by Soraya Lane
EPILOGUE
“Are you sure?” Matt asked, holding Lisa’s hand and studying her face.
She nodded. “Uh-huh. I’ll be fine.”
He doubted it, but he pushed open the door anyway and entered. The noise hit straight away, the barking and whimpering, and the sight of the dogs behind wire broke his heart.
“Ohmygod,” Lisa whispered, letting go of him and walking forward, hands to her face. “There’s so many.”
“I know,” Matt said with a grimace. “I know.”
He’d wanted to tell the helpful woman out front of the Haven Humane Society what they were looking for. She could have picked out a dog and brought it through to them, and they wouldn’t have had to see just how many animals were waiting to find a forever home. But Lisa had insisted.
“And we’re only getting one?” Lisa asked, glancing back at him, her eyes full of pleading.
“Baby, you know we can only get one,” Matt said, shoving a hand through his hair. “We find the best dog for us, and then we go.”
“I can’t,” she said, shaking her head.
“Yes, you can,” Matt said firmly, imagining their entire car full of new four-legged friends. Knowing his wife, he wouldn’t put it past her. “This is why I wouldn’t let you come alone.”
“No, I mean I can’t just turn my back on these other dogs. I can’t just pick one dog and go.”
He wasn’t following her, but he didn’t interrupt, just slowly scanned all the sad faces waiting for someone to pick them.
“I’m going to take pics of them all, each dog, and every day I’m going to post one on my Facebook and Instagram and try to find homes for them.”
Matt blew out a sigh of relief. “That sounds sweet.” She had a determined look on her face that made it clear she’d made her mind up. And he didn’t doubt for a second that she’d be able to talk people into wearing her clothes and copying her by adopting a rescue dog.
“So, do we even know what we’re looking for? I mean, there’s a nice Labrador down here, and we already know we love that breed.”
“No,” Lisa said, walking ahead, bending to talk to a tiny little fluff-ball that he was seriously praying she hadn’t fallen in love with. “I bet all the purebreds like that find a home, and all the cute little tiny ones, too.”
“So you want . . .” He wasn’t even sure what she was trying to say. “The ugliest one? The biggest one without a pedigree?”
“This one,” Lisa said, dropping to her knees, hands on the wire of the divider.
Matt caught up with her and glanced in, saw exactly why she’d fallen in love. He was scruffy, with big expressive eyebrows and even bigger brown eyes that were focused lovingly on his wife.
“He looks like he needs a bath,” Matt said, bending beside her and looking him over. “And a haircut.”
“He looks like he wants to be loved,” Lisa said quietly. “Along with every other damn dog here. But he’s the one.”
“Okay, he’s the one, then,” Matt agreed, not about to argue now that she’d chosen. The dog might not be beautiful like Blue, but he was big and friendly looking, and he sure beat a poodle.
“You go tell the lady. I’m going to sit here with him, so he doesn’t think we’re not taking him,” Lisa said.
Matt walked back past the other kennels and out through to the front of the adoption center.
“How are you getting on?” the lady asked.
“My wife has fallen in love with the scruffiest dog. He is in kennel thirty-two.”
“That’s Benji. He’s been here for months. Literally walked in off the street himself one day, like he knew where to look for help.” The woman walked over to get a leash, pausing to smile over at Matt. “You know, everyone else keeps walking past him, so he’s gonna be real happy to go home with you.”
“Do you mind if we bring our other dog in?” Matt asked. “Make sure they get along okay?”
“Sure thing. We’ll go into one of the dog visiting rooms.”
Matt pushed the door open and went to his Chevy, letting Blue out and clipping on his leash. Trust Lisa to find the one dog straight away that deserved a home more than the others, the one that had been overlooked by everyone else.
“Come meet your new friend,” Matt told Blue. He laughed. “And you’d better like him because your mom’s already in love.”
“He’s seriously gorgeous,” Lisa mused, sitting back with a glass of water in one hand as she watched the dogs play around the yard. They were sitting outside, the doors to the house all flung open, white drapes billowing out toward them in the soft breeze.
She met Matt’s gaze and he burst out laughing. “He’s not gorgeous, but he’s a cool dog.”
She knew that he wasn’t the most handsome or perfect-looking dog, but his face was so expressive, and there was a sadness in his eyes that told her he’d been through a lot. Just like her. She was scarred and flawed, too. She’d been through hell and survived, just like their new pooch. She’d managed to move on and be happy, which was exactly the life she wanted for this perfectly flawed dog.
