This is the longest chapter I've ever written. I hope you all enjoy!
July 31st, 2031
She was being shaken awake, a deep voice calling out her name and telling her to 'wake up baby'. Her whiskey eyes fluttered open and landed on her Daddy who was sitting on the edge of her bed with a big smile on his face. Roxanne rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up.
"Happy birthday, Roxy doll," he said quietly as he ruffled her bed-head. She smiled as she remembered it was the day she was finally turning ten years old. Now she was in the double digits and could officially say she had been alive for a decade.
Roxy hugged Finn tightly and he kissed the top of her head before she removed herself from the embrace.
"I have a surprise for you," Finn whispered lowly, dipping his head lower to get on Roxy's level.
"Is it a car?" she whispered back with enthusiasm. Finn rolled his eyes.
"I can't tell you what it is otherwise it won't be a surprise right? But I can tell you it's not a car."
Roxy scrunched her face in disappointment as Finn chuckled. She had been asking for a car every year for her birthday since she was five years old. The surprise may not be a car this year but it was definitely something Roxy had wanted for a while now. Rachel wouldn't like it but she'd get over it after a while. Right now, Finn just needed to get Roxy out of the house.
"You need to get dressed so I can take you to your surprise. Come on," he stood up and lifted her out of the bed. Eager for her birthday surprise, Roxy quickly got dressed and met Finn in the kitchen. When she walked in she found Finn staring at his youngest son lying asleep on the breakfast nook table, his face and hands covered in peanut butter and chocolate.
"Did Ian sleep eat again?" Roxy asked, looking up at Finn.
"Looks like it. Maybe we should put locks on the cabinets until he stops…" Finn mused to himself. Finn picked the boy up off the table and carried him back into his bedroom making sure to clean off his face and hands before Rachel could find him back in bed a mess. He cleaned off the table and put the peanut butter and chocolate syrup away while Roxy ate breakfast then left Rachel a note saying he and Roxy would be back in a few hours.
They exited their air conditioned building and immediately felt the need to jump into a shower. It was only 8:30 yet it was 80 degrees already and very humid. By the time they got to the car parked a street away Finn had pit stains and Roxy's bangs were matted to her forehead.
Roxanne was giddy with excitement at what her surprise could be. She already had a bike so she knew it wasn't that. Maybe they were going to Disney World? But everyone else would come to. Or perhaps he was taking her to see a concert! But it was too early in the day for that. She kept guessing but Finn's poker face was too good. He betrayed nothing as Roxy rattled off suggestions at a mile a minute.
When they got to the Brooklyn Bridge, Roxy was really confused as to why they were there. She didn't know anyone in Brooklyn and everything she knew of to be fun was in Manhattan. What did her Daddy have up his sleeve?
They drove a few miles down suburban streets that didn't seem like they'd contain any kind of surprise Roxy would want. She repeatedly asked Finn what her surprise was but he just told her the same thing over and over, that he wasn't going to tell her.
After a few more painfully long minutes, Finn and Roxy were walking up to a very nice and rather large house and ringing the doorbell. Roxy could hear multiple loud barks coming from inside and as the red door opened behind the glass door, two very large Great Danes stood around the legs of the small woman trying to keep them at bay.
"Would you get back already?" the woman yelled out as she nudged the animals away from the glass which was now covered in slobber and opened the door for Finn and Roxy to enter. Once they were inside, she closed the red door and shooed away the dogs that had begun sniffing Finn and Roxy intently. They were so big, they practically stared Roxy right in the face and she giggled when the bigger dog started licking her cheek.
When the animals left the living room, the woman motioned for Finn and Roxy to sit. Roxanne was still quite confused as to what her surprise was.
"Sorry about that. They get very excitable whenever we have company," the woman explained. "So, you must be Manny's friend Finn. I'm his wife Violet. It's nice to meet you." She stuck her hand out and shook Finn's hand. "Which must mean that you're the birthday girl, Roxanne right?"
"Yep! I'm ten today!" she exclaimed proudly, smiling between Violet and Finn. "Daddy, what's my surprise?"
"You know Mr. Rodriguez the math teacher?" he asked looking at his daughter who was waiting for him to get to the point. "Well, this is his house and he and his wife breed dogs." Roxy's eyes lit up and her mouth fell open wide as Finn's words sank in.
"I'm getting a dog?" she squealed standing up from the couch and jumping up and down. She flung herself at Finn, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "Thank you Daddy, thank you!" She peeled herself off Finn and looked around wondering where her dog was.
"Yes, I'm getting you a dog, but you can't tell Mom yet. It has to be our secret for right now." Finn had brought up the idea about a month ago to get Roxy a dog for her birthday but Rachel had almost immediately rejected it. She said between work, raising four kids and being married to a man who acted like a fifth child sometimes, they just couldn't handle a dog right now. Finn wanted to keep his title as Best Daddy Ever though so he ignored Rachel's no and decided to get Roxy one anyway. When Finn found out Manny bred Great Danes with his wife, he couldn't pass up the opportunity.
"What kind of dog am I getting?" Roxy asked, itching to know every detail about her new best friend. Finn looked at Violet.
"Come with me and you can see which puppy you want." Violet stood, as did Finn, and led them down a hallway that ended in a screen door. In the fenced in backyard beyond that, Roxy could see about eight Great Dane puppies frolicking around in the grass, playing with each other. Violet led them outside and all the puppies bounded over to the newcomers.
"Daddy, they're all so cute!" Roxy cried out as they circled her legs and jumped up on her, wagging their tails. She pet all their heads and laughed as they tried licking her and sniffing her. Finn knelt down and started petting them himself as they sniffed at him as well.
"Hey!" Finn yelped as he felt a nose in his butt crack then a head pushing forward directly under his groin. One of the bigger puppies in the group's head started poking out between his legs, looking up at him, tongue lolling out to the side. The dog looked quite goofy as he rubbed himself against Finn, his tail beating hard against Finn's butt.
Finn stood up and looked down at the light brown dog with the black face. He jumped up on him and pawed his thighs before barking loudly at him then jumping down and spinning in a circle. He barked again as Roxy giggled at him.
"Daddy, I think he likes you," she said reaching out to pet him. As she stroked his head between his pointy ears, his eyes closed and he got real low to the ground before rolling over and exposing his belly for Roxy to rub. As she pet his belly and under his neck, he licked her hand and beat his tail against her leg. "I want him."
