Ava hums happily before following him over to the bed. She climbs on top of the soft comforter and loosely curls up, shifting around so she’ll be able to face him properly. “I might get all of the dogs booties so we can avoid them getting snow clusters on their paws.” Having to pull chunks of ice and snow out of all of that fur won’t be fun. “Mm, a beach trip would be perfect. Kreja and I would never complain about that.” She slowly relaxes and settles down. “You definitely did. Kreja took to you insanely quickly and liking strangers is rare for him. You know how judgy he is.”
Cameron pulled an arm under her and pulled her close into his chest, curling up around her so she was comfy at the very least. He gazed down at her and laughed at the picture of Kreja wearing booties. "Kreja would definitely complain about booties, but that's a good idea. You and I could go and just enjoy ourselves. I dunno about Kreja," He said jokingly with a grin. Well, it was mostly joking, because Kreja always seemed to get in their way when they tried something new and alone together. "I think Kreja's liking to me changes every so often to what we're trying to do together."
“Kreja would love the booties. He loves to be fashionable,” Ava laughs, snuggling up close to him. “Oh! I could get him a sweater! He definitely wouldn’t be happy then.” Just the thought of Kreja wearing a sweater cracks her up. The crazy dog barely tolerates his collar so booties and a sweater would really piss him off. “He doesn’t stop liking you, he’s just a momma’s boy and doesn’t like you getting any of my attention.” That’s probably her fault. Kreja was raised solely by her and is used to having her full attention, something he rarely gets nowadays. “Maybe we could leave the pups at the house and go to the beach one afternoon, just me and you.”
Cameron laughed with her as he imagined the same. "He would be so pissed off at us, Ava. He'd ignore us for so long." He remembered when she tried dressing him up in little costumes for Halloween. It didn't really end well at all. But the whole event was frustrating but hilarious looking back at it.
"I dunno about that, Ava. I wouldn't blame lack of attention for those times he's interrupted us… you know. It just seems too convenient." He chuckled softly. "But I think an afternoon away would be wonderful. They legit remind me of children, Ava."
“You could make him some of those fancy dog treats that he likes so much and he would forgive us in a second.” Ava’s smile only grows as she pictures the same thing as him. Those Halloween costumes had been adorable but Kreja wouldn’t even wear a clown collar. At least she had managed to get a couple of pictures of him wearing the costumes. In all fairness, he tore them up a few moments after the pictures had been taken. “He doesn’t mean to interrupt us……he just has horrible timing.” To be honest, Kreja probably knew exactly what he was doing. “They basically are children, Cam. Rose and Zore are babies and Kreja is the overly sassy teenager who demands attention.”
"And I did. He was all happy and bouncy again. He loves those things." He laughed, leaning his head against hers as he thought back. He had found a recipe for treats that Kreja liked in an attempt to distract him from certain things, and for rewards.
"No, he knew exactly what he was doing," Cameron voiced her thoughts. "It was horrible timing when he slammed on my door, huh?" He asked her, raising his eyebrows. "I guess you're right. But I think just an afternoon or so away would be nice."
“He loves those things. I could put that pink bunny costume on him with no problem if we bribed him with a couple of those.” She had bought it as a joke and would never put it on him but she could if she wanted to with those treats. “He did not! The poor baby was sick a few of those times, he was utterly miserable and needed to be cared for.” Laughing, she shakes her head in amusement. “Okay, I have no rebuttal for that. He definitely knew what he was doing when he rammed into the door.” That had certainly been an interesting night. “An afternoon away could be great. We can leave the kids alone for a few hours without a disaster, right?”
Cameron laughed and shook his head. "We definitely could've but he would've absolutely hated it. He would've hated it so hard." He knew the dog would, too. "I think we should try it sometime. He's somewhat older so he's slowed down."
"And yes he did! He was not sick or miserable, it was every single time Ava! Even if he was about to collapse because it was so late, he'd still do something to get in the middle of it. Even if we were as quiet as we can be." He sighed and smiled a little at her suggestion. "Yes, I'd love that very much. We can actually enjoy ourselves. And of course a few hours without a disaster. We'll call in a babysitter to help dad."
“I could never do that to him. There’s no doubt that he’d be cute as hell but he would be way too miserable for me to make him suffer like that.” She would love to see Kreja dressed as an adorable pink bunny but he would hold a grudge against her for the rest of his life. “Okay, he knew what he was doing some of the time but he had to be sick at least once. No matter how quiet we are, he knows, he always knows.” It’s insane that Kreja can figure it out and interrupt them like he does. “Don’t sound so confident about the disaster thing. Remember when we went to the farmer’s market and were gone for a couple of hours? We came back to a knocked over potted plant, three decapitated stuffed toys, muddy paw prints on the couch, and a broken vase.”
Cameron laughed softly again and shook his head at the thought of how angry that poor dog would be. But treats and a good walk always solved it, and she didn't seem to understand that. He proceeded to shake his head and bite his lip.
