Page 99 of Mommy

“That’s great!”

Bella deserves to return to a family. I mean… All of the dogs do, but most of them still have a long road ahead of them before they are ready to be family dogs. With Bella: She arrived already the perfect family dog. Crate trained, good with kids, great on leash, basic commands work flawlessly.

From day one, Shelly was upset that she had been surrendered. The parents that dropped her off said she didn’t fit into their family anymore, so she got dumped. Even though she did nothing wrong, they left her here with us. They didn’t even look back when they returned to their car.

My mind is still on Bella and her soon to be family, when I park the car in Derek’s driveway a few hours later.

The lights in the living room are on, so Derek must be home already. My suspicion is confirmed, when I enter the house and the hearty smell of dinner greets me.

It’s moments like this that still get me. Growing up with an unstable parent, I rarely came home to a safe place, let alone a warm meal.

Mom always tried to be there for me, but most of the time, she was barely even taking care of herself, let alone her child. It was always me who tried to keep things normal and provide what my mother couldn’t.

To be coming home to the smell of food and the low rumbling of the TV in the living room… It feels surreal. It is like I’m living in a dreamworld, the one I wanted to escape to when I was younger.

Leaving my shoes and jacket behind, I find Derek in the living room, talking with the puppies. I’d bet my left leg that one of them peed somewhere and he’s lecturing them about going outside next time.

He looks up when he hears me enter, and a slight smile grazes his lips. It’s a shadow of the smile I usually get from him when I come home, and my mind immediately goes into hyper awareness mode.

Something is wrong.

Ignoring his embrace, I step back to search his face.

“What is it?”

I know there is something not right here, and I may be willing to play pretend but I won’t do it blind. If there is something bothering Derek, I want to know. I need to know.

His shoulders slump and for a long moment, Derek just looks at me. Thoughts run through his mossy eyes, leaving them filled with questions… and anger.

“We were wrong. About Gavin. At least a little. Skid Row is only a part of the problem.”

The tone of his voice shifts and my ears perk at the sudden change. And I wonder… What is skid row?

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that…” Derek’s eyes thin for a moment and I can see a muscle in his jaw feather. “It wasn’t only Posie.”

That doesn’t make sense.

We walked the park that day. And we caught Gavin red handed before he even finished tying up Posie. There’s no way he had time to abandon another dog.

“But she was the only dog there, we⁠—”

“Gods, Ivy, it’s a fucking ruse!” Derek interrupts.

His voice is thunder in my ears and I can’t help the tears that form behind my eyes. They line my vision, blurring him until he is nothing more than the shape of the man he was a moment ago. I take a step back, my shoulder bumping into the door frame as I struggle to create distance.

Derek follows suit, he becomes a huge blurry shadow before me, and I feel fear surging to the surface. Tears are still blinding me and I freeze when he reaches out a hand for me. My shoulders slump forward, head ducking low to keep myself safe from⁠—

His arms wrap around me.

“I’m sorry.”

The words are a whisper, his voice quivering as much as I do.

“I’m sorry I yelled, baby.”

I nod, the movement mechanic.