Epilogue
EPILOGUE
MITCH
Three Months Later
“ C an I take this thing off yet?” I ask, tugging at the silky fabric.
“No!” Stacey says from the driver’s seat. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were taking me to your secret sex dungeon,” I say.
“Eye masks aren’t always sexual, Mitch,” she sighs. “This is just a normal, non-sexual surprise.”
“Bummer,” I say, moping a little in my seat.
Since the ad ran, things have been crazy. I somehow managed to go even more viral and wound up doing interviews on for some local magazines and even some national TV talk shows. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but so many people have been reaching out to share their own stories that it feels completely worth it. Stacey and I have even talked about doing an extra fundraiser next season for a local non-profit that works in the youth mental health space.
Today is our first day without an interview or event, so when Stacey woke up as early as me and insisted we get ready to leave, I was a bit bummed. I wanted to sit on the couch and do nothing. Instead, I’m in her car with my eyes blindfolded and no clue where we’re going.
Finally, the car turns and seems to pull into a parking spot. I can feel Stacey put it into park.
“Okay,” she says. “Go ahead.”
I remove her silky eye mask from my face and wait for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight. When they do, I see a familiar building with a familiar sign next to the entrance.
New puppies!
“Why are we at the shelter?” I ask.
“Bella,” she says as if I’m supposed to know what that means.
“She’s still here? You want to go play with her?” I ask.
“Not exactly,” she says. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
I crawl out of the car and follow Stacey through the front door. The usually bustling shelter is quiet aside from a few distant dog barks, and there’s a new banner hanging across the front desk.
Happy Gotcha Day!
“Huh, that’s new,” I say under my breath, still confused as to what on earth is going on right now.
“It’s for you,” Stacey says, lacing her fingers through mine and giving my hand a squeeze.
Then a bark comes from a crate in the center of the room, and the entire shelter staff is just staring from behind the desk. “Go ahead,” Stacey says, motioning towards the crate.
I take a step towards it and another familiar bark comes out. When I reach the crate, I can see there’s a piece of paper taped to the front. A certificate, to be exact. An adoption certificate .
“She’s getting adopted,” I say, turning back to Stacey, my heart aching a little that someone else gets to have this adorable pup. But she’ll finally have a home, which is what matters. “That’s wonderful.”
“I’m so glad you think so,” she says. “Because you’re the one adopting her.”
“I ...” I pause. “What?”
She walks towards me and crouches down to Bella’s and my level. “The shelter already approved it. She’s coming home with us today. If you’re okay with it, of course.”
“Love, I can’t ...” I start.
“Oh, shush,” Stacey says. “Yes, you can. I’ll help during the season, it’ll be fine. But I won’t force this on you.”
I look down at Bella’s little face peeking through the door of the crate. She’s grown since we were here last, but she still looks just as timid and adorable. I unlatch the crate and open the door, expecting her to cower inside like she did last time, but she leaps out and jumps into my arms instead. Then, before I can even see what’s coming, her massive tongue is licking up my face.
I let out a laugh and Stacey is giggling next to me. Bella looks over at her giggling and launches into Stacey’s lap, giving her the same lick. Stacey lets out a little playful shriek, and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than Stacey Anderson grinning at a puppy.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask.
“Of course I’m sure,” she says. “You two deserve each other.”
And I know she’s right. Not just that Bella deserves a loving home. But I think between Stacey and Bella, I’ll learn to accept that maybe I do too. And I owe it all to the sometimes stubborn, sometimes frustrating, but always wonderful woman sitting on the floor of this animal shelter with me.
“We make a pretty good one, don’t we?” I say, looking from Stacey to Bella and back again as I wrap my arms around them both.
“A good one what?” Stacey asks.
“Family,” I say with a bit of hesitation, knowing it’s just been a few months and I’m being fairly direct about my feelings right now. But Stacey’s grin somehow grows wider as she looks up at me, Bella snuggled up in her arms.
“Yeah,” she says. “We do.”