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Exactly sixteen months and three days into their marriage (not that David is counting), Patrick brings up the dog conversation. David is honestly a little surprised it took this long; he’s known the conversation was coming because Patrick has been showing him pictures from the “Westie Wonderland” Facebook page for three weeks straight. David breezes into work at a prompt 8:15, pleased with being only fifteen minutes late. Patrick rolls his eyes at him fondly from behind the counter but accepts the tea and scone David hands him with a smile.
“How you still manage to be late when we live in the same house and come here in the same car is a mystery to me.” Patrick teases from behind his paper cup while David sets his bag down in the back room.
“I got caught up with Twyla. Apparently, there’s some dog drawing that just got posted on Facebook?” David mutters and when he walks back out into the room Patrick is hunched over his phone. David frowns at the top of his husband’s head. “Where’s my ‘welcome to work’ kiss?” Patrick doesn’t even flinch and David is about to make a snarky comment about millennials and their phones when Patrick suddenly throws his hands up in the air and cheers. David jumps at the noise but Patrick keeps going.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, oh my god I can’t believe it!” Patrick cries, clearly elated, and David waits for an explanation or for Patrick to stop clutching his phone and jumping up and down, whichever comes first. After an eternity of happy bouncing, Patrick finally looks up and fixes David with the most beautiful smile. “I won!” Patrick says like that means absolutely anything to David, but David is sort of in it now, whatever this is, because the entertainment value in watching Patrick get this excited over anything is far too high. In fact, he might have to text Stevie to come join him in Patrick watching because Patrick is practically floating on air. Patrick moves from behind the counter and wraps his arms around David’s waist and kisses him firmly on the mouth. Whatever he’s won must have really been a big deal because the way Patrick licks inside his mouth in the middle of their store in broad daylight is pretty bold. David eventually pulls back, eyes darting toward the door, and then back at his elated husband.
“So, you are you going to tell me what you won or is it just supposed to be a fun surprise?” Patrick smile grows even wider.
"We won, actually. I entered a contest on that westie Facebook page for a westie puppy and I won!” David can feel his face twisting before he can even stop it.
“You…won a dog?” David starts and Patrick runs back over to the counter to pluck up his phone.
“Well, not exactly, I won a bid for a westie puppy, but they’re not born yet. According to the post, the puppies will be born in march and then we can go pick ours out in May.” Patrick explains while David nods along, staring down at the announcement with Patrick's name and a pair of admittedly cute white terriers, one with a red bandana and one with a pink bandana that is clearly either overweight or pregnant.
“So, you won the chance to have a dog?” David asks and Patrick sighs.
“Look, David, I know we haven’t had this conversation, but I honestly forgot about the contest and I didn’t think I was going to win.” Patrick admits and David feels his resolve start to melt. Patrick’s happy bouncing has completely stopped and his shoulders are deflating slightly and David hates having to kill Patrick’s moment of joy. He stares at the westie parents-to-be on Patrick’s phone and sighs.
“How big do they get?” David asks after a moment and Patrick grins.
“Not big at all, they’re lap dog size just like the picture and they’re really smart. We could train it not to jump up on us!” David bit his lip, unable to resist Patrick’s puppy dog eyes for much longer.
“And who will be feeding and walking and cleaning up after this dog?” David probes sweetly and Patrick narrows his eyes.
“Me, for the most part, but I think eventually you could warm up to the idea of evening walks as a family.” Patrick insists and that’s what actually does it for David. The idea of their little family growing to include a third thing that he can’t possibly screw up because Patrick will take the majority of the responsibility. David can see evening walks down their quiet little street, hand in hand, with Patrick’s other hand wrapped firmly around a plaid patterned leash. Or maybe houndstooth, that would look nice with a westie's coloring. David tips his head back and heaves a long-suffering sigh but nods and Patrick’s happy bounces are back in full measure.
