Page 62

I didn’t hear a word they were saying, though. All I could focus on was his sweet smile, and the fact that he was just as crazy about me as I was about him. I slipped my arm around his waist, releasing a sigh of contentment. He smiled at me and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

All of it was more than I had ever dared to dream. I might’ve been clueless about a lot of things in life, but one thing was certain… I was never ever going to let Lewis go.

Epilogue

Lewis

Two years later

The doors to the backyard were wide open. The sun illuminated the hardwood floors inside, turning the entire space into a welcoming haven of light.

I put my medical bag on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter and rolled my neck from side to side. Delivering a baby alpaca over at Addy and Justin’s petting zoo had been a long, but rewarding process. I was glad to be home, though. The clinic was in good hands with my colleagues. Right after Olive and I moved in together, I had hired two vets and a veterinary assistant.

I stepped outside into the warm sunshine and held a hand above my eyes to shield them from the sun.

Where were they?

A bark followed by laughter led me in the direction of the garden shed. The eaves provided much-needed shade, which made the shed the coolest place in the yard. Olive was standing in the shade, playing with our dogs. She looked as beautiful as the day I met her. In fact, she looked even more beautiful these days.

“There you are,” I said.

She turned around and greeted me with a smile while I slipped my arms around her. “How is my favorite girl doing?”

“Good,” she said before planting her lips on mine. “Great now that you’re home.”

“Have these two behaved while I was out?” I asked, motioning my head at Rhubarb and Archie.

Olive laughed. “These two rascals, you mean? Yes, they’ve been amazing. We only lost one shoe today.”

I bent down to pat them both on the head. They wagged their tails and threw me an expectant look.

“It looks like they want a treat,” Olive said.

I shook my head. “Too many treats are not healthy for them. You know that.”

Olive waved my remark away with a dazzling smile. “Oh, come on. They haven’t had one all day. One treat won’t hurt them, right guys?”

She pulled her treat bag out of the pocket of her dress.

“Is this how you’re going to be with our kids? Spoil them rotten?” I asked, pulling her close and kissing her.

Her eyes sparkled. “Well, they are twins. Double the fun, double the treats.”

“I still can’t believe we’ll have two dogsandtwo kids six months from now,” I said. “But I also can’t wait.”

“Me neither.” She kissed me again. “Oh, and neither can our parents.”

I groaned. “Did Mum call with another piece of well-intended advice?”

“This time, it was my parents. They wanted to know what color to paint Benji’s room. Mom said they’re turning it into a kids’ paradise.”

My eyes grew wide. “Your parents are going to repurpose your brother’s room? Wow, I never in a million years thought that would ever happen.”

Olive shrugged. “Well, they can’t exactly let the babies sleep in the hamster room, now can they? Dad said nothing’s too much for his grandkids. If Benjamin wants to come over, he’ll have to sleep on the couch.”

“So, what color did you tell them it should be?” I asked.

“I didn’t spill any secrets, don’t you worry. You and I are the only ones who know we’re having a girl and a boy.”