Here's a part two that nobody asked for lol. I saw a TikTok about this and thought it'd be fun to write. It's a one-off story that provides a little backstory and follows after my very first one shot. And it's unrelated to the usual James family I write.
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Sitting at the kitchen table, Olivia stared down at Bella while Bella stared back up at her.
Getting a dog was never something Olivia had really considered in life. She and Spencer wanted kids, of course, but pets had never been on either of their radars. Instead, they were focused on work, and they had agreed that their twenties would be for advancing their careers.
After four seasons at UCLA, Spencer had gotten drafted to the Bills. Which meant they had just enough time to squeeze in a wedding and a honeymoon before packing up all their belonging and moving to Buffalo. Thanks to her more flexible career path, Olivia had been able to secure a journalism job that also provided her enough free time to work on her painting on the side.
Thus, everything had been going according to plan. Spencer had had a decent first season, and Olivia had managed to make new friends and connections within the local art community. They were happy and doing what they loved.
So it had come as a complete surprise when one day Spencer came home with a new idea.
"I think we should get a dog."
"What?" She shook her head, unsure if she heard correctly. "Did you just say we should get a dog?"
"Yeah, I think it's a good idea."
"I'm sorry, Spencer," she closed her laptop to give him her full attention, "but, um, where is this coming from?"
"A dog would keep you company. You spend so many hours alone in this house."
Olivia eyed him skeptically. "You do realize who would have to take care of said dog?"
She worked from home full-time. He was gone ten to twelve hours a day for more than half of the year. Not the mention the weekends where he wasn't home at all.
"I already looked into it. The shelter downtown is full of dogs that need homes. I called, and we can go check them out this week."
Olivia took a deep breath. The conversation was getting stranger and stranger. Her husband had always been passionate about social causes, but it would be a lie to say that animal rights was anywhere near the top of his list.
"Spencer, it sounds a little unfair for you to make a decision like this on your own. Don't you think?"
"Please, Liv. It would give me peace of mind to know that you're not here alone. I'm gone for weeks at a time during camp, and we don't have anyone out here who we trust like that. I may not have been as open about it with you as I should have been, but I'm realizing how much stress I put myself under worrying about anything happening to you while I'm gone." He brushed his fingers through his curls before dropping his arms to his sides. "It would help to know that someone is here keeping you safe.
Olivia went quiet, thinking back to the daily check-ins. The relief in his voice when they'd finally have time to talk on the phone after a long day of minimal communication. Then she remembered the nerves that would bubble up whenever she walked down a dark hall at night and realized Spencer was thousands of miles away.
It hadn't been easy on her either.
"Okay, fine." She sat back in her seat. "We can get a dog."
And so, by that Friday, they had pulled into their driveway with a shy, trembling pitbull in the backseat. At the kennel, Spencer had argued for one of her siblings. One with a stronger personality. Maybe a male. But Olivia had insisted that if he got to decide on getting a dog, she should at least get to pick it out, and she wanted this one.
For weeks afterwards, Olivia had watched from her office window while Spencer worked through command after command with Bella. When he wasn't training her, he would take her on long walks and clean up the random messes she left around the house. Then at night, he would lay in bed, reading articles and watching YouTube videos.
And even though Spencer had been the one to train her and to wake up early to feed her and take her on walks before heading out for practice, Bella had become fiercely loyal to Olivia.
Now, two years later, Olivia couldn't imagine how she managed her first year in Buffalo alone. Bella had become her trustworthy companion, keeping her company while Spencer was gone.
That's why it was making her incredibly uneasy when Bella started growling at the sound of the front door opening. Her normally calm pup had been on edge all day, barking at random and pacing circles around her anytime she stood.
"What's wrong, mama?"
Spencer's voice called out as the door slammed shut. "Liv?"
"In here," she called back.
Laying by Olivia's feet, Bella continued to growl as he came into the kitchen, her eyes laser focused on his every step.
"It's okay, Bella. It's just daddy," Olivia cooed, rubbing her foot against the pup's neck, trying to soothe her. Helplessly, Olivia looked up at Spencer, "I don't know what's wrong with her. She's been like this all day."
Spencer crouched down, offering a hand. "Hey mama." The rumbling growl slowed, and Spencer reached to pet her. "There we go."
"Do you think we should take her to the vet?" Olivia asked, nervously watching the interaction.
"Have you noticed anything else off?" Spencer straightened and walked to the fridge.
"No, she's just been extra clingy."
"She's doing her job, Liv."
"I don't know," she started to mumble, but noticing how unconcerned Spencer was, she dropped the subject.
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For the next week, Olivia worried. Nothing seemed to be changing.
"Spencer, I really think something's wrong," she pressed while they caught up on their respective days in the kitchen. Sitting on the counter, she snacked on some carrots while Spencer prepared a wrap for himself.