Several months and a good amount of money spent on the deposit for the dog in question plus dog food, toys, and other various supplies later, David and Patrick load up the car one bright Saturday afternoon and head out to get their puppy. The drive to the farm where the dog breeder lives is not long, but Patrick is restless. His fingers grip the wheel tightly and when he curses under his breath when a large truck passes in front their car, David knows it’s time to tag in.
“Honey, you need to relax. This is supposed to be a fun thing, remember?” David reminds him gently. Patrick grimaces, hands gripping the steering wheel just a little tighter.
“I know, I’m just nervous. What if we get there and all the dogs don’t like us or something?” Patrick says quietly and David laughs and pats his thigh gently.
“I think you’re overthinking this. All we have to do is pick the first one that comes to you and, I promise you, if they’re anything like me, they’ll know perfection when they see it.” Patrick eyes flick over toward David for the briefest of moments and he gives David a wobbly little smile.
“Okay, David.”
“Plus, I planned on stuffing a couple of dog treats in your pocket, so you’ll really be able to pick just about any of them.” Patrick rolls his eyes as he pulls off the main road and they drive down a winding dust covered driveway until they eventually pull up to a white and green farmhouse that can only be described as charming. They park near the garage and a petite blond woman waves at them from the front porch. She walks over to their car to greet them with a small white dog trotting along at her heels.
“Hi there, you must be Patrick.” The woman clasps Patrick’s outstretched hand in greeting.
“I’m Lee and this is Abi.” She gestures to the dog who has now diverted all attention to David, who is gently trying to keep her from jumping up on him with a single extended finger. Abi licks his finger with a happy wag of her tail and David frowns as Lee smiles.
“Aw she likes you! She’s actually your puppy’s momma so that’s a great sign. We are so happy to have you both here! Now I bet you’re dying to go see the pups.” Patrick grins at her.
“We sure are. Lead the way!” Lee leads them up the stairs and into the house and the high-pitched barks and yaps hit them like a wall of sound the moment they cross the threshold.
“You boys are lucky, you’re the first ones here so you have the first pick!” They all duck into a side room and are greeted with a small fenced in pen full of wriggly white fur balls. David keeps an eye on Patrick’s face and it’s worth it for the gleeful look that graces his face the moment his eyes lock on the puppies. Lee whistles and all the puppies stop and take in the sight of their visitors before bolting for the fence.
“Now, if you want, you two can just step in and pick your pup!” Lee says and Patrick takes David’s hand before David can protest and they step over the gate into the enclosure. Now that they’re close, the puppies scatter for a moment or two in alarm and then they all make a beeline for Patrick. Patrick cries out in delight and immediately drops to his knees to let the puppies jump all over him and David has to fumble with his phone for a quick picture because the onslaught of cuteness is almost too much to bear. David is so busy snapping pictures on his phone, he barely notices that one of the puppies is sitting on his shoe until it barks up at him. David startles and nearly drops his phone on top of the little thing. This puppy looks a bit smaller than the rest and its tiny ears are both flopped over. Its bright white fur looks fluffy and soft and its tail twitches where it’s tucked up near its body. David stares down at the puppy and the puppy stares back up at him.
“Um hi? Did you know you’re currently sitting on a shoe that retails for $1,500?” David tells it and the puppy tilts its head from side to side at the sound of David’s voice. It’s terribly cute but David stands his ground. He wiggles his toe in his shoe and the puppy seems to take the hint and it moves. “Thank you, this is called mutual respect.” David tells it but then the puppy goes to sit on his other shoe and David sighs as he watches it curl up in a ball. “That can’t be comfortable.” David says and then he feels Patrick materialize at his side.
“Oh, David. I think you made a new friend.” Patrick teases. The puppy jolts awake from its quick nap at the sound of Patrick’s voice, stumbling backward off of David’s shoe before launching itself at Patrick’s ankles. The puppy jumps up and yips happily until Patrick picks it up. Patrick holds the puppy close to his chest to say hello and the puppy licks all over his hands. When Patrick settles him right up against his chest, the puppy digs the pens out of his shirt pocket, tossing them to the floor like it’s a fun game.
