“So she and Owen went back for him but he’d managed to get free.”
“And Cam and Ford found him first,” Sawyer said. “Cam found the mom’s abandoned car about an hour ago. It looks like the kids had been living out of it. Probably while they searched for Apollo.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “It’s a miracle they weren’t hurt… or worse.”
“Cam’s already talked to Children’s Services. The kids can stay with us until their mom is released and she can take custody of them again.” Sawyer hesitated before adding, “If that’s what you want.”
I squeezed his hand. “I want,” I said as I leaned into him. “What about you?”
“Me too,” Sawyer responded as he pressed a kiss to my temple.
I knew in that moment that we were talking about more than just wanting to help these particular kids. Whatever the future brought, it wouldn’t just be the two of us.
“Gonna rest my eyes for a bit,” I said tiredly as I leaned more heavily against Sawyer. “Don’t go anywhere, m’kay?”
The last word I heard before sleep claimed me was the exact one I needed to hear.
“Never.”
EPILOGUE
SAWYER
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Walter, we’re not paying you a penny!” Dallas said in frustration. “For the last time, Loki is not the father!”
“Look at ’em,” Walter returned as he pointed at the pudgy puppies who were busy climbing all over Loki as the wolf-hybrid lay quietly on the ground at Dallas’s feet. “Even they know who their papa is!”
Jett chuckled next to me. We were watching the scene unfold from the safety of the porch steps.
“The father is living under your roof, Walter! Cam told us about the stray you guys found in the woods behind your house. The unfixed stray!”
“Who? Nacho?” Walter asked. He looked at Lenny who was standing next to him with a resigned look of amusement on his face. “Does he mean Nacho?”
“Yeah, honey, he does.”
Walter let out a huff of air. “They look nothin’ like Nacho!”
“Walter,” Nolan interjected, his voice full of reason. “We’ll help you find homes for all of them—”
“Pish,” Walter said. “Only homes my girl’s babies are going to are ours and you all’s,” the old man said as he pointed at everyone watching the scene unfold.
“Um, no,” Cam piped in after nearly spitting out the sip of beer he’d just consumed. “One, Walter. I said we could keep one!”
Walter merely waved his hand. “Doc, you and your man are takin’ a couple, right? Only better place than livin’ with us is livin’ with a vet and a dog man.”
“Dog man?” Jett said softly.
“Um, we’d like to, Walter, but we’re still figuring out our own living situation,” I said. “And Jett’s a dog trainer—he’s going to train service dogs,” I added.
Walter nodded his head and then looked at Dallas. “So that’s two for them. How many you takin’?”
“No, Walter, we can’t—” I began.
“Yes, we can,” Jett said as he gave my hand a squeeze.
I looked at him in surprise. “Jett, we talked about this. We need to figure out where we’re going to call home.”
“Didn’t I mention that I already figured that out?” Jett asked as he took a long swig from the bottle of beer we were sharing.
I didn’t get a chance to respond because a car pulled into the driveway at that moment. The second the back passenger door opened, Apollo jumped over Jessie’s lap and darted to us. The dog was fully recovered from his injuries and since being reunited with his family, his entire personality had changed. After greeting us, the dog hurried over to Puddles and Loki and was quickly overwhelmed by seven little bundles of fur. I laughed when I saw Walter eyeing Apollo.
“He’s fixed too, Walter!” I called.
Jett and I both stood as Jessie trotted to us and threw her arms around us. Her mother, Ava, followed with Owen who had no interest in us.
“’Oot!” he called as he extended his arms in Newt’s direction.
“Owen, come look! We get to keep all of them!” Newt called.
“One, Newt!” Isaac immediately called from where he was setting up one of two picnic tables with bowls of food.
Newt looked at Maddox who was manning the grill. Maddox held up two fingers and gave Newt a wink.
“I saw that!” Isaac called.
“How are you, sweetheart?” I asked Jessie as she hugged me.
“Good. But I think your house has ghosts in it.”
“Your house,” I corrected her.
After we’d gotten the opportunity to meet Ava as she’d begun the long process of recovering both physically and mentally from her ex’s attack, we’d offered her the chance to start over in Pelican Bay. Between Jett and me, we’d managed to get my house remodeled enough that it was comfortable.
Ava had been reluctant to accept the offer at first, though she’d been beyond grateful for it and even more so for us taking care of Owen and Jessie until she’d gotten out of the hospital. She’d finally agreed to accept the house on the condition that she pay rent once she got a job. That part had been easy because Dallas and Maddox had immediately suggested she work at the sanctuary. With how quickly the place was expanding to take in more animals, the administrative stuff involved with running the business had become too much for one person. Ava had finally agreed. Luckily, her ex had eventually been captured and imprisoned but I knew better than anyone that Ava had a long road ahead of her when it came to her emotional, mental, and physical recovery.