"Are you sure? There're a lot of other puppies." Finn wanted Roxy to be sure before he brought the dog home as it would make it harder for Rachel to deny her the animal if they had already bonded.
"They're all really cute and playful but I like him. He has a cool personality and he likes you too." She continued petting his belly and he shook his butt back and forth while he made what Finn assumed were happy noises as he looked like he was in heaven. When Roxy stopped petting him and stood up straight again, he rolled back onto his stomach and stood up. He walked over to Finn and tried to get him to start petting him by nudging his hand with his nose.
"How old are they?" Finn asked as Violet led them back inside, carrying the puppy Roxy had chosen in her arms.
"Well, these eight are all ten weeks now. They've all had their shots and are very healthy. Miraculously out of the 16 pups Maggie had, we only lost one. The rest were all great right from the start."
Finn looked impressed. "Your dog had 16 puppies at once? That's insane."
"That's actually rather normal. What's insane is that we found good homes for eight of them in only a week, well, nine if you include this guy," she said as she bounced the pup in her arms. He licked her face appreciatively.
While Finn and Violet handled the paperwork involved in buying an animal, Roxy played with her new puppy. He was the most adorable thing she had ever seen and made her laugh so easily. He liked to chase his tail and play tug of war with the dog toy Roxy had found on the floor of the living room and he liked to tackle Roxy and lick her face when she started using her baby talk voice to tell him how cute he was.
When everything was taken care of and Violet had given them tips for training and good dog food brands and great vets in the area, etc, Finn and Roxy thanked her and left the house with their new family member in tow.
"So have you thought of a name for him yet? Maybe Killer or Bandit or Tank?" Finn offered as they walked back to their car. Roxy just shook her head.
"No, no, I already named him. His name is Goober."
Finn drew his eyebrows together and looked at her a little disbelievingly. "Goober?"
"Uh huh. He's so goofy and awkward. He's a like a goober so I named him that."
It wouldn't have been Finn's first choice but he was Roxy's dog. "Well we'll have to stop by the pet store on the way to Uncle Kurt's to get him a name tag."
Now Roxy was confused. "Why do we have to go to Uncle Kurt's? I want to take him home and show him to the boys. They're gonna love him!"
Finn chuckled. "I bet they will but see, Mommy is at home and Goober is supposed to be our little secret for right now, remember? We need to take Goober to Uncle Kurt's so that he can watch him while we prepare Mom for him so she doesn't make me sleep on the couch for a month."
Roxy shook her head in understanding. "Will Mom make me get rid of him if she doesn't like him?" she asked with a twinge of sadness in her voice.
"I will do my best to make sure Mom doesn't try to get rid of him. He's part of the family now. It would be like if we tried to give away Ian or something."
"I'd rather give away Ian than Goober," Roxy replied. "At least Goober doesn't pull my hair and pick his nose and wipe it on me."
Finn snorted and pulled Roxy against his side as they walked down the street. They were coming up on another dog and Goober strained on the leash as he started barking excitedly at the passing Schnauzer. He wanted to play with it but the Schnauzer wanted nothing to do with him. It yapped at him as it pulled away from him and Goober looked saddened by the whole interaction. He turned his head to face his new owners.
"It's okay Goober, we'll find you a friend to play with," Finn assured the pup who turned back around and kept walking until he saw a squirrel and tried to run after it before starting to choke himself on his collar. Roxy had to use much of her strength to keep him from bounding after the squirrel and nearly lost hold on the leash. Finn took it from her realizing that he was probably going to be the only one in the house capable of walking this dog as it grew. He groaned at the thought of having to walk him in the middle of the winter.
It had been a real task getting Goober back to Kurt's as he wanted to sniff and play with everyone he came across. He had never been outside of Manny's backyard and house before so everything was new to him and it was all very thrilling. Luckily, Goober had relieved himself before they put him in the backseat of the car so Finn wasn't worried about the interior so much. The whole drive back to the Upper East Side where Kurt lived Goober had his head out the window, tongue lolling to the side. His lips blew back in the wind when they were able to pick up some speed and he barked at pedestrians and other animals he saw. As they passed by a cop on a horse, he really went nuts. Finn wasn't too happy that there was slobber all over his previously clean windows. When they arrived at Kurt's he was less than thrilled to see them.
"You said you were buying a dog, not a miniature pony!" Kurt said as Goober bounded into the living room and knocked him back onto the armchair. He stood on his chest and licked his face. "You mongrel, get off me!" Kurt shoved the dog off his body and immediately began complaining about needing to shower again and having to take care of the monstrosity.
"Kurt, it's just for a few hours. You can bring him back when you come over for the party later. I just need him out of the house for a few hours so Rachel doesn't find out yet."
Kurt stared at his brother judgingly. "You mean you still didn't tell her that you were buying a dog?"
Just then Kurt's own daughter burst out of her bedroom. "Oh my gosh! It's a puppy!" Ella squealed as she spotted Goober. She skipped over to him and he instantly took a liking to her as well.
"His name is Goober. My Dad got him for me for my birthday," Roxy explained to her little cousin.
"He's so cute!" the three year old crowed. She turned to her father. "Daddy, I want a puppy too!"
Kurt laughed without humor. "I don't think so sweetie. You have a brother. We don't need any more animals in this house."
Finn couldn't help but laugh at Kurt's words. His nephew Bartholomew, he still thought it was a strange name three years later, was quite a handful. Though Kurt and Blaine had never done any DNA testing to see which kid was genetically theirs, they still knew that Bartie had to be Blaine's. He had a penchant for destroying everything in sight and climbing on the furniture and screaming like a mad person for absolutely no reason other than he wanted to. Not to mention he had Blaine's unruly curls and his eyes.
As for Ella, she was the picture of perfection. She listened to both her fathers and did as was told all while wearing, and keeping clean, the designer toddler wear Kurt created specifically for his children. She was prim and proper and basically Kurt as an actual girl even though she looked nothing like him. Ella looked like her mother, or at least that's what they assumed since she didn't look like Kurt or Blaine.
"But Daddy, I want a puppy," Ella whined.
"And I want Uncle Finn to stop wearing plaid but some things will just never happen, my dear."
Ella pouted at her father's words until Goober started licking her face at which she began giggling. Roxy, Ella and Goober all sat on the floor playing, until Goober began barking and ran off in the direction of the hallway.
"Goober, come back!" Ella cried as she chased after the dog. Roxy followed behind her.
