The Hours We Have

chapter seventeen

On the walk home, I decided to name him Finley. 

He was almost like the color of the sun and when he looked up at me, I was in love with him. I got attached way too easily and I knew I might not be able to keep him. He could have owners out there, looking for him, but right now Finley was my responsibility and I could enjoy it. 

"Is that a dog?" Julian leaped up from his seat at the kitchen counter, spotting us instantly when we moved into the house. His twin closed the refrigerator at the sudden outburst. 

"Why is there blood?" Roman asked, eyes narrowing on me, "Who did you get into a fight with?" 

"Woah, woah, chill!" I raised my hands when Finley cowered behind me with a frightened yelp, and Julian stopped in his tracks a few feet away."I just found some boys beating him in an alley, he is frightened to death." Roman nodded, as if the fight was worthy enough, and I gave him a deadpanned expression, he shrugged in response. 

"Aw, poor baby," Julian cooed and his eyes lit up with childish excitement, something I hadn't seen in his eyes for a while. "Can we keep him?" 

"Absolutely not," Mikeal's voice came from the living room and I turned to see him scowling at me from the threshold. "Jordyn, where did you find that thing?" 

"He is not a thing!" I glared and crossed my arms with defiance, "His name is Finley. I saved him and I'm going to clean him up." 

"You named it?" Mikeal pinched the bridge of his nose while Julian smiled even wider at the name, and then my oldest brother tried to glare at me, "No, not in this house." 

I stuck my tongue out, "You can't control me, Ikea." 

"Oh she called you a furniture store again!" Roman snorted with laughter, "She's real mad at you now." It was a nickname I had given my oldest brother when I was younger but now it was an insult and he absolutely hated it. 

Julian was gradually creeping closer, trying to pet Finley. I stopped him and looked up at Roman. "I'm not mad, I'm just going to bathe him, patch him up, and then I'll call the local SPCA to see if anyone knows who he is." 

"No." 

This time, I stuck my tongue out at Mikeal, "I'm not asking, Ikea." 

"Will you stop calling me that?" Mikeal crossed his arms, glowering. In that moment, he looked exactly like Ezra and I thought it was a little funny. Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

"Nope," I turned my attention to Finley, who was nervously glancing between me and my brothers, trying to decide if he was in danger. I rest my hand atop his head, "Come on, fella." Finley was glued to my legs as I began walking towards the downstairs bathroom. 

"You better not get attached!" Mikeal called after me. Too late, I thought. 

"I've always wanted a dog!" Julian's voice said. 

"We're not keeping it." 

"Jordyn says we are." 

Roman's laughter was the last thing I heard before I closed the bathroom door, shutting out their conversation from the kitchen. Finley sat down against the door with curious eyes while I began drawing lukewarm water in the bathtub.

 I smiled at him, "You'll love this." 

ꕥ 

An hour had passed since I brought Finley home. 

After his bath, he looked way happier, and I'm pretty sure he trusted me a lot more, too. I think he was actually smiling at me, in the more adorable way that a dog could, and his pupils were three times their size as he watched me every second.