Julia, Tori, Ash, and Truman waited for the story that would accompany this fact, but Bradley just tucked into his pancakes once more, and they all exchanged smiles around him.

After breakfast, Julia put a box down on the table in front of Ash. He’d been very clear that he didn’t want this brunch to turn into a birthday party, and he narrowed his eyes.

“It’s not a present!” she insisted. “Look, it’s not even wrapped. It’s just something I thought you might want to have.”

Ash lifted the lid off the box to reveal a stack of papers. They were buckled, water stained, crumbled, and otherwise worn.

“Oh wow.” Ash lifted the stack out. “These are all drawings I did when I was little,” he explained.

The drawings were in crayon, marker, and pencil, and many had stickers and bits of decorative paper pasted on them. Ash flipped through quickly, pausing at one. “This is when I was obsessed with dogs,” he said.

The drawing was one large dog in the center that looked vaguely like Scooby-Doo, and all around it were smaller dogs floating in space.

“That’s adorable,” Truman said.

“He used to stop to pet every dog we passed,” Julia said. “Once we went into Portland, and it took us an hour to get down the street because he stopped for so many dogs.”

“Awww.” Truman’s heart swelled. He loved imagining Ash as a sweet, serious little boy with so much love to give that he wanted to bestow it on every dog he passed.

While Julia told another story of Ash’s childhood, Ash flipped through the drawings, then put the lid back on.

“Thanks, Mom. This is great.”

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” she said. At the door, as they said their goodbyes, she whispered totally audibly to Truman, “His birthday present is behind the counter at the shop.”

Truman gave her a thumbs-up, and Ash laughed and kissed her cheek.

Their hands found each other and they walked in joyful harmony for a few blocks.

“I think she’s really happy,” Ash said.

“I think so too.”

“I think…I think I am too.”

He said it so softly that at first, Truman thought he was joking and started to elbow him with a smile. Then he realized that although it was obvious to him that Ash was happy, they had never discussed it.

“I’m so glad,” Truman said instead.

Ash simply nodded.

Truman had been planning for them to go home for a bit, perhaps take a postbrunch nap before heading out again. But this seemed like the right moment.

“Come with me?” he asked.

Ash raised an eyebrow in question, but when Truman didn’t answer, he said, “Always.”

They walked hand in hand to the shore. Warm sun, a cool breeze off the bay, and Ash’s hand in his, Truman didn’t think he’d ever been more at peace.