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“Please tell me this is the final stop,” Bret groaned as they entered yet another clothing store.
“Oh, stop being such a grinch,” Shawn tsked as he marched on a mission towards the Christmas section. “You’ve been frowning all day. Smile a little. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”
Bret cracked a smile as he followed his husband, clarifying, “I’m not trying to be a grinch, babe. I’m just tired as hell.”
Bret had flown in from New York the night before after finishing up a show with the WWF. He’d planned on sleeping in that morning, but those plans were scrapped when Shawn whisked him away to run errands with him early that morning. Morning transition to night as they spent most of the day store hopping, buying various Christmas decorations that Shawn waited to get until Bret was home to help him decorate.
They’d also been on the hunt for Christmas outfits for their annual Christmas card. Or rather, Shawn was on the hunt for the perfect outfit. Bret would have been satisfied with just wearing flannel shirts and jeans for their photos, to which Shawn expressed great horror at such a suggestion.
Shawn paused from digging through the clothing rack as he turned towards Bret, noting the dark bags under his eyes. “Aww,” he pouted, pecking Bret quickly on the lips. “I’m sorry, honey. I know you’re tired. I promise this is the last store. As soon as I find what we need, we’re out of here. Ok?”
Bret wasn’t so sure about that since he’d heard Shawn say that same sentence a few stores ago, but he still nodded along like the good husband he was.
Shawn did feel a little bad. He didn’t know their Christmas run would turn into a whole day’s affair. But time flies when you’re having fun, and Shawn always enjoyed spending time with Bret.
Fortunately, they weren’t in the store much longer, Shawn letting out a triumphant “Ah ha!” after finding a cute set of matching reindeer Christmas pajamas and red Santa hats.
Shawn’s content smile and the kiss Bret received as they headed out the store was well-worth the sleep deprivation.
As they were putting their bags in the car, the couple halted after hearing what sounded like a soft whimper. Shawn said in a hushed whisper, “Did you hear that?”
Both men quieted in their focus, this time the whimper seeming louder as the sound carried from under their car. Shawn looked at Bret quizzically before crouching down, gasping loudly as his eyes landed on a seven-week-old Siberian husky. Its fur was white and light brown, and it had piercing blue eyes.
“Oh, my god! Bret, it’s a puppy! Come here little guy,” Shawn said sweetly.
Not believing what he was hearing, Bret crouched beside Shawn before his eyes landed on the puppy in question. It was one of the prettiest dogs they’d ever seen, and they could only wonder how something so cute could end up stranded under their car.
After some persuading, the whining dog eventually inched its way out from under the car towards Shawn’s encouraging voice. Shawn brought the dog to his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around the puppy as he blocked her shivering body from the cold Calgary air.
He cooed, “It’s ok, baby. Don’t be scared.” After a closer look, Shawn said to Bret, “It’s a girl. Oh my god, she’s so fucking cute, Bret. Look at her.”
Shawn shifted closer to Bret so he could get a better look, and the older man’s heart nearly melted away at those puppy dog eyes.
At that point in their marriage, they’d decided they didn’t want kids. They had plenty enough nieces and nephews to fill that void. But owning a pet had never crossed their minds.
Raising a pet was much like raising a child, and it would be a huge responsibility. But the thought of Shawn having the animal’s comfort while he was away made Bret entertain the idea.
Bret smiled tenderly as he lightly pet atop the puppy’s head. “Hey, pretty girl. What are you doing out here all alone?”
The puppy licked at Bret’s hand causing the couple to snicker. Shawn squealed, “She’s so precious, Bret. Can we keep her?”
Bret knew the question was coming as he’d had the same thought, but he didn’t want to get their hopes up. A dog as pretty as her was sure to have an owner. “What if she belongs to someone else?”
Shawn frowned, “But she doesn’t have a collar.”
“Someone could still be looking for her.”
Shawn hugged the dog closer, sighing, “I know. But I love her so much already. Can we at least keep her for the night?”
It was getting late and the nearest vet was likely closed. And with Bret receiving two sets of puppy dog eyes from the dog and Shawn, who was he to say no?
So they made a quick stop to pick up some puppy food before heading home to give the dog a nice bath and lots of cuddles.
They went to the vet first thing in the morning. Due to the dog not having a collar, no microchip, and there not being any recent call-ins for a lost puppy, the couple was given the option to either turn the puppy over to animal services or adopt her themselves.
Bret and Shawn exchanged a look, no words needing to be said to know they were bringing her home. After scheduling to come back for her shots and microchip insertion, the couple headed off with their fur baby – Belle Hart.
As they pulled into the parking lot of a pet store, Shawn said with a mischievous grin, “You know what this means, right?”
Bret raised a brow at Shawn, a bit afraid of what he was thinking. “No?”
Shawn chuckled as he patted Belle in his lap. “Don’t look so scared. We need to get her an outfit for the Christmas card. What better way to introduce her to our friends and family?”
“Good thinking,” Bret said, pecking Shawn and rubbing comfortingly along Belle’s back.
Thankfully, shopping for Belle was a lot simpler than shopping for themselves, and Shawn had quickly found an adorable tiny Santa hat and a puppy onesies that was perfect for their family photo.
A few days later, Bret’s photographer friend came to their house to take pictures for their Christmas card. It was quite the photoshoot, a bit chaotic if you will, with their overly hyper, but happy puppy running around.
Some of the photos were blurry because it was hard to get Belle to sit still for longer than a second. There were also a few funny photos where Belle was caught peeing on their Christmas tree, and another where she was nipping at the presents underneath said tree.
After about 45 minutes, they’d finally taken a decent picture that was Christmas card worthy. Bret and Shawn were sitting in front of their Christmas tree, smiling widely as they held Belle between them, the puppy having a dopey smile of her own with her tongue hanging out.
The card read:
Jingle Belle!
Merry Christmas and Happy PAWlidays from the Harts.
Love,
Shawn, Belle & Bret.
Their phone rang off the hook as their friends and family began receiving their cards.
Hunter: “Whose dog did you steal?”
Kevin: “Aww! Shawn, she has your eyes.”
Owen: “I can’t believe I’m an uncle!” Bret mumbled, “Owen, you were already an uncle before Belle.” “Shhh! Don’t ruin this for me, Bret!”
The rest of the holidays were spent with multiple visitors gathering at Bret and Shawn’s house, ogling over their new addition to the family.