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EPILOGUE

RORY

I can’t get over how cute the dogs are.

Everywhere I look, there’s another dog in an adorable costume, each one led by one of my friends or shelter volunteers.

Charlie is dressed up as a hot dog, his stubby little legs barely visible as he snuffles along the floor, searching for food.

Daisy is a little princess, complete with a sparkly tiara and frilly dress, prancing proudly at the end of a leash held by Mrs. Adamson, who’s wearing a crown to match.

Enzo and Winter are escorting Comet and Rusty; the two dogs looking absurdly proud to be dressed up as little superheroes.

Dewey is in a little Army costume, which might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. It was sent by Georgia, who specially made it for the occasion. She also sent matching outfits for Toby and Elmore, who are trotting around as two oversized tacos.

Everywhere I look, there’s a dog here for the celebration.

Some of them already adopted, like Mrs. Adamson’s Daisy, and Bandit and Charlie, who now have a permanent home with Max.

Then there are the dogs still looking for homes, which, judging by the awws and adoring looks from the guests, will hopefully find them soon.

It’s not just the dogs decked out in their Halloween best, but all the people, too.

While the flyers said costumes were optional, almost everyone is wearing something.

Some costumes are elaborate, like Lark and Knox’s—Lark as a red-headed Cleopatra and Knox gamely dressed as Marc Antony.

Others are more low-key, like Ronan as a vampire and Alec a transitioning zombie.

When I saw Alec walk into the party wearing normal clothes and no makeup, I had to ask if he was supposed to be something.

He just grinned at me before gesturing to the flecks of red on his shirt and the fake bite-mark on his neck. “I was just bitten,” he explained. “So I’m not a full zombie yet. Maybe tomorrow.”

Honestly, I don’t care what people wear, as long as they’re having a good time. After all, that’s what the first annual Boos and Barks celebration is; a chance to show off the adoptable dogs and raise awareness about the shelter.

As I’m looking around the firehouse—the firefighters generously offered their space for the occasion—an arm slips around my waist. “Hey, baby. How’s it going?”

I’d know it was Gage without him saying anything. All it takes is a whiff of his ubiquitous scent and the strong but gentle way he touches me. And there’s just this frisson of electricity when I’m near him, something that hasn’t gone away even after six months of dating.

More than dating, really. We live together. Love each other. And except for the times Gage has to travel for a job for Green Mountain Guardians, we spend every night cuddled up in bed together.

And I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes I wake up feeling like I should pinch myself to make sure it’s all real.

Me. The woman who thought being on her own was the safest thing, now surrounded by more love than I could have ever imagined.

Gage. Our dogs. Isla and Matt and little Dove, who made the trip to Vermont to be a part of the celebration.

Enzo and Winter. Knox and Lark. Alec. Ronan.

Alice, who’s become a good friend. Max, who I discovered is really a big softie beneath his tough exterior.

Georgia and Leo, with Lily in tow, clutching a stuffed dog and shouting “Doggie. I want doggie!” every time another fuzzy face goes by.

Devin and Mal are here, all the way from Colorado. Nora and Jack came up from Sleepy Hollow, along with Leo and Georgia. Webb and Sam are here, too, and I’ve noticed Sam eyeing Hans, a German Shepherd mix, so I have hopes he’ll end up bringing the dog back to White Plains with him.

And then there are the people here who I thought might not come.

Emily. After weeks of not speaking, she finally arrived at my house in a flood of tears, sobbing as she apologized over and over.

She explained how guilty she felt, how she blamed herself for not noticing Wade’s suspicious behavior, finally confessing, “I know I haven’t been the best sister.

I let you down. Over and over. And I’m so, so sorry about what Wade did to you.

If you could possibly give me a chance, I’d like to try again. If you’ll let me.”

There are some hurts that haven’t healed yet, but after everything, she’s still my sister. And now, she’s the one who needs support. Living in a small apartment in Salem, working her way back up from the bottom at a new accounting firm, and still trying to come to terms with a terrible betrayal.

It’s like I told Gage after Emily left that day. Holding a grudge won’t make anything better. It won’t change the past. And right now, Emily’s alone. Hurting. How could I not offer her my support?

Are we best friends? No. We probably never will be. But we’re working on things. We talk on the phone. And today, she pushed past her worries about being judged as the soon-to-be ex wife of Wade to be here. To support me .