“Evidently you’ve upset him with your choice of colored ink.” David says as he bends to scoop the pens off the floor. At the sound of David’s voice, the puppy’s head jerks back to look at David and he wriggles wildly until Patrick sets him down again. The puppy immediately trots back over to David and sits back on top of his shoe, staring up at David in dazed puppy wonder.
“Even though I wish he wouldn’t sit on them, clearly this dog has good taste.” David offers with a sigh. Patrick twines their hands together.
“Well he picked you, so I’d have to agree with him.” Patrick says and David feels himself flush with pleasure. Patrick scoops the little dog up and soon enough they are headed back to the car with his papers, a feeding schedule, and a phone number to stay in touch. Patrick sets the puppy down in the carrier they’d bought for him and they head back up the dirt road. The car is quiet for all of thirty seconds before the puppy begins to howl.
“Oh my god, is it hurt already? Did we do something wrong?” David asks and Patrick shakes his head firmly.
“No, it’s fine. He’s got to get used to being in the carrier. That’s what the dog book says. You have to let them cry it out.” David frowns as the puppy’s cries ratchet up in volume. They make it back to the main road before David has Patrick stop.
“He’s just a baby, Patrick, and he probably thinks we’ve kidnapped him by putting him in the carrier.” David complains while Patrick sighs.
“David, I can’t hold him and drive, you’ll have to do it.” David frowns but then he unbuckles his seat and opens the door gingerly. He pops open the passenger side door and pulls the latch on the cage before picking up the puppy gently like he might explode. David also decides to grab the blanket that Patrick had placed in the carrier and he swaddles the puppy up in it in case it wants to make a run for it, but the puppy immediately goes limp in David’s arms. David holds the bundled blanket close to his chest as he climbs back into his seat and Patrick smiles at him.
“Seems like you’ve got the magic touch.” Patrick teases and David fixes him with an unimpressed look.
“Just drive before it decides to start howling again.” David mutters. Patrick signals back onto the road and they head back toward the cottage. David looks down at the puppy and isn’t surprised to see it staring back up at him. It’s now sitting so still; David would almost assume it was asleep if it’s large black eyes weren’t entirely fixed on him.
“What are you looking at, you little fuzzball?” David asks, keeping his voice gentle as to not provoke a howl in response. The puppy wiggles happily at the sound of David’s voice and it starts to lick at the hand closest to it. “Ew!” David complains but the puppy just licks him some more, covering his hand in dog slobber. David can practically feel Patrick laughing at him in the driver’s seat but the puppy remains silent for most of the car ride home at that’s all that matters. When the puppy gets tired of covering David in dog drool, it curls up in the blanket for a little nap, yawning and showing David all of its tiny baby teeth and its little pink tongue. David tries not to find it cute and fails. David’s halfway to enjoy himself when Patrick hits a pothole and startles the puppy awake, causing it to puke on David’s sweater.
“Oh. My God.” David breathes and Patrick makes a sound of dismay while the puppy whimpers its own apology.
“Almost home!” Patrick cries, stepping on the gas pedal a little more forcefully. David breathes out through his nose shakily as the puppy curls back up in the blanket.
“It puked on me.” David says in disbelief. Patrick shoots him a nervous look.
“I’m…I’m sure it will come out.” Patrick tells him and David glares at him.
“This is Givenchy.” David hisses and Patrick shrugs.
“Um. I don’t think it’s super noticeable. It kind of fits into the theme actually?” David turns to stare at him.
“I’m sorry did you just accuse my designer sweater of fitting into the theme of dog vomit?” David asks him just as Patrick screeches the car to a halt in their driveway. David half-shoves the puppy at Patrick as he rushes toward the house. “Ugh, that fucking dog!” David huffs as he immediately heads toward the laundry room. There’s no way he will ever be anything but begrudging roommates with that disgusting beast.
