12
Wyatt
One of my lab techs, Sally Watson, knocked on my open door. "Hey, Dr. Wyatt, what time are Chloe and Oliver coming over to play with the kittens?" Sally was a short, curvy woman with even curlier hair. Her cats' eye glasses were perfectly representative of both her quirky personality and love of cats.
I looked at the time. "I think Oliver said they were planning on coming around eleven, so just before lunch. Do you need me to tell him you need to reschedule?"
"Oh no, not at all. I just wanted to make sure the visiting room was free when they got here." She smiled and left my office.
Oliver had made it part of Chloe's routine to come over three days out of the week to play with some of the animals. Sometimes they took dogs for walks, others they played with the adoptable cats, socializing them. I wasn't running a shelter, but every vet seemed to end up with a few strays needing a home at some point. I worked with a couple of fostering programs and shelters when I could, but sometimes they were already full and sometimes the animals needed more attention before they left the clinic.
Chloe had always been a favorite among my employees, and now Oliver had joined her in their estimation. Everyone took at least a couple minutes out of their day to watch them when they could, me included. They were an adorable pair, and I was never going to argue with seeing my little girl more during the day.
Now that Sally had drawn my attention to the time, I couldn't help but check the time every few minutes. I told myself it was because I was excited to see my beautiful girl’s smile. And I was. But there was another smile I couldn’t stop thinking about as well. I had several patients in between then and when Chloe and Oliver arrived, and that helped the morning pass quickly.
Chloe and Oliver always came in the back door, right by my office, so I was guaranteed a moment with my little girl before anyone else. I didn't know if Oliver planned it that way on purpose, but I wouldn't put it past him. He always seemed one step ahead of our needs. Not only Chloe's, but mine as well.
As usual, I smelled Oliver approaching before there was any other sign. I had been trying to work on paperwork and then I heard the small squelch of the door and Chloe's tiny giggle that meant she was trying to be sneaky. I kept my eyes on my desk, giving her the chance to "scare" me, I saw a pink movement out of my peripheral vision and the scuffle of tiny feet coming around my desk to the right.
I flicked my eyes up to catch Oliver's smile, but tried to keep my return smile suppressed.
"Boo, Daddy!" Chloe jumped up from a crouch next to me and I pretended to jump.
"You scared me, Chloe bug! How did you sneak in so quietly?"
"I been practicin' wiv Oliver."
I pulled her up on my lap as Oliver stepped into the room. "Are you trying to teach my girl to be a super spy?" I asked, and Chloe giggled.
"Daddy, I not a spy!"
"I don't know, sweetheart," Oliver said. "I think you might make a really good spy someday."
Chloe narrowed her eyes in thought. "Maybe I be a spy later."
"You can be whatever you want to be, Chloe bug. You're a very smart little girl."
Chloe tilted her head back and forth, leaning over my desk to grab a pen. I lifted her off my lap and back to the floor before she could grab it. "Not right now, bug. Aren't you and Oliver going to play with the kitties?"
She started bouncing in my grip so that I couldn't let go of her without letting her fall to the ground. "Kitties!"
"Yes, kitties." I laughed and stood, picking her up and carrying her on my hip.
Oliver reached out. "Want me to carry her?"
"Nah, I'll come drop you both off with Sally. She's been looking forward to this all day."
Sally was waiting with three kittens. They were almost old enough to be adopted. Some places would adopt kittens out as young as eight weeks, but I liked to wait until ten.
"Hey, Chloe! I brought Harry, Hermione, and Ron to meet you today!"
I raised my eyebrows. "Really, Sally?"
"What else are you going to name a litter of two boys and a girl?"
"Han, Luke, and Leia?" I suggested.
Sally opened and closed her mouth. "Okay, fair point. Next time."
"Okay, enough of your nerd wars," Oliver said. "I have some kittens to play with."
He scooted past us to join Chloe. I watched them for a few minutes before turning to leave, giving Oliver a good-bye wave. Chloe was too focused on the kittens to realize I was leaving.
Tammy, another one of my vet techs, stopped me in the hallway. "Are Oliver and Chloe here?" she asked.
"Yes, I just left them with the little wizards." At Tammy's look of confusion, I added, "The kittens. Harry, Ron, and Hermione."
Tammy giggled at that. "I don't know how I'll handle the sight of Oliver with a kid and a kitten. He's too adorable with just Chloe! Damn, Doc, where did you find a gem like Oliver? He's hot, good with kids, and available." She sighed. "Too bad he swings more your way than mine."
"Pardon me?"
"Alpha and male, Doc. Not beta and female."
Huh. I hadn't thought about Oliver's tendencies beyond what he'd shared with me about his former alpha.
"I've been wracking my brain, trying to think of an alpha I know who would be the perfect fit for him. Most of the alphas I know are decent, but Oliver needs more than decent. And pretty much all the unattached and more than decent alphas I know are either attached or straight, yourself included, Doc."
I bristled at the thought of Tammy trying to set Oliver up. From what he said, he wasn't really interested after his last bad experience. But that was his story to share, not mine. "Just make sure he's willing to be you matchmaking experiment before you go setting him up on any dates," was all I said. Oliver was a grown man, and he seemed confident in himself. If Tammy went too far, he would put his foot down.
