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“That’s funny. I look around and feel really good. Every single thing in here shows me how much you care about me. And that is the best gift a man could ever get.”

Macie softened in his arms, and he sensed some of the tension seeping out of her. He hoped—prayed—that he’d set her mind at ease once and for all.

Then he realized he knew exactly how to relax her even more. He kissed her again, letting his hands drift to her breasts.

The second he touched her, she gasped. “Oh! Your gift! I forgot.”

He tightened his grip on her. “The only thing I want to unwrap right now is you, in my bed.”

She shrugged off his hold and hopped up quickly. “This can’t wait. Sorry.” She darted across the kitchen to the mudroom in the back. She opened the door and bent down to pick something up.

When she turned around, she had a squirming puppy in her arms. Around its neck, she’d tied a big red bow.

Hank was speechless as she returned to him.

“Porter said you love dogs, but you never had one because Sharon was deathly afraid of them. Said something about her being bitten when she was younger.”

“You got me a puppy?”

She bit her lip. “That was stupid, wasn’t it? Pets are horrible presents, I know that. I mean, God, I just saddled you with a bunch of work, and they’re expensive and?—”

“You got me a puppy,” he repeated.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“A girl. That’s where I was when you came home and found the mess. I was supposed to pick her up earlier, but Rodney was late getting home from his granddaughter’s birthday party in Douglas.”

“Can I hold her?”

Macie held the wiggly dog out to him. “Of course you can. She’s yours…if you want to keep her.”

The second the puppy was in his arms, Hank fell in love. The dog tried to climb his chest and suddenly his face was covered with sloppy kisses as she licked every part of him she could reach. Hank laughed and realized Macie really had given him the best birthday ever.

“What’s her name?” he asked.

“She doesn’t have one yet.”

He looked at the sweet dog and studied her face. “Sally. She looks like a Sally.”

Macie stared at the dog, then shrugged. “Yeah. I guess she kind of does. So, you like her?”

“I love her. Jesus, Mace. This is…” He swallowed, surprised by the lump that had formed in his throat. This time last year, he’d been in the darkest place imaginable. Alone, angry at the world.

This year, he had the sweetest, silliest, sexiest woman giving him puppies and making him laugh and burning his favorite dinner.

“This is perfect. All of it.”

He wasn’t sure what she saw in his face or heard in his tone, but for the first time since he’d walked into the kitchen, she appeared to believe what he was saying.

“She’s adorable, isn’t she? I mean she’s a mutt, part black lab, part whodunit. Rodney said she’ll probably get pretty big.”

“Macie?”

“Yeah?”

“Get upstairs. Now.”