter fell from my lips as I made certain the water was the right temperature and began hosing him down. Not once did he try to run or shake or bite me.
He’d definitely be my preferred client over Heather the biter.
In no time at all I had all the red dirt washed from Teddy’s coat, his nails were trimmed, he smelled great, and I added a simple little bandana around his neck just for good measure.
“Alright, are you ready, buddy?”
The entire back half of his body still wagged side to side in excitement, even after I hefted him into my arms. In no way would it have been possible to have found a sweeter puppy, and I somehow knew that Henry would learn how to train him well.
Back up the front door I trekked, and with Teddy in hand I rang the doorbell.
For the second time that day the door swung open and in a sharp inhale my breath stopped. There Henry stood with the biggest bouquet of wildflowers in hand that I’d ever seen. The blue and purple blooms plumed outward in a stunning display that was only made better by the hand-tied ribbon that wrapped them all together. At the base of their stems I swore I could see a few pieces of dirt, which led me to believe Henry had even picked them himself.
The color of your eyes always reminded me of wildflowers, he’d said to me, and in that moment my lower lip trembled. I felt near to tears, and for the first time in my life I thought just maybe they would be tears of joy.
“I’ve been an idiot, Marissa, and before you interrupt me, just hear me out, okay?”
I didn’t even dare speak for fear of cracking and so I merely nodded and kept a tight hold on Teddy.
“You were right, all along. Well, I mean… you were right that it was stupid to try and go after the restaurant. I love what I do at the golf course, and it was stupid of me to try and change that. I never wanted to take it over, and it was stupid because I wasn’t going to do it for myself; I was going to do it for you.”
The admission shell-shocked me and though I kept one arm wrapped around the puppy I slid another hand against the door jam for support.
“I…” Henry paused, his deep breath seeming to be a support to gather his thoughts. “I let myself get so closed off after Olivia died. I never even stopped to think about how angry she would have been at me for that. Can you just imagine the tantrum she would throw if she knew how I’d been acting? How I had been treating you?”
It wasn’t a thought I’d given any attention to before, but now that he mentioned it I could see it clear as day in my mind. Olivia would have had absolutely none of it, and the mere thought of her raising such a ruckus made me laugh.
“Marissa, you’ve always wanted the best for me, and I was too blind to see it. I was also too blind to see that you’ve always been perfect for me.”
The tears that I had been fighting back hazed over my vision before they fell clear down my cheeks. At them Henry stared in utter fear.
“I don’t want to live without you in my life, Marissa Hill.”
At his side the flowers lowered, and silence hung between us like a thick web waiting for a verdict. I had the power to either cut it down or leave it up, sealing Henry within a prison of his own making.
My heart pounded in my chest as I settled Teddy to the floor and urged him inside. Still, I didn’t go in. I didn’t cross that threshold.
“You hurt me, Henry.”
Every bit of muscle on him sagged in defeat. “I know,” he whispered quietly.
My lips were hesitant to move, to form around any words at all. “I slept with someone else. At the party that night.” I don’t know what possessed me to say it, but it fell from my tongue and was now out there for him to hear.
“Oh.” A dark storm seemed to swirl within the depths of his eyes as he nudged Teddy back from the door. “Okay. Well, thank you for grooming Teddy.”
“Henry. I’m not done talking.” It was true, I wasn’t. I had to get all of my truths out right then and there, whether he wanted to hear them or not.
14
At first I had wondered what I was doing, trying to return to college when I’d just recently left. Thing was, when I’d gone in I hadn’t figured out what I really wanted to do in life, and so my major wasn’t helping me. It wasn’t until after I’d started with Pup Wash that I had finally realized the answer had always been in front of me.
I wanted to become a veterinarian.
My love of animals had always been there, from the moment I’d been old enough to reach out and pet my first cat to the time I was able to train my dad’s first dog. They had long since passed away, but they’d forever be a part of my life. Cheesy as it sounded, I believed they had made an imprint on my heart.
Going back to school at first had seemed like a massive hurdle that I wouldn’t be able to handle, but the moment I got back in the classroom I realized I would be just fine. It meant I had to cut down on my hours at work a little bit, but there was always plenty of business to be had on the weekends.
Luckily, bills hadn’t really been a problem for me.
The moment class ended I jumped up from my desk and tossed my test up on the professor’s desk. Hard as I had studied I really hoped I would ace it. I’d stayed up late three nights in a row making flashcards and testing myself, so I figured it would pay off. It had to.
Across the campus parking lot I raced, eager to get back home. There was no special holiday or event I needed to get to, though after a long day of tests and labs I was starving and ready for a hot meal.
Back through town I drove while I cranked up one of my favorite country songs. Maybe I had never been a particularly gifted singer, and in fact I could barely hold a tune but I sang at the top of my lungs all the way home.
The moment I parked in the driveway I jumped out of the car and hurried inside.
