An Echo in the Mafia (Echo Reid, Reid Family Book #1)

Part 21

Echo sat watching the puppy on her bed. She'd found an old sweater and balled it up into makeshift bed, telling herself she would get him a bed and supplies tomorrow, but no matter how many times she continued to put the tiny thing onto the sweater, it always began to crawl around looking for her. She watched it with a big smile, unable to hide how sweet the whole thought was and she just hoped this little one wouldn't end up hating her just like Rocko. That little pup kept her up most of the night with it's crying. It had refused to sleep until it had curled up with her in the bed.

"What am I going to do about you?" she said sweetly as she scratched his head with her index finger. Everyone had searched and searched for a note but in the end, Echo didn't need it. She knew exactly who sent the flowers and who had given her this puppy. Lord, she didn't even realized that she wanted a puppy until she was holding it in her arms.

Of course, the trouble was that now everyone was asking questions about who she thought would do all this. Her father and brother were demanding some sort of explanation, Michael had even tried calling the delivery company but he couldn't get any answers. The sender had used a personal courier. And when he tried asking Echo and she wasn't sure what to say, it was her mother who somehow instinctively knew to come to her rescue.

"All women, even our little Echo, are entitled to their own secrets." Alice said, winking at her as she spoke. "Leave her alone and let her enjoy it."

Her mother didn't bug her about it later either, she just helped her bring some of the arrangements upstairs to her room and let her have her privacy. Echo glanced around the room now- despairing a bit. It was a large room, very plainly decorated with old furniture that Echo had not bothered to think of replacing. The flowers stood out like a sore thumb and somehow they made her wish she had somewhere better to keep them. Without really meaning to, she pictured what they would look like in the room at Luke's house.

She sighed.

What was she going to do? She absolutely could not go to see Luke tonight. What was he hoping to accomplish with all this? She still couldn't understand his infatuation with her. How could she go see him? Was she really going to go have dinner with a criminal? She wasn't even sure just how far his criminal ties were. Besides all that, he was also arrogant and rude and extremely bossy. She didn't find any of those things attractive. And that obsession he had with what she wore... Echo felt embarrassed. She knew she didn't dress very well, but she'd always felt so ridiculous and over the top when she tried to dress up. She couldn't quite feel comfortable and she had no idea how Romy felt so good that way when she was the only in the room doing it.

She had pictured Luke with someone like Romy at his side, thinking how much sense it made. Then she almost laughed at herself for thinking Luke walking around with Echo dressed as she was. No, he was right. It would look ridiculous. That was all the more reason he should just forget about it.

"What do you think?" She said, holding up the puppy and looking at it's tiny face. It was just so adorable.

"Come in." Echo muttered even though, as usual, Maru had not bothered knocking.

"He's a cutie, isn't he?" Maru said, walking in with Rocko. "Someone wanted to meet the new baby."

Echo smiled and looked at Maru nervously.

"Don't worry, He'll be gentle." Maru said, sitting next to Echo and taking the puppy. "Oh, he's just so adorable."

"I know. He is." Echo said as Maru held the puppy towards Rocko who just sniffed the puppy curiously.

"It's good for him to get to know his smell if they're going to be friends." Maru said, eventually handing the puppy back to Echo. "Think of a name yet?"