All the same, it wouldn't hurt to let him know I could step in if need be.
13
Oliver
It had only been a few weeks, but already I had fallen into an easy routine with Chloe and Wyatt. It was much different from Omega House, and definitely less stressful.
“I’m up.” Chloe bound into the living room where I had been reading. Nap time was a bit shorter than normal. I should’ve expected it. Wyatt had called to tell us that there was a new litter of puppies at the clinic and I, being the smart manny, told Chloe instead of waiting until after nap time.
“Did you have a nice nap?” She nodded, still practically bouncing. “Would you like a snack?” I offered.
“I wanna go see the new puppies at the clinic.” She smiled up at me, pairing it with her best puppy dog eyes.
“They might not be ready to be petted yet.” I put my book on the shelf and headed into the kitchen knowing she would follow. She might want to go more than she wanted a snack, but I’d been with her long enough to know that a hungry Chloe turned into a grumpy Chloe quite quickly.
“I know.” She sighed. “Daddy says no touching when their eyes are closed.” She looked back up with her begging eyes, “Can we? Can we?” If I hadn’t decided to take her before, that would’ve had me caving. I was such a softy when it came to this little girl. Maybe it was the way she appreciated every little thing I did for her or because she was spoiled but not at all a brat that had me justifying my inability to tell her no to so many things.
“Let’s have a snack and we can head on over.” She nodded her agreement wholeheartedly. “No making a fuss if we can’t see the puppies today though. Promise.”
“I promise.”
“What do you want for snack?” Knowing her, she was going to pick something portable, like a fruit strip. There was no way she was going to sit down for something that actually took time, like a yogurt or fruit cup.
“Cheese stick. Then I can eat it along the way.”
And the manny calls it. I reached into the fridge and grabbed her cheese stick. “Yes. Yes, you can.” I agreed as I handed it to her. I sent Wyat
t a quick text letting him know we were going to head on over before heading out the door. When he didn’t immediately reply, I decided we would take the long way around instead of cutting through the back yard.
It was a beautiful neighborhood, and while Chloe wanted to be there now, she didn’t give me too much trouble for taking the long way. I was a bit concerned by the fact that Wyatt hadn’t texted back yet and I took us at a snail’s pace, looking at flowers, bugs, and squirrels as we went. Wyatt was well known in the area as the best vet to handle more serious emergencies, and my fear was that we might accidentally stumble into the clinic during one of those. Chloe knew animals went there because her daddy was an animal doctor, but she didn’t need to know the grueling details of what that might truly mean.
Perfect timing. Just had my last scheduled appointment for the afternoon.
His text came just as we made our way to the back door. Perfect timing indeed. I gave a knock and waited for Sally to let us in. As the door swung open, it wasn’t Sally who greeted us. His scent hit me all at once. So much for getting used to it as I originally hoped. At least I was getting better at hiding my reaction.
“Sweetheart.” Wyatt squatted down and opened his arms.
“Daddy!” She jumped into his waiting arms, nearly knocking him over. He was her world.
“Sally has been waiting all day to show you the new puppies.” He stood up, still holding her in his arms. Between being enveloped in his scent and seeing the strong alpha in such a heartfelt moment, I could do nothing but stare. He was unlike any alpha I’d known before, yet at the same time encompassed all that I thought an alpha should be.
“I told you I didn’t need a nap.” Of course she would think that Sally wanting to show her puppies vindicated her on her no nap stance.
“Little girls who don’t nap can’t see puppies.” Sally turned the corner at the perfect time and gave me a wink. I liked Sally. She was kind, not only to the animals but also to Wyatt and Chloe. “It’s a rule.”
“I took a good nap, Sally.” Chloe squirmed from her father’s arms, more than ready to go see the litter. “I even woke up with a smile.”
“It’s true,” I agreed. “She did.”
“Well then, it looks like you are all ready to go see puppies.” Chloe bounced along, following Sally, not once looking back. It was nice she felt at ease here, considering it was the place her father spend most of his time.
“Sally’s good with her.” I smiled at Wyatt before following him all the way in and latching the door behind us. It was a safe neighborhood, but veterinarians were still a target for drug thefts and it was best to keep things locked up good and tight.
“Your good with her.”
I wished I could see his face when he spoke compliments like that, which he gave freely, but never while looking at me. Maybe I would find a hint of something there. What? I didn’t know, but the man had so many layers and I wanted to discover them all.
“She’s a wonderful child.” She was too. Strong, imaginative, loving, smart, cute as a bug, obedient more often than not. She was wonderful.
“She’s willful at times.”
We stopped at the observation window to the room the puppies were in.
“Which will suit her well as an adult.” I didn’t mention that it would be extra trying in her teens years. I figured he could find that out on his own.
“True enough.” We watched for a few moments as Chloe worked really hard at listening to Sally and not petting the puppies. A few times her hands started out before she caught herself and pulled them back in. “My money’s on her being an alpha.” Wyatt chuckled, most likely seeing the same thing I did.