A week later, Patrick comes home to find the puppy and David asleep on the couch together. They haven’t been able to settle on a name yet because everything David wants to name it is too avant-garde and everything Patrick wants to name it just doesn’t seem right to either of them. David is sprawled out on his back with his head resting against a throw pillow and the puppy is curled up in a tight ball on top of his chest. As much as David declares he hates the puppy ever since it puked on him in the car, the puppy is utterly smitten with David and does everything it can to be near him. David isn’t actually mean to the puppy, but he definitely doesn’t try to get it to sit with him or play with him like Patrick does. Patrick’s own efforts work about sixty percent of the time unless David is in the room, then the puppy dutifully goes to David. David will sigh as the puppy settles in his lap or on his feet and the puppy stares up at him like David is the best thing he’s ever seen. Patrick can’t blame the puppy for being smitten but he’s just a little annoyed that the puppy he wanted doesn’t seem to want him all that much in return.
When Patrick sets his bag down, both the puppy and David start to show signs of wakefulness. The puppy moves first, fixing its eyes on Patrick and yawning at him as if to scold him for the rude awakening. The puppy hops down, does a quick stretch, and then bounds over to sniff Patrick’s shoes. Patrick scratches its head and the puppy licks at his fingers just as David clears his throat from his spot on the couch.
“I think I found a good name for him.” David says and Patrick raises an eyebrow at him as the dog turns to face David, its tail a white blur behind him at the sound of David’s voice.
“Oh really?” David nods and points to the puppy.
“Watch this. Come here, Kane!” The puppy shoots across the room like David just said the magic word and David accepts the rocketing ball of fur into his arms with a laugh as Patrick stares at them thoughtfully.
“Kane, huh? I like it. How did you settle on such a normal sounding name?” David passes Patrick his phone with a wikipedia page pulled up on it when Patrick settles next to him on the couch.
“I got it from the Scottish designer Christopher Kane of course. We met at a house party in London once and he told me I had enchanting eyes.” David smiles fondly for a moment while Patrick playfully pushes at his side. To both their surprise, Kane growls at him from his spot on David’s lap. David and Patrick both stare at each other in shock for a moment and then Patrick repeats the motion and Kane growls again followed by a bark that was probably meant to sound threatening but mostly just sounds adorable. Patrick leans in toward David and Kane stands his ground in David’s lap, staring at Patrick and attempting to puff himself up to look larger. Patrick presses a kiss to David’s lips and Kane barks again, trying to put himself in between the two of them and David starts to laugh into the kiss. They pull apart and Patrick pets Kane on the head.
“Good boy, Kane, that’s a good boy protecting your Daddy.” Patrick tells him and David’s expression goes soft as he smiles down at the start of their little family.
A month later, David and Kane are so inseparable, David finally convinces Patrick to allow him at the store.
“It’s just one day, Patrick. I just know he gets lonely at home when we’re not there.” David insists. Kane is sitting on the floor next to David, gnawing on a rawhide and looking very uninterested in the conversation.
“David, one of us goes home for lunch every day now to let him out of his crate and he seems totally fine.” Patrick says and David frowns at him as he follows Patrick into the kitchen. The click of claws across the floor signals David’s puppy sized shadow is also headed into the kitchen with them.
“Pleeeeeease? I promise he’ll stay in his dog bed the whole time.” Patrick rolls his eyes as he squeezes past David to grab his travel mug out of the cabinet and he deftly fills it with hot water from the kettle David had set on when he’d stumbled out of bed for his first cup of coffee. David tries a different tactic while Patrick is securing the lid on his mug.
“It’s good for business! He could be part of the brand. I know Heather said she was looking into making dog treats and people love dogs!” Patrick chuckles and stares down at Kane, who is dutifully sitting at David’s feet, staring up at the houndstooth leash and harness wrapped around David’s hand.
