You Stayed With Us

The Fluffiest Addition

"I'm home!" I called out, slipping off my shoes and cradling my belly automatically with one hand. I could already hear the sound of footsteps scampering across the floor.

"Mommy!!" Ella's voice came first.

I smiled. "Hi, baby."

But then there was another sound. Not footsteps.

Paws.

A flurry of paws skidding across the floor.

What?

My eyes flew open wider as a ball of golden fur came barreling toward me, tail wagging furiously, tongue hanging out, and Ella giggling behind him like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"Surprise!!!" Lisa shouted from the kitchen doorway, trying and failing to contain her grin.

I blinked at the puppy, then at Lisa, then back at the puppy that had now stopped in front of me and immediately flopped onto his back, pawing at the air like he wanted a belly rub. I stared.

"What...is that?" I asked, pointing.

Ella raced forward. "That's Cooper!!"

"Cooper?" I echoed slowly. "Why do we have a Cooper? Where did Cooper come from?!"

Lisa laughed and walked over, wrapping her arms carefully around me and planting a kiss on my cheek. "Before you kill me, hear me out."

I crossed my arms over my chest—or tried to, given my very pregnant belly made it more of a shuffle arms awkwardly across the boobs situation. "This better be the best explanation I've ever heard."

Lisa tried to look innocent. "So. You know how you had your spa day with Irene..."

"Uh-huh."

"And I picked up Ella from school..."

"Uh-huh."

"And we had a little one-on-one bonding time... and she said she missed me, and I got all emotional..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Lisa..."

"...and then she saw a dog and I just—Jennie, she looked at it like it held the answers to the universe!"

I turned to Ella. "Is this true? You looked at the dog like it held the answers to the universe?"

Ella beamed. "I really did, Mommy."

Lisa looked so proud of herself like she'd just saved a kitten from a burning building.

I sighed, crouched slowly down—which was hard enough these days—and gently reached out to pet the puppy.

Soft. Fluffy. Warm. Instantly leaned against my hand like I was his favorite person in the world.

Okay... this was adorable.

Ella hugged me from the side. "Can we keep him, please? I'll take care of him, I promise! He'll sleep next to me and I'll brush him and feed him and give him baths even when he stinks!"

Lisa snorted. "That last part is negotiable. She made me promise I'd help with the stink."

I laughed despite myself, the sound echoing off the walls of our home that somehow felt fuller with the presence of a dog wagging his tail wildly at all of us.

"Alright," I finally said, still petting the puppy. "He's yours. But if he chews on any of my heels—especially my Louboutins—I'm returning him and buying a lizard instead."

Ella gasped. "A lizard?!"

"A really big one."

Lisa smiled against my temple. "You like him."

"I didn't say that."

"You do like him."

"Lisa..."

"You're petting him like you've already chosen his Halloween costume."

I glared. "That's ridiculous. But... what would you even put a dog in for Halloween?"

"I don't know," Lisa shrugged. "A hotdog costume? A dragon? Ooh, a tiny CEO suit?"

Ella clapped her hands. "He should match Mommy!"

I shook my head with a laugh as I sat carefully on the couch. Lisa helped me get comfortable, then flopped beside me while Ella curled on the floor, Cooper already nestled on her lap like he knew he'd found his person.

"What's his name again?" I asked.

Lisa smirked. "We were gonna brainstorm, but Ella named him Cooper on the spot."

"I just knew," Ella chimed in proudly. "He looks like a Cooper."

I looked at the fluffy golden puppy nuzzled under her arms. "He really does."

"We can call him Coop for short," Lisa added. "Or Mister Fluff. Or Baby Boy #3."

I snorted. "That one's a little on the nose."

"Well, we are having twin boys," she said, turning to kiss my cheek. "And now we have a golden retriever named Cooper. Are we turning into one of those families?"

"We already are one of those families," I whispered back. "A loud, chaotic, slightly-overdressed, love-filled, sleep-deprived mess."

Lisa beamed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ella ran up to the couch and leaned her head on my belly, whispering to it, "You guys are gonna love Cooper. He's soft and he licks everything, but he's really nice."

Lisa and I looked at each other and just... melted.

Because in that moment, our home didn't just have new baby furniture or walls painted sky blue.

It had laughter. Furry paws. Warmth.

And a little girl whispering secrets to her future baby brothers.