Page 7 of Big D!ck Energy

I scooped him up, and he immediately went to work licking my face.

“You know what, Ricky?” I carried him to the couch and collapsed into it, kicking off my stupid heels. “You're the only male in my life who's never let me down.”

Ricky responded by attempting to climb inside my ear.

“I got stood up tonight,” I informed him, settling him onto my lap. He immediately curled into a cinnamon roll shape, his favorite position for serious conversations. “By a guy named Landon. Can you believe that? Landon.”

Ricky tilted his head, one ear flopping forward.

“And then…” I held up a finger for emphasis, “…I ran into Dallas Dodger. Literally ran into him. He's a walking red flag factory.”

Ricky sneezed.

“Exactly! Thank you!” I gestured emphatically. “He called me sweetheart. Multiple times.”

I reached for the throw blanket on the back of my couch.

“And the worst part?” I continued, because Ricky was an excellent listener and also couldn't interrupt me. “He was there with some young woman, and she was gorgeous, obviously.”

Ricky yawned, showing all his tiny teeth.

“I know, I know. I'm spiraling. But he looked at me like I was... like I was a puzzle that he couldn't figure out.” I paused, frowning at my ceiling. There was a water stain up there. I should probably fix that. “Which is ridiculous because there's nothing to figure out. I'm a straightforward person.”

Ricky looked at me with an expression that suggested he had something to say.

“Don't give me that look.”

He maintained the look.

“Fine. Maybe I'm a little complicated. But that doesn't give him the right to stand there, and say things like… You have no idea what happens in my dreams. Who says that?”

Ricky's tail thumped once against my thigh.

“No. Absolutely not. We do not find Dallas Dodger attractive in this household.” I pointed at Ricky sternly. “He is objectively terrible. He has the emotional depth of a kiddie pool. He dates women based on their birth year. He…” I paused as my mind wandered.

His fingers were so warm around mine.

I shook away the memory. “…is the worst,” I finished loudly, as if volume could drown out the memory.

Ricky, sensing my distress, army-crawled up my chest and placed one tiny paw on my collarbone. His big brown eyes stared into mine.

“You're right,” I sighed, scratching behind his ears. “I'm giving him too much real estate in my brain. He doesn't deserve it. None of them do. Not Landon, not Dallas, not any of them.”

I looked around my loft. I'd built this life. This career. This home. All by myself.

So what if I came home to a dachshund instead of a husband? Ricky had never once made me feel like I was too much or not enough. Ricky loved me at my best and my worst.

“We don't need them,” I told him firmly. “We have each other.”

Ricky licked my chin, which I chose to interpret as enthusiastic agreement.

My phone vibrated against the coffee table, and I considered ignoring it. But then I saw the name and smiled.

Brooke: How was the date?

Brooke: Is he amazing?

Brooke: Are you in love yet?