6. Dante

6

Dante

I ’ve never been much of a pet person, but seeing how excited Ellis is as we walk into the pet store makes me wish we’d done it sooner.

“Calm down, babr.” I chuckle as he bounces into the store. He’s like a puppy let loose in a field, his eyes wide as he takes in the store. It’s not one of those big-box pet stores that seem to have taken over, but a little place that’s held its own in the corner of the mall for decades.

There are brightly colored parrots on perches that squawk as we enter and angel fish shimmering in their crystal clear tanks. There’s a kid crouched down staring at the exotic fish, and I totally get the appeal of watching their scales gleam in the blue lights. This place is so bright with life and there’s so much to look at. Cat towers. Hamsters running on their wheels. Sunken ships made of rock for massive fish tanks.

“Hey, Mr. Hart!” Tanner, a nice kid from the high school water polo team, waves as we walk in. He’s behind the counter, wearing a blue apron. “Whatyadoin’here?”

He speaks fast and mumbles the way all high school boys seem to.

“Enunciate,” I say, but with a smile. Teaching was never something on my radar, but when McQuinn and I started coaching water polo part time at the high school, I found a new purpose. Being with these kids is about more than just sports and speed strokes. It’s about teaching them to be confident in their own skin and modeling that for them.

McQuinn, Ellis, and I walk over to the counter, while Harrison looks at the hamsters with a frown and Nils wanders down an aisle lined with aquariums. Oz’s gaze lingers on Nils before a deep red paints his cheeks. He takes off in the opposite direction.

“We’re looking for a chinchilla,” Ellis says. “Do you have any?”

“Nah,” Tanner grunts. I cut him a glance, and he swallows before standing up a little straighter. “We haven’t had any since the summer.”

When I reward him with a smile for speaking in a full sentence, he beams back at me.

“Have you been practicing over the winter break?” McQuinn asks .

“Yes, sir, coach,” Tanner answers. “Whenever I’m not working. Or,” his cheeks turn the same red as his shirt, “with Ashleigh and Teke.”

Tanner and Teke are both alphas and they’ve been chasing Meggie’s little omega protégé all semester. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re all packed up before graduation this spring.

“When will you get more chinchillas?” Ellis asks, still hopeful, though it’s unlikely the store will get in more animals today. It’s already past noon the day before Christmas Eve. I’m honestly surprised this place is even open.

Tanner shrugs and frowns. “They’re kinda rare.”

Ellis looks like a kicked puppy. I take his hand and pull him into my side.

“Did you know they can jump up to six feet?” Tanner asks, a little excited. “And they’re really smart! We had this pair once and the bigger one would actually lift up the corner of the cage lid so the smaller one could get out. We found him the next morning in a bird cage gorged on carrots. They did it every night until we put a brick on the lid to hold it down.”

“Are there any other pet stores in the area that might have them?” Harrison asks, bringing us back on track. He joined our little huddle at the counter while Tanner was telling his story.

Tanner shakes his head. “We’re the only store that ever carries them.”

Ellis sighs disappointedly. Nils and Oz return from their search of the store and both look worried .

“Hey.” Oz jerks his head toward the aisles on the left. “Something is totally dead in that cage over there by the ferrets.”

“What the heck is that thing?” Nils points to a cage on the end cap of the aisle Oz was indicating.

“Laying on its back? All fours up in the air and not moving?” Tanner asks.

“Yes! And it’s all naked looking.” Nils glances back at the cage and gives a full body shudder.

“That’s Gretchen,” Tanner explains. “She’s a hairless guinea pig with a flair for dramatics.” Taking a step away from the counter so he can see the animal in question, he gives a high pitched whistle. “Look alive, Gretchen!”

There’s a little flurry of woodchips and straw as a wrinkled ball of skin rolls over.

“That looks like my left nut.” Oz quips. “Who is bringing something like that home?”

“Oh, I’m sure we could find someone interested that would take the right one too.” Ellis grins, but I nudge him with my elbow to knock it off. Not the time, nor the place.

“Sorry, Tanner.” I apologize for my packmates, even though the young man is chuckling.

“You could check the shelter for a chinchilla,” he says.

I’m glad he doesn't comment on the topic of Oz’s balls.

“They sometimes get one or two. Not often, but…” Tanner trails off with a shrug .

“We’re not going home without a present for Meggie,” Harrison says, a determined set to his jaw.

“Should we look for something else in the mall since we’re here?” Nils suggests.

Ellis’s whole face drops.

“I think we should stick with a pet,” I say.

“We got lots of amphibians.” Tanner walks around the counter. “Got in some pretty cool toads yest–”

“No toads,” Ellis and I say at the same time.

“Meggie’s afraid of toilet frogs,” Nils explains.

“Well, we don’t have much that’s cute or cuddly right now.” Tanner scratches the splotchy hair on his chin. “We’re pretty picked over this close to Christmas.”

“Let’s check the shelter,” I suggest, wanting to give Ellis and Meggie the Christmas pet they’re dreaming about.

As we leave the pet store and head back to the car, I pull Ellis a few steps behind everyone else. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you wanted a pet?”

His cheeks turn the palest of pink. “I didn’t realize I did. Not until Meggie said something about it. And then… I guess I just really liked the idea of taking care of something small and cuddly together.”

Ah, things are making a bit more sense now. We all agreed we weren’t ready to have kids, but Ellis and Harrison were the most hesitant about waiting. Harrison surprised us all with a bit of a breeding kink, and Ellis… well, Ellis just likes taking care of everyone. He’s got a lot of love to give. And he’s always wanted to be a dad, maybe to right the wrongs of his own strained relationship with his father.

He’s also the only one of us who doesn’t have a job or school to keep him busy during the day, since he’s still figuring out what he wants to do now that we’re not allowed to play in the Olympics anymore.

I stop our progress across the parking lot and pull him in for a true kiss this time, slow and savoring.

When we break apart, I whisper against his lips, “I think a pet is a great idea.”