“A few months ago, I thought I’d never smile again,” Lisa said. “I couldn’t imagine being happy like this.”
“Me neither,” Matt admitted. “We’re so lucky to still be together, to have been given this chance.”
She smiled. They’d had a shit run of luck, but she knew what he was saying. “Lucky, given the crap hand we’d been dealt,” she said, seeing the look pass over his face, the look that said he’d just figured how bad that sounded.
“Yeah, exactly.”
Lisa pulled Matt down on top of her, lying back on their outdoor sofa and drawing him close, eyes closed as she parted her lips, sighing as he kissed her. Matt traced his fingers up her body, tickled her stomach.
“Woof!”
“Aw hell!” Matt cursed, pushing up from her.
“What?” Lisa mumbled.
Benji had his hackles up, back all prickly as he stared at Matt. Blue was sitting to attention, big tail thumping as he watched what was going on.
“He thinks you were hurting me. How sweet,” Lisa said, standing up and calling out to the dog. “Benji! Come here, buddy.”
He obediently crossed over to her, sitting on her feet and glaring back over at Matt.
“He’s protecting you. Great,” Matt said. “Back to the shelter!”
Lisa bent and put her arms gently around the dog, cradling him. He needed love, and she had a whole lot to give. “It’s okay. You go back and play. I got this,” she told him, pointing over to Blue.
Matt threw a ball and Blue ran to chase it straight away. She pointed for Benji to follow and he did.
“I can’t believe we have two fur babies,” Lisa said, going back over to Matt and slinging an arm around his waist.
“Do you still think about our baby every day?” he asked, kissing the top of her head as she snuggled closer.
“Every day,” she admitted. “But that’s okay.”
“Me too,” Matt said. “I’d love to think we’ll have kids one day, that they’ll be rough and tumbling on the lawn with the dogs and running barefoot through the house, that everything we went through was some kind of bad dream. That I can build the tree house with my own hands and know that little people will be playing pirates in it. But only if you want that to happen.”
“We just have to change our dream,” Lisa said, her heart still close to breaking just thinking about what they’d lost. “We talked about that future for so long. That’s why it hurts so bad, but it was never real. It was just a picture we had of what our family was going to look like, of our biological children. Or what we thought we were supposed to have.”
“So what does our new future look like?” Matt asked, turning his body into hers. “Have you thought about that lately?”
She put both arms around him, looped her fingers into his jeans and leaned back. She was okay with him asking now, had pushed through and come out so much stronger.
“That sounds like a pretty damn good plan,” Matt said, voice gruff.
“Yeah, I reckon,” she said with a smile, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He turned his face fast and she ended up in a lip-lock with him instead.
“And you’re okay with that?” he asked, tone more serious this time. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m okay,” she reassured him. “I promise.”
A loud woof echoed out again and Lisa burst out laughing, cheeks hurting as she stared at Benji. He was glaring at Matt like he was about to attack.
“We have to do something about this damn dog!” Matt cursed, obviously deadly serious but managing to make her laugh. “Seriously!”
“He just needs a little time to adjust, that’s all. He’s been through a lot,” she said, straight-faced.
Just like her. Which was why she was prepared to give the poor canine all the time in the world.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But he’s not sleeping on the bed.”
“Aw, sweetheart, don’t get your hopes up there. Of course he’s sleeping on the bed!”
Matt glowered and she laughed so hard tears welled in her eyes. Happy tears that felt so damn good.
“Lisa Williams,” Matt said, turning and holding out his hands for both of hers. Lisa was about to say something, then clamped her mouth shut and placed her hands in his.
“Six years ago I married the love of my life,” Matt said, his smile sweet as he stared into her eyes, his blue irises so bright, so piercing and intense, just like they’d always been. He was a man’s man, the kind of big, burly, sexy-as-hell guy that loved downing beers and watching ball, wielding a hammer during the day and fixing anything that needed tending to. But he also had a softer side to him, a side that not many other people in their life ever got to see, a side that she’d seen a whole lot of lately. To everyone else he was an ex-football player who fixed up houses and had a cute wife on his arm.
“Me too,” she murmured, refusing to blink, not wanting to miss a moment of Matt looking at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world.
“What’s next?” he asked, eyebrows shooting up.
Lisa gulped, swallowed the emotion and fear that threatened to engulf her. “I don’t even remember our vows!” she hissed.
