Epilogue

Alex

One year later...

I WATCH HENRY from the car. He flits through Rainbow Rescue Cat Café, chatting with customers, charming everyone he comes in contact with. I can't help smiling as he talks to a couple about a cat napping on a perch.

I linger through the end of his shift, which is only fifteen minutes or so. I finished my own work early and decided to take the car and pop over here to surprise him. It's been a year since I moved here, but it never gets old delighting Henry with these small expressions of affection.

Finally, café patrons begin filtering out. Henry and his co-worker Sebastian, the flamboyant, loud one, start cleaning up. I slip out of the car and head into the café, knocking on the glass of the doors to get Henry's attention.

He lights up when he sees me, as though we haven't been doing this for a year, as though I've never surprised him at work, as though this is brand new and delightful.

He opens the two doors meant to keep the cats from sneaking out and ushers me into the café.

"What are you doing here?" he says.

"I finished work a little early. Wanted to surprise you."

Henry gives the café a quick glance. "We just started cleaning up. You don't need to stay for that if you don't want to. It won't take long with two of us."

"I can help."

Sebastian sidles near, leaning on the handle of a broom. "Just get out of here already. I've got this."

"Are you sure?" Henry says. "I don't want to abandon you to clean up the whole café by yourself."

Sebastian waves away Henry's offer. "We finished with the coffee bar already, and that's the worst part. I can sweep and wipe down and feed the cats. It won't take a minute."

"That's really nice of you, but—"

"Just go ," Sebastian says, using a hand to physically push Henry toward me.

I mouth the words "thank you" over Henry's shoulder, and Sebastian nods in understanding.

"Far be it from me to stand in the way of love," he says. "God knows I have no one coming here to adorably pick me up at the end of my shift."

I can see Henry wanting to reassure Sebastian, and it's not simply because they're kind of the only two employees at this place. River drops in for his yoga classes, but aside from him, it's all Sebastian and Henry. Chloe really needs to hire a reliable part-timer to pick up some of the slack for them.

"Come on," I say, sliding an arm around Henry's shoulders before he can refuse Sebastian's offer yet again. "Poppy is going to be mad at us if we miss her dinner time."

This finally gets past Henry's refusals. He lets me lead him out of the café and back to his car, which is kind of just our car at this point. I sold mine off when we realized we can easily share one and save on costs.

"Mmm you smell like mountain man," Henry says. He draws a deep breath before consenting to leave my side and get into the passenger seat.

"What exactly does mountain man smell entail?" I say as I start the car.

"Dirt. Pine needles. Earthy stuff. Sweat." Henry tugs at his bottom lip with his teeth as he contemplates adding more (apparently good) smells to the list.

I pull away from the curb and take us down Main Street. "I'm glad my new job has so many bonuses for you."

"Baby, if only you knew," Henry says, shamelessly sizing me up.

Self-conscious as I might feel, I can't entirely fault him. Working outside has definitely left me a little more rugged around the edges. I don't have to keep my face as clean-shaven. I often have literal dirt and pine needles sticking to me. I've even put on a little muscle from all my time spent doing environmental surveys.

I wouldn't trade it for anything. If someone told me that the best year of my life would be the year I moved back to Tripp Lake, I would have laughed in their face. But there's no other way to describe this past year with Henry. I have a job I love. I live with the man I love. And while my parents' know I'm within arm's reach, I've finally managed to establish some boundaries with them. We have dinner with them about as often as we do with Henry's mom, and they've finally realized that my life is mine to shape. It isn't the perfect parent-child relationship, certainly, but it's worlds better than it was a year ago.

I couldn't have done any of this without Henry. He was the one who reminded me of what I loved about this place. He was the one who gave me the courage to upend my life, a life I was living entirely for other people, and start living for myself.

It's a short drive back to our house, but I take his hand and hold it the whole way. It's almost a shame to pull into the driveway and turn off the car, since it means I have to let go of him temporarily. We head up the driveway and unlock the door—

And a bundle of fur screams her displeasure at us.

Poppy is sitting by the doorway, tail swishing in irritation as she glowers at her errant caretakers.

Henry scoops the cat into his arms and kisses her forehead, ignoring her annoyance. It won't last long, in any case. She's as affectionate with us as she was when she lived at the cat café.

The first couple times I visited Henry at work after moving here, she was all over me. Eventually, there was no denying it: She belonged with us. We adopted her and it's made our family complete.

It's strange thinking of this as my family. That word has come laden with expectations for my entire life, but Henry and Poppy — they want nothing but my presence. The moment Henry and I settle on the couch, Poppy curls up on my lap, all of her indignation promptly forgotten. Henry leans into me, and I relax as we put on something low-effort to watch.

This is my family. A family that wants nothing from me but my love. A family that doesn't pressure me. A family that takes me exactly as I am. A family I wouldn't trade for the world.

I turn my head to nuzzle my nose into Henry's hair. He chuckles and sinks against me. One day I'm going to marry this man, but that won't make us more complete than we are right this moment. Because this life right here? It's already everything I could ask for and more.

Me and Henry and Poppy and God damn Tripp Lake. The place I love the most.