“I’m home!” I called out brightly.
Immediately the taps of nails skidded across the hardwood and careened around the corner to find me.
“Hi Teddy, miss me?” Into my arms I scooped up the puppy who’d packed on quite a lot of size in only a couple months time. All across my cheek his tongue lapped, plastering me in sloppy dog kisses.
“What about me?” I grinned at the voice and looked up to where Henry stood across the room, in his house. Our house. “Going to ask me if I missed ya, too?”
Brightly I laughed as I set Teddy back down on the floor. It seemed he hadn’t gotten himself enough attention though as he tried to jump back up my leg.
“Did you miss me, Henry?”
The light green of his eyes sparkled as he closed the gap between us.
“I miss you everytime you leave,” he murmured, before he pressed hundreds of tiny cascading kisses down my forehead, across my lips, and down my cheeks. Further down he continued, down across my neck where his feather light touch set my skin alight in the worst of tickles.
Playfully I screamed and batted him away before his own hearty laugh had his arms swinging back around me in a giant bear hug.
> “How was class?”
“Good. Pretty sure I aced the test,” I said quite proudly.
“Of course you did, because you’re a genius.”
I snorted loudly as I drifted toward the kitchen. Something smelled amazing and had me moving in even quicker. “Is that garlic I smell?”
“I uh, may have gotten a recipe from your dad…”
Right there on the counter sat two plates already served up with the most delicious looking chicken alfredo. It was the same kind I’d missed out on the night Talon had wailed on Henry’s face. I laughed at the idea of the peas still being in the freezer.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” I grinned like an excited child, “you really made this? From scratch?”
“I did. I mean, I burnt the first batch, but this one seemed to come out okay…”
I made my way around the island and dipped my finger into the cheesy sauce before popping it into my mouth. I could have died right then and gone to heaven for how good it tasted.
“It’s perfect, maybe you should become a chef.”
That got Henry laughing as he moved the plates to the table and we both sat down for dinner. It had been about a month since I’d moved in with him and sitting down for dinner together had already become one of our rituals.
“I thought we were already past the whole thing of… Henry, maybe you should do this,” he teased.
“Oh! Did you hear?” I asked with such a start he nearly jumped out of his chair.
“Hear what?”
“After everything that fell through with the Taphouse it’s all finally complete.”
“I just can’t believe it took this long.”
“I’m sure my dad can’t either.”
He may have had an offer on the restaurant right when he’d decided to put it up for sale, but it fell through pretty quickly afterward. Luckily by then Henry had put his thoughts back into order and realized he could never leave the golf course, he simply loved his job too much and that meant more than the chance at a bigger paycheck. For my dad it meant frustration as he waited for everything to line up right, and finally he found another buyer that had signed the paperwork earlier that morning.
All around it meant less stress for the entire family, but mostly for my dad.
“Oh, and Tal texted me earlier,” I said as the day’s events came ticking back to me one thing at a time.
Henry’s head popped up from his pasta. “What’d he want?”
“He was wondering what time we wanted to go catch that movie on Saturday. You’ll be off from work, right?” It always was a challenge to schedule things now that I had work and school to match up with Henry’s sometimes crazy schedule.
“Uh yeah, I’m off all day so whenever is good.”
“Okay, I’ll let him pick.”
Tal maybe wasn’t the best brother in the world, but he tried. After everything was all said and done Henry went to see him without my knowledge to apologize. Apparently, he’d done a good job of it, because Tal had become a regular visitor at the house. Though, I had to attribute part of that to Teddy too, as he was just too cute to pass up.
With dinner finished and my stomach aching from just how much I’d eaten I sauntered toward the living room, only to hear the doorbell ring. I couldn’t remember having invited anyone over, but with just how scattered my brain had become since focusing so much on school it wouldn’t have been unheard of.
Behind the door stood Elizabeth, beaming and bright. “Hi!”
“Hey Elizabeth.” Warmly I hugged her, though I couldn’t wipe the inquisitive look off my face. “Did I forget you were coming over?”
Elizabeth laughed as she pushed past me and shut the door. “No, I mean, we talked about it a while back but we never made solid plans. But, it’s the premiere tonight of our favorite show and I couldn’t watch it without my best friend, could I?”
“And me!” Henry called out as he slung an arm over Elizabeth’s shoulders, leaving both to beam brightly at me as if I would have the final call.
“Okay, but Elizabeth?”
“Yes?”
“You’re making popcorn. Go.”
Off she ran toward the kitchen to do what she did best. Somehow, even though it came out of the microwave, her popcorn was always better than mine.
Around me Henry’s arms snaked again, pulling me tight against his chest.
“Have I told you yet today that I love you?” He asked.
My cheeks flushed red, just as they did every time he said it. “Yes, you have, but you can say it again.”
“Oh, good. Well, I love you, Gator Girl.”
THE END
Hard Wired: A First Love Second Chance Romance Page 9