“Baby, you’ll remember the important ones,” Matt said, the gruff edge to his voice telling her that this wasn’t easy for him either. “Come on, let’s do it together.”
Lisa cleared her throat, held on tighter to Matt. “I promise to love you, Matt. Always and forever.”
“To have and to hold from this day forward,” he said.
“For better or worse, richer or poorer,” she remembered.
“In sickness and in health.” His smile was sweet; his head dipped as he continued to meet her gaze. “Until death do us part.”
The sun made her squint as clouds parted above them. “Is this the bit where you kiss the bride?” she asked.
“Hell yes,” Matt whispered, hand leaving hers to press to the back of her head instead, pulling her forward, possessive and strong as his lips crushed hers. Just like their wedding day, when Matt had kissed the hell out of her in front of everyone gathered when she’d been expecting just a polite, chaste peck on the lips.
Lisa looked around the table at all the people who meant so much to her. As the sun started to set, making the sky a fury of dark pinks and soft reds, she cleared her throat and stood, holding her champagne glass tight. She took a sip for an extra burst of courage.
Everyone was silent as they turned to watch her, and she looked at every face, every single person who’d traveled to gather with them. Her sisters, Kelly and Penny, her gorgeous nieces, who were such strong-willed, beautiful girls; her parents and Matt’s dad.
“Ten years ago, Matt and I stood amongst the vines with you all and pledged to spend the rest of our lives together,” Lisa said, smiling down at her husband and taking his hand, her heart skipping a beat when he stood, still holding her hand, beside her. Close enough that their hips were touching. “We took vows that for better or worse, we’d stay together.” She took a shaky breath, nodding her head. “I’m proud to say that through thick and thin, this beautiful man has stood by me. One year ago Matt and I came back here, and I didn’t think I could get through what was a very dark time, but we did. And I’m so grateful that we’re standing here, together, today.”
Matt tucked his arm around her and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear, just for her.
“I couldn’t have made it without every single person here, and it means so much to us that you came to celebrate not only our sixth wedding anniversary, but also my first year of being in remission. I’m blessed to be so loved. Thank you.”
Matt held up his glass and she did the same, smiling at him through tears. Happy tears that she was okay about shedding.
“You okay?” he murmured.
“I’m good,” she whispered, just for him, before clearing her throat. “To us, to all of us. I’m so proud to call you all family, and I’m so proud to have this man as my husband,” Lisa said, in a louder voice this time.
Everyone clinked glasses. The table was covered in food, the air warm, peaceful in a way that only Napa Valley could be, as they sat together amongst the vines, surrounded by twinkling fairy lights in the near-dark.
“I’d like to say a few words.”
Lisa looked up, sat down as Matt’s father rose to his feet. She glanced at Matt but it was obvious he didn’t know what his dad was up to either.
“None of you knew Matt when his mother passed away, but I will be forever grateful to Lisa. The day he met you, Lisa, something changed inside of him, and I used to wonder if his mom had sent you to save him. You gave me my boy back, and when I saw him struggling with your cancer, when I saw the pain he was going through and knew what that felt like, my heart broke.”
Lisa held on tight to Matt’s hand, leaned closer into him. The tears in her eyes now weren’t happy tears—they were full of heartbreak. Because she knew now that Matt still suffered, that his heart had a crack through it that would never mend, one his mom had left when she’d passed. And she hated that she’d brought him back to his knees again when she’d been so close to leaving him, too.
“So to you, Lisa. For loving my boy, for being there for him and making him the man he is today. And to both of you for coming through this stronger than before.”
Matt cleared his throat and stood again. “To Lisa,” he said, giving her a tear-filled wink. “And to kicking cancer’s butt so you could be here with me today. We lost a lot, but we still have each other. And I say cheers to that.”
They all held up their glasses and Lisa watched as Matt sipped from his before putting it down and walking around the table to his dad. They embraced, Matt holding on to his dad tight, hugging him like they had a lifetime of them to catch up on.
She was happy. So happy. And no one and nothing could take that away from her.
The End.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2014 Carys Monteath
Soraya Lane was born in New Zealand. Despite being accepted to university at only sixteen years of age and graduating with a law degree, she decided to follow her dream and become a writer. Following a successful career as a freelance journalist, she became a bestselling, full-time author—and a full-time mother to two sons. Along with her husband, two dogs, and four horses, she lives on a small farm, where she is passionate about animal rights, spending time with her family, and reading. She hopes to be writing stories for the rest of he
r life.