"Rachel is going to kill you," Kurt stated as he walked down the hall after the kids to make sure Goober didn't decide to start humping his daughter's leg or chew on any of his Dolce & Gabbana boots. "And if that dog ruins anything in this house while he is here, I will resurrect you then kill you myself!" Kurt continued on after the kids.
"Uncle Finn!" Bartie roared as he exited the bathroom completely naked and dripping wet. He ran at Finn and hugged his leg tightly.
"Hey buddy, where are your clothes?" he replied awkwardly. Finn was used to naked children running around as for some reason his own brood, minus Roxy, hated wearing clothes but that didn't mean he wanted his nephew's junk pressing into his bare shin. Also, now his leg was wet.
"Pop has them," Bartie said as he pulled away from Finn's leg. "Dad says I got wear a tie. I don' wanna." Bartie scrunched his face and crossed his chubby arms over his chest.
"Sorry dude, but I can't help you there. What Dad says goes." Finn ruffled his wet hair and led him back toward the bathroom. He wasn't going to argue with Kurt about what his children could and couldn't wear to Roxy's party. Kurt was already pissed at him and Rachel was bound to join him when she found out about how he went behind her back to get Goober. Finn had enough to deal with.
"Bart, you have got to stop running around the house naked. Your Dad will throw a hissy fit if he sees…oh hey Finn," Blaine said as he finally realized Finn was at his home. "Did you get the dog?"
Bartie's face lit up. "You got a dog?"
"Roxy got a dog for her birthday. He's spending the day here." Bartie started screaming at Finn's words, as he bounded down the hall to look for the animal.
"I wanna see 'im!" he yelled as he searched for the dog.
"Bartholomew! Get back here and get dressed!" Blaine yelled after him uselessly. The kid didn't care that he was running around naked; he just wanted to play with the dog.
They could tell Bartie found Goober when they could hear loud barks and girlish screams. Moments later Goober came bounding around the corner, naked boy screaming following after and two girls with pillows chasing the naked boy and one Kurt furiously brandishing a pair of underwear and yelling at his son to learn some modesty bringing up the rear.
Finn and Blaine stood in the hall watching it all happen with amusement.
"Welp, this has been fun, but I should really get Roxy home. Good luck with getting the kid dressed and keeping Kurt from strangling anyone. I'll see you at the party later with Goober." Finn clapped Blaine on the back in goodbye and walked back toward the front door. "Roxanne, come on, we're leaving!"
"Ohoho, no you don't!" Kurt exclaimed as Finn came into sight. "You are not leaving this…thing here." He pointed at Goober who cocked his head at him. "He's been here for ten minutes and is already causing more trouble than I care to deal with. I need to get my son dressed and finish wrapping Roxanne's present and I have to get myself ready. I can't be looking after this beast."
Blaine, carrying Bartie's clothes walked into the room and over to Kurt. "Finn, don't worry. Get home, we'll take care of him."
"Uh, no we won't." Kurt stared severely at his husband before Blaine kissed him on the cheek.
"I will take care of the kids and the dog. You go finish wrapping Roxy's present and get ready. Then try to relax." Blaine turned to Finn. "We'll see you later."
Finn and Roxy thanked Blaine and a loathsome Kurt then went directly home. When they arrived everyone else was awake and eating lunch in the kitchen.
"Hi Mom," Roxy said as she walked over to her and gave her a hug.
"Hi baby. Happy birthday!" Rachel kissed her daughter's cheek and motioned for her to sit down. "I made your favorite for lunch today!"
"Chocolate chip pancakes?"
Rachel placed a plate of pancakes in front of her and she immediately dug in. "I even made turkey bacon and sausage since you refuse to see the light and go vegan."
Roxy rolled her eyes. For as long as she could remember Rachel had been trying to get her to turn to a vegan lifestyle. She had never been successful. "Salads are for rabbits Mom. I like meat."
"Mmm…meat," Finn and the boys replied as was customary every time someone in the house said they liked meat to Rachel.
"I cannot believe I bore four carnivores. You animals," she joked before staring Finn down. "This is your fault, you meat-eater."
Finn put his hand to his chest in mock offence. "Well, I'm not the one who tried sneaking into a McDonald's to order an entire cow while pregnant, now am I? I think it's partially your fault too, hypocrite."
"Mommy ate McDonald's?" Zach asked in surprise as she refused to let the family enter that particular establishment.
"Yep. Roxy and I caught her ordering a Big Mac while she was pregnant with you. Then she almost bit my finger off when I tried to sneak a fry. When Mommy eats meat she starts to act like a dog protecting a bone." He jerked his thumb in Rachel's direction only to yelp in pain as she bit down on it hard. "Owah," he complained as he took back his thumb and looked at her in shock.
"Want to criticize me again? I'll bite something else next time," Rachel said shifting her eyes downward. Finn caught her drift and moved in his seat to protect his groin.
"So where did you and Roxy venture off to this morning?" Rachel said, changing the subject.
Finn and Roxy glanced at each other quickly before Finn started a cover story. "We just went for a walk; spent some quality father/daughter time together. Then we went to Kurt's for a bit."
Rachel looked confused. "We're going to see them later. Why'd you go over there?"
"Roxy wanted to visit Bartie and Ella. It's her birthday; she can do what she wants." Finn hoped Rachel would buy it. He wasn't quite ready to break the dog news to her yet. Finn needed witnesses around when she found out about him. Roxy wouldn't be enough as his sons were all mama's boys and would corroborate whatever story Rachel came up with to cover up his murder.
"Okay," Rachel said dropping the subject. She stood up and started clearing Liam and Zach's plates away. "Finn, I have some errands I need to run before Roxy's party so could you please make sure that the boys get in the shower and actually wash. Last time Liam just stood under the water for twenty minutes without actually bathing." She glared at her son who looked away, shame on his face.
"Yeah, no problem," Finn said before yanking the sausage Ian had stuck up his own nose out. "Ya weirdo."
"Ew, he ate it!" Roxy cried out as she watched Ian put the sausage that was in his nose into his mouth. He bit it in half then offered what was left to Finn.
"I'm good buddy. You eat it."
"Finn!" Rachel cried out as she ripped the half piece of sausage from his hand. "That's disgusting. Don't let him eat things that were just up his nose!"
"And let the sausage go to waste? We hardly ever get sausage!" Finn retorted. "I swear it wasn't covered in boogers. I checked."
Rachel huffed. "If you're done eating could you please get the boys started in the shower?"
She noticed his eye roll but chose to ignore it. Rachel had things to do and not much time to do them in. The party was starting at four and it was already around noon.
