Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 286

Chapter 286

I was still trying to process the revelation about Nate’s old blog when the golden retriever suddenly stood up from the corner where she’d been lying and began pacing in circles, clearly agitated.

“Oliver,” Richard said, watching the dog with concern. “I think your patient is trying to tell us something.”

Oliver immediately rose from his seat and moved toward the golden, who was now visibly uncomfortable- panting heavily and searching for a place to lie down.

“Showtime,” he said, crouching beside her for a quick check. “She’s going into labor.”

“Now?” Sarah asked, springing to her feet. “During Christmas dinner?”

“Babies don’t follow social schedules,” Oliver replied with a grin, already slipping fully into professional mode. “I need to take her to the clinic.”

That was exactly when every light in the house flicked off at once.

“What was that?” Elizabeth asked, her voice echoing in the sudden darkness.

“Power outage,” Richard said, already navigating the room with the confidence of someone who knew every piece of furniture by heart. “Probably hit the whole city. Happens sometimes when it’s this cold.”

“Perfect,” Oliver muttered, still crouched beside the golden. “Sarah’s definitely in labor, and now we’re without lights.”

Nate quickly pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, casting a soft beam through the room. The others followed suit, creating little circles of light dancing across the walls.

“The clinic is out in the backyard,” Oliver explained quickly as he clipped the leash onto the golden with care. ” It’s a separate building I use for house calls. But I’m going to need help, and without my assistant…”

“Don’t look at me,” Tori said immediately, backing away from the dog. “I do not have the stomach for any of

this.”

“I’ll help,” Nate said without hesitation.

“Me too,” I added, even though I silently admitted I’d never witnessed a birth-animal or otherwise.

“And me,” Sarah said, grabbing a coat from the entryway. “I helped my sister with horse births back on our family farm.”

Using the glow from his phone, Oliver led us out the back door, across a small yard, and into a brick building clearly designed as a veterinary workspace. It was compact but well-equipped: an exam table, cabinets stocked with medical supplies, everything a vet would need for home treatments.

“Is there a generator here?” Nate asked, scanning the room.

“Unfortunately, no,” Oliver said, already laying out clean blankets for the golden. “Never thought I’d need one. I usually use the main clinic for emergencies.”

The dog’s labor turned out to be much more complicated than Oliver had expected. The golden was clearly struggling, and even under the dim lights of our phones, we could see that something wasn’t going smoothly.

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Oliver worked with impressive calm, but it was obvious he was worried.

“The first pup is in a difficult position,” he murmured, hands working delicately. “I need to help manually.”

The next two hours passed in a blur of tension and hope. Sarah proved incredibly helpful, anticipating Oliver’s needs and keeping the golden retriever calm during the hardest moments. Nate held up the cell phone lights at the perfect angles, and I helped with clean towels and anything else that was needed.

Finally, after what felt like endless hours, we heard the faintest little noise from a newborn pup.

“We did it,” Oliver said, his voice thick with relief. “The first one’s breathing perfectly.”

One by one, five small, perfect puppies came into the world. The golden retriever immediately slipped into full mother mode, licking each puppy and nudging them close to her body for warmth.

“She’s a champ,” Sarah said softly, watching the new mom with admiration. “Five healthy pups.

||

“I’m going to grab a heating blanket from the car,” Oliver said, clearly exhausted but satisfied. “And a few other things that might help through the night.”

“I’ll go with you,” Sarah offered.

We stayed quiet for a few minutes, watching Sarah instinctively arrange her puppies, each one finding its place against her warmth. It was impossible not to feel emotional as five tiny lives that hadn’t existed a few hours earlier were now breathing and squirming gently in the dim light of the clinic.

“It’s incredible how nature works,” Nate murmured, stepping closer to get a better look at the pups. “A few hours ago she was trying to steal food from the table, and now she’s a completely devoted mother.”

“Maternal instinct,” I whispered, watching Sarah gently lick each pup. “It’s stronger than anything.”

That’s when Nate’s phone rang.

“I need to take this,” he said, glancing at the screen. “It’s work. They don’t celebrate Christmas in Turkey, so…”

“Go,” I said softly. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

Nate stepped outside to take the call, and suddenly I was alone in the clinic with Sarah and her five puppies. The only light came from my phone’s flashlight, creating a warm, intimate glow in the little room.

I approached the golden retriever carefully, and she watched me with those intelligent canine eyes, clearly assessing whether I was a threat to her babies. When she decided I wasn’t, she relaxed a little.

“Hey, Sarah,” I whispered, sitting down on the floor near her. “You’re such a brave, beautiful mom. Your babies are perfect.”

I held out my hand slowly so she could sniff it before gently stroking her head. She accepted the touch, leaning into it for comfort.

“You’re so protective,” I murmured, watching her instinctively gather the pups closer. “I bet you’re going to be an amazing mom.”

The puppies made soft little noises as they nuzzled against her, and something tight in my chest pulled painfully with an unexpected wave of longing.

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“I have a nephew too,” I told Sarah, as if she could understand every word. “Matt. He was born premature, you know? It was so scary at first, but now he’s strong and healthy. I miss him so much… miss watching him grow every day.”

I paused, surprised at where my thoughts were leading me.

“Before he was born, I didn’t think about having kids much,” I admitted quietly. “But after Matt came, after I held him for the first time… something shifted. The biological clock started ticking, you know?”

Sarah looked at me with that deep, gentle canine wisdom that sometimes feels more human than human.

“I like Nate a lot,” I continued, the words flowing out without any filter. “A lot. More than I ever thought I could like someone. But I’m scared I’m wasting more time… getting involved with someone who doesn’t want a real future. Someone who doesn’t want marriage or kids…”

My voice came out smaller, filled with a vulnerability I rarely admitted even to myself.

“I don’t want to wake up five years from now and realize I wasted the best years of my life with someone who didn’t share the same dreams. I don’t want…”

A sudden noise cut me off. Something hit the clinic door with a soft thud against the wood.

I turned quickly and saw Nate’s silhouette standing in the doorway, clearly visible in the glow of my phone.

Fom the way he stood there completely still, I knew instantly he had heard everything.

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