Another Door Opens

15 - He's going to be so perfect for you

It secretly makes me hope someone out there will feel the same way about me someday.

"I'm just going to step outside and give her a call," he said, unlocking his phone. He looked up at me, not a sliver of embarrassment or bashfulness whatsoever as he said, "I miss my wife."

I giggled at him as he walked outside, giving Hades a pat on the head as he stepped over him and sighed contentedly with the sound of Luna answering his call. "Fuck, I've missed your voice."

I settled in next to Hades on the floor, using the opportunity to disclose to my furchild who will never understand what I'm saying how supremely jealous I am of Luna sometimes. Not because of Wolfe. I don't think of him that way. He's like a brother to me, and not in a perverted stepbrother and stepsister porno kind of way. But just jealous because she's found her person. "Reckon we'll find something like they have one day, Hades?"

He took a second's pause from his bone to look up at me, tilting his head to the side as if he was pondering the question. I know enough about dogs to know this was simply him trying to work out what I had said. And I know I haven't been Hades' human for long, but even so, I already feel like I know that he's often deep in thought about something. He constantly has a quiet---for now at least---look of contemplation on his face, and seems deeply attuned to people's emotions. My little philosophical, canine empath.

Hades gifted me with a lick on the side of my face before he returned to his bone, picking it up and moving a little further away from me, as if he was terrified I was going to take it from him. It took me a minute to realise how completely grossed out I was that I had boney dog saliva all over my face, after which I promptly got up and found the bathroom in this place and washed my face completely. One of the other things I will inevitably have to get used to with Hades I imagine.

I walked back into the living area at the same time that Wolfe was walking in from the courtyard outside, seemingly having concluded his phone call to Luna.

"How much would you tease me if I said I wanted an early night so we could get on the road sooner and back to Lune?" Wolfe asked. "This is the longest I've been without her since the drama of Dalen's cursed manifesto." I remember speaking with Luna in those couple weeks she and Wolfe weren't talking or seeing each other as she processed everything Dalen had predicted about her and Wolfe falling in love in the journal he left behind when he died. She was an absolute mess. I would have been too if it were me, and I'm sure Wolfe, who I didn't yet know at the time, would have been much the same, if not worse, especially with what I do know about him now.

Pushing past the internal 'Nawww' running through my thoughts at hearing Wolfe ask me this, I replied to him saying, "Rhetorical question. The answer is both a lot, and not at all. If it were anyone else, I'd never relent on the teasing; but because it's you and Lune, I'll stop after an hour or so."

Wolfe chuckled, accepting my answer without complaint. "Fair enough, Edes. How about we go walk Hades up and down the street while you get it out of your system, and decide on something to eat for dinner before turning in?"

So that's what we did. I put Hades on his lead and we walked to the main street from our AirBnB. I didn't know how he was going to be around so many people at once. Whether he'd freak out and cower behind me, or go full zoomies and want to jump and play with everyone he meets. He was absolutely terrified of a greyhound who was also out walking and completely towered over him, but seemed fine around everyone else. We even risked actually 'dining in' at a restaurant in their little outdoor area, and he made friends with another doggo doing the same with her humans on the table next to ours.

I set up Hades' bed in my bedroom at the AirBnB, and he was out like a light before I had even returned from my shower, no doubt being completely drained of all energy from the excitement of his adoption, the drive, plays in the small courtyard, and attention on our dinner walk. So deep was he in doggy dreamland that his legs started twitching alongside sleepy, little barks as if he were happily chasing some other furry little creature in his sleep. I just hope it's not a cat because that would made my evening tomorrow staying at Nella and Mason's rather interesting, as well as all others until I find a place of my own.

Wolfe and I took Hades for another walk in the morning when we woke up and required coffee and breakfast before we set off on the last leg of our journey. Again, he seemed to be a lot less timid than the adoption lady said he was. Either that, or the excitement of all the sounds and smells in this place had him more interested than he was afraid. Whatever it was that was causing him to be the happy, friendly boy he was on our walk, I'm grateful for it, and am getting increasingly excited about getting home and forging a new life with this little guy.

We stopped a few times on the way home to give both Hades and ourselves a chance to pee and stretch our legs, and each time he jumped back in the car willingly after being tired out again at whatever park Wolfe and I parked by to let him have a run around. His head barely left the open windows, which bode well for me if I ever wanted to take him on other road trips, which I wouldn't mind doing now I'm heading back home. I love hiking and have missed it heaps living in the city of Melbourne, and I'm getting the impression that Hades will enjoy it a lot too.

We pulled into Luna and Wolfe's driveway just after dinnertime, and the smells emanating from their house tells me that Luna has been busy preparing a meal for us for when we got home. She was currently sitting in an armchair on her front deck, rubbing her belly in between throwing the ball Medusa dropped in her lap for her to again fetch.

"My woman and my baby," Wolfe sighed deeply when he stepped out of the driver's side door with what I could only describe as blissful relief to be back and in her presence. He continued to walk towards her, holding his arms out to embrace her in a crushing hug. "I've missed you both so much."

"Yes, yes. We've missed you too," said Luna hurriedly, brushing away his affections with a quick kiss and directing her attention towards Hades in my arms, squirming to get down and meet Medusa if my assessment of his wiggly butt and whines in Medusa's direction were anything to go by. "Now step aside and let me meet my first nephew."

"You have got to be kidding, woman?!" Wolfe said, dragging her back into him and enclosing her in his arms. "I've been gone for literal days and you're more excited to meet Eden's dog than me? I am crushed."

"No you're not," Luna grinned, peeling his arms away from her body. "Because you know I'll give you all the attention you've missed later. I just want to acquaint myself with this adorable new friend of mine."

Luna held her hands out to take Hades while Wolfe and I both groaned---me in traumatised disgust of their sexcapades, and Wolfe in anticipation of the pleasure he will inevitably feel once I leave. I feel like I should just go now to give him what he wants, but I can also see the look in Luna's eye which is telling me she is falling in love with Hades too, and he seems to be loving the attention, despite still wanting to get to Medusa who was also now as alert and interested as he was.

"Edes, he's just gorgeous," Luna said, scratching Hades just behind his ear and hitting a very sweet spot for him by the looks of it. "He's going to be so perfect for you. I can just feel it."

"Thanks, Luna," I said, happy to have her approval in this new adventure I'm starting on with Hades.

"And Eden being here is going to be so perfect for us soon, babe," Wolfe grinned mischievously, putting his arms around both Luna and my shoulders while I waited for the ball to drop on whatever scheming is currently happening in his enormous head. "Free babysitting."