As Rachel stalked off to get dressed to run her errands, Finn stood up and threw a giggling Ian over his shoulder. "Liam, shower, now. And don't make me have to come in there."
The six year old grumbled but did as he was told. He hated taking showers. The way he saw it, what was the point? He was just going to get dirty again.
"Zach, come with me," Finn said tugging on his pajama collar to pull him off the bench. "Roxanne, could you please put the plates in the sink then you are free to do whatever."
She gave her father the thumbs up and watched him walk off carrying her brothers. Roxy still had a fair amount of pancake left on her plate so she stayed where she was to finish eating her favorite food in peace.
It was a rare moment when Roxanne found herself alone. Between her parents, her brothers, her Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine and Aunt Anjali and Uncle Puck and all their kids and her friends butting into her life, she never seemed to have a quiet moment, even in her own bedroom. Someone was always crying or fighting or banging on drums or singing or whatever. Even her parents made a ton of noise every time they 'wrestled' as her dad called it the one time she walked into their room and found her mom sitting on him backwards with no clothes on. Yeah, she bought that, sure. They 'wrestled' at least four times a week, sometimes twice that or more, and once Rachel had screamed so loud she made Liam think the house was inhabited by a banshee.
The point was, she was alone now and everything was peaceful…until Rachel walked back into the kitchen.
"Roxy, you need to come with me to run errands."
Roxy stared at her mother with a look of distaste. "Why?"
"Because you do. Now come on." Rachel waved her toward the hall.
"But Dad said I could do whatever I wanted. It's my birthday," Roxy whined. It was hot outside and she didn't want to get all sweaty again and she hated running errands with her mom. She always took forever and never let Roxy get anything.
Rachel shrugged. "Fine, then I guess you don't need the birthday present I was going to get you while we were out." Roxy straightened in her seat.
"What kind of present?" she asked with piqued interest.
"The surprise kind. If you don't come with me, you'll never know what it is." Rachel began walking toward the door. Roxy quickly threw the remaining plates in the sink remembering her father's request then followed Rachel.
They made their way down to Rachel's car and once inside Roxy began her questioning.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to Puck and Anjali's."
"Why? I thought I was getting a surprise."
"You are, but we need to go to Puck and Anjali's."
"But they're in Queens!"
"I'm well aware Roxanne."
Roxy wasn't sure what was going on. What kind of surprise could she get at Uncle Puck and Aunt Anjali's house?
"Do we have to go to Uncle Puck and Aunt Anjali's? Isaac always picks on me." Roxy looked out the window annoyed. She couldn't stand that kid. Ever since she could remember he made fun of her for being a girl and he called her ugly and threw things at her. Once he even put gum in her hair and she had to get five inches cut off to get it out. She had retaliated by gripping his balls and twisting which left him in a crying pile of goo on the floor but it didn't reverse the damage. She still felt humiliated.
"We'll only be there for a few minutes. I promise. We're just picking up Anjali. You probably won't even see Isaac."
Roxy sulked in silence for the rest of the drive to Queens. She thought about what the birthday surprise could be. Finn had already bought her a puppy which she thought was a pretty big deal. Eventually they made it to Puck and Anjali's.
"Come on in!" Anjali yelled to them through the screen door when they knocked. They walked in and were instantly greeted by Sasha, Anjali's neurotic Italian Greyhound. The dog shook as it yipped quietly at Rachel and Roxy before scampering away when Roxy tried to pet her.
The poor thing had been a rescue from the animal shelter Anjali liked to volunteer at when she got writer's block. She had been abused badly as a puppy and as a result was afraid of every sudden movement and loud noise. When they first brought her home she wouldn't go near Puck or Isaac and hid in the corner behind the couch only coming out when Anjali was near. Over the year they'd had her so far she had improved a lot and now made Puck her bitch instead of the other way around but she was still terrified of loud noises and being pet by outsiders.
Anjali entered the living room, Isaac right behind her. Roxy groaned and sneered at his presence.
"Happy birthday Roxy!" Anjali said as she pulled her in for a hug. When Anjali released her, Isaac hugged her before she could put her arms out to stop him.
"Yeah, happy birthday loser!" he said as he gave her a hard noogie.
"Oww, stop it!" she whined at him as she shoved him off. Roxy rubbed her head and tried flattening her hair.
Anjali smacked Isaac in the back of the head. "What's wrong with you? Apologize to her!"
"Sorry," he replied sheepishly to the floor.
"Geez, you're just like your father. Go…anywhere else." Anjali shooed him away and Roxy smirked in victory at him as he walked past her to go upstairs. "Are we ready?"
"I am," Roxy said as she stormed back toward the door. She knew she shouldn't have gotten out of the car.
A few minutes later Rachel, Anjali and Scarlett exited the house.
"Hi Scarlett," Roxy said to her favorite member of the Puckerman family. Scarlett was about three years younger than her but they got along really well. She was fun to play karaoke with and hated her brother just as much as Roxy did.
"Hi Roxy. Happy birthday!" she replied as Anjali helped her into the car.
"Thank you."
Scarlett pulled an envelope from the little bag she was carrying. "I made you a card."
Roxy opened it and laughed at the picture inside. It was a scene of Roxy playing baseball with Isaac's head as the ball. "This is the best Scarlett. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Isaac's a stupid head."
"Scarlett," Anjali said in that mother warning tone as she turned around in her seat.
"Sorry Mom." When Anjali turned back around the girls in the backseat smiled at one another devilishly.
Not too long after that Rachel was parking the car and they were walking into a building Roxy had never been in before.
"Mom, where are we?" Roxy asked Rachel.
"We're at the A.S.P.C.A. that Anjali volunteers at. Happy birthday!" Rachel said excitedly, opening her arms widely.
When Roxy didn't display the right amount of enthusiasm or any at all, Rachel explained.
"I'm getting you a dog Roxy!"
"Really?" Roxy was really flabbergasted now. She already had a dog but Rachel didn't know that.
"Uh huh. I know you've wanted a dog for a while and I've been against it because of work and your brothers, yada, yada, yada but I've decided that, you're old enough now that you can handle a dog. Of course I will be there to help when truly needed but I'm expecting you to be responsible and take care of it."
Roxy was still in shock as her mother's words sounded in her ears. "Does Dad know about this?" She didn't think he did due to the morning's events.
"No, I haven't told him yet. He was the one who suggested the dog for you originally but I told him no because I knew he'd want to get a big dog and we can't have a big dog. We need a small dog. Which is why we're here."
