Chapter 24
“I can’t believe you guys are getting married next week,” Madison said as she sat down on the lounge chair next to the one Harper and her girlfriend, Paula, were sharing.
It was the end of June, and the weather was absolutely perfect - warm, but not insanely hot and humid for once. Violet had been overstressed with the last-minute preparations for the big day, and Everleigh had suggested they do something fun and relaxing. It was just a simple afternoon, with simple food, but the bride-to-be seemed to really enjoy it.
“Me neither,” Violet said. “I’ll be a married woman in exactly seven days.”
“Nervous?” Harper asked as she popped a cherry tomato in her mouth.
“No. I’m mostly worried my mom is gonna drive me crazy before I get to say ‘I do.’ The rest, though? As long as no one dies, and everybody has good food, and we get married, I don’t really care. I almost made Ian elope, you know.”
Madison frowned, surprised. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Do you have any idea how weddings are in Burundi? It lasts several days, there is a dowry ceremony, and it’s huge and colorful. Mom wanted us to go all in and believe me, it took everyone to make her accept it wasn’t gonna happen.”
“Aww. She just wanted you to experience your big day the same way she had experienced hers,” Paula said. “It’s kinda sweet.”
“I know.” Violet sighed. “But Ian and I… we’re not like that. We like low-key and simple. The only thing a little over-the-top that I wanted was a ballgown,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Speaking of dresses, I should stop with the nachos, or you’ll be missing a bridesmaid,” Madison said, making a show of pushing the plate of nachos as far away from her as possible.
“Oh, that reminds me!” Violet sat up, putting her sunglasses on top of her head to look at her. “You’re OK with you and Ben being paired up? He asked me, told me you were fine with it too, but I wanted to check with you, and I completely forgot.”
“Oh, yeah. Totally fine!”
“Ian told him to behave, don’t worry. He won’t sneak out to make out with the first chick he sees.”
He better not. Unless it’s me.
“Come on, he’s not that bad,” Harper said, coming to her friend’s defense. She and Ben had always been the wild ones of their group. Madison had actually thought they were together the first time she had met everyone, much to their mutual horror. Harper thought Ben was a horndog, and Ben thought Harper was a nutcase. “He actually calmed down a lot ever since Chris got his head out of his ass.”
Violet furrowed her brow. “You’re right. I didn’t really pay attention but… he did. You think we got it wrong all these years and Chris was the crazy one all along?”
“What, like Ben would have been covering up for him this whole time?” Harper asked. “He’s not that good of an actor.”
“Maybe it’s just seeing his best friend settling down,” Paula chimed in. “It made him reconsider his life choices? Or he’s more discreet now that your group is mostly composed of serious couples?”
Harper laughed. “I think the second one is much more likely knowing him.”
“Yeah, Ben is not the settling-down kind, believe me.”
Madison stared into her glass of water, hoping that her friends would think the sudden red on her cheeks was caused by the sun.
No one knew she and Ben had been seeing each other for months. What had started as a pure fling, which totally made sense to keep secret, had evolved into something a little more serious. He was now the one person she sought first in time of crisis - a telltale sign that he was much more than a fuck buddy for her.
“I’m gonna get us some more drinks,” she said as she stood up, pretending to ignore how her glass was still half-full. Thankfully, the other girls didn’t pay much attention as she walked back inside. Ian and Chris were preparing the food while Everleigh was upstairs with her son.
“Came to help us?” Ian asked as he was mixing what looked like a potato salad.
“Nope. It’s your turn this time. Just want some soda.”
“Help yourself, first shelf of the fridge,” Chris said as he finished unloading the dishwasher.
The front door opened just as Madison was grabbing the bottle of Diet Coke.
“Hi guys,” Ben’s voice reached her when she was closing the fridge, and she automatically plastered on her usual friendly smile.
The smile froze on her lips when she saw what he was holding.
“What the hell is that?” she asked, bewildered.
“What the fuck,” was Ian’s whispered line, while Christopher was a little more subtle with his “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“This,” Ben said in an uppity voice, throwing her a small reproachful glare as he lifted the ball of fur in his arms, “is my dog.”
