“Time for what?”

“For me to haul you back to my bedroom and bury myself inside you for the rest of the morning.”

She swallows hard, making me grin.

“Rain check?” she asks with a half smile.

“Absolutely.”

“What are you doing in here, anyway?” She refills her mug. “I don’t usually see you until lunchtime.”

“I have a surprise for Seth.”

“You do?” She grins widely and leans a hip against the countertop. “What is it?”

“You’ll see; you’re coming with us.”

“Well then, I guess I’d better get dressed.”

“I guess you’d better.” I slap her ass as she saunters past me and back to my bedroom to change. I’m thinking about following her to cash in on the rain check now rather than later when a sleepy Seth wanders through the front door, munching on a breakfast burrito.

“Mornin’.”

“Good morning. How are you?”

“Sleepy.” He plops down at the kitchen table. “I don’t want to do any schoolwork today.”

“Didn’t sleep well?” I pour him a glass of orange juice, which he gulps down quickly.

“I stayed up too late reading the book Cara gave me.” He shrugs and takes a bite of his burrito.

“Pretty good, huh?”

He shrugs again, then nods reluctantly. “Yeah, it’s good. I finished it already.”

“What did you finish?” Cara asks as she joins us. She’s changed into jeans and a green V-neck T-shirt that shows off those amazing tits of hers perfectly and makes her eyes glow.

I should have come back to the house earlier to make love to her before Seth got here.

“The book you gave me,” Seth replies as if it were no big deal.

Her eyes widen in surprise and then she laughs. “I haven’t even finished it yet.”

“Slowpoke,” Seth taunts her, and she shoots him a mock glare.

“You were only supposed to read a chapter a day.”

“Too slow,” he mutters. “Do I have to build that model of the solar system this morning?” He stuffs the rest of the burrito in his mouth.

“No,” I answer before Cara can, earning a surprised look from both of them. “At least not this morning. Cara, do you mind if you have class this afternoon instead?”

“I don’t have a problem with that.”

“Why?” Seth asks skeptically.

“I want to take you somewhere. Come on, let’s hop in the truck.”

“I don’t want to wash dishes again. I’ve been good.” Seth turns his wide, hazel eyes to Cara. “Don’t make me.”

“This isn’t that kind of field trip,” I inform him dryly. “You’ll like it.”

“Okay!” He jumps up and runs out the front door and to the truck, hopping in the backseat.

“You’re coming with us.” I take Cara by the hand and lead her out to the truck as well, helping her climb in the front seat.

“Cara, where are we going?” Seth asks, bouncing in the backseat.

“I don’t know, Josh didn’t tell me either.”

“I really hope I don’t have to wash any dishes.” Seth buckles himself in and watches out the window as I pull away from the house and down the long driveway to the highway.

The poor kid is going to need therapy because of that field trip.

Among other things, such as a bat-shit-crazy mother.

We don’t have to drive far. I pull into Louie’s driveway and come to a stop at the side of his small, ranch-style home. He saunters outside and waves, smiling at Seth as he jumps out of the truck.

“Hey, Louie!”

“Good morning.” Louie fist-bumps Seth, then motions for us to follow him to his small barn behind the house.

“You have a barn too, Louie?” Seth asks.

“A small one. But I don’t keep livestock.”

Cara and I walk behind Louie and Seth. I grip her hand in my own, lacing our fingers together, happy to hang back and let Louie reveal Seth’s surprise.

“Why are we here?” she asks with a smile.

“Wait for it.”

My eyes are glued to the barn door as Louie slides it open and Seth walks through.

“Puppies!”

Cara’s eyes find mine, laughing. “Puppies?”

“Puppies.” I lead her into the barn. Louie has a large corner fenced off with blankets, dog beds, bowls for food and water, and six Lab puppies, four black and two yellow.

The mama dog sniffs Seth’s hand and offers him a friendly lick before backing away so her pups can beg for attention.

“I didn’t know you had puppies!” Seth lets himself in the pen and sits on the floor, right in the middle of the pups, laughing as they climb over him, licking his face and pulling on his clothes.

“Lola had her pups almost three months ago and they’re ready to go home,” Louie tells him, grinning as he watches Seth with the pups.

“Do they have homes?” Cara asks, also grinning at the boy. “They’re adorable.”

Louie nods. “Five of them do.”

“Only five?” Seth frowns.

“One of them still needs a home.” Louie points to one of the black puppies. “One of the black males isn’t spoken for yet.”

“Well, Seth,” I say, wrapping my arm around Cara’s shoulders, “I thought that maybe you might like to take him.”

“Me?” Seth asks, his eyes wide. “Really?”

“A boy needs a dog.” I shrug.

“Which one is mine?”

“I guess that’s a yes,” Cara murmurs with a laugh.

“That little black fella you’re holding right now,” Louie informs Seth, and props a booted foot on a bucket.

The little guy just curls up for a nap in Seth’s lap.

“I think he likes me.” The boy’s face is all smiles, his eyes are shining in excitement.

“Looks like,” Louie agrees, and helps Seth out of the pen with his new friend. Louie clasps a simple leash to the dog’s collar and hands it to the boy.

“I can take him home?” he asks me hopefully.

“You can. But he’s your responsibility, Seth.”

“I get it.” He shakes his head and buries his nose in the fur on top of the pup’s head. “I’ll take care of him.”

“He’s so adorable.” Cara takes the puppy out of Seth’s arms and snuggles him. “Oh, I love that puppy smell.”