Rachel led them further into the building and up to the desk where Anjali was already talking to the woman there.
"So Anjali tells me you're adopting a dog today; are you excited?" the woman behind the desk said.
Roxy felt conflicted. On one hand she already had a dog, a great dog, a dog she already loved and would be heartbroken over if she had to give him away, but she couldn't tell anyone that without getting her dad in trouble. But on the other hand, she could go along with her mom and get a dog here too. Then her dad might be peeved at her mom for going behind his back and getting her a dog as well. Then they'd be mad at each other, but chances were she'd get to keep both dogs.
"I'm so excited!" Roxy announced enthusiastically, making her decision. She wanted two dogs. It wouldn't be her fault that her parents didn't communicate, right?
"Alright, let's go find you a dog." The woman let them around the counter and out to a door which led out to the kennel. When they walked into the kennel, barks echoed around the place as the dogs grew excited over the visitors. "You're looking for a small dog right?"
Rachel shook her head. "Yes, we need a small dog."
Roxy looked at the ground guiltily.
"I've got the perfect dog for you." The woman brought them toward the end of the kennel where some smaller pens were and Roxy nearly died from the adorable. Romping around in the pen was four of the cutest little puppies she had ever seen. "Chiweenies! Chihuahua and Dachshund mix. The mother, the Chihuahua of the parents, was brought in by the owner. She couldn't handle one dog let alone puppies. They're just now old enough to start finding families for them."
"They're so cute!" Roxy crowed as the puppies pawed at the wall of the pen. Their ears were so big on their little heads and they had long bodies just like her Grammy's Dachshund, Prince. "Mom I want all of them!"
"Sweetie, I know they're all cute but you can only have one."
"Mommy, Mommy, I want one!" Scarlett said to her own mother pulling on her hand.
"That's why I brought you Scarlett. You're allowed to pick out one. I don't think Sasha could handle more than that. We'll be lucky if she doesn't stay in the corner forever after we bring another dog home." Anjali examined the puppies. "Can we pick them up?"
"Sure," the woman said.
Roxy put her hand out so the puppies could sniff them. One instantly caught her attention when she did so. The smallest of the four puppies didn't just sniff her hand. It started tugging on her finger with its mouth, whipping its head back and forth. The nip hurt a little but Roxy mostly just found it funny. The ironic part was that the smallest Chiweenie had the biggest ears. They looked like wings instead of ears and as it ran around the pen, it looked like it was about to take off. Roxy picked the pup up and discovered it was a girl. She began yapping at her between licking and beating her little tail against her hand. She flapped her ears and started howling.
"Mom, I want her," Roxy said holding the puppy she'd chose up so Rachel could see her.
"Aw, she's cute. Are you sure you want her?" Roxy shook her head yes. "Okay. Scarlett, which one are you going to get?"
Scarlett had decided on the only male in the group. He had the same dark coloring as the Chiweenie Roxy had picked but his ears were smaller and he had light spots covering his body unlike Roxy's dog. While Rachel and Anjali handled the adoption papers, the girls bonded with their new puppies.
Roxy couldn't believe her luck! She was getting two puppies in one day and they were total opposites of each other. Goober was basically up to her waist already and was only going to get bigger while Tinker, named after Tinker Bell's wings due to the big ears, fit in the palm of her hand and would only grow a few more inches in her lifetime. She only hoped Goober and Tinker would get along.
Once everything was settled, Rachel took Anjali and Scarlett home and decided to wait for them before going back to Manhattan for Roxy's party. When Sasha discovered the new puppy, Rico, as Scarlett named him, she practically keeled over. Sasha hid in her corner but being that Rico was even smaller than her, he followed her in there. She shook as he barked at her and the poor dog ended up so scared she peed on the floor.
When Anjali had to move the couch to clean the spot, she decided that until Sasha got used to Rico, he'd have to stay in the kitchen and dining room while Sasha got the living room. They put Rico and Tinker in the kitchen and they eagerly played with one another while everyone got ready.
Unfortunately, Isaac was the first one to finish getting ready which meant he had until they left to torture Roxy.
She sat on the couch alone channel surfing when Isaac plopped down next to her. "S'up?" he asked, ripping the pillow she was leaning on out from under her arm causing her to fall into his lap. Roxy quickly scrambled to right herself. She didn't need her head anywhere near his junk.
"Don't you have anything better to do than bug me? I have enough boys at home for that." She glared at him.
"Nope. I'm all yours today." He cocked his eyebrow at her. Roxy rolled her eyes at him before turning back to the screen.
"So you got a dog, huh? Is it as ugly as my sisters?"
"Tinker is not ugly! She's adorable and I love her." Roxy crossed her arms over her chest and tried to ignore Isaac. His proximity however was preventing that. "Why are you sitting so close to me?"
"Because I know it annoys you." Roxy scooted over on the couch which did absolutely nothing as Isaac just moved over too.
"Why must you bother me? Bother your own sisters!"
"I do. It's just extra fun to bother you because I don't get to every day." He stared unblinking at Roxy's face. She felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.
"I will twist your balls again!" she threatened as she turned her head to face him. They were so close their noses touched. They could feel each other's breath on their lips. Isaac could see the flecks of gold in Roxy's irises and she could see his pupils dilate. Roxy and Isaac stayed like that for a few very long seconds until Isaac made the first move. He tilted his head to the right ever so slightly and slowly closed the tiny gap between their lips.
Roxy's eyes closed as she let the unfamiliar sensation she was experiencing wash over her. Isaac's lips pressed against hers seemed to be sending electricity through her. Her heart was beating faster and she could hear it in her ears. Then she felt Isaac's hand rest on hers.
"What'reyadoing?" a rushed voice called out from in front of them. Isaac and Roxy immediately jumped away from each other going to separate ends of the couch like they had been shocked. Roxy licked her lips while Isaac brought his hand up to run his fingers along his. Then they noticed Jasmine standing in front of them with a wicked grin on her face.
"I knew it! I knew it. You lurve her," Jasmine taunted jabbing her fingers in Isaac's face. "You lurve Roxy!"
Isaac jumped to his feet. "Shut up! No I don't!"
Jasmine pinched his cheeks. "Yes you do, baby brother. Isaac and Roxanne sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g..." she starting singing and dancing around Isaac before pulling Roxy to her feet and forcing her to dance against her will. Like her father, she had two left feet and detested dancing, especially when being mocked.
