"Stand there," she tells him while adjusting her smartphone on the table. He patiently obeys despite being pulled from his relaxing position on the sofa. "What we have to do is we run in different directions to see who her favorite is."
He gives her a withering look. "Is this another one of your trends?" he asks to which she nods excitedly. "So if, hypothetically, she goes to me, is this going to be a whole thing where I have to apologize in the end?"
She gives him an innocent expression that answers his question. "Oh, come on! It'll be fun."
He huffs out a breath and she adds, unable to help herself, "Okay, hypothetically, what makes you think that she will go to you?"
"I give her more treats."
She lets out a loud laugh that surprises him. "Oh, please," she waves off his claim. "I raised her. I am her mother. She will go to me. And I will have proof."
She hits the record button on the screen and goes over to where her husband and puppy are waiting for her. "Okay, ready, set, go!"
They run towards opposite sides of the huge living area, leaving the poor Maltese confused for a second. She turns to her then him before choosing to go to the latter. Her little paws skittering on the floor.
He lets out a laugh and scoops her up in his arms when she comes near. "You're right. This is fun."
She gasps, pointing accusingly when she sees him give the puppy a treat. "Where did you get that?" she asks, charging towards them. "She smelled it off of you! That's why she chose you. Let's run it again."
They redo the whole thing after she makes sure that he is hiding nothing by patting him down to which he teases her that she just wants an excuse to touch him.
What she doesn't notice is his hand sneakily snatching the treat she took from him and letting the puppy see what he has.
Teasing his wife has always been a fun endeavor. And so, for the second time, their little pup inevitably still chooses to go to him.
She lets out a sad sigh, accepting defeat, and he starts to feel bad. He knows how much the puppy means to her. An idea strikes him and prompts him to say, "Okay, let's run it one more time. Just in case she might change her mind."
He slips the treat into her pocket without her knowing before they run. And without fail, the Maltese goes to her to which she shrieks with delight.
"See! I told you she loves me more!" she laughs, allowing the puppy to lick her face.
"Yes, she does," he chuckles, scratching the puppy behind her ear. "Good girl."
