Ulysses grasped it. “Bribery first—dog and all. The rest will come later.”
Should I be worried that he hasn’t spoken about love?Well, we’d sort of yelled that we loved each other after Gerard died. If we never said those words again, I was really okay with it. “Two months?”
“Give or take.”
“Yeah. Okay. Give or take.” I squeezed his hand.
He squeezed back.
Epilogue
Ulysses
Two months. Give or take.
The give had been all of two weeks and the take had been even less than that.
As we stood in the lobby Hearts and Paws, Finn vibrated with excitement.
I nudged my boyfriend. “Do you know that guy?” I pointed toward the Black gentleman who stood by the billboard of pets available for rescue. The guy was about my height. His bald pate shone in the sunlight coming in from the window. His beard was overgrown and his eyebrows were a little bushy. I didn’t want to say unkempt—but definitely not someone I would think of as a corporate type. Of course, the flannel shirt and dirty jeans also leant themselves more to lumberjack than boardroom. And the dude was built. Solid muscle—visible even under the clothes.
Finn shook his head. Then, in true Finn fashion, he stepped toward the man and extended his hand. “Finn O’Sullivan. I volunteer here, but I’m picking up my rescue dog today.”
Slowly, the man reciprocated. “Carver. I’m also here picking up a rescue. Well, a pair.”
“Oh? That’s great! Is Carver your first name or your last name? Oh, this is my boyfriend, Ulysses. He’s the editor of the Mission City Gazette. You might already know that. I’m a firefighter.”
“I read the newspaper. So I know who you both are.” He cleared his throat. “It’s just Carver.” He caught my gaze.
I nodded back. Might’ve been my imagination, but I detected a guy who just wanted to be left alone.
Finn could be…a little much. Enthusiasm in spades and a man who wore his heart on his sleeve. A damn easy man to love.
Yanna entered the lobby. She had one small dog in her arms and another on a leash. “Okay, Carver. You remember Walter.” She rubbed the ears of the dog in her arms. The older mutt with mobility issues. “And Poppin is sure glad to see you.”
The dog was pulling her way toward the guy.
Carver stepped forward, and dropped to his haunches. “Hello, Poppin. Are you looking forward to coming home with me?” He held out his hand.
She licked it with great enthusiasm.
Walter yipped.
Carver stuck out his hand for Walter to sniff. “I’m right here. I have two hands, so I promise you’ll each always get lots of pets and love.” He cast a glance over his shoulder to meet my gaze. “I read the profiles you wrote in the paper, and when Yanna said they could go together, I knew this was meant to be.”
“Oh God, that’s so lovely.” Finn pressed a hand to his chest. “I wanted to take all of them, but Ulysses can only take one dog to work with him and Thelma will be harder to place because she’s a pittie mix although, let’s be honest, she’s just a big mush pot.”
“I considered Thelma…but I think I like little dogs who get overlooked.” He gave Poppin scritches behind her ear. “We’re going to be a family.”
Finn sighed. “We are too. I mean, Ulysses is moving in with me, and we’re rescuing Thelma, so that’s a sort of family.”
I put my arm around Finn’s waist and drew him close. “I think Carver understands.”
“That family comes in all shapes and sizes? Yes, I get that. Congratulations on moving in together. That’s a big step.” The man offered a warm smile that lit his eyes.
Still, I sensed an underlying sadness.
“Do you need help with the harnesses and tethers? You’ve got your SUV set up, right?” Yanna handed Walter to Carver.
