Page 63 of The Billionaire's Pawfect Match

“Dad will be back soon,” I promise them, stroking their heads.

I fill their bowls while they drool like they’re about to receive the finest cuisine and not the same thing they eat every day, twice a day. The dogs chow down, and I start on dinner, chopping vegetables with a rhythm that feels like breathing — inhale, chop, exhale.

My phone buzzes, Isaac’s name lighting up the screen. Curiosity flutters in my chest. His text is simple:Meet me at the park with the boys?

Our park. The one lined with oak trees that turn golden in the fall.

Why there? Why now?

“Come on, then,” I tell Baxter and Hurley, slipping into decision mode like it’s another layer of skin.

The evening air is still warm from the day’s sun as we pile into the car, the sky painted in strokes of orange and pink. It’s summer, the season when everything feels possible.

It’s only a few minutes’ drive to the park where I first met Baxter and Isaac, now the park were we regularly take the dogs to play. They recognize the route, the two of them bouncing around the back seat in anticipation.

After parking, I release the latch, and Baxter and Hurley burst into the park, a whirlwind of paws and wagging tails. My heart swells watching them play, free and unburdened. This place, drenched in nostalgia, is where it all began — where Isaac’s smile first caught me like a lasso.

He strides through the gate, the setting sun casting a halo around him. Even after all this time, he still takes my breath away. The balance he’s found, CEO by day and loving partner by night, amazes me.

“Hey.” He greets me with that kiss, the one that always promises more. It’s soft but filled with the silent words we’ve learned to say with just our lips.

“Hi.” I can’t help the smile that breaks through, even as confusion dances in my mind. “What’s going on? Why did you want to meet here?”

“Walk with me?” His voice is a gentle command, a familiar melody.

“Of course.” I gather the leashes, hands trembling slightly. I’m nervous, but I don’t know what for.

We stroll side by side, Isaac leading us to the entrance where we first met.

“Remember this place?” His gaze holds mine, deep pools of promise.

“Like it was yesterday.”

“Me too,” he says, and the world narrows to just us, to the space between heartbeats, to the hope that hangs in the air, as tangible as the scent of summer grass.

Baxter sniffs a dandelion, Hurley dances around our feet. Isaac’s hand, warm and steady, slips from mine. He steps away, eyes locked on me.

“Emily,” he starts, voice soft as a secret.

I tilt my head, heart stumbling over its beats.What is he doing?

He lowers himself, one knee bending, meeting the earth. My breath catches; it’s a picture I’ve seen in dreams.

“Will you marry me?” he asks as he pulls a ring box out of his pocket and opens it.

The words hang, delicate in the space between us. Time pauses, waits for my answer. I swallow hard, feeling every second of the year that has led us here. The love that grew, quiet and strong.

“Yes.” The word is a breath, but it feels like a shout.

“Really?” His smile breaks through, wide and real.

“Really!” I laugh, tears making diamonds in my eyes.

Isaac stands, slides the ring onto my finger. It’s a perfect fit, like the life we’ve built together.

“I love you,” he says, and it’s everything.

“Love you more,” I reply.

The dogs circle us, part of our little family. They sense the shift, the promise that wraps around us all. We are four hearts beating as one, just as it was always meant to be.

Even when we didn’t know it yet.

The End

---