“Your… what?”
“My dog.”
“Since when do you have a dog?” Madison asked, her mouth gaping open at the tiny thing Ben was holding like a football.
“Since Thursday. I went to Mia’s shelter, and it was love at first sight with Rocco.”
Ian’s spoon dropped inside the potato salad with a wet, splashy sound. “Ro… you have a dog named Rocco?”
“Yup. Named after a great man who has accomplished an indisputable number of great things.”
Madison glanced at Ian who shrugged, then at Chris who seemed as lost as she was… until understanding appeared in his eyes. “Oh for fuck’s sake,” he swore, facepalming. “Tell me he’s not named after-”
“Rocco Siffredi,” Ben finished for him with a small, serious nod. “My idol.”
“Who?”
“Rocco Siffredi was a huge porn star back in the nineties. Italian. He was famous because he… ha…” Chris trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Because he was well endowed,” Ian finished diplomatically for him. “And apparently, Ben here needs to compensate.”
“I do not need to compensate,” Ben said, pinching his lips. “Madison, tell them I do not need to compensate.”
Her eyes widened, and she was thankful the guys were behind her and unable to see her. “How would I know?”
“Dude, tell me you didn’t send Madison dick pics,” Chris said with a sigh. “We talked about this.”
“I do not send dick pics. I was asking her in general, as the only woman in the room, that a man should never have to compensate. Right?”
“Right. As long as he knows what to do, he… doesn’t need to compensate.”
“… And?” Ben prompted.
“And somehow, I am sure that you have everything a girl might want and more.”
“Thank you. Sometimes, a guy likes to hear that.”
Just at that moment, Rocco let out a small yap, and Madison couldn’t help but coo. “He’s so cute. Can I hold him?”
“Of course.” The dog wiggled out of Ben’s arms and almost jumped into hers. He was small, black and brown with short hair, and he had long, skinny legs.
“Hello, you. Aren’t you the cutest little boy?” She was rewarded by a long lick on the neck and she laughed, rubbing his head.
“He also knows how to go to the bathroom.”
“You taught him how to flush?” Ian snorted.
“No, dumbass. But he’s already house-trained. It’s amazing for a puppy so young.”
“How old is he?”
“Three months.”
“Oh, really? Isn’t he big for three months?”
“Of course, he is big. His name is Rocco Siffredi, he’s gotta live up to the legend.”
***
“Why on earth did you get a dog?” Chris asked as soon as Madison had taken Rocco to show him off to the girls outside, dragging Ian with her to carry drinks and start the grill.
“You’re the one who told me I needed to try commitment.”
“I was talking about asking Madison on a real, serious date, not getting a freaking puppy!”
Ben paused. “Oh. Well, next time, be more specific!”
“I can’t believe Mia helped you with that and didn’t even tell me.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. And why are you so grumpy? I thought you’d be happy for me!”
Christopher sighed, leaning back against the counter. “Sorry. Jonathan is teething, and we’re not getting a lot of sleep.”
“Oh. Damn. You should have told us. We can help, you know.”
“How? Wanna take him for the night so Everleigh and I can sleep ten hours straight? Mia helps, but she’ll be heading back to school in a few weeks, and we want her to be well-rested, so she spends a few nights at her friends’ too. Starting a new year while being exhausted is not a good idea.”
“I have nothing at home for a baby but… man, I could stay the night. You and Evie can book a nice room in a hotel, maybe a spa and one of those massages for couples.”
“Massage? Someone said massage?” Everleigh asked as she joined them with a wide-awake Jonathan. Chris opened his arms, taking him from her and gently pressing him against his chest. Jonathan immediately started to munch on his shirt, and Chris sighed in resignation before pressing a kiss on his tiny little head.
“I was telling Chris that I could stay here one night, while the two of you head to a nice hotel, sleep or do things I do not want to know about.”
“You know how to take care of a baby?”
“It can’t be that complicated. He needs to be fed, burped, changed, right?”
