Marriage First, Mate Second
I say, “I had absolutely no idea. It was absolutely not my intention to pry, or to bring up something so sad!”
“No apology necessary,” he says, and tries to smile, but I can see the sadness behind his eyes, “There was no way you could have known. Newman II was a good boy. Charlotte keeps telling me to get another dog, but I’m nowhere near ready yet.”
“Well, you are welcome to hang out with our Hellhound,” I tell him, trying to lighten the mood,”He’s part English bulldog and part, well, my husband thinks he's an actual Hell hound. But it’s hard to say. He’s a sweetheart. He looks big and scary, but he’s really just a goofball. I think you would like him!”