“I think everything is going really well,” I tell Gage. Stretching up, I kiss his chin, bristly with a five-o’clock shadow. “It looks like the food’s a success, thanks to the donations from Breakfast Bliss and Blissful Brews. And the dogs seem to be loving the little biscuits, too.”

Gage looks across the room to the table with the sign announcing, Doggie Dinner , loaded with biscuits shaped like pumpkins and ghosts and witches.

Flora, a little poodle newly adopted by the local doctor, Garrett Ryan, and his daughter, Glory, makes a running leap for the table before Garrett intercepts her.

Chuckling, Gage says, “Maybe we should have put a fence around the dog buffet. Just in case.”

“Nah, it’s okay. If you knew how many more we have in the back. The dogs at the shelter will have treats for months.”

A wet nose touches my hand, and I look down to see Elmore gazing at me with a hopeful expression. “Oops. I said the magic word, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Gage agrees. “I’ve learned my lesson. Never say the word. Only spell it out.”

“Until the dogs learn how to spell, that is.”

We smile at each other, sharing a silent message. We’ve been together long enough to just know what each other is thinking. So I know from the melty chocolate shade of his eyes that he’s thinking about how much he loves me. And I’m thinking the same about him.

“This is amazing, Rory.” Isla comes up to us and pulls me in for a hard and fast hug. When she releases me, she turns to Gage and gives him a quick hug in turn. “All these people here just to help out the shelter. It’s awesome. And all the dogs are so cute .”

Pride blossoms in my chest. “They are cute, aren’t they? And everyone seems to be having a good time.” I glance across the room, spotting Matt and Dove sitting at a table with Leo, Georgia, Nora, and Jackson. “How is Dove doing on her first big trip?”

After everything happened in Blue Mountain Lake, Isla came out to visit, but left Dove back home with Matt. This is the first time they’ve come to Vermont as a family, but now that Dove’s getting a little older, she’s planning to visit more regularly.

“She’s been great,” Isla says. “And she just loves the dogs. I have a feeling her first word is going to be dog now, instead of Mom or Dad.”

“Well, you could get a dog,” I suggest, knowing full well that Isla and Matt are thinking about trying for another baby instead.

Isla turns pink. Her voice dips. “We just decided to try for another baby. We think it would be nice for Dove to have a brother or sister who’s close to the same age.

And we’ve already looked into building a cabin on the Blade and Arrow property so we’d have more space. Kind of like what you guys have here.”

“That would be amazing.” I hug my best friend, holding her longer than I usually would. But that’s another thing that’s different since I got together with Gage. I touch people more. I give my friends hugs. I don’t worry about them feeling a scar beneath my clothes and being disgusted by it.

Thanks to Gage and my counselor, I finally understand that my fear was all in my head. And the people I care about don’t give a crap if I have scars. I’m just Rory to them. And they like me just as I am.

Isla casts a quick look around the room, her expression jolting in surprise as she sees a curly-haired woman crouched down talking to her dog. Then Isla turns to me. “Is that?—”

“Melissa,” Gage supplies. He kisses my cheek. “Rory wanted to invite her. And whatever Rory wants…”

“She’s doing a lot better now,” I explain. “She finished her inpatient treatment, and now she’s living with her parents in Utica. She’s still on probation, doing community service, but if you talk to her… She made a mistake. But I don’t think she’ll do it again.”

Isla looks at Gage with her eyebrows raised. “Do you think it’s safe?”

He hesitates. “Mostly. But we’re keeping an eye on her. And with so many former military in attendance, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”

“Now that she has Oscar, I think it’s better for her,” I add. “He’s specially trained to help with PTSD, and he’s certified as a therapy dog so he can go everywhere with her.”

As if Melissa can tell we’re talking about her, she looks in our direction and gives a hesitant wave. Then she hugs Oscar, her eyes closing as he licks her face.

That was another of the changes I made to the shelter program. Not just recruiting foster families, but training some of the dogs to be therapy animals. Melissa got one of our first graduates, and we have plans to adopt out three more dogs to combat veterans next month.

“I’m glad,” Isla finally says. “And I’m glad you have Gage.” She pauses. “I’ve never seen you this happy, Ror. And out of everyone I know, you’re the one who most deserves it.”

“She does.” Gage hugs me again. Then he exchanges a look with Isla. “I need to take care of something real quick,” he says. To me, he adds, “Would you mind waiting here? I’ll be done in a minute.”

