Building the Nursery

by Amy DeMeritt

  “Isn’t she magnificent?”

  “She’s beautiful and she really likes you.” I smile and bend down to pet her. Aura licks my face and nuzzles in my neck while I rub her sides and back. “Denver has offered to give me custody of her.”

  My wives look a little shocked, except for Awenasa. Denver and I explain what happened today and he explains why he wants to give her to me. All of them seem very supportive of the idea and they bend down to pet her. Aura licks each of them in turn and nuzzles against each of them, making my wives smile really big and laugh a little.

  While she continues to pet her, Madison looks up, and asks, “How much do you want for her?” Denver clears his throat and wipes a single tear from his eye. “Even if you can’t pay her full worth, I still want to allow you to take her. I don’t want to see her go through the heartache that I know she’ll have if I take her away.”

  “Ok, what is her full worth?”

  “Well, Aura brings in about one-hundred-thousand dollars a year, most years, and she probably has at least six to ten more years in her for acting. I can show you financials to prove those figures so you can decide on what you are able to do financially.”

  I stand up so I can talk to Denver, but my wives remain kneeling and continue to play with Aura.

  “Would she still perform for you if she continues to act?”

  “Possibly, but if not, and you still want her to act, she will perform for you and possibly even for your wives. She may view me as a threat to your leadership and not give me that level of trust ever again. It’s probably best not to attempt it. Doing so may confuse her.”

  “Ok, if you can show me the figures on her earnings, that will help us. I know you showed me some of the techniques today, but I’m sure there’s plenty I could still learn. Would you be willing to teach us?”

  “Absolutely. Are you sure you’re prepared to take her tonight?” I look down at my wives and they nod and agree that its fine. “Ok, I have some stuff in the van that will help you get through the night. She eats a strictly fresh meat diet. You don’t want to give her commercial dog foods or table scraps. They’ll only lead to health issues because her digestive system is not built to be able to break that stuff down. She is kennel trained, so you can lock her up at night or when you leave the house and she’ll be fine.”

  He gives us more information on her care, eating and sleeping habits, and brings her large metal kennel into the garage for us. He gives us a bag of toys, her leash, and collar with tags.

  “Would you like to stay for dinner?” Denver smiles at Awenasa and shakes his head. “Not tonight, but another night would be great. I need to get home. Before you leave town, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d like to have her come back to the farm to say goodbye to her pack.”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  After Denver says goodbye to Aura, and pulls out of the driveway, my wives look at me with beautiful loving smiles.

  “You look really happy, puppy.” I laugh a little and rub Aura’s head that’s resting against my hip. “I am. I’ve always wanted a wolf. Are all of you really ok with this?”

  “Yes, it makes sense for this family to have a real wolf. Come on, let’s go inside and have dinner. Do you still want to go stargazing? We can bring Aura with us.”

  “Yeah, I’d like that. It will be a good way for all of us to bond. What do you think of her name?” Awenasa smiles really big and pets Aura. “I love it. It’s perfect.”

  Aura stays right by my side as we walk inside. I set my bookbag and cooler down on the kitchen island, and Shannon starts unloading the cooler to put the dirty containers in the dishwasher.

  “Take a seat and relax. What do you want to drink?” I take a seat on a stool, and Aura lays down at my feet. “Some water would be great. I haven’t had enough today.”

  Shannon gives me a glass of water, and then fills Aura’s water bowl that Denver gave us, before setting it on the floor at the end of the counter, out of the walking way. Aura gets up from laying at my feet and goes over to her bowl to drink. I watch Aura from my stool, and when I look up, I blush and laugh a little. My wives are watching me with cute grins.

  “Are you going to continue with her acting career?”

  “Possibly. We’re already so busy all the time, and when the baby comes, we’re going to be even busier. We’ll have to see how it works out. It would probably only work out if she can take direction from all of you as well, just in case she gets a job when I have one and I can’t take her. I do want to try to teach her how to dance. She’ll make a great addition to the family gatherings and pow wows.”

  “So, if Denver produces financials to prove that hundred-thousand-dollar annual salary, how much are you going to offer him?”

  “Well, I’d like to have a vet check her out to make sure she’s in good health first. If she still has ten-years left in her career, I guess a million dollars would be the fair amount to give him. If we pay that though, I really want to get a life insurance policy on her and I guess we should try to continue her career when we have time, so we can try to recoup some of that.”

  “I don’t think it will be hard to recoup the million-dollars. Your fans are going to be ecstatic that you have a real wolf now, so will the entertainment industry.” Madison is smiling at Aura, and I feel like I can see her business-genius gears turning in her beautiful mind. She turns to look at me and her smile widens. “We’ll make some calls tomorrow to find a good vet and we’ll talk to the insurance company about the life insurance policy.”

  “Thank you. I can’t wait to tell everyone and I can’t wait to bring her home and show her off to the family. I hope she’s good with children – I completely forgot to ask Denver about that. I’ll have to ask him tomorrow. When Zoe is in town to do the promo shots for Symone’s show, we should have her take some family portraits.”

