Penny is wearing a nightgown, her hand casually stroking over the little Chihuahua’s head. Her hair spilled around her onto the pillows behind her.
My love never stops for her, for them, increasing every second with every breath.
I find it difficult to focus on anything else as I drink her in, pure unfiltered happiness filling me.
We were made for each other.
“You have no idea how beautiful you look right now,” I whisper.
Loki’s eyes peel open, regarding me, but then the little doggie closes his eyes and makes a soft huffing noise.
“I don’t think he likes it when I compliment you,” I tease.
She giggles softly, tickling the dog’s ears. “He’s a jealous one. He’s protecting our baby.”
I smile at the thought. Even if Loki is a tiny dog, I know he’d never let any harm come to my fiancé or our unborn child.
“Tell me the story again, Preston,” Penny whispers.
I grin. I’ve told her at least ten times since I found Loki two months ago, but she never tires of it.
These past three months have been filled with so much happiness, and it’s only become more so since the little dog came into our lives.
As I look at my woman, I think about how much her blog has grown. I think about the first video show she did, just a couple of weeks ago, when she interviewed two people from my charity.
Already, the video has thirty-seven thousand views.
She’s going to start recording more regularly, inviting people from the blog, and I just know she’s going to build a huge following for herself.
She was nervous at first, but once the interview started, it was clear she was a natural.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said to me afterward, holding onto my arms.
Now, she arches her eyebrow, tugging me back to the present.
“Aren’t you bored of it yet?” I smile.
She shakes her head, causing her hair to jostle around and it reminds me of a few nights ago, when we were having fun, I tried braiding it as a joke. She giggled as I made a mess of it with my big clumsy fingers. But it was great all the same, us enjoying one another.
“I could never get bored of it.”
I watch Loki as I tell her.
“I was picking up Chinese takeout when I heard the whining from the alleyway. It was horrible, Penny, really gut-wrenching. So I followed it.”
“Of course you did,” she whispers. “You couldn’t ignore someone in need.”
I grin, glad my woman sees me that way, glad my woman knows she can rely on me to do the right thing.
For her. For us.
“And there he was, this tiny sand-colored bundle, tied to a trash can with a note fixed to his collar. I’m sorry. I can’t take care of him. Please help him.”
My hands clench into fists when I think about that, wondering what sort of monster would leave such a tiny, defenseless dog in such a state.
“I had to help him,” I go on. “There was no other choice.”
“And?” she says.
I chuckle. She always asks that. “And I fell in love with the little rascal straight away. Hell, Penny, just look at him.”
Loki opens his eyes and looks at me, as though he knows what I’m saying.
“You saved him,” Penny whispers, tickling the top of his head. “Just like you saved me.”
“And you saved me,” I say firmly. “Without you, I don’t know where I’d be, who I’d be.”
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you too.”
A playful gleam comes into her eyes. “Hey, I was talking to Loki.”
I chuckle. “Is that right?”
“Well, no,” she says, giggling. “But I do love him too. I love you both. And I love our child, even if I haven’t met them yet.”
“Me too, Penny,” I whisper. “Me too.”
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Penny
One Year Later
I sit with little Jamie on my knee, bobbing him up and down, my heart glowing every time he gazes up at me. We named him after my father, who met his end in the cruelest way, but our little bundle has a life so much sweeter than my dad ever could.
He has parents who adore him, who’ll always support him, and an aunt who gushes every time she sees him.
Juliana can’t stop doting on him, and Freddie and his wife are the same.
I look out the window of his bedroom, as my husband tends to our yard. He works shirtless in the sun, sweat gleaming over his toned body, pulling up weeds and tossing them into a pile.
We moved into the house a few weeks ago, deciding that, since we’re planning on bringing more children into this world, it’s time we had somewhere that fits with our vision.
I cuddle Jamie to my chest, rocking him softly. He can be a loud baby when he wants to, but sometimes he’s so sweet and quiet, nuzzling closer to me.