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10
Sun Rays and Lake Days
Amber
“Momma, Tucker keeps whining. Why doesn’t he like it here?” Kennedy patted my shoulder, waking me from a dead sleep.
“Shh. Momma and Daddy are sleeping. Just ignore Tucker until he falls asleep.” I cracked open an eyelid and blinked slowly until I made out the shadow of my youngest who was rubbing at her tired eyes.
“I can’t sleep, Momma. He’s hurting my head,” she complained about the darn puppy that she initially asked Santa for. And old Granny and Gramps couldn’t resist giving it to her.
I kicked Ryan under the covers, surprised he didn’t wake up the second Kennedy walked in. He startled awake. So much for his army training. This guy had gotten old.
“What’s wrong?” he mumbled, sitting up. He looked between me and our daughter who was on the verge of tears.
“Tucker won’t sleep, Daddy!” she wailed, crawling up on the bed to curl into her daddy’s arms. I winced at the sheer volume of her voice.
“Sleep here, baby girl. Tucker is just scared to be in a new house.” She didn’t say anything else, but I felt her little body slide beneath the covers, her ice-cold feet rubbing against my warm legs. I almost jumped out of bed..
“I love you, Daddy.” I heard her soft snores a few beats later and rolled onto my side to look at Ryan.
“I’m going to kill your parents,” I whispered into the dark room. He laughed softly, and our eyes met.
“Every kid needs a dog, Spitfire.” I frowned. Could we really afford a dog on top of the five children we already have? “I think little Tucker will be a great addition to the family.” He reached over our sleeping child to cup my face. I leaned into his touch. I wouldn’t admit it, but I knew he was right.
“Make sure you train him then,” I whispered, my eyes falling shut. I fell into a dreamless sleep to the sound of his deep laughter.
* * *
The car was packed, and we were just about to climb in for our weeklong vacation at the lake house when there was suddenly a loud squeal. Tucker barked. Tucker was running around the driveway, his little, black ears flopping with each step he took, his tongue lolling out his mouth all while the youngest twins chased him around with no actual plan on how to catch the mischievous pup.
“Mason, get Tucker so we can get on the road,” Ryan called from the garage, his phone pressed to his ear.
We were meeting Celine and Ace there instead of doing our week in Colorado as we had originally planned. The kids were bummed at first, but now that there was a new puppy to play with, everyone was thrilled to be staying and going to our favorite home away from home.
This would be the last time we used the house without Ryan’s parents there – before they moved into the big house. I knew eventually we would all follow. Without the business here, there was nothing keeping us in the small beach town that I had come to love.
“Tucker, stay! Tucker! Stay, boy!” Mason commanded the wondering pup, and I fought the giggle that bubbled up from my chest.
“Momma, why is Tucker such a bad dog?” Nicky asked from the backseat, watching the whole ordeal from his window, his brow furrowed. “We need to give him back and ask for a good dog.”
This time, there was no hiding my laughter.
“My sweet boy, you have to make him a good dog but show him kindness and love as well. You have to teach him tricks and how to listen.”
“How do we do that if we don’t speak dog?” he asked in all seriousness. I bit my lip to keep from laughing even more.
“Nicky, you are so stupid!” Maddi howled with laughter, and I glared at my oldest who was red in the face with amusement.
“I am not!” Nicky yelled at her, completely forgetting about Tucker. It was amazing how short their attention spans were.
“I got him!” Mason walked back over to the car with a wiggling Tucker in his arms. The black puppy was trying to get out of his grasp all while licking at Mason’s red, sweaty face.
Ryan slipped into the driver’s seat and glanced back at the kids, making sure everyone was buckled in. “Who’s ready for a fun week at the lake house?” he asked, trying to get them pumped.
“Me!” five voices screamed, and Tucker barked happily.
Three hours later, we finally pulled into the driveway of the elaborate home, and everyone bounded out of the big car. Thankfully, they let Tucker onto the grass, and then, they ran into the house, running to their shared rooms.