  While my wives cook dinner, we discuss what we need to do to get ready to take Aura home and I tell them about my day. Aura keeps walking between them, brushing against their legs, and coming to lay her head on my lap to be petted. I love how comfortable she is with us already. She seems so at home and relaxed.

  My wives prepare thick juicy steaks with fried potatoes and steamed vegetables for us, and cubed raw steak for Aura. Shannon sets her food down next to her water bowl, and Aura rubs her head against Shannon’s leg, as if to say thanks, before she bends her head to start eating. We take our food to the dining room table and after they’re all sitting down, I walk up behind each of them and give them a tight hug and kiss on the cheek, thanking them for dinner and for letting me have Aura.

  Dinner is delicious as always, and while we eat, my wives tell me about their day. They found a great fresh butcher to buy meats and a new farmers market, whose produce only comes from small local farms. They also visited with Camila and her family for a couple hours.

  Aura finishes her meal pretty quickly, and while we continue to eat and talk, she lays on the floor between the dining room and kitchen watching us, but doesn’t try to get closer and doesn’t whimper for attention at all. It’s really amazing how well behaved she is.

  After eating and cleaning up, I’m just too excited about possibly adding Aura to the family. I was going to wait to tell anyone till we finalized the deal with Denver, but I just can’t wait. I run to the bedroom to get a digital camera and tripod. When I come back, my wives are already sitting on the couch with Aura spread across their laps. I quickly setup the camera and take a few pictures of them first, and then they adjust so I can get in the middle and I set the timer to take three pictures back to back. My wives get up and Aura curls up on my lap like a child and lays her head on my shoulder. They take several pictures of us and then we review them and send them to our phones.

  I send a group text to the entire squad first.

  Me: We met this super sweet and beautiful girl that we’re thinking about adding to the family.

  Symone: What?! You better be fucking joking right now and if you
are, that is not funny at all. Are you drinking?

  Jaime: Kayla… I don’t even know what to say right now.

  Sara: What the hell is wrong with you? How could you send that in a text? Especially to Jaime and Symone. If you could see their faces right now. I can’t believe you.

  Me: Shit, I forgot to attach the picture. I’m so sorry!!!! Her name is Aura – she’s 100% wolf.

  I quickly attach the picture of all of us with Aura lounging across our laps, and explain how we met her and that we’re in discussions with her trainer to gain custody of her.

  Symone: Wow, she’s beautiful and huge! God, you scared the shit out of me. I felt like my heart fell out of my chest.

  Me: I’m so sorry. I really am. I promise, I didn’t mean to do that. I wasn’t trying to be funny or something. I was just so excited to tell all of you that I honestly just forgot to attach the picture.

  Symone: I believe you. She makes a beautiful addition to your family. I hope everything works out so you can have her.

  Me: Thanks. Me too.

  Jaime: That is a very gorgeous wolf. Her eyes look like yours. Even though she’s not human, I’m still jealous. I feel like this is the start of me losing my human pillow for naps and movie night snuggles.

  Me: That will never happen. Well, unless you decide to move out, which I’m not advocating.

  Jaime: Good. I really miss all of you.

  Me: We miss you too. It’s so weird not seeing you for this long. I don’t think we’ve gone more than a few days between seeing each other since we met. Last year, I was with you more than I was with my wives.

  Jaime: I know. Every day, I come home from the studio thinking I’m going to get to see you, but then I get home and none of you are here. How much longer till you get back?

  Me: About three weeks, give or take a few days. It depends on how filming goes for the last several major action scenes. Some scenes have taken less time than estimated, but some have taken much longer.

  Jaime: Three is such a small number, but it has never felt so big before.

  Me: I know. I wish you could be here with us. I’m sorry, but we’re getting ready to go stargazing. I’ll talk to you later.

  Jaime: Ok, tell the others I said hello and I love and miss all of you.

  Me: I will. We love and miss you too.

  “Jaime says hello and she loves and misses all of you.” My wives smile and Awenasa bends down to kiss my lips. “Tell her the same from us.”

  “I did. Are we ready?”

  They nod and Awenasa motions for Aura to jump down off of my lap and she immediately follows her silent command. So far, Aura’s temperament around my wives really shows that she is recognizing them as a grade above herself in the hierarchy of command, which is very promising for being able to easily continue her acting career.

  While we drive to the park in the mountains to look at the stars, I text the picture of us with Aura to my family and give them the same explanation I gave the squad. My parents and Awenasa’s parents are really happy and excited. Joey sends me a video of him and Bella around the firepit and tells me they can’t wait to meet Aura and play with her. They look so happy together that it makes my eyes sting with emotion.

  Shannon drives us up to a spot at the top of the mountain in Angeles National Forest that we found a couple weeks ago while we were out exploring on one of my days off. I secure Aura’s collar and leash, and she hops around in excitement for a moment. My wives laugh and pet her head and back.

  The path to our favorite spot is about a mile long, and Aura is loving it. It’s fun watching her sniff around while she investigates her surroundings. We pass several people that gasp in awe and ask to pet her. A family with a few younger children cross our path, and to my great relief and happiness, she does really well with them. The youngest, maybe five years old, seems scared of her, so Aura lays down with her head lowered some, and the young boy tentatively pets her and giggles. It’s really cute.

