My eyes welled with tears, but I nodded and returned my attention to Kiernan and my mother.
“If you do speak to her like that or are rude and try to call it a joke, if you hurt her in any way, she won’t be in your life. You won’t know your grandkids, even though I’d bet they would be better for it. Caroline is beautiful and perfect. You can get the hell out of here. I’ve got it from here.”
Kiernan turned his back on her. She was gaping like a fish and fuming. Her cold glare turned to me for a moment before she stood and stomped out of the room, my sister following a moment later.
My dad groaned as he stood from the chair. “Take care, sweetheart. You’ve got a good man here,” he said and followed my sister and mother.
I didn’t know if they’d listen to Kiernan and treat me better or if that was the end of my relationship with my family. Right now, I wasn’t sure I cared either way. The room was much calmer after they left. A nurse came by with the discharge paperwork. Kiernan pushed me in a wheelchair to the exit with Daphne on my left. “When do you want me to tell everyone to come to our house?” Kiernan asked.
“Our house?” Daphne asked. “Since when is it y’all’s house?”
“I’m moving in with Caroline,” Kiernan said, still strolling at a leisurely pace toward the hospital exit. I turned in the chair and looked up at him.
“You’re moving in with me.”
He looked down, meeting my gaze, and grinned. “Yeah, I’m moving in. The guys are moving all my stuff right now. Should be there by the time we get home.”
“What?” I said.
“Sweetness, I practically live there anyway. Pepper Jack respects your house. That fucker may be dead, but I’m still not ready to let you out of my sight. You have the better security system. We’re safer there.”
“So you’re just telling me? And not asking?”
Kiernan shrugged. “Are you saying you don’t want to live with me?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. That definitely wasn’t what I was saying. I didn’t want Kiernan to go home. I’d gotten used to his body next to mine while I slept. I loved seeing his green eyes first thing in the morning. I loved coming home to a snoozing Pepper Jack and Harmonica curled up and cuddled together. “No, I’m not saying I don’t want you to live with me.”
“So you do want me to move in?” Kiernan grinned at me again.
“Yes,” I answered, matching his smile with one of my own. He dipped down, pressing a kiss against my dimple.
“Problem solved,” he said. “I’m just doing what the doctor ordered, making sure you rest. I’ll make the decisions for a while.”
I laughed and held my side. It didn’t matter that it ached as I laughed, I couldn’t help the joy that was spreading through my heart.
Epilogue Kiernan—Seven Months Later
I’d heard parents say it about their kids, but it was true for my dog too. When the house becomes suspiciously quiet—that’s the time to worry and find them to see what trouble they’re getting into. I woke from a nap and couldn’t hear Pepper Jack’s snores or the jingle of his collar as he moved around.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
I rubbed my eyes and rose from the couch. I’d fallen asleep waiting for Caroline to come home. I had dinner prepared, just needed to throw it in the oven when she walked through the door. I opened the sliding glass patio door and checked the yard to make sure he wasn’t out there. Had I forgotten and left him outside somehow? A breeze blew in, so I left the patio doors open. I walked down the hallway and poked my head in the office. He wasn’t in there, but Harmonica was in her window swing. She had one in almost every room and liked changing her view.
Next I opened the door to the guest bedroom. Pepper Jack could open doors. He’d never closed one behind him, but I wouldn’t put it past him to learn a new trick. Next I checked our bedroom, and that’s when I heard the slight jingle of his collar. I walked around the bed and then into the bathroom and finally the closet. The door was partially cracked. I opened it and tensed.
Pepper Jack was lying in the walk-in closet with a navy-blue velvet ring box between his paws and was chewing on the outside. “Pepper Jack,” I yelled. “Leave it! Drop it!”
I’d picked up Caroline’s engagement ring one week ago and was still deciding how I wanted to propose to her. I didn’t want to wait too long, but I wanted it to be a moment she would remember and cherish forever. Something that would always make her smile.
Pepper Jack stood with the ring box in his mouth. I gulped as he stared at me. His jowls twitched and I narrowed my eyes. I swore that was a smirk aimed at me. “Drop it!” I yelled again. The front of his body lowered to the ground slightly with his butt sticking straight up in the air. He eyed me for a moment and took off like a rocket. I dove for him but missed.
I ran after him. “Drop it, Pepper Jack! Leave it!”
He ran around the coffee table and stopped. I slowly approached and launched my arm out to grab his collar. He swerved and took off again. His tail wagged as he ran through the house with me chasing him. I stopped in the kitchen, panting, grabbing a treat and waving it. This was pure bribery, but I didn’t care. I needed to get that box before he ate the ring that
