But that night, something else took root in him — something stubborn. A memory of Jamie’s laugh in the backyard. A flash of golden fur in a boy’s drawing from long ago. And that quiet sentence: Can we get a dog?
The next day, Jamie came downstairs to find his dad crouched by the couch, wrestling with a cardboard box. The box barked. Jamie blinked. “What…?” The flap popped open, and a small, golden puppy tumbled out like a spring-loaded surprise.