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 Wyatt 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.