“Oh, is Heather coming by today?” Patrick asks kindly even though he already knows the answer. David’s glare is almost laughable, and Patrick has to fight to keep the polite smile on his face.
“She could be? Please, Patrick? I’ll…I’ll open for the rest of the week!” Patrick considers that notion for a minute while he watches Kane stretch up toward David’s hand holding the leash, his small paws swooping through the air trying to knock the leash down to his level.
“So tomorrow then seeing as it’s Saturday?” David huffs and Kane flops to the floor dramatically as if he can sense David needs him to for effect. Patrick grins at them both. “Fine, David. Just for today.” David claps his hands together and kisses Patrick on the cheek before bending down to hook Kane’s leash onto his harness.
“Kane, you’re going to work with Daddy and Papa!” Kane barks in response to describe the unparalleled joy he is feeling but it’s nothing like what Patrick feels hearing that sentence come out of David’s mouth. They’ve talked about the kid thing and he knows now isn’t a good time to revisit it as they haven’t even been married that long, but seeing David interact and care for Kane has certainly given Patrick ideas. He’s not exactly ready to express those ideas to David yet but it’s not something he feels badly about not bringing up. As he told David months and months ago now, he’s happy with the life he is building with David and unless David has a dramatic change of heart, he’s more than happy to just be Papa to the very cute westie puppy who is currently gnawing on the driver’s side armrest of his car.
When they get to the store, David drops the aforementioned wicker basket dog bed that Kane favors at home near the register in view of the door and he points Kane toward it. Kane happily dives into the bed and burrows into the downy red pillow inside before curling up to go to sleep.
“See, he loves being here.” David tells Patrick, who rolls his eyes again but goes about his opening duties all the same. Kane does stay quiet in his basket until their first customer comes in and David steps out from behind the register to help them. Patrick takes David’s spot and he watches as Kane wakes up, notices David’s absence, and then follows the sound of his voice out onto the floor. Patrick starts to call him back, but the woman David is helping cries out happily when Kane plants himself firmly next to David. David smiles down at him like a proud father and even lets the woman pet Kane, who shamelessly rolls onto his stomach for a belly rub. The rest of the day follows much of the same pattern, with Kane following David around the store and charming all the customers. Patrick can’t help but notice they are making about 25% more sales than they would on a normal Saturday, but he chalks that up to David’s perky attitude because he got his way and not the inclusion of a live store mascot.
From then on, Kane becomes somewhat of a fixture at the store, especially when David is there by himself for the day. Patrick sort of likes the idea of Kane keeping David company while he’s having a day off or doing vendor runs and he often tells Kane to be a good guard dog on his way out the door, much to David’s chagrin. Heather does start making dog treats when they bring Kane with them on their next visit to her farm and he spends the majority of his time there playfully gnawing on the cuffs of her jeans and tilting his head from side to side in wonder at the goats. They start selling an organic dog shampoo and bow tie collars that both do very well despite Patrick never seeing any other dogs in Schitt’s Creek. A few months later, one of their newer textile vendors is so enamored by the Kane that she hand sews them two dozen stuffed westie dog plushies in Kane's likeness. David’s eyes light up when he sees them, and Patrick sticks them in a basket by their small Jocelyn-demanded kid section and neither of them are surprised when they sell out by the end of the day. David laments his foolishness for not putting one aside even as he strokes a hand down the real Kane’s back. When Patrick produces the plushie he secretly bought for David a few nights later, it’s worth the languid kiss that follows the smack to the arm for not telling him.
One winter morning when Kane comes in shivering from the cold, David decides it’s time they invest in some dog sweaters. Obviously just any old dog sweater won’t do because Kane has to live up to both his first and last name when it comes to style. David buys him a thick cashmere sweater in black, of course, and when he snaps a picture of Kane in it and texts it to Alexis, a lovely grey and white doggy cardigan arrives two days later with a familiar tag from a dog boutique in Manhattan near where David’s gallery had been. Stevie buys Kane a hideous fuzzy red sweater just so she can laugh at David’s reaction while Kane attempts to launch himself into her arms so she can put it on him. David ends up reluctantly keeping it only because Kane whines when he tries to take it off him, but he comprises by only putting it on him when it’s very dark outside.
