The tears were back, streaming down my face. "Yes," I managed to choke out.
He took the collar from the box with reverent hands. "May I?"
I nodded, tilting my head to give him access.
His fingers were gentle as he fastened the collar around my neck, adjusting it until it sat perfectly. Not too tight, not too loose. Just right.
When it was secured, he sat back and looked at me. "Perfect," he breathed.
I touched the collar, feeling the soft leather, the weight of it. It felt like coming home. Like claiming and being claimed all at once.
"I'm yours," I whispered. "Completely and totally yours."
"And I'm yours," he replied, pulling me into his arms. "My sweet, brave, perfect boy."
We held each other for a long time, both of us crying happy tears and occasionally laughing at the absurdity and beauty of it all.
Eventually, there was a knock on the door.
"Can we come in?" Sean's voice called. "We want to see!"
Simon looked at me, asking permission. I nodded, and he called out, "Come in."
The door burst open and Sean rushed in, followed by Atticus, then what seemed like half the ranch. They all crowded into the room, grinning and congratulating us.
"I knew it!" Sean bounced excitedly. "I knew he was going to collar you today! Atticus owes me twenty bucks!"
"You bet on this?" I asked, laughing.
"Of course I did. I had faith. You two were the ownership symbol type." Sean pulled me into a hug. "I'm so happy for you both. You deserve this. You deserve each other."
Everyone took turns hugging us and offering congratulations. Harlan clapped Simon on the back. Bobby Allen gave me a warm smile. Even the ranch hands I didn't know well stopped by to share in the joy.
This was family. This was home. This was everything I'd been missing without knowing it.
As the celebration continued around us, Simon pulled me close and whispered in my ear, "Merry Christmas, sweet boy."
I looked up at him—at my Daddy, my Secret Santa, my forever person—and smiled through my tears.
"Merry Christmas, Daddy. This is the best gift I've ever received."
"Which one? The collar or finding out I was your Secret Santa?"
"All of it," I said honestly. "Every moment. Every gift. Every second of being yours."
He kissed me then, soft and sweet, and I felt complete.
I'd come to the Coleman Ranch broken and lost, searching for something I couldn't name. And I'd found everything—a home, a family, a purpose, and a love that would last forever.
The lawyer in me had spent years fighting for others, neglecting myself in the process. But the little in me had finally found someone who would fight for me. Who would make sure I ate and slept and played. Who would give me permission to be small and vulnerable and real.
Simon had been right that first night. This place was safe. And now, wearing his collar and wrapped in his love, I finally understood what that meant.
I was home. I was his. I was exactly where I was meant to be.
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
