The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(38)

Right on cue, a smile breaks across my face and I watch as his troubled features morph into a comforted grin. “That’s what I can’t get over. Because in this moment, you are quite literally my dream come true.”
A gasp lodges in my throat, his words stealing not only my breath, but my heart. Casting me a knowing look, he adds, “Like I said, absolutely breathtaking.”
Still unable to speak, I do the best I can to demonstrate my gratitude for his beautiful words. Pressing up on my tiptoes, I kiss him heartily on the mouth, just as another weird yip comes from the living room. I drop back down onto my heels and continue to smile as I ask, “What’s going on out there?”
Kaeleb laughs and finally releases my hand. He drapes his arm over my shoulder as he guides me to the door. As he reaches toward the handle, he leans into me, and his breath fans my ear as he whispers, “Ready for your present?”
My grin stretches from ear-to-ear as I look up at him and nod. After a quick brush of his lips across my forehead, he gives me a wink and opens the door. Removing his arm, he takes both of my hands in his, and pulls me so that I’m forced directly behind him. As we exit, Quinn’s giggles fill the air as we approach her, and Kaeleb drops his hold with a slight squeeze to indicate that I should stay put behind him.
“Boo! I wanna play!” Quinn pouts as she hands him what I assume is my gift, and I watch as Kaeleb’s head dips a bit, nestling what is now in his arms. He pivots slowly, turning on his heel, and when my eyes fall to what he’s holding, a breath stills in my throat.
Because there, cuddled up ever-so-comfortably in his arms, is a puppy.
But not just any puppy.
This puppy is the spitting image of Walter.
A lump forms when I try to swallow and my eyes spring tears as I look him over. Same golden fur, same deep set brown eyes, same black whiskers poking out of the fur-covered bumps on his cheeks. Same everything.
And as I stare at him, one single realization crosses my mind.
Kaeleb not only gave me life again, but it seems he unknowingly brought Walter along for the ride.
Talk about surreal.
Moisture continues to build in my eyes with the thought, causing Kaeleb’s brow to furrow deeply. “Are you okay?” he asks, as I lift my trembling hand to stroke the puppy’s soft fur on top of his head. He nuzzles my fingers with his cold nose before opening his mouth to gnaw on the tips. I wipe away the tear that runs down my face before giving a sniffle, and tear my burning eyes away from the puppy and direct them at Kaeleb. His head slants slightly to the left, clearly not understanding my reaction.
“Can I hold him?” My voice is shaky and unsure as I extend my arms. Kaeleb, still a bit thrown, silently hands him over, and once he’s comfortably situated I draw him close to my chest, hugging him back and forth as he licks my mouth and nose. A giggle escapes me and I smile back down at him.
Puppy breath.
Love.
Once the puppy is done bathing my face, I kiss him gently on top of his head and look up at Kaeleb, who’s still watching me curiously.
“He’s…perfect,” I say, waterworks still brimming in my eyes. Kaeleb’s brow dips as he wipes another tear away from my cheek.
I don’t tell him about Walter. I don’t tell him how my heart broke the day he died. The day I killed him on accident. Fear spikes in my heart and pounds against every single nerve throughout my system, but I try to push it aside. The terror gets shoved safely back into my memory bins, along with the memory of his loss. There’s too much happiness in this room right now to taint it with the past.
So, in order to move forward the best way I know how, I replace his memory with this one.
“Walter. His name is Walter,” I say on a breath and a smile.
Kaeleb forcefully exhales and runs his hand through his hair.
“I love it! It’s perfect!” Quinn claps. She leans into me and gives the puppy a light kiss and a stroke of his fur before leaving the living room, only to reenter with a cake containing twenty candles on top. It has chocolate frosting and “Happy Birthday, Sunshine” on the top written in yellow, with a sun covering the corner. Its rays extend across the top and as I note the shakiness of their lines, I know it’s been hand made.
Kaeleb.
My lips kick up on the sides and I glance up at him with my brows raised. “You made this?”
His face lights up with pride. “I did.”
I can’t help but smile at the excited expression on his face. “Wow, Kaeleb. Thank you for everything. You’ll never know how much this means to me.”
And he won’t.
The look in his eyes tells me he wants to ask me about it, but his thoughts are redirected when there’s a knock at the door.
“Oh! That must be Josh!” Quinn bounces excitedly, almost dropping the cake. “Hurry and blow out the candles so I can get the door!”
Kaeleb grins while watching her as I draw in a deep breath of air, curl Walter tightly into my body, and blow out the candles. One by one they’re extinguished, and when I step back, I’m gifted more puppy kisses for my efforts. Quinn sets the cake down on the breakfast table beside us before bolting to the door and letting Josh inside. He barely glances at her as he enters, too busy texting on his phone. My head jerks back with his blatant disregard for the gorgeous girl standing right in front of him. Kaeleb and I exchange stunned stares, but say nothing as he ends the text and slides the phone into his pocket.
After surveying the room, he saunters over to Kaeleb and extends his hand. “Sup, man. Good to see ya.” After shaking it, he turns to me and states, “Happy birthday.” The coolness in his tone is odd, because he’s usually much more cordial. Knowing that he’s still close with Sabrina and Candace, I’m wondering if this is about the unitard comment that Kaeleb made last night, but I guess I don’t really care too much because I can’t seem to stop myself from smiling as the memory plays out in my mind.