"So when's the wedding?" Jasmine continued.
"Shut up Jas! I do not like her! She's just a…a…a stupid girl!" Isaac insisted, fuming at his sister. Now Roxy wasn't just totally embarrassed at being caught kissing her mortal enemy, now she was pissed.
"I am not a stupid girl! You're a stupid boy!" she walked up to him and thrust her knee into his groin causing him to fall back onto the couch holding his crotch and howling in pain.
"What the hell is going on down here?" Puck said loudly as he jogged down the stairs followed by Anjali and Rachel who had been helping Anjali pick out an outfit.
Jasmine smiled widely at her father. "I caught Isaac and Roxy kissing!"
Roxy's face drained of color as her mortification set in further. Now her mother knew about the kiss which meant her dad would probably find out too and he would not be happy.
Puck smiled. "Really? That's my boy! But did you have to pick Hudson's kid?"
"Hey!" Rachel yelled smacking his head. "That is my daughter you're talking about."
"Ow. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that if Finn finds out, he's going to leave me without an heir."
"An heir? What century are we in?" Anjali said hollowly.
"He's the last of the Puckerman boys. I need him alive to keep the badass name going. If Finn kills him, I'll have no one left."
"And what are Scarlett and I? Potted plants?" Jasmine said snidely.
"You know what I mean. Son, come here." Isaac, finally recovered from the groin shot, stood up uneasily and walked over to his father. "I'm so proud of you. You're a few years later than me but you've finally done it." Puck looked on the verge of tears at knowing his son finally had his first kiss. He pulled him into an awkward hug and kissed the top of his head.
Jasmine looked pissed. "Okay, hold up. When I had my first kiss you threatened to beat the guy with a baseball bat if he ever tried to touch me again then you locked me in my room for three days. Isaac has his first kiss and suddenly you're growing a vagina and openly weeping about it saying how proud you are? Bullshit! This is utter bullshit, Dad!"
"Jasmine!" Anjali roared at her daughter.
"What Mom? That's total double standard! It's so not fair that just because Isaac is a boy it's okay for him to kiss people but not okay for me. Would you be so proud of him if his first kiss had been with a boy?" Jasmine asked her father critically.
"I don't care if he's into chicks or dicks as long as he's upholding the Puckerman legacy of badass-ery and mackin' on as many people as possible."
"Must you be so crude Noah?" Rachel chastised.
"What? You're daughter is lucky to have had Mini Puck's lips on hers. Like mother, like daughter." Puck puckered up, making kissy noises at Rachel. The entire room let out a collective 'ew'.
"Mom, you kissed Uncle Puck?" Roxy asked wearing a sour yet confused expression on her face. She looked so much like Finn whenever he thought about Rachel and Puck together…disgusted.
"Unfortunately. Let's just drop it. I need to get Roxanne home so she can get ready for her birthday party. Are you following?" Rachel asked Anjali.
"Yeah, I believe we're all ready. I just need to get Scarlett from her room."
Finally the conversation of the Kiss Heard 'Round Queens ended and the involved parties separated. Roxy grabbed Tinker and went out to Rachel's car feeling completely humiliated and nervous. She was so confused in her head now about Isaac. Her whole life she hated him for being such a jerk to her yet he kissed her for a few seconds and sent shockwaves through her body making her feel something she'd never felt before in places she didn't know could feel that way. Though she barely remembered her first kiss with Noah McGregor, she knew it hadn't felt as special as the one she'd shared with Isaac. What did that mean? And what would happen when her dad found out? She knew he would, there was no way Rachel wasn't going to tell him and even if by some miracle she didn't, she knew one of the Puckerman's would.
The driver's side door opening brought Roxy out of her musings and into reality.
"Well that was eventful." Roxy remained silent, simply petting her puppy who was chewing on her finger. "Are you alright?" Rachel was truly concerned for her daughter. She seemed so upset over the whole ordeal.
Roxy didn't say a word. "You can talk when you're ready. Let's go home. You've got a party waiting just for you."
A little over half an hour later Roxy, Rachel, Puck, Anjali, Jasmine, Scarlett and Isaac were all in the elevator heading up to the Hudson's condo. The air was charged and the mood was dour. Puck couldn't believe how one kiss between two kids could get everyone into such a weird funk.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened allowing everyone to pile out. Somehow in the movement Roxy and Isaac ended up next to each other. She tried her damnedest to ignore him but Roxy couldn't help her eyes flickering over to him every so often as they walked to her door.
When Rachel unlocked the door, all thoughts of Isaac and the kiss and the weird feeling in her stomach flew from Roxy's mind as she heard the loud bark coming from inside the door. Then she saw her goofy Goober bounding forward down the hall.
"Goober!" Roxy squealed, pushing through the group in front of her to get inside. She fell to her knees and let Goober lick her face as she pet his head. In her other hand was a squirming and yapping Tinker who wanted nothing more than to sniff at Goober and figure out who he was. Roxy held Tinker up to Goobers face and they sniffed each other tentatively until they deemed each other alright and Goober licked Tinker's entire face with just one swipe. The little dog's eyes bugged out of her head at the force and she started barking again, her tail wagging furiously.
"Finn!" Rachel screeched as she laid eyes on the large dog her daughter was currently petting and fawning over. "Finn!"
"Yeah," Finn said as he came into view holding a beer, Blaine carrying Ella behind him.
"What the hell is that?" Rachel said through gritted teeth, pointing at Goober.
Finn laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, that's Roxy's dog Goober…that I got her…this morning."
Rachel's mouth fell open at his words. "You…got her…I…" Rachel couldn't find the words. "Finn! I…wha-…that's not a dog! That's a horse!"
Roxy stood up. She knew the blowup was coming. Finn looked at his daughter and bit his lower lip curiously as his brow furrowed and his head tilted to the side. "And what is that?" he asked pointing at the puppy in Roxy's arms.
"That's the dog I got for Roxy this afternoon. Her name is Tinker."
Finn's face went blank. "When I said we should get Roxanne a dog for her birthday, you shot me down. Then you went behind my back and bought her a rat instead?"
Rachel's mouth fell open and her eyebrows drew together in awe. "Tinker is not a rat! She is a Chiweenie! A Chihuahua and Dachshund mix. A nice appropriately sized dog! One that your sons will not try to ride around on like a pony!"
"No they're gonna build a maze and see if she can find the cheese at the center of it!"
"Finn, we cannot have a big dog! Roxy won't even be able to walk him."
