"What do you think, Jack?" Stella was pulling a shirt over her head and I was slipping on my dirty pair of Vans. We'd promised Izzy we'd have a family outing, our first one since we got back from tour, but the little angel was still pressing the issue of a puppy. "I already called mine and your parents, they're fine with it. Jasmin did say that she'd like for us to have it trained before it came over with Isabelle, though. Something about Jack still not being house broken?"


I snickered to myself. Even after all these years, the humor in my family hadn't changed a bit. If anything, it got a little more ridiculous, now that all of the kids were old enough to understand at least half of it. Once my laughter subsided, I slid my pants leg down over my shoe and shrugged my shoulders. Of course I didn't mind getting Isabelle a puppy. If anything, I was just as excited about it as she was, but I wanted Stella to be the one with the final decision, that way when I started to hop up and down with Izzy, she couldn't say I only agreed to it because I wanted one, too.


"How about this, my love," I wrapped my arms around her waist and stared into her eyes, a smirk dancing on my lips. "You drive. Should we end up at the pet store or the animal shelter, I'll keep up with Izzy while you learn more about the dogs, deal?"


Stella rolled her eyes but agreed with a soft smile on her lips. Sometimes it still amazed me to see how much she'd grown and matured over the years. I saw a change in her the moment Izzy was born, but as our little girl grew older, so did my wife. She was so level-headed, which was a good thing, because even though I'm a great husband and father, I'm still a kid at heart. Like father, like son.


My wife left the room to grab her purse, while I simply stuffed my wallet into the back pocket of my jeans and ventured upstairs to make sure Izzy was dressed and ready to go. When I entered her bedroom, she was sitting in front of her coloring book with her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. Laughing to myself, I threw her over my shoulder and carried her to the bathroom where we rised her mouth and she showed off her toothy grin.


"I did my own hair, see daddy?" She yanked on her messy Gaskarth hair, one pig tail barely hanging on. "You like it?"


"I do, but I think you might be more comfortable if we put all of it up. Can I fix your hair, Izzy?"


She nodded and darted off into her bedroom again. At least the clothes Stella had put on her earlier this morning were still in tact. She planted her butt down in front of the bed and handed me her soft bristle brush, coloring book in her hands again. I took a seat behind her and took out the single pig tail, gently brushing her strands down the best I could. When all of the tangles were out, I pulled all of her hair into a pony tail, snickering at the poof. God, she was just as adorable as her mother.


"Ready daddy?"


"Ready, baby."


Isabelle hopped on my back, squeezing my neck as I carried her down the stairs and we met Stell at the door. I carried my little monkey out the car and put her in her seat, locking her in tightly before I climbed in beside Stella. Most of the trip was quiet, Stella singing softly with the music on the radio while I was reading street signs to figure out where we were going.
The moment we turned in by a sign that read Animal Shelter, I could feel tingles in my stomach. I grinned brightly as Stella claimed a parking space, her eyes flickering to me as she grinned that beautiful grin. I quickly hopped out of the car and got Izzy from her seat, the young girl having no idea what was going on.


"Why are we here?" Izzy asked, her small hand fitting perfectly in mine.


At that moment, a dog started barking from somewhere behind the building. Izzy's eyes grew big as she glanced from me, to Stella, wonder in her eyes.


"We getting puppy?"


"Yes we are," Stella giggled, watching Izzy's face brighten instantly. "You have lots to pick from, so only get the one you really want, Izz."


The young girl began to jump up and down, so I started to jump up and down with her. She yanked on my hand and we took of running toward the building. By the time Stella caught up, I had already asked where the puppies were and Izzy and I were already walking through them.


Izzy stopped to play with each of them through the cage, her small heart breaking because she couldn't save them all. I honestly thought we'd have to call it quits because of this, but that's when she noticed a pair of blue eyes at the very back of shelter. She pulled me along, stopping in front of the cage. She bent down to be level with the dog, poking her finger through the cage. The puppy sniffed her, licked her hand, and stuck his nose through the chain to touch her cheek.


"Stella?" I called through the building, my wife appearing with one of the workers by her side. "I think we found our dog."


"That's Ace," the man said, a smile on his lips as he glanced to my wife. "We got him in last week. He was rescued from a puppy mill. He's ten weeks old, obviously he's purebred. So far he does great with other dogs, plays well with kids and he's almost totally house broken. He does like to chew, so if you take him, you'll need lots of toys and treats."


Stella simply nodded, waiting to see the dog and what breed it was. When she finally caught up to us, I saw her face fall lightly. Isabelle was so in love with this dog already, I knew that created conflict for Stell.


"A husky?" She breathed. "Don't they have a tendency to be.. Mean?"


"Protective," the man corrected her. "Say you got this dog for your daughter. He would cling to her and love her just like you two do. Now, he wouldn't attack family or friends unless he felt threatened, just like any other dog. But he would keep her out of harms way. See, dogs aren't mean by nature. It's how you raise them."


"Oh." Stella nodded, bending down to touch Izzy's shoulder. "Do you want to play with him?"


Izzy nodded, clapping her small hands together. The worker opened the cage to let Izzy and I walk in with the puppy. I bent down to Izzy's level and watched as the puppy sniffed her, then instantly started to smother her in kisses. He even listened when I told him not to lick her face.


"Stell, I think it's official," I beamed. "Ace is our dog."


Stella watched Izzy play with the puppy for a few more minutes before she finally agreed, digging inside of her purse for her wallet so she could find her ID, which was required to get the dog. I picked Ace up and took Izzy's hand, following behind Stella and the worker.


"Now, you'll notice he's not black and white like most husky pups. His mom was red his dad was black, giving you this cute smoky brown color. He will be a large dog, great for your little one to grow up with, and don't worry, you can change his name if you want." He chuckled as he led us to a counter, where he scanned Stella's card. "He's had his shots and he is chipped and dewormed, plus we have his AKC papers. That'll be one-fifty."


Stell started to pull out her card but I stopped her, tossing two bills down on the counter. The man smiled and handed me back a fifty, congratulating us on our new family member. My wife shoved the dogs papers into her purse and together we left the building.


Once Izzy was buckled in her seat and Ace was comfortably laid out beside her, we began our journey again.


"Why don't you guys take me and Ace home?" I glanced to Stella, watching her face fall again. "You and Izzy can have a mother-daughter day, shopping for food and collars and whatever else you see fit."


"That's actually not a bad idea," Stell shrugged, glancing back at Izzy. "I could use some time alone with her."


She pulled up to our house and let me out of the car. I grabbed our new puppy, kissed Izzy's cheek and walked over to Stella's window to kiss her softly on the lips.


"Love you, be careful."


"Love you, too."


As they pulled away, I sat Ace down and let him sniff out his new yard. A day like this may not have been very much to anyone else in the world, but it meant everything to me. Seeing my daughter smile, watching my wife take pride in that little face, it was the entire reason my heart was beating. I just wish that Stella was ready to take our lives together a step further. Never in a million years did I think I'd get baby fever before she did, but I wanted another child so badly it hurt.


"Guess you'll do for now," I smiled at the dog, leading him towards the house. "But one day, boy, you'll have two babies to love. I promise you that."

Notes

Oh my gosh, you guys are wonderful! Two votes and nine subscribers before the first chapter was even posted?! I love you guys like whoa. Now please, don't be silent readers! A big shout out to AndieRose for being the first to comment! You're rad!
-Jess<3.