Petrov walks past, beer in hand, and spots us. "You two are disgusting," he announces. Then grins. "I love it."
"We love you too, Petrov," Devon calls after him.
Becker appears next, apparently on a mission to harass us. "Get a room!"
"We have a room," Devon says without missing a beat. "Well, Ace has a room. Which is now my room. Technically we have several rooms. An entire apartment's worth of rooms."
I laugh, the sound rumbling in my chest, and Devon shifts to look up at me. "What?"
"Nothing. You're just—" I search for the right word. "You."
"Eloquent."
"Shut up."
He grins and settles back against me, and we watch the party happen around us.
This is it. This is what we fought for. Not just the money or the adoptions or the viral moment, but this—this feeling of community, of people coming together because they decided that something mattered.
"Ace?" Devon's voice pulls me back.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." His voice is soft, almost shy. "For everything."
"You saved the shelter. I think I should be thanking you."
He shakes his head. "I mean for more than that. For—" He gestures vaguely at the space around us, at Candy sleeping at our feet, at everything. "All of it."
Something in my chest tightens. "You don't have to thank me for loving you."
"Well, I'm going to anyway." He shifts to look at me properly, his eyes serious. "So deal with it."
I chuckle. "Bossy."
"Damn right," he says, then settles back against me.
And everything feels exactly right.
EPILOGUE
DEVON
NEW YEAR'S EVE, 6 PM, and I'm standing in front of the shelter with Ace and Candy, staring at a building that looks nothing like it did a month ago.
The roof is pristine, the new section gleaming in the soft glow of the streetlights. The fencing around the outdoor play area is solid and painted a cheerful blue. There's a covered pavilion that didn't exist before—weatherproof, heated, with benches and toys scattered around for the animals to enjoy year-round.
A banner hangs above the entrance:NEW YEAR, NEW FRIENDS - ADOPTION EVENT TONIGHT.
"Ready?" Ace asks, his hand warm in mine despite the cold.
Candy's tail is wagging, her nose twitching as she takes in all the familiar scents. She knows this place. She loves this place. And now she gets to visit instead of live here, which I'm pretty sure is the best possible outcome.
"Yeah," I say. "Let's go."
The door opens before we can knock, and Mama Paws is there, arms already outstretched, and she pulls me into a hug so tight I'm pretty sure my ribs compress.
"My sweet boys," she says into my shoulder.