"I know that. I'm going to walk him. But that's not the point! What are you doing getting Roxy a dog? It was my idea and you said no anyway! Were you trying to steal my thunder?" Finn asked saucily. He knew Rachel coveted his Best Parent Ever spot in Roxy's eyes, because having it for all three boys wasn't enough.
"Of course I wasn't trying to steal your thunder. I just knew if I let you pick a dog out you'd go and get…him!" she explained gesturing at Goober who was watching the argument like a tennis match.
"Yeah because big dogs are just better."
"Oh please! Little dogs are much easier to take care of and…"
While Finn and Rachel argued, Roxy put Tinker down and let her and Goober play with each other. She walked further into the house and found her Uncle Kurt sitting in the dining room blowing up balloons.
"Hi Uncle Kurt," she said quietly, taking the seat across from Kurt.
"Hey birthday girl. What are they arguing about now?" Kurt asked letting the balloon he was trying to tie deflate.
"Mom and Dad both got me dogs and they're arguing about it. I want both of them though." As she spoke Tinker and Goober walked into the dining room.
"Oh my goodness, is this the dog your mom got you?" Kurt asked picking Tinker up. Goober jumped up placing his paws on Kurt's leg trying to keep close to Tinker.
"Yeah. Her name is Tinker. She's only a puppy like Goober. The lady at the place said she's a Chihuahua and Dachshund mix."
"She's so cute." Kurt looked closely at the dogs recognizing something in them. "You know, these two kind of remind me of some people I know." Kurt said smiling at his niece. She looked intrigued.
"Who?"
"Your parents." Roxy laughed.
"How?"
"Well, we have Goober here who is big and only going to get bigger and he's kind of goofy. He sticks his tongue out a lot and he really seems to like Tinker's butt since he's had his nose in it ever since I picked her up." Roxy giggled at Kurt's comparison. He put Tinker back on the floor who was greeted by an excited Goober. She licked his nose.
"And then Tinker is really small with a lot of spunk and seems to enjoy licking Goober's face. Plus, she has really big ears."
"My mom doesn't have big ears Uncle Kurt."
"No but she's got a bigger nose than most people. But that makes her unique. Even though Tinker's ears are like personal satellite dishes, Goober here doesn't seem to care. He still likes her anyway."
"Well I can't make Finn get rid of him now, can I?" Rachel said as she walked into the dining room. She looked down at the two puppies that were lying next to each other. They hadn't even known the other ten minutes yet but were already so close they were sleeping with each other. Tinker rolled onto her side, cuddling into Goober even deeper. Rachel smiled at them.
"Well played Roxanne. Don't think something like this will be happening again though." Rachel hugged her daughter and kissed the top of her head. "Go get ready for the rest of your guests to arrive. You don't have that much time left."
Roxy stood up and left Kurt and Rachel alone in the dining room. "Did you know I was standing there when you were comparing the dogs to Finn and me?"
Kurt shook his head. "No. That's just how I felt. I mean, look at them." Goober yawned then rolled onto his side before farting loudly, scaring himself and annoying Tinker who stood up and walked out of the room. Goober watched her go sadly, whined for a minute, then got on his feet and followed her out.
"That's not how Finn and I are."
"How aren't we?" Finn asked as he entered the conversation. He belched loudly, the few beers he had while waiting for Rachel to return home making their presence known. Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head before exiting the room. Finn looked after her confused. "What?" he called out, following behind her. "What?"
"Yeah, they're nothing like you and Finn," Kurt said to himself sarcastically. He went back to blowing up balloons.
Hours later about a dozen children, family members and other friends were singing Happy Birthday to Roxanne as she stared at the large cake decorated to look like a castle. As the group finished and started clapping as Roxy blew out the candle, her earlier disgrace came flooding back.
"What's your boyfriend's first name? ISAAC! What's your boyfriend's first name? ISAAC!" Jasmine started singing to Isaac and Roxy's utter embarrassment. Both of their faces started turning red and Isaac shoved Jasmine nearly knocking her into the wall. "Ow, you jerk!"
"Shut up Jas! She's not my girlfriend!" Isaac protested. He looked from his sister to Roxy who was staring at the cake willing it to burst into flames to distract everyone from Jasmine's taunting. She didn't like Isaac. She didn't! Why wouldn't Jasmine leave them alone?
Though Finn had had a few over the course of the day, he wasn't totally out of it. He noticed when Jasmine started singing about Isaac being Roxy's boyfriend and he definitely noticed when Isaac shoved his sister. He had always had a feeling the kid had a thing for Roxy which was probably why he picked on her so much but he knew Roxy hated him and would never be interested in him. A fact he was quite pleased about. So why was his daughter turning red and looking guilty?
"Would you two knuckleheads knock it off?" Puck said, separating his children who were nearing an all out brawl.
"She started it!" Isaac said lamely.
"No I didn't. You did when I caught you kissing her." Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out at him. Puck had to hold Isaac back to keep him from attacking.
"Excuse me? What?" Finn asked when Jasmine's words registered in his mind. He stared back and forth between his daughter and Puck's son seeing the truth written all over their faces. Isaac had kissed Roxy and did she…did she actually like it?
"Oh did no one tell you that yet Uncle Finn?" Jasmine asked, smiling at her brother. He took another swipe at her.
"No! What the hell?" He looked upset and like he couldn't believe what was going on. Finn didn't want Roxy kissing boys yet! Especially Isaac Puckerman! Sure Puck was his best friend but that didn't mean he wanted Roxy dating his son. He didn't need to be that closely related to Puck after their sordid history. It would just be too weird.
"Finn, I know what you're thinking. It's no big deal. It was just one kiss! They aren't going to get married," Rachel placated. She rubbed his back soothingly trying to calm his nerves. She knew exactly what was going through his head when he learned the news.
Finn bored his eyes into Isaac trying to send him 'kiss-her-again-and-I'll-make-it-look-like-an-accident' vibes. Isaac seemed to get the hint as he hid behind Puck who shrugged at Finn.
"Let's eat some cake now!" Rachel announced chipper, trying to move the conversation in a different direction. "There's chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other. Who wants what?"
The group started eagerly cutting at the cake and taking their pieces, Roxy and her friends retiring to her bedroom to gossip and the family remaining in the dining and living rooms. The Kiss Heard 'Round Queens drama seemed to be over for now until Kurt just had to say something to Blaine about it which Finn overheard.
"What is it with the women in Finn's life having things for Puckermans?" he muttered in what he thought was a low voice.