“Comforted when he cries. You need to take his temperature too, he tends to have a fever because of his teeth. Also, diarrhea, so he has a perpetual rash. You need to double-cream his butt.”
Chris nodded. “The double-cream is important.”
“Crucial,” Everleigh added emphatically.
“A mistake we will never make again.”
“Ever.”
They shared a smile, one that seemed so intimate that Ben had to resist the urge to turn around and give them privacy. He was happy for his best friend. More than happy, actually. Their journey had been a little unconventional, but it was clear as day that they didn’t regret a single thing. The exhaustion on their faces wasn’t enough to mask the blissfulness their little family was bringing them.
For the first time in his life, he wondered if maybe one day he’d get to find himself with Rocco in his arms and gazing down at his girl.
A brunette, preferably.
With glasses. A little on the short side.
Speaking of small brunettes, another one came in like a wrecking ball, her hair still wet as she put it up in a messy bun. “I’m sorry, Toffee, overslept,” she said in a rush before leaning in to press a loud smack on her nephew’s chubby cheek. “Good morning, love of my life.”
“Sticky, it’s fine,” Chris said in a patient, yet slightly exasperated, voice. “Oversleep all you want.”
“But I promised I’d help,” Mia replied, tickling Jonathan under his chin and earning a small bubbling giggle.
“And we love you for that, but you don’t have to,” Everleigh chimed in. “We’re living vicariously through you, Mia. That means when you oversleep, we mentally oversleep with you.”
“I got you a muffin for breakfast,” Chris said, his chin pointing toward the microwave.
“Oooh, is it banana?”
“No. You’ve been my baby sister for more than twenty years, and I still don’t remember banana muffins are your favorite.”
Mia stuck her tongue out then grabbed the small paper bag from the microwave.
“And by the way, speaking of our sibling relationship,” Chris continued once she was seated at the table, “thank you for stopping Ben from adopting a dog.”
With a grin, Mia slathered a piece of her muffin with Nutella. “Ben will make a great human for a dog. He’s a little bit of a puppy himself, so he understands how they work.”
“Hey!” Ben exclaimed as he sat down next to Mia.
Everleigh laughed. “It’s kinda true, you know. Enthusiastic, often over excited, a little clumsy, and clueless… the shoe fits.”
“There is also loveable and great for cuddles when your big brother makes you watch a scary movie,” Mia added in a placating tone.
“Jesus, Sticky, it was Charlie And The Chocolate Factory!”
“And kids kept disappearing! It’s traumatizing!”
“I told you, they were not vanishing into thin air!”
Ben shared a glance with Everleigh, shaking his head. He had been hearing that argument for more than ten years. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory was on his taboo list of topics because of them. Christopher saw it as a huge classic, Mia thought it was a sadistic tale of children being punished for the parents’ wrongdoing.
Everleigh rolled her eyes, then put her hand on Chris’ arm. “Honey? Stop bickering with your sister when she’s having breakfast.”
If there was one thing guaranteed to stop Christopher, it was Everleigh calling him sweet names. It. Never. Failed.
The guy was more whipped than a dollop of cream on top of a pumpkin pie.
“Yes, listen to Evie. Stop annoying me when I’m savoring my muffin,” Mia added snidely.
“Muffin you got because I woke up early and went to the-”
“Baby?”
“Right. Fine. It’s still a classic, Buttercup,” he hissed in a small voice.
“Change of topic,” Everleigh said in a firm voice. “Ben, where is this precious little puppy? Did you leave it home?”
“No. Madison kidnapped him to show him around.”
“Which one did you get, by the way?” Mia asked. “I’m in charge of the cats, so I didn’t see him leave,” she explained for Everleigh and Christopher.
“A Doberman. Love at first sight and, let’s be real, it’s my kind of dog. Tall, lean, with a natural charisma.”
“Your kind of dog farts on the couch and then pretends it’s my hamster,” Mia deadpanned.
“It was your hamster.”
“Strawberry wasn’t even in the same room!”
“Well, it’s not my fault if you picked a super loud farter for your first pet!”