Patrick, for his part, buys Kane a very sensible yellow rain poncho and booties for the occasional rain and snow they get but the really winner is when he manages to get his hands on a similar print to David’s eye sweater and he has the textile vendor who made the Kane plushies make a sweater for Kane to match David’s. Even though he does it as a joke, when he presents it to David, he immediately goes to change into his version of the sweater before tugging Kane’s matching one on and Patrick’s heart does a somersault watching both his boys cuddled together on the couch in their matching sweater before joining them.
Kane loves wearing all his sweaters, but he especially loves wearing them while playing in the snow with Patrick. David is sure to dress him in the ugly red one in the snow so they don’t accidentally lose him, but he sticks close to Patrick anyway, barking at him as he tries to latch onto his heels through his snow boots as Patrick pretends to run away from him. David watches them for a good hour, settled in with a mug of cocoa on their screened in porch as Patrick wrestles with Kane in the snow. Patrick attempts a snow angel and Kane helps by sitting on his chest and licking his face and Patrick’s bright peal of laughter is one of the best sounds David has ever heard in his life.
Their first Christmas spent with Kane is a quiet affair for just the three of them on Christmas Day. The Roses and Brewers wouldn't be descending on the cottage until the coming weekend so they have plenty of family time to indulge in. After their breakfast of cinnamon rolls and bacon has been demolished and David pours them large mugs of spiked Irish coffee, Patrick unleashes Kane on the presents he has set out for him under the tree. Kane’s little tail is wagging so fast, his whole body is moving with it and Patrick kneels down next to him to help him tear at the paper of the first package to reveal a chew bone that’s bigger than he is. Kane drags the bone across the floor and then proceeds to try and bury it underneath David on the couch. David scoops Kane up in his arms and carries him back to his little pile of gifts so they can unwrap the two new turtleneck sweaters he bought him, one black with a monogramed “K” on the back, and one in a light blue that reminded David of one of Patrick’s favorite sweaters.
Kane’s final present is his first big boy collar in a buttery black leather with a simple silver ID tag engraved with his name on the front and their address and cell phones on the back. Kane sniffs along the collar as David gently fastens it around his neck with a smile. It’s still a little too big for him and it hangs on his neck just a bit but he seems thrilled with his new accessory. David can’t help but feel a pang of sadness when he notes his floppy ears are now pointed straight up like an adult westie and when he goes to try and lay under the couch, he’s too big to fit under there anymore. Instead, Kane falls asleep in the pile of wrapping paper from his presents while David and Patrick exchange gifts and kisses while cuddled up under the tree.
Right around Kane’s first birthday in the spring, they start making a point to go on walks as a family. David and Patrick lace their fingers together and David holds Kane’s leash as the walk along the side of the road to make a loop around town. Kane has graduated from the harness to his big boy collar and he seems proud to show it off to each person they meet on their walks. They stop at the motel first when Stevie is in town and she often joins them on David’s other side, her arm looped around David’s as they walk with Kane around town. Everyone in town knows Kane by name and he gets treats and pets from many of the townies as they pass by. The café is always a stop on their walks because Twyla keeps a small dish of fresh water for Kane and the other dogs (whom Patrick has still yet to see) out on their walks. Twyla almost always comes out to give Kane whatever leftover bits of veggies or ground beef she has as a treat and Kane now recognizes the sound of her voice means food and his little shimmy back and forth reminds Patrick so much of David when he gets excited over food that he has to tell David the resemblance. David acts insulted until Twyla hands him a to-go box of his favorite curry poutine and then David has to stop himself mid shimmy to glare at Patrick. Patrick picks Kane up and David is no match for the double puppy dog eyes, so he relents and lets Patrick carry Kane the whole way home even though it’s supposed to be a walk.
