And thinking about sending him to a new home made me feel bad. The guilt was too much.
So, we decided to come up with another solution. Something that meant our baby and Claire would be safe, and we wouldn’t have to let go of Beau.
We went for dinner at our favorite burger spot.
Claire had agreed to stay with Zoey for a few hours.
At that time, Beau was in the laundry room. The gate was closed, per her request.
Everything seemed fine until my phone buzzed on the table while we were enjoying our meal. Claire’s name flashed across the screen.
I picked up.
“Derek!” she cried. “Beau… he tried to attack me! He went crazy when I picked up Zoey!”
I heard Zoey crying in the background. Claire was breathless.
At that point, Rose was already grabbing her purse.
Beau sat behind the baby gate, still as a statue, ears low.
“He lunged at me,” Claire said. “I don’t feel safe around him.”
I nodded mutely, barely hearing her.
Something didn’t sit right.
I knew Beau. Knew his heart. He’d growl, bark, even block someone’s way… but lunge?
“Go sit down,” I told Rose. “I need to check something.”
I walked to the hallway closet and pulled out the security system monitor. We had a camera in the living room. Mostly to keep an eye on the baby when we were out. I pulled up the feed from earlier that night.
There she was… stepping through the door and greeting Beau with a wary glance. Zoey was in the bassinet. And there, slung over Claire’s shoulder, was a small gray backpack.
We’d seen that bag before, but never thought much of it.
Continue reading…
