Page 41 of Monster Mate

His smile warmed her to the very depths of her soul. “Well, in that case…welcome home, my queen.”

It felt so good to finally be home.

EPILOGUE

Roxie grabbed her coffee from the counter and gave Lucy a wave. She chuckled when Lucy returned the gesture with enough enthusiasm to earn them curious glances from half the patrons in the shop.

For the first time in, well, maybe forever, Roxie had an actual friend. She’d already had several girl’s nights out with Lucy, and one double date where Riordan bonded with Viktor over how no one understood what it was like to almost lose their mate to a madman. (Madwomanin Viktor’s case…but that was another story entirely.)

Lucy was snarky, had a sense of humor that could get all kinds of dark, was in love with a monster, and never kept her opinions to herself. In other words, Roxie was starting to wonder if they’d been separated at birth.

Hell, Lucy even likedWinston. Ifthatwasn’t true friendship, she didn’t know what was.

Roxie slid into the seat Lucy had saved for her. “Where’s your hot husband today?”

Lucy grinned. “When I left, he was textingyourhot husband about a new business venture.”

Your husband. Roxie still found it a little hard to believe she—an avowed commitment phobe—had ahusband.

Of course, the human marriage was just a technicality. For tax purposes, Riordan had argued. The piece of paper hadn’t really meant much to either of them, especially since she’d accepted his mating bond. But they’d filed their paperwork nonetheless. And even though she might never admit it aloud, it did give her an extra sense of security that was nice.

Plus, the three-carat, princess-cut, platinum diamond ring Riordan had quietly slipped on her finger during their city hall ceremony wasstunning. (And the thought of her demon walking into a jewelry store still cracked her up.)

That’s when her brain caught up in the conversation. “What business opportunity?”

Riordan had been handling Viktor’s investment portfolio for over a month, but as far as Roxie knew, they didn’t have any other opportunities in the works.

Lucy’s eyes twinkled in a way that suggested she had a secret. But then again, Lucy’s eyes usually twinkled. Roxie assumed that was a byproduct of getting banged regularly by a monster who looked at her like she was the last Reese’s cup in the package. “That’s actually why I called you here today. I have an idea to run by you.”

Roxie took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. “Sure. But if you ask me to bartend at the next Monster Match, the answer is going to be no. Possibly punctuated by a middle finger.”

She snorted. “No. Never again. But I have another idea. Viktor’s already onboard, of course, because he’d be onboard with any stupid idea I had. So, I need real feedback from someone who will tell me the truth. I want to know if this idea is viable.”

Well, if she could be counted on for anything, it was blunt truth. “Hit me.”

Lucy leaned forward, clasping her hands around her coffee cup. “I want to open a dog rescue. But not justanydog rescue. The biggest in the state. Maybe even the country.”

No one would ever accuse Lucy of thinking small, and Roxie loved that about her. “Sounds great so far. I mean, there are so many dogs out there that need help, and shelters are so under-funded that not even half of them get the help they need.”

“Right. So, I started thinking, what causes people who go visit dogs at shelters tonotleave with a dog, you know?”

“Well, I might not be the best to ask,” Roxie admitted, “because I rescued Waldo even though he was a disaster.”

“Anadorabledisaster,” Lucy said, offended on Waldo’s behalf. “My rescues had a few issues, too. But for some families, taking on a dog who has issues—like potty training, behavioral stuff, health issues—isn’t doable, right? Like, it’s too much for some families to take on. Then I thought about what Winston said.”

Roxie sat up a little straighter. “I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily take anything Winston says too seriously. His ideas tend to lead to STD outbreaks and arrests.”

Lucy scoffed. “No. I’m not talking about any ofthatstuff. He told me that the assisted living facilities and nursing homes are full of people who have lots of life left in them, people with experiences and knowledge, and society ignores them. They’re bored and need stuff to do.”

“That’s surprisingly insightful,” Roxie said. “Are you sureWinstonsaid it?”

“I’m sure. So, I thought, what if the rescue recruited seniors to help train dogs, help them with whatever problems they have, in an effort to get them ready for adoption? We’d compensate them for their time and provide any supplies they needed, of course.”

Winstonhadbeen the one to potty train Waldo, now that Roxie was thinking about it. “Yeah, that makes sense. I think I read something about a prison program that did something similar, only for helper dogs.”

Lucy nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly the idea. And when the dogs are ready to be adopted out, we can have a matching event just like a Monster Match, but for pets. Prospective adopters can come in, meet with lots of dogs and their trainers, and hopefully, leave with their perfect match.”

Roxie’s brain was reeling. “There are a lot of logistics to figure out. You’d need a place to evaluate animals, the seniors would need space to care for the dogs, actual trainers would need to teach the seniors what to do in certain scenarios, you’d need kennels and kennel staff…phew, it’s a lot. Are you up for all that?”

---