“How about this,” I said. “Let’s leave it up to Coco. If he wants to stay, I’m not going to fight it. But if he wants to go with me, will you let him leave?”
Austin nodded, thinking that was better than nothing. With Coco’s bed and his bowls back in place, Austin hoped the dog would choose him. “Yeah, sure. I think that’s a great solution. Thanks for giving me a chance.”
“Sure.” I nodded, but I couldn’t exactly smile. This visit was breaking my heart. How could I give up the dog who’d saved my life? Who’d become so important to me? What would I tell my kids? I glanced at Coco. He seemed content, but that didn’t mean he’d stay, right?
The sound of a car door shutting drew both of us to the living room. Misti stood uncertainly beside the car before stepping toward the house. I went outside onto the porch while Austin hung back, awash with sudden nerves.
Misti waved and smiled. She’d wanted this first meeting to be without her husband and daughter, but she was grateful I was there to break the ice. As she stepped toward the house, Austin came out on the porch. Catching sight of him, she stopped.
“Macie?”
Hearing Austin use her real name triggered something inside of her. A flash of a dark head on a swing danced in her mind, and she knew it was him. Her brother. All those years ago, and it was still there in her memory. “Aussie?”
With tears in her eyes, she stepped toward him, and he met her in a tight embrace. Coco came to the door to see what was going on, and I let him out. He ran to them and barked, jumping up with excitement.
“Hey Coco,” Misti said, patting his head.
Coco barked and ran around them a couple of times. Laughing, they hugged again. With their arms around each other’s waists, they came to the porch where I stood. I let Coco inside, and Misti gave me a hug. “Thanks for being here, Shelby.”
“Of course. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing pretty good actually. I feel so free, and I’m a lot happier now.” She was thinking that she hadn’t seen Carolyn since she’d been arrested, and she’d probably never see her again.
“That’s great.”
I followed them into the living room, and Misti took in the furnishings. Her gaze landed on a picture that hung on the wall, and her breath caught. She rushed forward to examine the family photo of her parents with her and Austin sitting on their laps.
As tears ran down her face, Austin came to her side and put his arm over her shoulder.
“There’s so much that I missed… it’s breaking my heart. I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“We both missed a lot,” Austin said. “But you’re here now. We can start over.” She sniffed and nodded. “I don’t know what to call you. You’ve always been Macie to me, so I might mess up.”
“It’s okay, as long as I can call you Aussie once in a while.”
He chuckled. “You want something to drink? I’ve got coffee, tea, soda, juice, or beer. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a lot of different things.”
“Uh… I don’t know… how about juice?”
“You want something, Shelby?”
“No… I’m fine, thanks.”
He rushed into the kitchen, and Misti turned to me. “This might sound crazy, but, being here… it feels like home.”
Austin came back with a can of juice for her. “Here you go. I hope you like peach.”
“Oh my gosh… it’s my favorite.”
“Mine too.” Joy brightened Austin’s smile, and I knew he’d be just fine.
That was my cue to leave, even though it was killing me. “I think it’s time for me to go. Is that all right? You guys okay here?”
“Yes. Of course,” Misti said.
“Thanks so much.” Austin gave me a quick hug, meaning it with all his heart.
I glanced into the kitchen. Coco lay curled up in his bed, just like he belonged there. I swallowed and turned toward the door. “All right. Let’s keep in touch.”
“You can count on it,” Austin said.
I hurried out the door, blinking back the tears that blinded me. My mind knew it was right that Coco belonged with Austin, but my heart didn’t agree. Mack would have wanted Austin to take Coco… and Coco would be fine there in his own house. Austin would take good care of him. He’d probably even join the search-and-rescue team in honor of his dad.
How could I stand in the way of that? Still, leaving Coco behind hurt more than I’d imagined, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from calling him to my side. Somehow, I managed to keep walking all the way to the corner of the street before I stopped.
I took one last look back at the house. A part of me had hoped Coco would notice that I wasn’t there and come after me. Or at least bark to be let out. But all I got was silence. After waiting several seconds, I turned away and began the long walk home.
The tears came fast, practically blinding me. I had to keep wiping my eyes so I could see where I was going. I realized that I still held Coco’s leash in my hand, but there was no way I could take it back to Austin. I turned another corner and started down the next street.
A car passed, and I ducked my head, turning slightly away, so they wouldn’t see me crying and wonder what was wrong. I shook my head and tried to calm down. It was just a dog. It wasn’t like someone had died. I could get through this. I’d been through a lot worse.
As much as I’d hoped that would help, it didn’t make a dent. No
