Epilogue

Epilogue

I WOKE at the foot of the big bed, listening for any sounds in the house. I heard nothing other than Daddy Alex and Luther breathing under the covers. I was a little cold, so I got up and quietly drew closer to Daddy Alex, then settled down right between the two of them where it was toasty warm.

Daddy Alex petted me gently and then went back to sleep. I closed my eyes again. It was what Daddy Alex called Christmas morning. I didn’t really know what Christmas was, but there were packages under the tree and some that smelled like bacon and sausage in the closet. The ones under the tree in the house didn’t smell like anything, so I left them alone. But I really wanted the ones in the closet. I saw them when Daddy Luther opened the door yesterday, and I’d dreamed about them all night. Daddy Alex had called him Uncle Luther, but I knew he was really Daddy Luther. I could tell that they loved each other, even if they didn’t know it yet. Dogs can always tell. I wasn’t sure if the treats in the closet or my daddies made me happier. I supposed it didn’t matter what made my tail thump on the bed.

I didn’t think about Mom Claire as much as I used to, but I missed her and hoped she would be happy that I found a forever home. She always loved me, and I would always love her in the depths of my doggie heart, but now Daddy Alex was there too, and I wasn’t going to be alone. I would be loved, and Daddy Alex and Daddy Luther would always be there for me; I just knew it.

I closed my eyes, my doggie mind filling with the things I loved: bacon treats, my new squeaky bone, and my two daddies who petted me in their sleep. The best doggie Christmas ever.