“There’s a crawl space under the stairs that leads right to the back courtyard. It was one of the things that made me feel more at ease here, like a secret escape, if I needed it. Granted, it’s like right near the front door, but still.” I laugh again, shrugging. “I guess Milo found it.”
We both pet Milo before either of us says anything more. I’m anxious to hear what he’s thinking, because he did just start a business. I’m as busy as ever at Hideaway Ink and growing the level of awareness, and in turn, clientele. Who would have time for a puppy? Milo is such an easy dog. Partly because he’s really the sweetest boy, and partly because he’s older. He craves walks and attention, but nothing even close to what a puppy would need. Training, constant playing, and lots of space. Most days, Milo sits at my feet in the tattoo shop, and then for the days that he wants to move around a bit more, he’ll go for walks with Henry to The Lemon Tree. He’ll stay for prep, and then come back to the loft right before Henry opens for dinner service.
That does leave three days a week open for time, though. I wonder if we could do it. If we’d want to grow our little family in that way.
“I know it’s not the same,” Henry says, looking up at me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.I love it when he does that.“But we’re already really great dog parents. We could add a puppy to the mix if that’s something you’d want.”
My eyes well with tears before I even realize it. Having children isn’t in the plan for us, but the idea of a puppy sounds like our own version of a little family. And that concept makes my heart so happy. I’m nodding vigorously when I say, “I want. I definitely want.”
…Just before Christmas, on the cusp of one of the largest snowstorms to come barreling through Strutt’s Peak in a decade, we welcomed home three new members to our little family. When Ruth called in early November and told Henry that she was at the vet and her princess just gave birth to three male mini golden doodles, and that he was paying for all of it, I was almost certain I saw tears in his eyes. The man is never short on telling me how he feels, and showing it in a roster of ways, but Henry Montana Riggs does not get choked up very easily. Apparently, when his fur babies are concerned, all bets are off.
It seemed only appropriate that we named our littles after some of the greats: Egon, Winston, and Venkman. Henry likes to call them his little ballbusters, instead of Ghostbusters, but really, the way that man smiles when he sees them as soon as he walks in the door, or the way that he talks to them like they’re going to say something back, it’s so swoony. I’ve basically just started wearing panty liners regularly.
It’s never simple between the two of us, but the fighting and the compromise are worth it. We piss each other off, but we always get over it. We can stay up late and laugh for hours. We can sit comfortably quiet together. He takes me on frequent flights. I get to see my blue skies up close and talk to my pilot the whole time. Watching him fly a plane is an entirely higher level of sexy that makes me instantly horny, but I think he secretly knows that too.
I think this version of his life, the one he didn't expect, the one where he gets to fly, gets the girl, and all the pieces in between, is the one that was always meant to happen.
And while the life I’ve built in Strutt’s Peak is damn fine. The fact that I’ve built anything is mind-blowing most days. Hideaway Ink is my art come to life. A chance to change up what’s old or turn it into something exciting and new. But even the hard work and the pride I feel toward my business is the extra, just the frosting. There isn’t anything better than being a Riggs. Henry gave me something that I thought I wouldn’t have ever again. A family. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t look up and thank all the goddesses of the universe for it.
We have that easy kind of love. The kind that doesn’t make you worry or overthink. The kind that lets you breathe. Smile. Fight and argue, but know it’ll turn out okay. Live confidently. Grow together.
Henry was a force that barreled into my life out of nowhere. An attraction, a connection, that was so heavy I couldn’t have escaped it. And I really tried. For over a decade, we fought it, but in the end, we couldn’t hide from each other anymore. It’s a beautiful life. Being part of a whole. A piece of a formula that equaled happiness. A blue, purple sky after a storm. The anchor to a new adventure. A life where there’s nothing to hide from when it comes to that person, and where fighting, pushing, protecting, and loving each other every day, is the peak.
THE END