29. Emily
CHAPTER 29
EMILY
W indows down, I let the breeze toss my hair around. It’s a beautiful day, a good day. The week has been long, yet rewarding. New clients have filled my schedule, and the day when I can quit the coffee shop feels close.
Everything is going so well, and I should be happy, but Isaac lingers in my mind. He’s always there, like a ghost of a touch I can’t shake off.
A sign catches my eye. Bright and cheerful, it points the way to the shelter. “Dog Adoption Drive for Seniors” it reads. My brow furrows. I don’t remember hearing about this. Curiosity nudges at me, worming its way through thoughts of Isaac.
The parking lot is fuller than usual, with tents set up, dogs in the shade in pens and being walked on leashes, and people milling around. It feels like I’ve walked into the twilight zone. Catching sight of Ricki, I jog up to her.
“What’s going on?” I ask. How could such a big event be planned without my knowing?
She grins big. “Like it? We’re matching dogs up with senior citizens. Not only are the adoption fees covered, so are food and basic care. Plus vet bill assistance and dog walkers if they need it.”
My jaw drops. “What… That’s… How— I mean, where…”
The shelter doesn’t have this kind of money. Who on earth is paying for all of this?
“I could explain,” Ricki says. “But I was asked to keep it a surprise for you.”
I feel my eyebrows pinch together in confusion. “By who?”
“And maybe I should let him explain.” She nods at someone behind me.
“Hello, Emily.” That familiar voice, deep and gentle, sends a thrill through me.
Spinning around, I come face to face with none other than Isaac.
He’s here, really here, Baxter sitting loyally at his side. The dog’s tail wags, thumping against the asphalt.
“Isaac?” I can barely get his name out, the question in it bigger than any single word could hold.
He steps forward, eyes holding mine. “I thought this might help. Dogs finding homes, seniors finding friends.” His smile is hesitant, hopeful. “Loneliness doesn’t have to be an epidemic. Not if we do something about it.”
“And you… you’re doing this?” My voice trembles as much as my hands. “You’re the one who’s footing the bills?”
“I am.” Pride lights up his face, but there’s something else there too — vulnerability, perhaps. “It’s important. You taught me that.”
Tears blur my vision. His understanding of loss, his embrace of change — it moves me more than I can say.
“Isaac, I…” Words fail me, so I let the tears fall instead. “I’m sorry. I overreacted that day. I was so just scared. I was…” I shake my head.
He steps closer, his presence enveloping me in warmth. “I’m sorry, Emily. For before. For letting my job become everything, for letting Baxter get out.”
I wipe away my tears. “I guess neither one of us is perfect.”
He grins. “No one ever said we have to be.”
That makes me chuckle, though there’s also a relieved sob in there. I’ve been wishing for some sort of miracle to bring us back together, but while I’ve been sitting on my hands, Isaac has been making plans. I could kiss him for it.
“Thank you,” I say. “For this event… for… coming back.”
“No, thank you.” His gaze holds a weight, a promise. “I don’t want to be the guy that you first met. I’ve learned a lot since you came into my life, and I want to do things differently — and I won’t just say that.”
“I know.” I nod, happy tears streaming down my face. “You’re showing me that.”
“Emily… I love you. I want to be with you.”
My heart beats louder than the barks and chatter around us. He’s here, really here. Offering a future.
“Thank you,” I manage to whisper through the tightness in my throat. “I want to be with you, too.”
The words hang heavy in the air between us, a pact solidifying, an invisible bond strengthening. For a moment, we are silent, absorbing the magnitude of our confessions, basking in the warmth of this acceptance and understanding.
“It won’t be easy…” I start to admit, trailing off as I acknowledge all the hurdles we have yet to overcome. The world of high society, his business, my commitment to the dogs, our own individual issues that are sure to rear their heads again… a mountain range of challenges that will test us, time and again.
“I know,” he acknowledges, gently taking my hand in his. His fingers trace the lifeline etched across my palm. “But we’re stronger than we were before. We’ve learned from past mistakes. We’ve become resilient.”
His words, so full of assurance, soothe the storm that’s been brewing in my heart. I gaze into his eyes, shimmering blue-green pools reflecting a lifetime worth of shared dreams, and I see a truth that I’d been too afraid to accept.
We’re still incomplete, still healing, but together we might find a way through. His presence is like a harbor that shields me from the storm; the lighthouse guiding me back when I get lost in the choppy waters of doubt.
Isaac steps closer, his arms wrapping around me. I sigh, sinking into his embrace as his lips press against mine. It’s the perfect kiss, the perfect moment.
Until Baxter starts barking his head off.
Isaac sighs and shakes his head. “I love that dog, but I can’t pretend to not be annoyed at that.”
I giggle, partly at him, partly at what Baxter is doing. “Look.”
He’s in play pose, front lowered and tail wagging, fixated on a caramel-colored puppy in a pen.
“He wants to play.” Before I can say anything else, Baxter pulls his leash out of Isaac’s hand and runs over to the puppy.
He shoves his snout through a hole in the pen and carefully licks the puppy, one too small to even bark properly. My breath catches in my throat. Baxter has never been this gentle, this attentive.
“Looks like he’s made a friend,” Isaac observes, a smile playing on his lips. He kneels down, not caring that his suit pants brush against the kennel floor. “What do you think? Should we take this little guy home?”
I hesitate, biting my lip. The idea of more responsibility looms large in my mind. “Do you really have time for a puppy, Isaac?” I ask, doubt lacing my voice.
He looks up at me, eyes earnest. “I’ll make time. It’s different now, Emily. Everything’s different with you.”
The puppy yips, a tiny sound that tugs at my heartstrings. I want him. I can’t deny it. If Isaac doesn’t take him, I might just…
“Let’s raise him together, Em.” Isaac’s words are soft but powerful. “Together in my place. What do you say?”
“Are you asking me…”
He stands. “I know it’s fast. Maybe a little crazy, but yes. Will you move in with me?” He grins. Takes my hands in his. “Move in with me and raise this puppy?”
A thousand thoughts race through my head. Change is scary. But change brought me to Isaac. To this moment. To love.
“Okay,” I breathe, the word more a feeling than a sound. “Yes. I would love to.”
His face lights up with a joy that echoes through me. Our lips meet, a kiss that seals the promise of new beginnings.
“Yes,” I say again, stronger this time, as Baxter and the puppy play at our feet.
This is yes to the puppy. Yes to Isaac. Yes to a future where we build something beautiful together.