“And it was freaking AWESOME!” Luca yelled.
Arden simply shrugged. “I couldn’t miss a workout, and Kye’s gym has a class for kids.”
“It starts this fall,” Luca said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Kye said I’ll just be old enough. Do you think I can take it? Do you?”
My stomach lurched, and I knew it wasn’t from the twenty-four-hour bug I’d had. Cope crossed to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s give your mom a break. She just got puke-free. We don’t need the thought of her kid battling in a fight circle making her nauseous.”
Luca’s chin took on a stubborn angle. “I’m not gonna forget about it.”
Cope chuckled. “Trust me, I have learned that your stubbornness is legendary.”
That only made Luca smile huge again. “That means I get what I’m after.”
Cope leaned in closer to me, speaking in a stage whisper. “Sometimes, he scares me.”
Luca giggled. “Kye showed me his tattoo gun, too. I definitely want ink when I turn eighteen. But if you give me permission, I can get it before then.”
I stepped out of Cope’s hold, looking between him and Arden. “Anything else I should know about from the twenty-four hours I was out? Were there piercings? Tequila shots with a rock band?”
Luca just laughed harder, but at my movement closer to my son, Brutus stepped between me and him, taking on a defensive stance and letting out a low growl.
“Ruhig,” Arden clipped. “Komm.”
In an instant, the dog eased and trotted over to Arden. Heplunked his big, furry butt down, and Arden scratched his head. “Sorry. He’s become partial to Luca.”
“What was that?” I asked, staring at Brutus.
Arden’s hand slid down to Brutus’s chest. “He’s a trained guard dog. Personal protection. He’s bonded to me, but those instincts take over with Luca because he loves him.”
“Aw,” Luca said, jogging over to the dog and throwing his arms around his neck. “I love you, too, big guy.” Brutus licked his cheek in answer.
Cope moved in closer to me. “He’s trustworthy. Promise. Trace had him trained at one of the best facilities in the country. He’s been with our family since Arden was seventeen.”
I looked between the dog and Arden, yet again wondering what her story was. But before I could ask any careful questions, a ball of blue-gray fur tore across the living room with something in its mouth.
“Gretzky!” Luca yelled, launching to his feet to chase after the dog.
“That’s my slipper,” Cope shouted, moving in the direction that Luca and the dog had gone.
Brutus took off after them, thinking it was some new game.
Arden pushed to her feet, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t chase him. It only reinforces that it’s a game.”
“Tell that to my slipper,” Cope shot back, making a dash for the shoe but missing as Gretzky ran back in my direction.
“Someone had better find the other one,” I warned. “That’s liable to get holes in it, too.”
“I’ve got it,” Arden said, heading for the far hall as the boys raced after Gretzky.
I lowered myself into the overstuffed chair. This was too much excitement for my first venture out of bed in a day and a half.
“I found the other one,” Arden called. “But I don’t think you’re going to want to use it again, Cope.”
Cope strode back into the living room with Luca, Gretzky, and Brutus on his heels, just as Arden appeared holding a shoe out infront of her, as far away as possible, a big ole dog poo right in the slipper.
Cope’s jaw dropped. “There is no way all that shit came out of that tiny, adorable creature.”
Gretzky let out a yipping bark, dropping the slipper.
