Preston hails a cab as I pet the sweet pittie, who seems more alert now that he’s had some food and water. But he’s still shy, so I try to speak to him in a soothing manner. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. I got you.”

The pittie allows me to pet him, show him love, and ease his pain. I stare deep into his eyes, and we share a moment as he licks my cheek.

This dog knows I’ve just saved his life; I’m certain of it.

A taxi cab pulls up. The driver takes one look at the dog and drives away.

Okay, that could have gone better.

Let’s try this again.

I stand up and wave down another taxi. Luckily, this one stops and lets the dog and us inside. 

“Where to?”

“The nearest vet.”

The driver gives me a blank stare. “Where to, lady? I need an address.”

Uh… I grab my phone and start to search for a vet, but Preston beats me to the punch. “Aloha Animal Hospital on Ulili.”

“Thanks.” I appreciate him taking charge and helping me. I snuggle up next to him, and he puts his arm around my shoulders.

“Don’t mention it.”

The taxi weaves through traffic, and I marvel at this day. I’m in Hawai’i, on my first vacation ever. Not even ten minutes into our trip, I find a stray dog. 

I must be cursed.

Or maybe I’m blessed. “I’m sorry to ruin your vacation.”

“It’s fine. Who knows what would’ve happened to him?”

“Uh, me. He would’ve been caught on a pole by a dog catcher, held at the shelter for three days, and then held down by multiple people as they murdered him.” I close my eyes and try to force out of my mind the images of shelters dogs waiting in line for their deaths, being killed for the crime of being homeless.

A crime I’ve been guilty of in my own life.

Preston puts his hand on my thigh. “That’s awful. Well, now he’ll be fine. And we still have a week here, so let’s try to enjoy it.”

I push those depressing thoughts about shelter dogs out of my head and try to replace them with fantasies about this trip. I start to get excited, really excited about our vacation. What’s going to happen? Are we going to walk on the beach, sunbathe, go snorkeling?

“Here we are.” The cabbie’s voice brings me back to reality. Preston pays the driver, and we get out of the taxi. 

We walk into the vet with the dog limping behind us. He seems sweet, but he’s obviously scared and will definitely need a strong handler. 

Someone like Preston.

The lady at the front desk stares at the dog. “Do you have an appointment?”

I shake my head. “No. Actually, we just found this dog on the street. Can you scan for a chip?”

The lady nods and grabs the scanner. I hold the dog still, and she scans him head to toe. 

Unsurprisingly, there’s no chip. 

She picks up the phone. “I’m going to call animal control.”

Panic starts to take over. “No. Wait. Please don’t call animal control. He’s clearly a stray and malnourished, but he needs medical care. He was possibly hit by a car. They’ll kill him for sure. I can pay for whatever he needs,” I lie. I know for a fact the rescue card is maxed out, but I can start a fundraiser. Or maybe Preston can give me an advance on the funds he’s going to donate.

The lady looks at his battered tail and lame gait. “I’ll be right back.”

She goes into the back room, and I pull at my hair. 

Preston leans over to me and whispers into my ear, “Don’t worry. I got this. I’ll pay for everything.”

His hand caresses my cheek, and I can feel the heat of his minty breath on my neck. I close my eyes, desperate to feel his lips on mine again, to have him claim me.

His lips barely brush mine…and just when I’m certain he’s about to kiss me, the lady returns to the front desk accompanied by a man who I assume is the vet. 

Dammit. I could almost taste Preston.

“Hey. You found a dog, yeah?” The vet seems friendly, and I’m digging his Hawaiian accent.

I pet the dog protectively. “Yup. Pretty sure he’s a stray though.”

The vet looks him over quickly. “Yeah, he’s in bad shape. Looks like he’s got a couple of lacerations and mange. I agree he was probably hit by a car. Animal control would just put him down. I can do an exam, but we’ll need to do x-rays and an ultrasound, plus blood work and a fecal.” He pauses and stares at Preston and me. “You would have to take complete ownership and responsibility for this dog. Are you okay with that?”

Preston doesn’t hesitate. “Yup. Whatever the dog needs. I mean, he’d be dead now otherwise, either hit by a car or killed at the shelter, so, let’s just get him healthy.”

I’m seriously so wet right now. Preston is legit using rescue speak. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.

“Sounds good. Are you local?”

“Nah, I used to live here but I have family close by. We both live in SoCal now, but I’ll make sure to do right by this dog and arrange transport off the island for him.”

“Okay. I need you to fill out some forms, and I’ll have Malia do an estimate.” The vet leans down and pets the dog. “Okay, buddy. This is your lucky day.”

The vet takes the pittie back into a room as the lady sits at the desk and starts typing something.

I open my mouth to thank Preston for saving this dog, for fostering Gidget, for taking me to Hawai’i, for everything he’s done for me since we met, but before I can speak, he pulls me close. His hands cup my face, and his lips meet mine. The noise from the vet hospital melts away as I breathe him in. His tongue darts into my mouth and I kiss him back, forgetting everything as I focus on Preston. It’s just us alone in this moment, and I never want it to end.

He pulls away, and my heart flutters. I notice the lady staring at us with an amused look on her face, and I feel my cheeks heat.

“What’s his name?”

My eyebrow cocks as I reply. “His? It’s Preston.”

The lady shakes her head. “No, the dog’s name.”

Duh. Of course, she meant the dog. I’m such an idiot, but I can only think of Preston. How he tasted. How he felt. And when he’ll kiss me again.

“Cuffs,” Preston says, and I turn to him.

I scrunch up my face. “Cuffs?”

“Yup. Because that’s how we met.”