“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

I cast a sideways glance. Billie’s nervous energy had her bouncing her knee so hard that her tits jiggled.

“Nope.” I couldn’t help smiling. I’d had no idea that a surprise would make her so happy.

“Come on Tye, please?”

I laughed. She was so cute dressed in jeans, a shirt with a snowman on the front, and a black, North Face jacket. I’d told her to dress casually when I’d stopped by her desk to see if she could leave early this afternoon.

We’d made a quick stop at the apartment to change, and now we were heading to one of the area’s animal shelters. At the Bar’s holiday party, Charlotte Grambling had mentioned she volunteered there, so I asked her to keep an eye out for a big dog.

Since the day in the therapist’s office, Billie hadn’t talked again about getting a dog, but I hadn’t missed the wistful looks she gave other people who were out with their dogs. I wanted to please her, but I also liked the idea that a large canine might cause a reporter to pause before approaching.

“Tye?” She had turned towards me and was giving me a pleading look.

I wanted to do this. Things were going great between us. Being with Billie was easy. She gave me space, and I did the same for her. It was the week before Christmas, and I was almost finished with my shopping. We’d been through a whirlwind of parties, and were in the final stages of planning for the New Year’s Eve bash while preparing for our first Christmas together.

“Give it one minute, and then I think you’ll figure it out.”

I signaled to turn into the shelter’s drive, and I heard her sharp intake of breath.

“Do you mean it, honey?” She settled in her seat with the most content look on her face.

I found a spot and parked. “Here’s the deal. Ian Grambling’s wife volunteers here, and she says there’s a huge dog that needs a home.”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“She’s going to introduce us, and if you like the dog, then…” I realized I didn’t even know the dog’s sex or breed.

“I’m going to get a dog?” Her excitement was infectious.

“You told me that was what I could give you. So, here we are.” I enjoyed giving gifts, and I was getting a contact buzz from Billie’s enthusiasm.

“Well then, let’s go in.” She took off her seatbelt and opened her door.

Charlotte showed us to a room and said she would return with Buster, an English mastiff.

Billie was beside herself, rising and falling on the balls of her feet.

“We’ll have to Google it,” she said. “We’ll need to know everything about the breed.”

“Okay.” I chuckled, having fun just watching Billie’s changing expressions. Her eyes were wide. She bit her lip then grinned. Her cheeks were pink. I could see she was nearly giddy with delight.

The door opened, and Charlotte led in a small pony with a huge head.

My mouth opened, shocked by the dog’s size.

Billie immediately dropped to her knees. “Oh, aren’t you a handsome boy.” She patted her thighs, and the dog moved toward her.

He dropped his head over her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his huge chest.

I took a couple of pictures with my phone. Billie didn’t even notice as she scratched and rubbed the huge animal until he groaned in ecstasy.

Charlotte closed the door. She then walked closer to me. “They seem to like one another,” she was fighting a chuckle.

“He’s adorable,” Billie said, glancing over her shoulder at us.

I wouldn’t have chosen that particular adjective, but I agreed because she was so happy. “Sure, I was just going to say that.”

She turned back to the dog. “Tye’s probably a little jealous, now that he has competition in the looks department.” She scratched him behind the ears.

“Buster’s just a little over two years old, neutered and healthy. His family surrendered him because they were moving to a place that didn’t allow dogs. He’s described as having an even temperament—and as you can see, he’s a lover.”

Buster took the opportunity to drop to the ground. He let out a huge sigh.

“He’s going to fill out some more,” Charlotte warned.

I eyed the huge animal dubiously. He’d need his own room. Hell, by the time he finished “filling out,” he might need his own zip code. I knelt down beside Billie and ran my hand down the dog’s back. I swear he gave me a smile. “So, how much does he weigh now?”

“Uh…” Charlotte flipped through the pages on the clipboard she was holding. “One seventy-eight.”

“You are a big boy, aren’t you?” Billie cooed.

I gave Charlotte a nod. Buster would be joining our family.

“I love him, Tye,” Billie told me softly.

“Then let’s take him home.”

“I’d really, really like that.” She leaned into me and kissed my cheek.

Charlotte shuffled through some papers. “I’ll start the paperwork. I would take Buster back to his pen but…”

Billie stopped petting the dog and frowned at Charlotte. “Is there a problem?”

Charlotte leaned against the wall and dropped the clipboard to the small table beside her. “We’re at capacity, so Buster and another dog have shared a pen since he came to us ten days ago. It was really hard on them at first. They miss their families, and I think…on some level…they know they’ve been abandoned.”

Billie leaned over Buster and whispered. “You poor baby.”

“So Buster shared a pen with a Golden Retriever named Amy.” Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest.

“You going to miss your friend?” Billie stroked the dog’s giant head.

It took me a minute to realize clever Charlotte was working on Billie’s soft side. I rolled my eyes.

“Amy’s been with us for a long time. She’s four and on the small side.”

Something in Charlotte’s tone caught my attention. “When you say a long time, what do you mean?”

Charlotte’s expression was grim. “I mean too long. She has three days to be claimed…”

Billie’s eyes filled with tears. “You mean that she’s gonna be…”

I stood. “Go get the dog,” I directed, probably a little more sharply than I’d intended, but I didn’t like seeing Billie upset. Hell, I was getting worked up.

“Two dogs are a lot of responsibility…” Charlotte paused at the door.

I glanced at Billie for verification.

She mouthed, Please?

I turned to Charlotte. “Two adults, two dogs. We can handle it,” I assured her.

Charlotte left on her mission, and Billie held out her hand for me to pull her to her feet. “Thank you.”

“It looks like I’m going to have to buy a shit-ton of food already. What’s a little more?” Besides, I didn’t like the idea of Buster leaving his friend behind.

“You’re a good man, Tyler Burke.”

“Yeah, remember that when I’m bitchin’ about picking up their shit, because I bet they make a lot of it,” I grumbled, but I was grinning.

“Two doggies,” she marveled.

“I figure it’s another step for us. We practice on dogs, and if they survive, then we’ll talk about a kid.”

Billie wrapped her arms around my waist and melted against me. “So, you have it all planned out, huh?”

“I’ll let you have some input,” I teased.

“Aren’t you generous…”

I dropped a kiss onto her head. “Love you.”

“Every day I find that I love you more,” she said against my chest.