It was love at first sight. Twice this year for Jennifer, in fact. First Jonathan and now this adorable dog.
They'd arrived at a vet's office and Jonathan was able to charm the receptionist into squeezing their dog into the schedule. Max waited outside by the car since this wasn't the best neighborhood and a Rolls Royce certainly stood out.
But Jennifer wasn't really thinking about whether the car would be a victim of gang violence. She was pacing back and forth in the exam room of the veterinarian's office.
"Trying to get your steps in for the day?" Jonathan quipped, seated patiently.
Jennifer ignored his jokes. "What's taking so long? Do you think there's something wrong?"
"They're just doing tests, Jennifer," he told her soothingly.
She turned to express more worries when the back door opened. The vet tech had returned with a bright, fluffy dog in her arms.
"Here we are. Flea bath and bloodwork all done," she announced cheerfully.
Jennifer's heart soared to see this sweet dog all cleaned up and looking so wonderful. "And? How is he?"
"The vet will come back in and let you know, but we did check and he isn't chipped," the tech informed them. "I'll let him hang out with you for a little bit until the vet is ready to see you."
She handed the dog over to Jennifer who cuddled him in her arms. Turning to Jonathan, Jennifer asked, "So? If he isn't chipped and we found him on the side of the freeway…"
"Let me see him for a second," Jonathan requested.
Jennifer handed the dog over. She watched as Jonathan turned the dog and held him up so they were eye to eye.
"What do you think, hmm? Do you think we might all get along? If you're looking for a family, we're making one that you might be a nice part of. We'd love to have you."
This man was the sweetest human being alive. Jennifer's heart just melted at the way Jonathan interacted with the dog. As if she didn't love him already, he was so kind and good with animals and that made her love him even more.
The dog gave a soft little half-bark, making both Jennifer and Jonathan laugh. "Alright, deal," Jonathan said, pulling the dog to his chest to give him a little cuddle.
Jennifer came over and scratched his ears. "You hear that, Freeway? You belong with us now."
"Freeway?" Jonathan asked in confusion.
"Well, I was calling him Mr. Freeway because that's where we found him, but that's a bit formal, don't you think?" Jennifer reasoned.
"That sounds alright to me. Freeway Edwards Hart. Since he is a child out of wedlock," Jonathan pointed out.
Jennifer laughed, "Yes, true. Thank you for giving him both our names. My father will be so proud I'm perpetuating the bloodline."
In an instant, Jonathan's face fell. "Do you—"
"We can talk about that another time," Jennifer interjected. She'd made the mistake of joking about procreating and obviously that was something she and Jonathan would have to discuss before they got married. Jennifer wasn't entirely sure of his opinion on the subject, but she certainly knew hers. And they would talk about it. Another time.
Thankfully, the vet came in and broke the awkward tension. "Jonathan, Jennifer, I wanted to give you the results on this sweet little guy here."
"Freeway. We've decided to call him Freeway," Jonathan said.
The vet smiled at that. "What a cute name! Well, Freeway is in excellent health. Based on his growth plates, I'd estimate he's about fourteen months old. He's a little underweight and he's got some skin irritation, which I think is probably due to whatever series of events led to you finding him outside in a box. But regular meals and some gentle care will clear everything up. I assume this means you're going to take him home?"
"Yes we are," Jennifer replied.
"That's great. I'll give you a copy of the records to bring to the county to get him licensed, and you can be on your way."
Ten minutes later, they were back in the Rolls Royce with Max getting back on the 110 to take them to LAX. Jonathan was busy texting the people who had his plane that they were ready to get going. Jennifer held Freeway in her arms. She didn't want to let him go.
"What are we going to do with him while we're in Colorado?" she asked.
"He'll come with us," Jonathan answered, as though that were the most obvious thing in the world.
Silly of Jennifer not to recall that she was marrying one of the richest men in the world. If he wanted to take a private plane on a three-hour flight with a dog, Jonathan Hart was going to do just that. "Nice perk of having your own plane," she commented.
"And flying it myself," he reminded her.
Oh Jennifer was well aware of him flying that plane. She'd had quite a nice time in that cockpit with him.
She looked over to see Jonathan still on his phone, scrolling through something and looking unhappy as he read.
"Everything alright?"
Jonathan grunted somewhat noncommittally.
"Jonathan?" she pressed.
He ripped his eyes away from the screen to look at her. "Sorry, darling. Just some work stuff. Everything's fine."
Jennifer wasn't really convinced, but she had no real reason to disagree with him. And she certainly didn't have any cause to distrust him. It was just that she had the distinct feeling that she was being kept out of the loop. She didn't much like it.
"How do you think our boy is gonna like Colorado?" Jonathan asked, changing the subject.
She brightened at that, snuggling Freeway a little closer. "I hope he likes it. I hope we all like it. I just have such a good feeling about this place and I want to be right about it."
"In my experience, Jennifer, you're usually right."
Jonathan earned a happy kiss for that.