“How did I go from one baby to four kids?” Everleigh muttered. “Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go sit with the normal guests and greet the cute little puppy.”
“His name is Rocco Siffredi,” Ben called out as she was walking out the back door.
“Like the porn star?”
“God, you really picked the right one, dude,” Ben said to Chris. “She knows her classics.”
Mia balled up the muffin wrapper and stood up. “I’m surprised you didn’t go with a Belgian Shepherd or something like that, to be honest.”
“I almost did, but I figured a puppy might be best, and all the Shepherds were fully grown. Rocco is only three months old, we can learn together, live the full experience, you know?”
“He’s gonna do bad things, though. You’re aware, right? Eat your shoes, attack your couch, pee everywhere?”
Ben shrugged. “It’s only things. I’m organized, and he can’t get into the closets. We should be good. And Rocco hasn’t peed inside once. I walk him every morning, every evening, and I even hired a dog walker for a mid-day, leisurely stroll in the park. I read it’s good for him to socialize.”
“Oh, wow. Lucky you. It usually takes dogs forever until they are house-trained.”
“Obviously, I picked a very advanced dog.”
“Guys, can you bring the veggies outside?” Chris asked, shifting Jonathan in his arms. “And check with Ian if the grill is good to go? I’m gonna get the baby sling.”
Mia opened the fridge, handing Ben a platter full of cut vegetables. She added two small bowls of dips and grabbed a bag of chips as well. “All set.”
Madison, Everleigh, and Harper were sitting on the grass, playing with Rocco while Paula and Violet seemed to be deep in conversation. Ian was polishing off what was left of the nachos, sprawled in a lounge chair and not paying attention in the slightest to what was happening around him.
“Ian, if the grill is ready, we can start,” Mia said as she opened the bag of chips while Ben was laying the platter on the small table by the lounge chairs.
“On it,” Ian replied, his mouth full.
“You might want to pace yourself or you won’t have room for dessert,” Ben said. “I heard it was donuts.”
“You’re still not tired of the donut jokes?”
“Nope.”
“Ben, are you sure Rocco is only three months old?” Everleigh called out.
“Yup. The nice lady at the shelter told me.”
Mia glanced at him, then headed to the small dog who welcomed her by resting his front paws on her legs. She crouched down to rub his head. “Ben.”
“Yes? Isn’t he handsome?” God, he had really picked the perfect dog. Elegant, obviously smart and extremely advanced, with a distinctively aristocratic style.
“Ben, this dog is not three months old.”
“Well, maybe he’s getting close to four,” he conceded.
“Rocco is not a puppy.”
“What are you talking about, of course it’s a puppy! I can hold him in one hand.” With a snort, he took his dog from her, gently caressing his head.
“I thought he didn’t seem very puppy-like either,” Madison said in a small voice.
Harper nodded. “Same.”
“That’s because he’s not.” Mia covered her mouth with her hand, obviously trying to hide her smile. “Ben, it’s not a puppy Doberman.”
“Yes, it is. Look at the ears. He has no tail.”
“It’s a miniature Pinscher.”
“… A what now?”
“A miniature Pinscher,” Mia repeated. “He’s fully grown. It’s an adult dog.”
Ben blinked. His eyes dropped to Rocco, still secure in his arms. The dog had his tongue hanging from his mouth, looking at him with his big brown eyes. “No.”
“Yes.”
“She said he was three!”
“Years. Not months.”
“What the… I wanted a big dog! And… You’re wrong. Obviously, you’re wrong, she said it was a puppy. She specifically stated I had picked the cutest pup!”
“All dogs are pups, Ben, everyone knows that!” Everleigh exclaimed with a laugh.
“You guys are playing me, right?” he eventually asked, eyeing them suspiciously. There was no way he had been mistaken. He might not know a lot about dogs, but he sure as hell would have realized Rocco was fully grown. “Ian! Ian, a puppy is a baby dog, right?”
“Yeah! Why?”
“Ha! See! She told me it’s a puppy!”
“Ian,” Mia called.
“Yes?”
“All dogs are cute and scrumptious and loveable and cuddly, right?”