"We've only gotten away with it a couple times, and that's when he was either outside or with someone else. He's doing it deliberately, he doesn't want it to happen." He didn't quite like the dog interrupting like he did for a good reason. "And he'll be with my dad, Ava, it won't be any problem. We're not gonna leave him alone like we did."
Ava cups his face and kisses the tip of his nose. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure out a way to make him stop interrupting us and to chill out.” It’s not like the dog can interrupt them every time. They’re bound to figure something out to stop him. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. They’ll be okay if someone is watching them.” Sighing, she admits that there’s a good chance nothing will happen with the dogs while they’re gone. “Is your dad going to be okay with them though? They can get pretty crazy.”
Cameron grinned at the cupping of his face, but huffed softly. "I know. But I like my time with you. It's just frustrating," He tried to explain with a small smile as he stroked her hair. They would and probably could figure something out. Maybe just try and ignore him as a last resort. "Yeah. I think we can ask one of the neighbors that is good friends with my dad to help him out. I don't want him getting hurt or anything."
The corners of Ava’s eyes crinkle as she smiles at the huff. She runs her thumb lightly across his cheek. “I like my time with you too. The dogs are all asleep so you have me all to yourself right now.” Their only alone time is usually around bedtime when the dogs have fallen asleep and they’re talking in bed. “That’s a good idea. We might want to have a trail run just to be sure. The neighbor and your dad could watch the kiddos for an hour or two while we go watch a movie or something.”
Cameron nodded and smiled a bit more after his huff, enjoying the response it got from her. He wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her closer into the comfy roll that was their snuggle circle. "I know. And maybe a trial run is appropriate. We can go out to the markets for a few hours or maybe go to a library."
Ava tucks her forehead against his chest, peering up at him. “Going to the market sounds fun. Maybe I could find something for Chris, Mallory, and the baby. It could be an apology of sorts to Mallory.” She’ll never admit it but Cameron’s words from early actually made her feel bad about her thoughts on her sister in law. “The library would also be nice.”
Cameron smiled and pressed a kiss to her head. "Good, good thinking, Ava." He snuggled her and curled up around her with a sigh. "We should probably get dressed into more comfortable clothes." He chuckled and slowly uncurled, stretching out. "What do you wanna wear? I can get it for you." He stood out of the bed, stretching his legs.
“It’s shocking but I do listen to you sometimes.” Ava drapes her arm around him, perfectly happy to be cuddling. Unfortunately, that comes to a stop after only a moment more. “Could you get my pink and white pajamas? The ones with the lace trim?” Those are insanely comfortable and perfect for colder weather.
Cameron smiled at her disappointment but nodded as he pulled them out. He purposefully put them on top, knowing she'd want them. He grabbed his usual sweatpants to wear with no shirt (still comfy anywhere) as he handed her her clothes. He got dressed and dropped off his clothes in a hamper before snuggling into the bed again.
Ava sighs dramatically before rolling out of the warm bed in order to change. Not wanting to be any colder than she has to be, she changes in record time and crawls right back into bed. She burrows under the covers and makes herself into a burrito, making sure not to hog all of the covers. “The next time we go on vacation, we should go to one of my family’s beach houses. The one in Hawaii is really nice.”
Cameron huffed at her as she took all the covers, so he gently grabbed one of the pups to snuggle close to instead of her with his back turned to her as they both laid in bed.
"We probably can't go back into the USA for a while, babe. We're kind of wanted criminals and stuff." He sighed and stroked the top of sleeping Zore's head.
Ava nudges his shoulder, scowling. “Come on, cuddling me is better than cuddling Zore.” She protests, not wanting to be left with just a pillow and a blanket. Surprisingly enough, she’s actually starting to find it hard to sleep without having him to snuggle with. “Okay, what about Bora Bora or Fiji or another one of the many tropical places where we own property? I’m not picky, I just need a beach and weather that stays above seventy.”
"It is, but I'd like to share the very warm sheets with my lady," He hummed as he glanced over his shoulder at her. He didn't mind the cold as he knew she did, but hey, if she didn't want the extra body heat his big self offered, she didn't need it.
"Ooh Fiji sounds nice. I've always wanted to go there."
“You can have some of the covers as long as you roll back over and cuddle with me.” It only takes her a second to decide that she’d rather have him than the covers. Cuddling is part of their routine now and she doesn’t want to go without it, even for just one night. “It’s beautiful there. The beaches are amazing and the people are nice. You’re going to love it.”
Cameron carefully let go of the dreaming puppy and rolled around to hug her close to him, also taking some of the sheets for himself and the dogs, spreading them back out with a happy, soft hum. "Then we should go there, just you and me. It'd be so nice and pretty." He wrapped his arms around her hips and nestled his face into her neck.
Ava snuggles right up to him, not missing the extra covers in the slightest. She’s definitely gotten spoiled by the amount of affection she receives from him on a daily basis. With a quiet hum, she presses a few light kisses to his cheek and the side of his head. “It’ll be great. Just you, me, and a beautiful beach.” She smiles softly and closes her eyes, picturing that in her head.