He glanced over his shoulder to where Bella was eating her dinner. "She looks okay to me."
Frustrated that her husband wasn't giving any weight to her legitimate concern, Olivia let out a loud exhale. "I'm taking her to the vet on Monday."
Having finished assembling his wrap, Spencer turned to her.
"Okay, baby, if that will bring you peace of mind, go ahead and take her."
"It will." She perched her chin on his shoulder when he stepped up between her legs.
His arms wrapped around her, sending a wave of calm through her body as he locked her in against him.
But just as quick as it had come, the calm vanished. Bella had abandoned her kibble to bark in their direction.
"See!" Olivia shoved him away, jumping on the opportunity to prove her point. "This isn't normal for her."
Rubbing his forehead, Spencer stared at their dog. The rubbling growl was back. "Yeah, okay. Let's get her checked out."
The visit turned out to be useless since Bella was in prime health. None of the tests showed anything out of the ordinary, causing Olivia more stress as she tried to pin point what could be wrong.
One night while she laid in bed reading through various online dog forums, she had a thought and sprung up into a seated position, her eyes going wide. "Do you think she's pregnant?"
Spencer side-eyed her. "You been taking her somewhere I don't know about during the day?"
Her shoulders fell. "No."
No longer able to hide his own concern for the ongoing behavior, Spencer gave her a more serious look. "They tested for that when you took her in, right?"
"Yeah," she sighed, going back to her doom scrolling.
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It wasn't until another month passed of Bella being stuck to her like glue that Olivia finally started to get some answers.
Coming home from a her own check-up, she dropped her bag on the counter and pressed her palms into the granite. "Okay," she mumbled to herself, taking in a deep breath in and then exhaling it out with the same level of control. "It's going to be okay."
While Bella followed at her heels, she put away her stuff and carefully laid out the printed bloodwork on the counter. Not having the courage to explain out loud, she decided to leave it there for Spencer to find when he walked in.
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"It's a boy," she announced weakly as Spencer stood in the middle of the kitchen, his grip tight on the page.
It had been two minutes of complete silence before she decided to break the ice.
He scanned the page again. "What?"
"I'm five months along," she whispered.
"I–, I–" he stuttered. "Don't you have an IUD."
"Had." She corrected, finally finding the courage to approach him, but her voice still maintained that same level of overcompensating cheerfulness. "Turns out if you get pregnant they take it out."
Spencer's gaze flickered between her blood test results and her nearly flat stomach.
The cheeriness drained from her voice. "Can you please say something?"
"I saw you this morning. I just— where is the baby? Have you even had any symptoms?"
That wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she answered anyways. "The doctor said everyone shows differently, and different women have different symptoms, and some just have none at all. Which I guess has been my case because I honestly haven't felt anything." She slowly brought her gaze to meet his before finishing off in a whisper. "Are you happy?"
His face dropped as he suddenly realized what must've been going through her head for the past five minutes.
"No, no, no, Liv." He dropped the paper onto the counter and swiftly closed the space between them. "I mean yes. I'm happy, baby. I'm still a little bit confused, but I'm happy."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she mumbled into his neck. "Good because I wasn't sure if you'd be happy with it being the middle of the season and all. And we didn't plan for any of this. And our families aren't here."
He pulled away, sliding a hand along her cheek, his fingers tangling into her curls. "You just made me the happiest man alive."
"I was so worried, Spencer. About Bella, and then after I found out today, about you and how it would impact everything we have going, that, that," she shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. "I'm happy you're happy because I was terrified when I heard the words, but a tiny part of me was secretly so happy."
Finally relaxed, she dropped her head back onto his shoulder.
Holding onto his wife, Spencer glanced over her curls to Bella. The pup had spared them the growling for the night but still kept a watchful eye on him.
He chuckled, watching her as she lowered her head back to the ground. "You better start working overtime."
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Snow still covered the ground as Spencer cautiously walked up the driveway with the carseat in one hand and Olivia's hand in the other. Bundled up in a onesie and beanie, his son remained asleep after the short drive home.
"Wait," Spencer warned when he opened the door and Bella immediately stood from her spot by the front window. Having had to jump straight from football season into baby prep, he hadn't had time to research much about dogs and newborns.
The pup stepped back and forth anxiously, waiting for Spencer to set down the newest addition to their family.
"Come here, Bella," Olivia summoned her for some much needed cuddles. "I have her, why don't we try introducing him slowly."
Keeping an eye on both parties, Spencer slowly lowered the carseat.
Cautiously, Bella sniffed along the edge of the seat, but kept her distance from Marco himself. Once she was satisfied, she lined herself up next to him and lowered herself onto the floor.
She had a new job to do.