“You do realize that I’m going to play guitar for all the animals.”

“Yeah? That’ll be your contribution to the business?

“Yup, you bet your ass.”

I smiled wide at Adam from across the table. We were in our favorite restaurant in Portland, which served vegetarian food you’d never even guess was vegetarian. It was just that good. We were tucked into a cozy booth near the big windows, waiting for my mom and Mark to come meet us for dinner.

“I mean, that’s in the job description, isn’t it? If you open up an animal shelter, the first order of action is always to get a guitar and serenade the animals. There’s plenty of studies that show music lowers their stress levels, too,” Adam said, grinning back at me.

I reached my hand up to the top of the table and shortly after, he placed his hand in mine.

And I kind of couldn’t fucking believe it. It had only been six months since we’d moved to Portland, and next week, we’d be opening our own animal shelter together. Adam felt it was the best way to use his inheritance money—starting a nonprofit that both of us felt just as passionate about. In short, making our dream jobs possible and giving back to the community at the same time.

It hadn’t been that easy from the start—when we first got to Portland, it was hard to find the right place to live and I took a bartending job for the first few months.

But just last month, Adam and I had found the perfect small house for us and Chewy. It was twenty minutes outside of the city, a quaint older house with a fenced-in lawn for Chewy. Simple, but just what we needed.

So as I grasped his hand on the tabletop, staring into the eyes of the man I loved in our new hometown, it all kind of hit me at once. We’d been so busy with making the transition to Portland, then so busy figuring out the logistics of opening the shelter, that it hadn’t really dawned on me yet how incredible my life was.

And all it took to make me realize it in that moment was holding Adam’s hand on top of the table, in public, as my mom walked up to the table and said hello to us.

“Hi ma, and hi Mark,” I said, smiling and standing up from the seat to give them both a hug.

“You make it in okay?” Adam asked as we all sat back down in the booth. Adam sat next to me, and just feeling him sitting near me made me feel warmer inside.

“The drive was great,” Mark said in his Texas drawl. “It’s not so bad comin’ down to visit you two.”

“I’m so lucky Mark loves driving as much as he does,” my mom said, beaming at him.

“Love it as much as I love you,” Mark told her.

“D’aww,” I said. “You guys are disgustingly cute.”

“Hey, I could say the same thing about you two,” my mom said, waving a hand dismissively at us.

“Wait—wait a minute—” I said, catching the gleam of something on one of her fingers. I grabbed her hand. “Is that what I think it is?”

A faint blush rose to her face as she nodded. “This is part of the reason we wanted to come down for dinner to see you two,” my mom said. “Mark and I are getting married!”

“Oh my God!” I shouted, and more than a couple heads turned toward us in the restaurant, but I didn’t care. I sprang out of my seat again and leaned over to hug her right where she sat. “Mom, I am so happy for you!”

“Now of course, you two will be at the wedding,” my mom said.

“Adam is part of the reason your mother and I even got together,” Mark said, nodding at Adam.

“Wait,” I said, “Is that true?”

A small smile grew over Adam’s lips. “I did assist in some adorable note-passing between them in the hospital.”

I shook my head, smiling and sitting back down next to Adam. I rested my hand on his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze before looking back up at the menu.

“Seriously, congratulations, guys,” Adam said.

“And congrats to you, too,” Mark said. “I can’t believe the shelter is opening in just a week.”

“I know,” Adam said. “We’ve been working so hard, but the real hard work will start next week. But I’m ready for it. There’s no job I’ve ever wanted more.”

We ate, and talked, and laughed for hours. It was a singularly amazing experience. If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be here, in Portland, eating dinner with my boyfriend while my mom and her fiancé were across the table? I couldn’t possibly have believed it.

And after we’d said goodbye to my mom and Mark, and Adam and I piled into the front of his truck, I realized that I’d finally done it.

I had the life I’d always dreamed of. It was still going to take a lot of work—the shelter would be a constant challenge, and I knew things couldn’t always be as perfect as they’d been tonight.

And for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel broken anymore.

All I felt was gratitude, deeper than anything I’d ever felt, for how lucky I was.

Adam must have sensed that I was having a moment, because he didn’t make a move to turn the keys in the ignition. He let them dangle there, the truck still off, and he turned to face me.

I puffed out a little laugh, turning to Adam.

“What?” he said, with a small smile.

I shook my head, taking a deep breath in. “I just realized something crazy.”

“And what’s that?”

I paused for a moment, gazing out the window before turning back to him. “I realized that I don’t hate Fox Hollow anymore.”

Adam laughed. “Yeah, easy not to hate it when you don’t have to live there anymore, right?”

“Well,” I said, “it’s more than just that, though.”

“Then what?” he said, reaching his hand out and squeezing mine.

“I realized I’ll always love Fox Hollow, more than any place in the world. Because it brought you to me, Adam,” I said, my voice low.

Adam let out a soft breath of air, leaning in to kiss me deeply, then pulling back and resting his forehead against mine. “Fox Hollow will be with me forever, too, Grey.”

“And so will I,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest.

Because I meant it, every word of it. I wanted to be with Adam forever. And I knew that no matter where we ended up, and no matter where life took us, he would be right there beside me.

The End