“I missed you too.” He buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply. “Let’s never be apart again.”

“Deal. From now on, it’s you and me.”

“And Renzo.”

“And Renzo,” I agreed. “And my four sisters. Plus their significant others. And my parents.”

“And my mother. And Nina’s family. Plus Asher.”

I giggled. “We might never get a moment alone.”

“Oh no. We’ll get plenty of those, no matter what.” He rolled to his back, taking me with him so that I lay along the muscular length of his body. “I’ll always be a family man. But our family will come first.”

My heart thumped so hard against my ribs, I thought it might jump from my chest into his. “I love you so much. That means everything to me.”

We kissed, our bodies igniting again, and I felt him growing hard and thick between us.

I smiled. “Do you think we’ll ever get enough?”

“Hell no,” he said, turning me beneath him again and easing inside me. “But I’ll never stop trying.”

“My hero,” I whispered, before he crushed his mouth to mine.

And maybe there’s no such thing as perfection, but that moment?

It came pretty damn close.

Epilogue

Noah

“You ready, bud?” I scratched behind Renzo’s ears. “This is a big day.”

Renzo panted and wagged his tail, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Pretty much exactly the way I got watching Meg get ready for bed at night.

We’d been living together for six months now—she’d moved back to Michigan right around Thanksgiving and stayed with me while she looked for an apartment or condo, but by Christmas I’d convinced her to give up the hunt. You belong here with me, I’d told her. Stay.

And she had.

“Come on, boy. Let’s go. She’s waiting for us.” I grabbed Renzo’s leash and we went out the back door. Meg was already at the event getting last-minute entrants registered for the 5K race she’d helped organize—a fundraiser benefitting the organization that provided service dogs for veterans. But what made this particular event really special was that Meg had worked tirelessly to make sure the race was totally inclusive. She solicited donations for racing push chairs for both kids and adults with special needs who wanted to participate, using her connections in Washington and her new job as a lawyer and advocate for a regional branch of the American Association for People with Disabilities.

A job Asher had helped her get, by the way.

He saw the posting on the website, sent it her way, and Meg got the position. She loved what she did, and felt like it was the perfect balance of legal work and fighting for justice. Did she make the salary she’d made in DC? Not even close. But she said she didn’t care, because she got something more valuable than money out of the job.

She was still trying to get me to agree to run for sheriff, but I was content to enjoy life as it was for now. I hadn’t written it off, but there had been a lot of changes in the past six months, and we all needed time to adjust.

Asher was living on his own in an adaptive home he’d found that offered 24/7 support if it was needed but encouraged as much independence as possible. He was working Monday through Friday, had gotten a raise, and saw Alicia at least a couple times a week. It wasn’t romantic between them yet, he told me, but he was working up the nerve to kiss her.

“Just don’t wait as long as I did,” I told him. “It took me seventeen years to kiss Meg.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I am much smarter than you.”

He’d participate in the race today, as well as Alicia with one of her sisters, Nina and Chris, Meg’s parents, Mack and Frannie, all three of Mack’s girls, April and Chloe Sawyer, Chloe’s fiancé Oliver, and Henry DeSantis, the winemaker at Cloverleigh. My mom was watching my nieces and nephews, but she planned to bring them to the event to cheer everyone on.

And to witness what would happen at the finish line.

Smiling, I patted the zip pocket of my running shorts once more before getting in the car.

The ring was still there.

Of course it was, I’d just zipped it in there less than five minutes ago. But I wouldn’t feel a hundred percent at ease until it was on her finger.

“Okay, buddy,” I said to Renzo as I started the engine. “Let’s do this.”

Meg

It was one of those spring Saturdays that felt like a gift. Temperatures in the sixties, bright blue sky, a few puffy clouds, and plenty of sunshine. The weather had been the one element of today that was not in my control, so all I’d been able to do was hope for the best.

And by some miracle, I got it.

Everyone’s mood was sunny too. I’d never seen so many smiles at the starting line of a race. It was a little chaotic getting everyone all lined up since there were multiple start times and tons of strollers and push chairs and gait walkers, not to mention all the dogs. But we hadn’t turned anyone down—and if it made the event a little more hectic to organize and get going, so be it.

I ran too, alongside Noah and Asher, who held Renzo’s leash. We waved to family on the sidelines, encouraged those whose energy flagged, shared a kiss at the finish line and gave out high-fives as participants crossed it. I felt proud and happy and exhilarated. But by the time every entrant had completed the course, I’d lost Noah in all the celebration.

I searched for him in the crowd, but he was nowhere to be found. Spotting Asher talking to his friend Alicia, I jogged over to them. “Hey Ash, do you know where Noah is? I can’t find him.”

“No,” he said, without the use of his device. I’d noticed him growing more confident with his own voice lately. “Maybe he’s with my mom?”

“I’ll check, thanks.” I smiled at them before shading my hand with my eyes and scanning the area again.

Just then, I spotted Renzo trotting toward me. It was totally unusual for Noah to let Renzo loose in a crowd, so I got worried for a moment. “Hey, you.” I knelt down to pet the dog, who sat obediently. “Where’s your dad, huh?”

That’s when I noticed the black bow tie Renzo was wearing.

I laughed. “You’re so fancy,” I told him. “Were you wearing this the whole time? How did I not see it?”

I looked closer at it—then I gasped. The bow tie had a tiny attachment with a snap hook at the end . . . and hooked to it was a diamond ring.

“Sometimes we don’t see something right away.” Noah’s voice came from behind me. “Even if it’s been there all along.”

I jumped to my feet and spun around to see him standing right there. I covered my mouth with my hands.

“Come here, boy.” Noah motioned for Renzo to come to him, and the dog obeyed. Removing the ring from the hook, Noah went down on one knee, and my stomach turned cartwheels. Was this a dream?

“I know it hasn’t been that long, but then again, I waited seventeen years to put this in motion, and I promised myself I’d never waste that kind of time again.”

“Oh my God,” I said, my voice trembling and muffled behind my hands. A hush had fallen over the crowd.