“I’m not betting against you there.” I looked around the room and saw no sign of the mother dog. I knew she had to be in distress to be apart from her puppies, but my gut told me she was gone. “So what happened to the mother?”
“She was hit by a car.” The graveness in his voice told me all I needed to know. “She gave birth under a porch and when the owners of the house saw her on the side of the road, they called me. I had to get them.” I always assumed that doctors and vets hardened their hearts over time to avoid complete burnout. I sensed none of that with Wyatt. His sorrow over the lost dog, a dog he never met, was palpable and it was all I could do not to wrap my arm around him in comfort.
“Are they too young for the shelter?” From my distance, they looked like tiny puff balls.
“They are, and they need more care than they can get at the shelter. I fear they would be put down and they are healthy, just young. That is not a reason to give up on them.”
I could no longer hold back. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. He leaned into my touch, which was not unexpected, given the depth of his pain at his words. It was more than these puppies. The shelter in town was poorly funded and was definitely not a no-kill facility. If they got too full, a dog or cat was put down. It was awful and something Wyatt had been actively trying to change.
“You’re a good man,” I whispered, my voice cracking slightly at the emotion hitting me over the animals lost for convenience sake.
“Or a sucker for an animal in need.” He straightened himself up as we saw Chloe heading our way.
“I’m sticking with my original assessment.” Chloe’s eyes met mine through the glass. She was on a mission. “You know she’s going to want to keep a puppy. Remember the kittens a few weeks back?”
Those kittens, those adorable, feisty kittens. She wanted to bring them all home so badly that she pulled out all the stops. She asked repeatedly, made the saddest eyes at us, even asked the librarian for kitten books after story hour. She was relentless. Thankfully, they were snagged up very quickly because one of us was going to cave soon if she hadn’t.
“I know, but she will see they are too young for now?” As if that would stop her.
“Prepare for an onslaught of drawings, begging, and possibly a dance. I still don’t know how you managed to not bring one of those kittens home.” I could see it now. The added time while waiting for them to be ready would only increase her creativity.
“I was close to caving in a few times,” he confessed as she opened the door.
“Daddy, Oliver, Come see my new puppy.”
And so it began.
14
Wyatt
I looked at Oliver to save me the moment Chloe picked up the puppy she had chosen. Even as small as it was, it barely fit in her tiny hands. It was like a red cotton ball and, I'm not going to lie, was the exact one I would have picked out on my own.
Oliver shrugged with a smile. "You're the dad. You tell her no."
Instead, I went for the tried and true technique: delay and distract. "Well, honey, they're too young to go to homes yet. They need to grow up a little more. Why don't you let him play with his brothers and sisters?"
"His name is Mine," she declared, completely ignoring me. "And he is sleepy!"
She was right. The little fluff ball's eyes were drifting closed, then he would force them open and totter back and forth on his tiny puppy falls, and then his eyes would drift close again. "Honey, 'Mine' isn't a name." Why was I arguing with her about names? We weren't naming the puppy.
"But he is mine," she said. "So his name is Mine. And I will give him snuggles and keep him safe."
My heart melted and I looked to Oliver for help again, but that was the worst possible thing I could have done. He was practically melting, his scent getting sweeter by the second.
I glanced away quickly before...I wasn't sure how I meant to finish that sentence. But Chloe was a great distraction. She sat in the middle of the pile of puppies, Mine curled into her lap, sound asleep.
Tammy popped her head in. "Hey, Doc? Peter's in the hospital with appendicitis and Sally has her kids for the week. I called Vern, but he didn't pick up. Do you have anyone else I can try to watch the puppies tonight?"
I could feel Oliver's eyes burning into me. And if Chloe had understood what Tammy had jus
t said, she would have been jumping up and down begging.
"I wouldn't mind," Oliver said.
"You realize it means waking up multiple times during the night? It's okay, I'm used to this, I can just stay on the cot here at the clinic."
"But if you bring them to the house, you can sleep in your own bed."
"This is outside your job description."
Oliver gave me a get real look. "My job description was basically ‘take care of cute things.’ What's a few more cute things? I can take some of the shifts so you can get a longer sleep session. And we can still all have dinner together without worrying about the puppies."
I was pretty sure the puppies could handle being left alone for dinner, but I sighed. I'd known it was inevitable the moment Tammy opened the door. "I guess we're taking the puppies home for the night. But tomorrow night, I'm getting an overnight attendant," I warned them.
Chloe and Oliver played with the puppies for about an hour before he pulled her away to go prepare dinner. I convinced her to leave the puppies behind, that she would see them later.
When I finally headed home, I was laden down with puppies, puppy formula, bottles, and a whole bag of other things we might need for just the one night. Oliver had been texting me the entire time, asking me how often they needed to feed and did they need toys, and should he track down a heating pad to put under a blanket in their box. It was insanely adorable.
They were both hovering at the kitchen door when I got back, completely ignoring me in favor of the puppies and getting them to their new home for the night in the downstairs' bathroom.
"What's for dinner?" I asked, planning on ordering pizza because I was fairly certain they'd been too distracted by the idea of puppies to cook anything.
His Manny Omega Page 5