EPILOGUE
Two years later
ANGUS
I watched Eion walk away from me, and I could tell that he still felt me.
I had shown him how much I loved him in our bedroom an hour ago.
He looked out over the pasture where we kept our horses.
We had been getting ready for our company and I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.
I had no regrets even if the floor wasn’t swept, and the bathroom could have used a wipe down.
We had moved out of the fifth-wheel about six months ago.
Our house and the buildings at the Sanctuary were log-cabin-style on the outside, while everything inside was state-of-the-art but kept the cabin aesthetic.
It felt amazing to be living in the house we had built.
Eion and I made sure everything in the house was exactly how we wanted it.
This would be where we spent the rest of our lives because we wouldn’t leave the Sanctuary.
That was okay with me because with my man and the animals was exactly where I wanted to be.
Eion wasn’t wearing his prosthetic tonight; we had worked hard moving the buffalo into their own acreage today, and by the time we had put the horses back in the pasture, he was ready to take it off and let his body rest. Around our friends, he no longer worried about being judged.
Seeing how comfortable he was with his residual limb being seen made me happy for him, because it meant we had a family that loved us as we were and he accepted that.
“So glad you could make it.” I heard Eion saying as I joined them.
“Where did the buffalo go?” East asked as he walked in.
“We moved them today. They are in their own zone now. There are another ten that need rescuing, which will give us a herd of fifteen.”
East raised his eyebrows. “Then what?”
“We are hoping to work with some indigenous groups to breed and reintroduce as small groups into the wild. All of them will need DNA testing and such, but hopefully we can do some good conservation work with them.” I smiled at my man.
I was so proud of him and all the good he wanted to do for these animals.
Over the last year, we rebuilt all the buildings, including a more comprehensive medical complex with hospital rooms and nurseries for animals of all sizes.
We also had a reptile building with some rescued iguanas and an aviary.
Zach was our facility manager, with two people reporting to him, while Eion, as the director, focused on rescuing animals and getting them adopted out.
Plus, he set up conservation projects and arranged for the release of as many animals as possible back into the wild.
I’ve never been so impressed by another person.
He would be my husband before long, at least I hoped he would agree when I asked him to marry me on our next long weekend.
Tyler brought up the rear, holding his niece’s hand, when Allison made a run for the door. “Hi, Uncle Amgus. Hi, Uncle Eion. Can I go?”
“If your Dad says it’s okay?” I looked at East.
“Yes. If it’s not a problem.”
“Okay, come with me. I’ll get you set up.
” We had a room that had twelve-foot windows.
Attached to that room was the raccoon habitat.
North and South had access to a natural area where they built their own dens.
Eion neutered both of them, and they lived happily in that space.
I could go into the room any time I wanted and open the doors to an area with a couch and toys.
This was where Allison wanted to go. With her settled, I returned to the kitchen, where everyone had congregated.
I walked over and pulled Eion against my side, holding him while we laughed about some story West had told.
I didn’t work at the bar very often, but I did go in to train their security about every ten weeks.
West understood that I was now devoted to the Sanctuary.
My full-time job was managing social media and donors.
Working with my partner, doing something I loved, was more than I ever hoped for.
“I love you, Baby,” I whispered against his ear, then turned to find the bottle of wine. “Let’s take this and sit in the living room. Dinner will be here in an hour.”
“You are going to need more wine.” I grabbed a second bottle, and we all sat down. Ramsey and Barnaby lay at our feet. While I got comfortable next to Eion, I smiled like a fool. Yeah, this was everything.
EION
The people in our home had become family to me, and I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was around them.
Remembering what I was like when I first met Angus.
I had growled at him. Now I happily have people in my space, in my home.
When Angus asked if I would build a house with him, he wasn’t kidding.
Every single part of this house was designed together.
I knew I would be with Angus for the rest of my life. Asking him to marry me was on my list of things I wanted to do soon. He was my person, and even though neither of us felt we had to be married, I wanted him to be my husband.
I watched as he filled wine glasses. We ordered delivery because we wanted to enjoy our friends and not spend hours in the kitchen.
As I shifted on the couch, I ached in the best possible way, plus if we had cooked, there was no way we would have had time for Angus to take my ass.
Every time we were together, I craved him more.
It was something I thought I would never have after Trey had broken me down. But this was so much better.
“I can’t believe Angus spent his day riding a horse?” West said with a smirk.
As I refocused on the conversation, I added my two cents.
“He has become a really good rider. We have a few mustangs coming in next week. They probably won’t be here long, but you should come see them while they are.
” We often had animals come through to get healthy, and then they went on to live elsewhere.
Our little sanctuary was now a big Sanctuary.
This year's fundraiser made twice as much money as last year's. We had more animals all the time. We didn’t rescue standard domesticated animals like dogs, but we did have a few cats around to keep the vermin population down.
I never imagined we would be in this position, even though it was something I had dreamed of.
“The Dapper Duck staff still coming out for the day next month?”
“Yeah. Everyone loves it when we spend the day here. They look forward to it for months.” West said.
Once a quarter, the bar staff comes to spend the day.
There is a catered meal, plus they can bring families.
It’s one of the few times I enjoy visitors.
That's the one exception to the Sanctuary being closed to visitors. There have been a few times I’ve found East alone talking to Orlando.
Then there was Zach, who still camped with the alpacas, all of them watching hockey.
I’d been given a second chance at life after the accident, and then I was given Angus.
He was a stubborn, pushy, and kind man who stole my heart. I was lucky.
Barnaby looked at me like he expected me to deliver some sort of snack. “No, sir.”
Angus chuckled next to me. “It’s because you spoil him.”
Tyler then laughed and pointed at West. “He’s that way with our pets.”
“I am not,” he shot back.
Then Tyler let out a very loud snort, which made us all giggle, and that was how we spent the evening. We laughed and ate. Every time I looked at Angus, my heart beat harder.
This was my happily ever after, and I was so lucky to have it.