And when we finally part, I have no more doubts or questions of where I stand. I belong to him; he belongs to me.
He presses two fingers under my chin, bringing my gaze to his.
“Come home. Not because you have nowhere to go. Come home because we both want this.”
I nod, tears flooding my eyes. “Yes! Of course.”
He exhales a long, relieved breath. “Good. We’re taking my truck.”
“But my car?—”
“Will be replaced by the end of the week.”
“But—”
“Don’t you but me—the only reason I hadn’t replaced it already is because I didn’t want to be too forward. Now all I need from you is whether you want an Escalade, Range Rover, or a Lexus SUV.”
“Those all sound expensive.”
“That’s because they are.” He opens the passenger door and slides out. “I’ll grab your things, and have the dealer come collect this once we decide which car suits you best.”
I know better than to argue, so I follow him to his truck and climb into the passenger seat.
“So...does my brother know?”
“Yep.”
“How’d he take it?”
“I’ll feel lucky if I last the rest of the week.”
“It can’t be that bad if he helped you track me down.”
“He gave me literal hell when I first told him because of how I left my last fiancé. But I explained things to him I should have long ago, and he calmed down. Hopefully, one day, I’ll prove myself to him, and to you.”
“Well, you’re off to a pretty impressive start.”
As Kellan drives off, I look back at the old beater that got me up the mountain, away from my parents, and say a silent goodbye.
The sun is setting as he pulls into his long driveway, stopping just short of the porch.
As I reach for the door handle, his hand curls on my shoulder, and he gently presses against it, turning me to face him.
“Welcome home, Greer.”
His words settle over me like a warm, comfortable blanket, and I allow myself to feel safe, secure, and loved.
Kellan helps me from the truck and we head inside.
Gerry rushes over, nudging between us, squawking in approval.
“Almost forgot,” Kellan says in a gravely serious voice. “Gerry and I are a packaged deal. He is my world, and must always come first.”
I bend down and pat Gerry on the head. “In that case, you’d better draw up some adoption papers.”
Kellan laughs, and we spend the rest of the evening planning our futures together. It starts as a joking banter about me needing a she-shed, but settles into something steadier.
We talk about expanding the clinic, and adding a larger outside areas for a doggie daycare. He sketches it into life on a notepad, always with two stick figures, one of him, the other of me.
