Emily nudged his knee with her toe. “I’m serious. Not a puppy. A rescue. A dog who needs a home as much as Lily needs a companion.” David’s expression softened despite himself. “I get it. I do. But bringing a rescue dog into a house with a toddler…” He winced. “It makes me nervous.” Emily leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes drifting again to the baby monitor.
“Maybe that’s why it matters. Lily’s going to grow up. She’s going to learn how to treat others, how to give love, how to be patient, how to be gentle. A dog could help with that.” David tilted his head toward her. “You’ve thought about this a lot.” “Maybe too much,” she admitted with a smile. “But it feels right.”
He let out a long breath — one of those slow exhales that meant he was trying to be reasonable, trying to balance his nerves with her certainty. “Okay,” he said finally. “We can… look. Just look.” Emily sat up straighter, eyes brightening. “No promises?” “No promises,” he confirmed. But the flutter in Emily’s chest felt dangerously close to hope.
Sometimes life didn’t need big changes to shift — just a small idea that refused to leave. And this idea… stayed. So when they visited the shelter a few days later, neither of them expected the right dog to appear almost immediately. Emily had expected the shelter to be loud — but not this loud. Barking ricocheted off the concrete walls, a steady chorus of excitement and nerves.