Although Kane is a very spoiled and very content puppy, he gets out of the house and runs off a total of two times. The first is during a major thunderstorm. David is traveling with Stevie to open up a new motel in upstate New York because a couple with a store similar to their own close to the new motel reached out for a meeting. It’s the second night David is gone and a large thunderstorm rolls in, making the night seem that much darker. Thunder rumbles and lightning cracks across the sky and Kane whimpers in his dog bed so badly that Patrick picks him up and brings him to their bed to sleep. Kane curls up on David’s empty pillow and Patrick thinks that’s the end of it until he wakes to find the pillow empty and the locked doggie door broken and laying in pieces on the floor. Adrenaline and panic fill Patrick as he throws on his rain jacket, grabs a flashlight, and heads out into the storm to find their frightened dog. Fortunately for them, Ronnie, of all people had been responding to a call about downed tree branches near power lines at one of her work sites and had seen Kane running past. Kane came when she called him and she immediately texted Patrick to tell him he was safe with her. When Patrick comes to pick Kane up, he is dry and eating a bowl full of ground turkey and rice and Ronnie gently scratches him behind the ear while giving Patrick an earful about being an irresponsible pet owner.
The second time Kane runs off is when they’re spending a rare day off getting the nursery ready for the baby. Patrick and David have been painting and installing shelves all morning and the unfamiliar sound of power tools coupled with David and Patrick being distracted when they return with their lunchtime takeout results in a slightly open front door and no Kane. David, who only heard about the thunderstorm scare in passing, is a wreck. David laments not paying attention to Kane more between the baby books and the meetings with their surrogate and Alexis’s constant phone calls asking them if they’ve chosen a name yet and now Kane has surely left them because he feels neglected. Patrick wraps David up in a quick hug even as they head out to the car to drive around and look for their missing dog. Patrick drives while David calls for Kane, promising him new bones and a trip to the fancy dog park in Elm Grove and anything else he can think of to convince him to come home.
After an hour of fruitless searching and no sign of Kane, they return home feeling defeated and heartbroken. Patrick convinces David to go take a nap to calm his nerves while Patrick makes a few phone calls to let people know to be on the lookout when the sound of barking and David’s laughter filters down from upstairs. Patrick heads up the stairs and follows the sounds into the nursery to find Kane jumping up on David from inside the crib they’d just finished building. When they check the outdoor security cameras later on that evening, they both see Kane let himself out through the front door, went potty, and followed a squirrel around for a few minutes. Both David and Patrick had just missed him when he slipped back inside the house for a nap in the crib. But even still, after that, David spends a few nights with Kane alone in the nursery, pointing out different elements and telling him in hushed tones about his new baby sister. When the nursery is complete and has a wide-eyed baby girl as an occupant, Kane can be found most nights asleep in front of her crib, playing the part of big brother and guard dog as best he knows how.
“Bella, you can’t blame Kane for this one.” Patrick says, trying to hide his amusement. Both Bella and Kane are completely covered in mud from head to toe and David was so distraught at the sight of them, Patrick has been deployed as official interceder. Bella looks down at the ground and drags one mud covered sneaker through the dirt while Kane pants cheerfully by her side. The pretty french braid David had plaited her hair into that morning and the new denim shirtdress her Aunt Stevie had gotten for her are both soaked through with mud and Kane’s collar is caked with it so thickly, Patrick couldn’t make out the writing on his ID tag if he tried. Patrick raises an eyebrow at them both and Bella sighs in defeat.
“But Papa, he started it!” Bella whines, her large blue eyes going wide and frantic like they do the rare times she gets into trouble. Even at three, Bella’s fiery independence can often lend itself to big messes, much like her current muddy state and her subsequent failure to blame it all on her faithful canine companion. Kane, helpful as ever, licks at her muddy hand and no, that won’t do. Patrick carefully scoops Bella up into his arms, mindful of any dripping mud and calls for Kane to follow as they head inside to clean up. David is standing by the window in the kitchen and he pretends like he’s been busy chopping up fruit for lunch, but Patrick knows he’s been keeping an eye on them.
