by Avery Ford
With a new job he was excited for and a man he couldn’t get enough of, Arthur had found his happiness. And if he were to discover that happiness wasn’t enough? There was still time to turn his life around. He was young. The world was still within reach.
But snuggled up in Dmitri’s arms while Dmitri whispered sweet things in his ear, Arthur was certain he’d found what he was meant for.
Love.
Nothing made him richer than that.
Epilogue - Dmitri
Summer gave way to fall. Fall gave way to winter. By the time next summer arrived, Dmitri had moved Arthur into his house. Living together was bliss Dmitri didn’t know was possible, and every day he woke up by Arthur’s side left him happier than the day before.
Dmitri was tending to his young Belgian Malinois when Arthur came through the side door of the kennel. Annie was at his side, following him with the grace and ease of a well-trained, utterly devoted dog.
“Is it six already?” Dmitri asked.
“It’s six already,” Arthur said. He let himself into the kennel Dmitri was working in and kissed the top of Dmitri’s head. “I picked up some dinner on the way home. You wanna put the dogs away for a second and come eat?”
“Of course.”
The last of Dmitri’s dogs had been sold. Every one of them had found a home perfectly suited to their strengths. Jagger was with Martin now, an integral part of his team. Lily had found her home with a family with three young children, who she loved dearly and looked after as if they were her own. Voss had found a young, single woman looking for a loving pet who could double as a safeguard against home invaders. Even Poindexter had found a good home, although Dmitri hadn’t charged anything to his new owner. Quip and Poindexter made a good team, and Dmitri had never seen Poindexter happier than when he was with Arthur’s best friend.
That left Annie, who lived in the house with Arthur, and her puppies, who Dmitri now raised. They were gearing up for their first AKC rally, and Dmitri had high hopes for the young dog he’d once considered giving to Arthur, now affectionate named Excalibur.
Dmitri placed the dogs in their individual kennels, intending to come back after dinner to finish up with training and to let them run around in the enclosure for a few hours before bed. Arthur had placed Styrofoam containers of take-out on the counter — Chinese by the looks of it.
“How was work today?” Dmitri asked as they settled. It was Chinese. Arthur had brought him chicken chow mein.
“Amazing.” Arthur smiled. “We’re working on a fundraiser for a children’s hospital in Lincoln. It’s going great, and I am very excited about what it’s going to accomplish. But beyond that, I’m also planning an event in town for Locust Hill that I think is going to be fantastic.”
“I can’t wait.” Dmitri looked Arthur over. A year hadn’t changed him much, but there were small differences. Arthur’s confidence had bloomed. He’d entered the professional world running, and Dmitri was sure it wouldn’t be long before he was climbing up the chain and taking the world by storm.
There was nothing Arthur couldn’t do, and Dmitri loved him for it.
“You know, I’ve got some time off coming up,” Arthur said. “Maybe after your rally, we could go somewhere? We can call in someone to look after the dogs and just… go vacationing somewhere. What do you think?”
“Like where?”
“I don’t know.” Arthur paused. “… Vegas, or Seattle, or maybe somewhere in Hawaii?”
“That sounds a little pricey.” Dmitri furrowed his brow. Arthur was typically very frugal. “Is there something going on that I don’t know about?”
“A little bit.” Arthur looked down at the table, but Dmitri saw the grin on his face. “I um, well, I was kind of given a promotion the other day, and I figured we should celebrate.”
Dmitri’s pride for Arthur swelled. He got up from the table and drew Arthur into a hug, even as Arthur remained seated. Arthur laughed.
“I’m so happy for you,” Dmitri whispered into his ear. “I love you, Arthur. You deserve all the recognition you’re getting. You put your heart and soul into this.”
“Thank you. I love you, too.” Arthur rested his head against Dmitri’s chest. “So… we can afford a vacation, if you want. Or we can stay in, too.”
“A vacation sounds amazing. Let’s see what kind of romantic get-aways we can find tonight. How does that sound?”
“Great.”
Arthur turned his head. Dmitri got the hint and kissed him, unable to keep the smile from his face.
It was good timing. The engagement ring that he’d been carrying around for the last week would be much better given on a vacation than it would at the kennels. Not only would they get to celebrate Arthur’s win, but they’d get to celebrate their commitment to a future together, too.
Dmitri wasn’t nervous. In the past year they’d grown together, just like they’d promised they would. He was closer now to Arthur than he’d ever been before, and he was ready to take the next step.
He knew Arthur was, too.
It was going to be a vacation neither of them forgot — but then again, every day with Arthur was a memorable day. They’d taught each other to slow down and enjoy life, but to never give up.
And Dmitri knew he’d never give up on Arthur.
Not even when death did them part.
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Rescue My Heart, I hope you enjoyed it! If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate a small (or long if you prefer!) review on Amazon to help others decide if they want to try my books out. Thank you!
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