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He pulled me against him into the tightest, best hug he had ever given me. I hugged him right back, holding on to him with everything in me. “I missed you so much,” he said, burying his head into the space where my shoulder met my neck.

I threaded my fingers into his hair. “I missed you too. Thank you for bringing me Bean today. Thank you for knowing that would help.”

“I was trying to make it up to you, Wren. I was just trying to make it better.” His voice was scratchy again.

“You did. You did.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to say goodbye in the first place.”

“No, I’m happy he found a home.”

“Me too.”

“Now, I’m tired of waiting. Put that freshly brushed mouth on mine,” I said.

He laughed, and when his laughter trailed off, he said, mouth against my neck, “I’m so sorry about the video. I’m sorry I hurtyou.”

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to.”

He pulled me to him, smashing his lips against mine. I answered just as intensely. He stumbled backward, taking me with him, until we were falling onto his bed. Our legs wrapped aroundeach other’s, our hearts in sync, and every last wall crumbled to the ground. “I love you,” I said against his mouth.

He pulled back to look at me, our limbs still tangled together. “I was supposed to say that first.”

“I love you,” I said again. “Now you can only say it for the third time. How embarrassing for you.”

He gasped and then tickled my sides.

I squealed and rolled onto my back to escape. He rolled as well, the upper half of his body hovering over me. He kissed me, slow and deep. “I love you, Wren.”

Rule:Dogs > People.

“Do you think he’ll like everyone now?” Asher asked as we drove to the park to meet up with our friends. Bean was on his lap, his head out the window. His tail hadn’t stopped wagging since we’d picked him up for a playdate.

“Do I think he turned into a different dog in the last month? No.” I said, flipping on the blinker and turning right, into the parking lot.

“You said the shelter stresses dogs out. Maybe Bean minus stress is an angel.”

I laughed. “Are you an angel now, Bean?”

He gave a happy bark.

“He said no.” I pulled into a parking space and turned off thecar.

In the distance, sitting on a blanket under a tree, were Kamala, Dale, and Brett.

“Do you think Kami and Dale…?”

“What?” Asher asked. “Do I think they secretly kiss?”

I laughed. “Do you?”

“Is that what you were going to ask?”

“I mean, basically.”

He opened his door and let Bean out, holding on to his leash. “Maybe. I’ve been trying to figure that out.”

Kamala had basically confessed that she liked Dale on the way to his party over a month ago, but she’d deflected all my questions about it since. “Me too.”