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“Seriously?” Sara’s jaw drops, mirroring my own surprise.
“I can’t even believe it. We’ve never had this happen before,” Margie says. One of her volunteers comes up to ask for her help, so she says goodbye before taking off in the other direction.
“Well done, my love.” Sara wraps her arms around my waist, leaning on to her toes to press a kiss to my lips.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. You know that, right?”
“You could’ve. You probably would’ve run out of food ten minutes in, but you could’ve.” Sara winks at me as I throw my head back in laughter.
Mom comes up to my right side with a microphone in hand. “Ben, it’s time to announce the winners of the auction.”
I take a deep breath, my nerves returning in full force. Sara squeezes my hand, then shoves me forward.
Shaking my head at her, I walk up to the stage, a huge smile on my face. “Hey, everybody! Can I have your attention for a few minutes?” The microphone echoes across the park, making the crowd turn toward the stage.
“For any of you who don’t ride the gossip train, I’m Benjamin Crawford, the new vet at the animal clinic in town and host of this event.” The crowd laughs, easing the rest of the tension in my shoulders. “First off, I want to say thank you to all of you here today. As the new guy in town, I really appreciate your support of the clinic and helping me achieve this goal. I am incredibly lucky to call this place home and can’t wait to see what else lies in store for both me and the clinic.” A round of applause meets my words, making me grin.
“Now, on to the fun stuff. I was just told a few minutes ago that every animal has been spoken for and will be going to their forever homes at the end of the event today!” A loud chorus of cheers echoes across the park. When it dies down, I continue speaking, telling everyone about the baskets and who donated what, as well as the winners of each one. It feels like I’ve been up here for an hour before I’m able to hand the mic off to the band again.
“Well done, Dr. Crawford,” Sara says when I meet her back at the drink table. She hands me a water bottle, and I chug down the contents before I respond.
“That was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever done.” I sag against Sara, my arms around her shoulders. “When do you think we can get out of here?”
“Not for a while. We still have to take everything down.”
I groan; all the adrenaline pumping through me has finally dissipated, and now, I want to go home and take a nap. “How are you doing? There’s been a lot of people here today.”
“I’m doing okay. Hanging out with my brothers has been good. They actually haven’t let me out of their sight.”
“They’re still worried about you.”
Sara sighs. “I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with their hovering.”
“Just give them some time. The same way you’re giving me time to stop hovering over you, too.” Sara grins at me, nodding her head.
I look across the crowd of townspeople gathered in the park. All the animals are now either on leashes or headed to their new homes. The playpens have been taken down to make more room for everyone to mill about, and the band is in full swing, playing all the best pop covers while people dance. The whole park has turned into a party.
“We’re going to have a good life together, aren’t we?” I ask, keeping Sara tucked into my side.
“Yeah, we are.”
44
SARA
The muscles in my arms quiver, but I try to ignore the ache. When I get in the house, I set the box down in the kitchen, breathing out a deep breath. That one was heavier than I anticipated.
Looking around, I can’t help but smile at the beautiful space. The farmhouse-style kitchen with its white cabinets, butcher-block countertops, and silver fixtures turned out incredible. The rest of the house has a similar vibe since Levi was in charge of picking out the materials—thank goodness.
It’s all perfect, and I still can’t quite believe we’re going to live here. The four-bedroom house feels huge compared to my little cottage. But the dogs have so much more room to play, and Ben and I are making the house into a space for both of us.
The day Ben asked me to move in with him will forever be one of my favorite memories. We had finished finalizing the details with Dax for me to start teaching a self-defense class when Levi called him to say the house was ready for a final walkthrough.
When we got there, Levi was standing at the front door to hand over the keys. They were done with everything, and the house was officially ready. As Ben and I walked through each room, I just kept thinking,what happens now? He wouldn’t need to live with me anymore. He could finally move out of his parents’ house and have the space he’s needed since he moved to Sonoma. And I was trying to keep my disappointment shoved down into a corner of my heart.
I didn’t want him to leave, but I also didn’t want to tell him what to do. So, I just followed him around, pretending to be excited about the beautiful space.
And then we walked out into the backyard, where all three dogs were racing around the fenced-in area, wrestling and having a blast.
