The look between the two men intensified until Gizmo grabbed one half of the ripped paper and ran off to enjoy his ill-begotten gains. They all watched the Chihuahua’s furtive movements to conceal what he’d done, but only Spencer laughed. It wasn’t, as Caleb and Lawson suspected, the laugh of a man who was about to lose the last of his reason.

It was the laugh of a man who’d finally found it.

“It’s a small-time dog show, you guys, not the Olympics. Wheezy making an appearance isn’t going to break us.”

Caleb lifted a hand and placed it against Spencer’s forehead. As Spencer expected, his brother’s palm felt exactly the same temperature as his skin.

“I’m not sick. I haven’t lost my mind. I’m not hopelessly in love.” He hesitated. “Well, I’m not so sure about that last one, but you get my point. Is it unethical to knowingly allow a non-purebred dog into a dog show? Sure. Of course. I think we can all agree on that. But it’s equally unethical for a judge to allow his twin brother to train some of the entrants, and I’ve been doing that for years. And let’s not even get started on a judge being in a relationship with a handler.”

“Are you…in a relationship?” Caleb asked. He didn’t voice the rest of the question, which went more along the lines of: Are you in a relationship, or is it just sex and you’re reading way too much into it?

It was a fair question. There was always a possibility he was reading too much into things because that was what he inevitably did; overthinking was his stock in trade. He looked extensively before he leaped, kicked every tire on a car twice before he bought it.

For once in his life, however, he was letting his emotions take over. He liked Ruby and he liked how Ruby made him feel—and those were the only things that mattered.

“Let’s not even get started on a judge fucking a handler,” Spencer amended. “Does that make you feel better?”

Lawson choked. Caleb grinned.

“Much better,” Caleb agreed. He cast Spencer a curious glance. “So, that’s it, then? You’re just going to let Wheezy in the dog show? Against the rules? Knowing he’s ineligible and likely to make a fool out of all of us?”

Spencer looked to Lawson for the answer. He already knew what Eva’s thoughts on the subject would be. She’d walked into her house late on Sunday evening, seen Spencer and Ruby standing next to one another, and guessed the truth with a squeal and hug for both of them. She’d also been sending Spencer her top wedding-venue choices all week. Any rule-breaking done in the name of romance would get her full approval.