She laughed. “Do you want to help pick out the design or is this a whatever Audrey wants is what Josiah wants decision?”
“The second one.”
“Okay,” she said brightly. “That makes it easy.”
Doris came back and she and Audrey chatted about the cake design. I hung out and rubbed Max’s belly. Spoiled dog. When they finished, we said goodbye to Doris and left.
“I feel like after all that sugar, I need to walk around,” Audrey said. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
We walked toward Lumberjack Park. A random summer storm had blown through earlier that morning and although most of the clouds were gone, it had cooled things off, making for a pleasant evening.
Out of nowhere, Audrey stopped in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She had the funniest look on her face. Her eyes widened and she pressed her lips together, like she was trying to keep herself from blurting something out. With a little squeak, she pointed.
Deeper in the park was a booth with a big banner on the front that read, Dog Adoptions.
“We have a dog.”
“I know, but look.”
To the right of the booth, a guy in a t-shirt that said Volunteer was playing with a dog that looked remarkably like Max. Medium size, long-ish fur in a mix of brown, black, and white. Big, bushy tail.
“What if that’s Max’s long-lost brother? Or sister?”
“Where did you get him?”
“Idaho.”
“I kind of doubt they’re related.”
“Okay, fine, but can we go say hi?”
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
We walked across the grass and she stopped a short distance away. Max looked like he might burst, he was so excited. The volunteer greeted her and when she asked if Max could say hi, assuring him he was friendly towards everyone—humans and dogs—he said sure.
“This is Maggie,” he said.
“Oh my gosh, her name is Maggie,” Audrey said.
I wasn’t quite sure why she was gushing like that, but the dogs liked each other from the first moment. Of course, Max liked everyone, and apparently his almost-twin did too. They jumped around, circling each other, clearly having fun.
“She’s so sweet,” Audrey said. “Where is she from?”
“We just got her from our partner organization in Idaho,” the volunteer said. “She was wandering the streets and despite multiple attempts to find her owner, no one claimed her.”
Audrey whipped around to look at me, her eyes huge. “Idaho,” she whisper yelled. “She could be Max’s sister.”
I really didn’t think this dog was Max’s sister, but I had to admit, they looked similar. Maggie was a little smaller, but their coloring, face shape, and bushy tails were a lot alike.
As were their energy levels.
I watched for a few minutes while Audrey played with both dogs. And I already knew Maggie was coming home with us.
While Audrey was busy giving both dogs belly rubs, I moved closer to the volunteer. “That one’s available for adoption?”
“She sure is. Are you interested?”
I nodded toward Audrey, who was rolling around on the grass with Max and Maggie, laughing. “We both know she’s not going anywhere without that dog.”
The volunteer smiled.
And that was how I went from living alone to sharing my space with a woman and two dogs.
But let’s be real. There are a few extra bedrooms in our house. We have room for some kids, too.
Yeah, that’s happening.
I was going to marry that bubbly, dog-loving girl. And she was going to have my babies. That was not the life I’d planned—not the life I’d convinced myself I wanted. I’d been all about solitude. Doing what I wanted, when I wanted.
Thankfully, a ray of sunshine had burst into my life. And nothing would ever be the same.
Audrey wasn’t just my problem now. She was my everything. And she was going to be mine forever.
How about a sneak peek into Josiah and Audrey’s happily ever after! Tap here for a special BONUS EPILOGUE.
You’ve met Asher Bailey. Are you curious about his story? Fall in love with another small-town series set in Tilikum, the Bailey Brothers.
Keep reading for a preview of book one, Protecting You.
Protecting You: Chapter 1
ASHER
AGE 11
I startled at the sharp sound of grown-ups yelling. Dropping my stick in the trickling creek water, I whipped around to look, but my brothers were the only ones around. Evan was in a tree, probably trying to get away from the twins. Levi and Logan splashed downstream from me with Gavin, who was covered head to toe in mud.