The Pursuit of Happiness (Patrick Kane)

|Forty-Four|

Kayleigh

Once we started setting plans for giving aid to local schools and finding funding for them I get a much needed day off. My job wasn't your typical 9-5 job. I didn't have to be in my office a lot in order to get work done. I liked being out in the field and experiencing these problems that I'm trying to fix. A lot of times I bring my work home with me because my brain is constantly thinking about ways to make things better. Even on my off days, I might go visit the office and write something down. There's no rest for the weary and for someone as empathetic as myself, that can be a problem when you always know that you can do more.

So I take the day off and take Annie to the dog park. She was a pretty active dog and I'm not sure how much longer we can keep her stuck up in a apartment. She was getting pretty big and she loved to play fetch and every other game you can't really play in a small space. But she still loved her life, and she loved the dog park too.

I invite Marissa over to play with us and we catch up even though we talk every single day. She was working for the school district as a superintendent trying to do the same thing I was right now. She took a less political route than I had even though we took pretty much the same classes in college. But she was loving her job and she was helping me clear a path to help her and everyone else out.

After a few hours she heads home to see what she can do with the information I gave her today and I decide to take Annie to see her dad at work. They should be wrapping up their on ice training and she will be able to see him. Surprisingly they let Annie and I inside and I find Patrick still on the ice. The man will be the first one out there and the last one to leave. I expect nothing less from a man who is dedicated to his craft and is constantly wanting to be better.

I stand on the other side of the glass and Annie jumps up so she can see what's going on. As soon as she sees Patrick sitting there with his helmet off and his gloves on his stick beside him talking to one of the new players she goes crazy. I try to calm her down so he doesn't get distracted but it doesn't work. She was sticking her paws on the ledge and looking over the glass waiting for her dad to come pet her.

Patrick laughs as he skates over to the door we were by. He opens up the door to the ice and calls his little girl over. She sprints the few feet from where she was right onto the ice. Didn't even give it a thought as she runs out there.

"Be carful" I beg as she slides across the ice. She really didn't know what hit her as her four paws fly in different directions. She's never been on ice before but this is probably why.

"Oh god" Patrick giggles as the poor dog does her best to stand up. She looked like a newborn fole doe a second there.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea" I admit as I carefully walk out on the ice trying to save the dog. I slide over to her and pick her up a little until her feet were under her.

"I think she's a natural" Patrick chuckles.

He calls her over again and she gets her footing. He skates backwards as they play on the ice and I just watch. I wasn't on skates so there's no way I was about to play with them. But I wasn't going to be the one to come between a man and his dog anyway. So I stand to the side and take some videos of my two loves messing around on the ice. I was scared she would meet the blade but she never did. He was good with making sure she stayed away and that she was in front of him.

Once she got tired she runs back to me and I catch her leash. Patrick skates over with the biggest smile on his face.

"Weren't you doing something over there" I remind him and his eyes get big.

"Oh yeah, right" he shakes his head.

He skates back to the new guy and they talk for a few minutes before the kid leaves the ice. Patrick skates back over to me and picks Annie up in his arms.

"You're getting so big" he notices.

"I know. If she gets much bigger we're going to get kicked out of bed" I giggle.

"Maybe we should move" he says and I stop. I look at him as I try to figure him out. If this was something he word vomited or if he actually means we should find a home here in the city.

"Patrick.. you gotta explain yourself more when you say life changing things like this" I remind him.

He sets the dog down and grabs her leash. He moves so he's right in front of me and grabs my face.

"We should get a place of our own where we can grow. It doesn't have to be a house but something a little more dog friendly and a little more free. We can get you a office set up so you can continue your work at home. I can have a place that when I come back to I know is home and forever will be" he tries as he cups my cheek with his free hand.

"So you've thought about this" I notice.

"I've been thinking about it a lot recently with the season about to start and so much changing. I just wasn't sure how to bring it up to you" he shrugs.

"So asking me while holding our dog while being on skates was your grand idea on asking me" I tease.

"Well, no. Not at all" he admits making me giggle. "But it got the point across.

So... what do you say" he asks me.

I just smile up at him before pressing my lips to his. It was kind of difficult with him on skates and him already taller than myself but we figure it out.

"Is that a yeah" he whispers on my lips.

"I think we can find a place pretty quickly. We gotta find one fast or we're going to be stuck here another year" I warn.

"We'll figure it out. We always do" he smirks.