“Kane, where’s Daddy?” Patrick asks the dog, making his tone as excited as possible and David’s eyes go wide as Kane barks and runs across the kitchen, leaving muddy paw prints in his wake. David shouts and grabs the excited dog before he can jump up on him and gently plops him into the sink while Bella giggles.
“Papa I want to take my bath in the sink like Kane!” Bella says as David huffs, using the hose from the sink to rinse the mud out of Kane’s fur. Patrick makes a pit stop to grab the dog shampoo for David. He sets it down to the counter and Bella leans in kiss David on the cheek and Kane barks a warning at her with no real heat. David tries to bite his smile down and Patrick doesn’t have the heart to tell him about the small, muddy handprint on his shoulder when she pulls away.
Kane is overjoyed when Alexander is born and he gets a new baby to watch over, but Alexander is so much like David in both looks and attitude that it takes a little longer for him to warm up to the idea of a dog. His panicky toddler shouts of “No Kay, no Kay!” can be heard throughout the house as Kane jumps up on him and licks at his face, eager to be best friends with the little boy. The only time Alexander doesn’t protest Kane’s presence is when he inevitably falls asleep in his playpen in the afternoons and Kane manages to climb inside to nap with him. It’s so endearing that David doesn’t have the heart to move either of them and half the pictures on his phone any given day are pictures of Kane and Alexander curled up together in the playpen.
What finally wins Alexander over, however, is Kane’s ability to eat whatever is placed in front of him. One night, Patrick makes honey mustard chicken and roasted broccoli for dinner and Alexander fusses when David sticks one piece of broccoli onto the tray table of his highchair along with a pile of cut up chicken and a bowl full of his favorite apricot applesauce.
“No, Daddy.” Alexander says with a pout as he crosses his arms. Patrick watches fondly as David rolls his eyes in response. It’s moments like these where Patrick sees double that he can’t imagine a life without a fussy little carbon copy of his husband to love.
“Yes, Xander, you can try it. Papa made is yummy with the good olive oil.” David demonstrates by eating a hearty bite of broccoli off his own plate and Alexander eyes him dubiously even as his little fingers pick up the piece of broccoli to examine it. As he holds it up, Kane darts out from under the table where he was laying at David’s feet and comes to sit right next to Alexander’s highchair, eyes fixed on the piece of broccoli. Alexander smiles down at the dog and tosses the broccoli onto the floor. Before anyone can react, Kane snaps it up in one bite, tongue darting out to chase the flavor of the broccoli even after it’s gone. Alexander claps his hands in delight and Bella follows suit and both David and Patrick try and fail to hold back their laughter too.
The anniversary of the day they brought Kane home is rainy and neither David nor Patrick remember the significance of the day because David insisted on celebrating the birthday on Kane’s papers rather than the “gotcha day” because David never did get the dog vomit completely out of his sweater. David and Patrick are curled up together in bed, still groggy from sleep, when their quiet whispers draw Kane out of his doggy bed and up on theirs. Kane wedges himself in between them, barking at them both when they make exaggerated kissy noises just above him as their lips meet in kiss after kiss. When they finally acknowledge Kane’s presence, he is so ecstatic that he nearly headbutts Patrick in his pressing need to give them both kisses in return. Eventually, Patrick sneaks away to grab David and himself coffee and some of the muffins and the organic peanut butter dog treats they’d got at the county farmers market the day before. Patrick brings his rations back to the bed and they spend the entire morning in bed as a family, watching true crime documentaries on Netflix and making plans for the store for the summer months. Kane is still tucked between them, nestled into curve of David’s stomach, and he is so content, he doesn’t even growl when Patrick leans in to give David a proper kiss on the lips.