Page 106 of Love On and Off Set

“This is crazy.”

He nodded. “You can keep your apartment for now if you want. Can you sublet? So you’ll have a place if things don’t work out.”

“Do you think they won’t work out?”

“No, I don’t.” He blinked. “I think I’ve…” He cleared his throat. “I want you to stay.”

“Then I’ll stay. That simple.”

“Okay then.” He yawned. “I’ll shoot a text off to Hallstein, and then we’re sleeping until noon.”

I scooted up his body to press a kiss to his lips. “And then you’ll ravage me?”

“Fuck yes.”

And so he did.

Then, around one, we grabbed Minnie from Jenn.

Instantly, the mastiff and I hit it off. I’d grown up with working dogs, so having a dog just for pleasure was…unexpected. So was the drool, but she only did that when she was super excited or when she thought she might be getting food.

And I just…stayed.

Epilogue

Brody

“You’ve got that goofy grin on your face again.” Donovan grinned. “It’s because I didn’t just work you into the ground.”

Lindy, an Indian actress with a wicked sense of humor, gave our stunt coordinator the bird. As she leaned over, with her hands braced on her thighs, drawing in great lungsful of air, she might’ve let a couple of swear words rip.

Cole was on mat leave, so Vigilante Justice was on hiatus. That meant we’d pivoted to shooting a short action film. Lindy wasn’t the lead, but she had a pivotal role.

I’d just laid the tracks for the camera that would catch the action. Having finished that, I was enjoying watching Donovan work. The man, with his shaved head, looked more like a bouncer. His ability to work his actors hard gave him the reputation as one of the best in the business. His actors rarely got hurt. Certainly, if they followed his detailed instructions, they were likely to be just fine.

Lindy pushed herself to an upright position. “Brody, don’t you have some little domestic scene to go home to?” Said without any malice—just a pile of teasing.

Jenn had moved to Toronto, taking the awesome promotion.

Robbie had sublet his apartment and moved in with me. He adored Minnie as much as I did, so we were good.

I checked my watch. “Yes, I do. Robbie’s making chicken cacciatore, and I can’t wait.” My partner was taking cooking classes, and I was the beneficiary of his schooling. I loved that he balanced lessons with taking care of Minnie and his job. I was there, of course, but we’d had more than a few long days recently.

He’d told me he’d never been happier. That he’d found purpose and meaning. I might not have completely understood, but I respected that and believed him when he said he’d found peace. We shared grief over losing Stefan…and then we’d made a life for ourselves.

I waved goodbye to Donovan and Lindy and booted out of the studio. No more hanging around after work. I had someone to go home to. And a pooch who adored me. As I headed over the Lion’s Gate Bridge, with daylight waning, I couldn’t help remember when I’d done this drive on the thirty-first of December. Nearly six months ago.

Tonight was the summer solstice—the longest night of the year. Tomorrow was Saturday. Robbie wasn’t working and I had a rare day off as well. We planned to stay up tonight, hang out on the balcony, and gaze over the North Shore lights.

He'd stayed the first time, long enough to see my view of said North Shore Mountains. A stunning view and one I was lucky to nab. The reason I didn’t really care if my neighbors ever saw me naked. For the record, Robbie and I determined no one had a view with the correct angle—so we were good.

I rode the elevator up from the garage with a sense of elation. Nearly six months. We never fought. Hard to find something to disagree about when our values and views were so aligned.

We talked about having kids. I could sell this place and we could move to a townhouse or even a small house in the suburbs. Robbie would likely leave his job as the commute would be pretty brutal and dental receptionists were needed just about everywhere. My commute would also be pretty brutal. Truth was, if we worked our timing and finances right, Robbie would be able to stay home. Maybe take a remote billing job in his spare time.

Yeah, right, like he wouldn’t be busy enough with the kid. Or kids.

We’d keep talking. The choice had to be his. I worked in intense bursts and was paid very well to do it. If that enabled us to fulfil our dream, then things would work out. Plenty of kids needing loving homes.