“Yeah! Why?”
Mia stared at Ben, tilting her head. “That’s why we call dogs puppies even when they’re grown. Because they stay as adorable as they were when they were little.”
Ben felt his mouth drop open at the implications of her words. “Rocco is… he isn’t gonna grow?”
“No. This is his adult size.”
“I have a lapdog?” His voice was faint as the implications of his words started to sink in. “I… I need to sit down.”
The girls looked at him with the exact same nod and contrived look. Ian started to howl with laughter behind him. “You got a mini dog?!”
“But… I live in a huge loft. Over Central Park. I have two cars, one is a Mercedes, the other is a big SUV. I can’t have a lapdog! My life was made to fit a big breed. Something very manly! Like me!”
“Ah, yes, because you need a big dog to go cut some trees for a living or something.”
“Pum- Madison, not now,” he said, his lips pinched.
“You’re not gonna give him back, right?” Mia asked, her tone serious.
“What the fuck? Of course not! It’s my dog!” The idea that he would abandon his dog offended him even more than the fact that Madison apparently didn’t see him as a believable lumberjack. “I just… I just need a moment, OK?”
“Oh my God, Ben, it’s still the same pup-”
Ben glared at Harper. “Stop calling him a pup. We wouldn’t be in this mess if people used proper language!”
Harper folded her lips behind her teeth, pinching hard to obviously keep from smiling. “My bad. It’s still the same dog, deep inside.”
“Seeing as he probably fits in my pocket, I don’t have to dig very deep,” Ben grumbled. “I had so many dreams for us. We’d go run on the beach together when he got older. I’d throw a big stick, and he’d carry it back proudly.”
“You can still throw a small stick.”
“Ackerman men do not play with small sticks. It’s a hard rule.”
Ian was still laughing behind him, trying to explain to Chris what was going on. “We’ve got Paris Hilton in the place!”
“… What?” Chris asked as he joined them, Jonathan now securely in his baby sling.
“Rocco Siffredi is not a Doberman,” Ben explained begrudgingly. “He’s a miniature Pitcher.”
“Pinscher,” Mia corrected with a laugh. “And to be fair, even for a miniature Pinscher, he really is on the small side.”
“Yeah, he didn’t seem very puppy-like to me. Didn’t you check the adoption papers? Don’t they write down this kind of stuff?”
“No, I didn’t. I trusted the sneaky, manipulative woman who fooled me with her talk of puppies.”
“Yeah, well most people call dogs puppies. It’s because they’re-”
“I know,” Ben barked. With a sigh, he dropped his gaze to Rocco whose tongue was still hanging from his mouth. “Dude, for real, you could have warned me. We spent two nights together, I thought it meant something.”
“The bright side is that you’ll be able to take him with you all the time. Maybe even get one of those bags for dogs. I’m sure they can find some that are coordinated with your tailored shirts,” Madison said smoothly as she stood up. She brushed the grass from her butt and he frowned, thinking he’d very much like to do that for her. If they had been alone, he would have made sure to do a good job, too.
Everyone around them went to wash their hands before attacking the rest of the appetizers Everleigh was bringing, and Madison stopped by his side, whispering in his ear. “For the record, I think that a man who has a small dog is very sexy. Nothing is hotter than a guy secure in his masculinity.”
“Really?” he murmured back, cocking an eyebrow.
She gave him a little wink before walking away. “Really.”
“See that, son? That’s how you charm the lady. I’ll teach you everything I know, including how to blame the hamster when you fart in bed. The lady Chihuahuas of the Upper East Side won’t stand a chance.”
So maybe his dog wasn’t exactly what he had wanted at first. But Rocco was his, and at least he’d never have to be afraid to have his bed taken over.
And he had made Madison laugh, which hadn’t been an easy feat lately. She was obviously still trying to deal with the Henry situation, and he hated seeing her struggling that way over something that wasn’t her fault and never would be. All he could do was try to be there for her and give her what she needed. Right now, it seemed she needed a little bit of fun and uncomplicated, so fun and uncomplicated was what he was going to give her for as long as she needed it.