He has an odd sort of… nervous look on his face. But I’m not going to ask him about it in front of Isla. Instead, I just nod. “No problem. I’ll go check on the food, see if we need to refresh anything.”

“No.” It’s quick. “Just… stay here. I’ll be right back.” And then he takes off with our three dogs in tow.

I hope he’s not regretting his decision to dress up as a pirate—with his prosthetic fully visible—which was his idea, not mine. He’s the one who suggested having me go as Tinkerbell from Peter Pan , while he chose the pirate costume to match.

I’m proud of him, though. And prosthetic or not, he’s still the sexiest man in the room by far.

Isla and I chat for a few minutes before Gage comes back, looking even more nervous than before. He holds his hand out to me, and as I take it, I notice how chilled his hand feels. How it’s almost… trembling. “Can you come with me?” he asks.

“Of course.”

I would follow him anywhere if he asked.

“Where are the dogs?” I ask as we walk across the room.

Gage glances at me. “With Ronan and Alec. I wanted to have some time alone with you.” He leads me to a door at the rear of the building, then pauses. “Close your eyes,” he says. “Okay?”

Flutters erupt in my belly. My heart jumps. “Okay…”

Closing my eyes, I let him lead me through the doorway and into the room. Then he stops. Takes a deep breath. Exhales. “Open your eyes.”

As soon as I do, my voice dries up.

Tears spring to my eyes.

What looks to be an ordinary office has been transformed into something much more special.

On every available surface are flickering candles, hundreds of them, filling the room with a warm, golden glow. And beside the candles, dozens of framed photos, each with a dog posed proudly in it.

As I walk closer, slowly, as if in a dream, I realize who all the dogs are.

They’re all dogs I found homes for over the years. Dogs who now have families.

My hand comes to my mouth, covering it.

“They’re not real candles,” Gage adds quickly. “I got battery operated ones. With it being a fire station, it seemed like a better idea. And I contacted all the families to ask them to send pictures. I just thought?—”

He stops. Looks at my face. Brushes my cheek with his finger, bringing it away wet. “Rory. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” My voice wobbles. “This is just so… I love it.”

“I love you,” he says. “And… I’ve been thinking. Waiting. Wanting to make sure I did this right.”

“What?” My breath catches. “Do what right?”

Gage sinks to one knee. He pulls a box from his pocket and snaps it open before holding it out to me.

A rainbow of sparkles dance across his face.

“Ask you to marry me, Ror. I’ve wanted to ask for a while. But I wanted to make sure you were ready. I didn’t want to rush you.”

Dumbly, I ask, “Rush me?”

“With everything you went through,” he explains. “I wanted you to have time to figure out what you wanted.”

“Gage.”

“Maybe I should have done this someplace more private. But baby, I’m just so proud of you. Everything you’ve done, and having this celebration, inviting all these people, helping so many animals…”

He stops. Sniffs. His eyes shine. “I love you so much, words can’t express it.

You’re everything to me. All my hopes. My dreams. My heart.

My soul. And if you would agree to be my wife, I’ll spend my life doing everything in my power to make you happy.

To protect you. To love you with every cell in my body. ”

More tears leak down my cheeks. “Oh, Gage .”

“Is it too soon? If you’re not ready?—”

“I’m ready.” It bursts out in an explosion of joy. Flinging myself at him, I kiss Gage hard on the lips. “I’m ready, Gage. I want to be your wife more than anything.”

“Rory.” He draws in a shaky breath. “You do?”

“Yes.” I shove my hand at him, eagerness taking over everything. “Yes. I want to be your wife. I want to be Mrs. McKay. Yes, yes, yes , I’ll marry you.”

Gage stares at me with wonder in his eyes. Then he slides the ring onto my finger and gazes at it for a moment before looking back up at me. “Mrs. McKay. I love it.”

He stands and sweeps me into his arms, capturing my mouth in a desperate kiss. It’s passionate and loving and tender all at the same time, all our feelings wrapped up in a singular connection. When we break the kiss, tears are brimming in his eyes.

“Oh, Rory.” His hand cups my cheek. “I am so happy. And so in love with you.”

Oh.

“Gage.” The love I feel for him is almost too big for my body. “I love you, too.”

As I gaze at the face of my future husband, I remember back to when I thought there was no point in wishing.

I was wrong.

My greatest wish is right here, standing before me.

And dreams really do come true.