Jade's chest went warm. Even now, Maddox thought about those things, making sure Jade didn't feel like a guest or too much.
"We'll figure it out together," Jade said. "Maybe this weekend we start sorting through things? See what makes sense to keep and what to donate?"
"Yeah. Okay." Maddox smiled. "And your furniture. What do you want to bring?"
They spent the next hour talking through practicalities—Jade's bookshelf could go in the living room, her desk in the spare bedroom that could become a home office, her kitchen stuff merging with Maddox's. Simple decisions that felt enormous, laying out a shared life in coffee mugs and cabinet space.
Zeus settled at their feet, his chin resting on Jade's ankle, content to be included even if the conversation meant nothing to him.
"Award ceremony's next Friday," Maddox said eventually. "You're still coming?"
"Of course. I wouldn’t miss it." Jade refilled both their mugs. "Will people know? About us?"
"Probably." Maddox didn't look bothered by it. "Riley knows. Diana knows. It'll get around the department if it hasn't already."
"You’re okay with that?"
"Yeah." Maddox met her eyes. "I'm done hiding and pretending this is just casual or temporary or something I'm not sure about."
Jade reached across the counter and laced their fingers together. "Me too."
The morning stretched ahead with errands to run and Zeus needing a proper walk before work. But right now, standing in this kitchen with coffee and Maddox's hand warm in hers, Jade didn't want to be anywhere else.
Six months ago, she'd arrived in Phoenix Ridge running from a relationship that made her feel impossible to love. And now here she was—contract signed tomorrow, moving in by September, a future mapped out in mundane details—with a life she'd chosen, not settled for.
"What are you thinking?" Maddox asked.
Jade squeezed her hand. "That I'm happy."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Jade smiled. "Really happy."
Maddox pulled her close, and Jade went willingly, tucking herself against Maddox's chest. Zeus shifted to lean against both their legs, grounding them.
"Come on," Maddox said after a moment. "Zeus needs a real walk, and then I have to go to work."
"Very exciting plans," Jade teased.
"Very exciting." But Maddox was smiling. "Tomorrow, though, we're doing nothing after you sign the contract. Just us."
"Deal."
They moved through the morning routines they'd already established without trying. Outside, the day was bright and clear. Zeus pulled ahead on the leash, eager for whatever adventure came next.
Jade took Maddox's free hand as they walked down the gravel drive, already planning the week ahead.
EPILOGUE
The training facility was quieter now, most of the recruits already gone for the day. Maddox finished logging the session notes—Officer Campbell had finally stopped second-guessing her K-9’s alerts, trusting Mila’s instincts over her own anxiety—and locked up the equipment shed.
Three years ago, she couldn’t have done this. She couldn’t have stood in front of a room full of eager handlers and talked about trust and vulnerability and loving your canine partner enough to let them lead sometimes. Three years ago, she’d barely been holding herself together. Now, she taught others how to do the hard work.
Her phone buzzed as she walked to her truck. Jae’s name lit the screen with a photo from last summer, all four of them at the beach, their daughter Emma’s face smeared with ice cream and Zeus’s tongue lolling in the heat.
Jade:“Running late. Can you grab Emma from daycare?”
Maddox smiled and typed back,“Already planned on it. See you at home.”
