Epilogue

EPILOGUE

"Where were you? And what's that?" Nick's voice floated down to the street from their front porch.

Damn, he'd hoped to surprise his partner by getting up extra early and taking care of what he'd needed to take care of. It had been established that Nick was not a morning person. But one thing he'd learned in the past year was that surprising Nick Sedgewick was very difficult. The man had the instincts of a bloodhound when it came to secrets.

Slowing his pace, Doug looked up. "What does it look like?" He steered it around a bump in the sidewalk.

"A baby buggy? A stroller? Is there something you forgot to tell me?"

Carefully, Doug lifted the buggy and started up the stairs. "Like what? ‘Honey, I birthed a child and never told you?'"

"Okay, if you put it that way."

Reaching the top of the steps, Doug gently set the pet stroller down on the deck. A quick peek assured him that the contents were still asleep.

"The buggy is for Tim. He's always bitching about us carrying him—or leaving him behind—so I thought this would be a good idea." Doug looked around. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Where do you think? Basking in the sunroom you built for him."

"Of course he is."

Doug rolled the pet carrier closer to the porch swing. Nick had been reading and enjoying his morning caffeine fix. Reluctantly, he set the book aside.

"Tah-dah!" Doug took a minute to realize how much life had changed; he never said tah-dah like that Before Nick.

"Yes, I see," Nick said dryly. "That's a very fancy stroller. Tim will love it. We can take him for beers now. Good on you. Why did you have to get up at the ass crack of dawn to go get one?"

Other times Nick could be incredibly obtuse. This was one of those times.

Doug didn't do many things on the spur of the moment, but when he'd driven past the animal shelter last week, he'd felt an impossible-to-ignore urge to go inside. An hour later, he'd been filling out adoption papers and he'd picked up the puppy this morning while Nick was still asleep.

"Nick."

"What? I'm comfy over here."

"Look inside the stroller."

With a sigh, Nick got to his feet. "What's inside? Another tortoise? A talking boa constrictor?"

"Just fucking look already."

Nick froze by the buggy. "Oh." He looked down at the sleeping puppy and back up at Doug. "Is this for real?"

"Yes, this is for real."

"I've missed having a dog so much." Nick had told Doug how having a dog as a kid was one of his best memories of his parents.

"I know you have. You should name her. She came with Vanessa, but I think she needs a name we give her."

"Vanessa is a stupid name for a dog."

"Agreed. What do you think?"

Nick lifted the puppy out of the stroller and held her tight for a moment. Squirming in his hold, she lifted her head and started to lick Nick's face.

"You adopted a dog?"

" We adopted a dog. You were right, our house needs a dog."

"You should know by now that I am always right."

"Quite often you are right," Doug amended.

The grin on Nick's face was infectious. Sitting back on his heels, he took in the beautiful animal they would be sharing their home with.

"She looks like maybe part husky?"

Doug shrugged. "Maybe. Does it matter?" He'd done a little research and frankly, he figured a husky was about the only dog that could keep up with Nick some days.

"No, of course not. Hey, beautiful, what's your name?" Nick asked the dog.

He was rewarded with another big kiss across his face and a vigorous body shake.

"She smells like corn chips."

"Okaaay."

"Frito."

"Frito?"

Doug regretted not naming the puppy before he got home. Frito it was, and Frito she would forever be known as.

"This isn't horrible," Nick said softly. "I mean, there are worse ways to spend time than sitting out here with Frito watching bats. And with you too, of course. And Tim."

"Damn right. This is excellent."

"And it's better because I'm here too."

Doug heard the slight question at the end. He wrapped his arm around Nick's shoulders and pulled him close. "It is better with you here. I kinda like having you around."

"Aw, the big strong superhero shares his feelings."

Doug grinned. If anything, Nick was worse than he was about sharing feelings.

"You know, I love you, regardless of my old age and declining cognitive skills."

After packing up Frito, Tim, and enough food, Hot Tamales, and prosecco to last the apocalypse, they'd road-tripped to the cabin that Nick had convinced him they shouldn't live at full-time. Nick even managed to stay awake for most of the drive.

With Nick nestled into his side and Frito sleeping at their feet, Doug had to admit that life was pretty damn good.

"I could probably dig up some more articles on aging if you need me to. And I love you too. Don't forget."

Doug snorted. "Very funny. But maybe you're onto something. We should start looking into fifty-five and over communities, get ourselves a on a waiting list or two. I've heard in some cases younger partners and family are allowed to live in them too—within certain parameters, of course. While we're at it, we probably should take up pickleball, just to be ready. It's the popular sport in the senior communities and fifty-five isn't that far away."

Before Nick could react, Doug dragged more oxygen into his lungs and kept talking.

"After all, soon enough I'll be fifty-four and the next thing you know, fifty-five is just three hundred and sixty-five days away—unless it's a leap year, of course, then it would be three hundred and sixty-six days. Whaddaya think?"

Nick's shoulders shook with true laughter. That real, from-the-gut laugh that Doug loved to hear and tried his best to make happen as often as possible. Yep, semiretirement was the perfect amount of retirement. And life with Nick was as close to perfect as Doug was going to get.

Achievement unlocked.

Ready for more? Next up Static/Cling by Jaime Samms.

If you haven't indulged in season one yet (seriously, these are so fun and awesome) start with The Accidental Necromancer by Liv Rancourt and binge away! These fun, irreverent subparhero romances are intended to make you smile, laugh and escape from reality for a little while.

Next up from me is The Map Home , part of the Collier's Creek Christmas, which is related to the original Collier's Creek series. The Map Home is Dakota and Tad's story. If you've read my work, we meet Dakota in Full Disclosure, book 4 of Veiled Intentions.