"Shut up Kurt or I will shave your head!" Finn yelled startling the group. He was about ready to chuck his cake at him until Rachel intervened and dragged him down the hall toward their bedroom.
"What is the matter with you? So your daughter kissed Puck's kid. It's not the end of the world. I mean I'm not that happy about it either but I'm not threatening to make people bald!"
Finn sat on the bed holding his head in his hands. He was getting a headache. "She's too young to be kissing boys. I mean, seriously anyway." He remembered the Noah McGregor incident but that had led nowhere. She had never even mentioned him again after that summer. "She's just a kid."
Rachel sat down next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders before pulling his head toward hers and kissing his temple. "Finn, is this fit because you're mad she's kissing boys or because she's growing up?"
Finn looked up at his wife before glancing back down at the floor. How had she known? "Both. I'm not ready for her to grow up. If she grows up, she won't…this is going to sound stupid."
"It won't. What were you going to say?" Rachel played with Finn's hair comfortingly.
He shrugged. "She won't need me anymore. I'm just afraid that she won't need me anymore and that soon she won't want me either."
Rachel chuckled. "I doubt that will ever happen. She loves you. Roxy is the biggest daddy's girl I know and that's coming from a daddy's girl. Finn, I'm not going to lie. Someday she won't need you anymore, not the way she does now anyway, but there will never be a day where she doesn't want you. Well, the day she tries sneaking a boy in to, you know, she might not want you around but…"
Finn shoved Rachel playfully. He really didn't even want to think about that yet. He was still trying to adjust to the first real kiss she just had.
"My point is Finn, Roxy will grow up. It's inevitable. Someday she's going to kiss boys regularly and want to date them and then she'll move out and start her own life. She won't always need you there. But like I said, she'll always want you in her life, even when she gets to her teen years and starts to rebel I'd be willing to bet she'll still want you around…if only subconsciously." Rachel stood up and put her hand out. "Now let's go back to Roxy's party. Everyone is probably done with cake and ready to open presents now. Then we can start getting people out of here and I can show you how much I still want and need you." She licked her lips suggestively as Finn stood and pulled her against him.
"I love you." He kissed Rachel deeply then followed her out of their bedroom and back to the living room where everyone was congregating.
"Okay! Time for presents!" Rachel called out to everyone.
The party moved quickly from there and soon the Hudson house was nearly empty, the only remaining guests Puck, Anjali and Co.
"Happy birthday kid. I hope you liked your present," Puck said as he ruffled Roxy's hair.
"Yeah, it's really pretty. Thank you Uncle Puck," Roxy replied, fingering the birthstone necklace she was wearing.
Puck looked around the place before calling for his family. "Come on children 'o mine. We got a neurotic little freak at home to feed and walk."
"I thought we brought him with?" Jasmine said pointing at her brother. He shoved her again as she laughed at him.
"Would you get down to the car already?" Puck pushed his daughter out the door to start his kids on the process of leaving. Anjali walked up holding Scarlett's hand.
"It was a great party Rachel. That cake was amazing!" She turned to look at Roxy. "Happy birthday sweetie. Officially double digits now. That's a big deal! Wear them with pride." She hugged Roxy and said goodbye before exiting the apartment herself with Scarlett.
Rachel noticed that it was now just Roxy and Isaac standing by the door. Wanting to see what they'd do when left alone, she walked down the hall and watched them without their knowledge.
"Happy birthday," Isaac said simply.
"Thanks," Roxy mumbled back.
They stood there silently until Puck yelled for Isaac to get his ass to the elevator. Isaac bent his body back to look down the hall at his father who was waving at him. He leaned forward again quickly. Roxy who had turned away grew deep red when she turned her head back and Isaac put his lips on hers once more.
Rachel's mouth fell open in shock and she had to try very hard to stop herself from squealing.
"Isaac let's go!" Puck yelled out again.
Isaac pulled away from a shocked Roxy and smirked at her. "Bye," he rushed before turning and slamming into the wall instead of swiftly exiting through the door. He rubbed his forehead where he hit hardest. He turned back totally embarrassed to see Roxy failing to contain her giggles before bolting through the open door. Roxy watched his retreating form run into the elevator which had just opened before waving to Anjali and Puck then closing the door.
Roxy touched her lips as she shuffled down the hallway slowly, replaying her second kiss with Isaac in her head.
"You alright?" Rachel asked with a hint of knowing in her tone. Roxy just shook her head and tried not to look super guilty. "Did you have a good tenth birthday?"
"Mhm. Thank you for letting me keep Goober and Tinker. They really like each other and I really like them."
"Well I can't separate good friends now can I? Hopefully when Goober gets bigger he won't squash her when they fall asleep next to each other." Rachel chuckled and pulled Roxy in for a hug.
"Mom?"
"Yeah baby?"
"Thanks, for everything." Roxy stared up at Rachel before hugging her even tighter. "Where's Dad?"
"He's in the bedroom."
Roxy released Rachel and ran in the direction of their bedroom. When she got there, she found Finn lying in bed watching TV.
"Hey Roxy doll," Finn said when he noticed her in the doorway. She pushed forward and silently crawled into bed next to him. He wrapped his arm around her when she laid her head on his shoulder. "Have a good birthday?"
Roxy shook her head against him. "Thanks for Goober Dad. I love him."
"You're welcome. I love him too. He's a funny pup." Almost on cue, Goober and Tinker bounded into the bedroom. Goober had no problem hopping up onto the bed but Tinker was stuck on the floor barking up at them, demanding they pick her up. Rachel entered the room behind them with Ian in her arms and Liam and Zach in front of her.
She put Ian down and the boys rushed over to the bed and launched onto it to pet Goober who absolutely adored the belly rub he was getting accustomed to. Rachel scooped Tinker up and lay down on her side of the bed holding her. She pet Tinker behind her large ears and kissed her little head.
Goober hopped up then and walked over to Rachel and Tinker. He sniffed the tiny puppy then licked her body causing her to bark and try licking him back. Rachel glanced at Finn. Maybe Goober and Tinker were like her and Finn.
Roxy watched her family play with their new puppies. She still couldn't believe she had managed to get two puppies in one day. As she saw Tinker lick Goober again she thought about her own kisses with Isaac. Roxy was still in a state of disbelief that they had actually occurred. Still, as she thought about them, she felt that tingly sensation come over her again. Maybe Isaac wasn't as bad as Roxy had always thought.
Yes, this definitely had been a successful tenth birthday.