  When we finally reach our spot, Shannon and Awenasa spread out a large blanket and we sit down with Aura lounged out in front of us. This side of the mountain faces away from the bright city lights, so we’re able to see the gentle glitter of the stars as the sky darkens. The moon is bright, and only a week away from being a full moon.

  “This is nice.”

  All of us agree with Madison and move in closer together as we lay down on our backs so we can look up at the sky.

  “I love that our babies are going to have a wolf as a best friend.” Awenasa looks over at me smiling really big and kisses my lips. “And one for a mother.” I laugh a little and my cheeks ache with the big smile on face. “I can’t wait to get home so we can start trying to make a baby.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Hey, do you think it will be ok to bring Aura on the yacht?” Awenasa and Shannon look up from packing the picnic basket, and glance down at Aura sitting on her hindlegs at my side with her collar and leash on. They smile and Awenasa says, “Wolves can swim, so I think she’ll be ok. You may want to grab a few extra towels if you plan on letting her get in the water with us.”

  “Ok. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

  “Everything else is packed, so just grab whatever you want to bring for Aura. We’ll pack some meat and extra water for her.”

  “Thanks, babes.”

  I give both of them a kiss on the cheek and go to the hall closet to grab more towels to add to the duffle bag with the others that I already packed with a change of dry clothes for each of us. I bend down to look through the large wicker basket of dog toys we’ve bought for Aura, trying to decide what to bring.

  “Hey, girl, what do you want to play with today? How about your frisbee?” Aura jerks her head backwards once and releases a small bark. I smile and set it on the floor next to me. “Ok. How about your giant spiky ball?”

  Aura repeats her cute sign of approval so I set her ball aside. We continue till I have added a thick braided rope, and a squeaky monkey doll that only has stuffing in its head.

  Sam walks over and bends down to pet Aura and kisses her snout.

  “Are you coming with us, beautiful?” Aura licks her face, making Sam laugh. “Are you ready, baby?” I smile and lean forward to lick the other side of her face. Sam laughs hard and pulls me into a kiss for a moment. “Come on, you wild animals.”

  We load up the Land Rover and Shannon drives us to Marina del Rey, where we have her new yacht, The Otter, docked. Shannon had a hard time deciding what to name her boat, but loved when we suggested that she name it after her animal totem.

  We wanted a boat with a nice cabin to relax in and get out of the elements, and offered some luxury and a place to sleep, so we ended up buying a yacht. We bought it the first week we were in Los Angeles, but today is the first we’re taking it out on the water. The yacht is gorgeous with pristine glowing white sides and has shiny metal guardrails around the entire boat so you can walk around the entire yacht without concern of falling over the edge. The cockpit is very high-tech and beautiful. The top-level cabin has chairs, a small loveseat, wooden floors and cabinets, a small kitchenette with a microwave, sink, refrigerator, and nook style table and cushioned benches, and a TV and DVD player. The sleeping quarters has a king size bed, night stands, a long dresser topped with a TV, a closet, and a full bathroom. It’s like a floating apartment that could go nearly anywhere in the world.

  While my wives are climbing onto the yacht, I take pictures of them, and then hold my phone out to take a selfie with Aura next to me, and my wives on the yacht behind me.

  Aura sprints up the steps ahead of me, and Awenasa leads her into the main cabin, having her sit to the side. While we unload the bags, and Madison and Sam unload the picnic basket to store everything in the refrigerator, Shannon gets the yacht running and makes a bunch of safety checks.

  Shannon has me pull in the dock lines, untethering us from the dock, and she slowly maneuvers us off of the dock and through the marina to get out to o
pen water. While she works, we stand behind her, watching her and watching our slow progress. Excitement floods my veins and I wrap my arms around Shannon. Her already big smile spreads wider and she laughs a little.

  “You look so sexy operating this big boat. I love this cute outfit too. Oh, shoot, I forgot to give you your captain’s hat!”

  I release her and rush into the main cabin to get the hat I bought for her. I place the hat on her head and Shannon laughs and kisses my lips, being careful not to take her eyes off of the water. She looks really cute. The hat is white on top with a black brim and has a black and gold embroidered patch with an anchor and rope on the front. She’s wearing a pair of navy blue khaki shorts that come mid-thigh and a thin white button-up blouse with her bikini on underneath. Her dirty blonde hair is up in a ponytail and she’s wearing a pair of cute gold anchor stud-earrings.

  We take a bunch of pictures of Shannon driving the yacht, of each other standing around watching, and the surroundings. Sam has a video camera out, recording our trip out of the marina and into open water. Shannon slowly skirts up the coast, and we watch as we pass by buildings and beaches loaded with people and giant umbrellas.

  Shannon stops the yacht in sight of the Santa Monica pier with the carnival rides, but far enough away that the people on the beach look like little bugs. On one side, we have the wide-open ocean, on the other we have the building scape and pier, mountains silhouetted to the front of us, and the coast and ocean behind us. The ocean is sporadically dotted with other boats, both mechanical and sail boats, people paddling kayaks, and the occasional pair of jet skis.