Thom Baron has been struggling with social anxiety his entire life. He's taken the medications, gone to the therapists, followed the programs, and concluded his best life is a solitary one. When he comes across a dog in obvious need at his local market, it rekindles the desire to have some company around. It may come with a dishevelled coat, a notched ear, and a refusal to respond to anything but its given name "Ugly," but it could still be a friend.<br><br>However, Thom's new fur buddy has no such need to keep to itself and immediately befriends the man Thom has secretly coveted since he moved in -- Justin, Thom's gorgeous, bright-eyed neighbour. No matter how Thom tries to evade the man, the dog keeps drawing them back into each other's lives, and it doesn't take Thom long to recognize it's simply pursuing the demands of Thom's own heart. With the dog giving him the courage to try, Thom reaches out to return the love being offered.<br><br>Until a stranger shows up insisting the dog is his and demanding its immediate return ... a loss Thom knows will take all of his efforts and newfound confidence with it.

But by the Grace of Dog

What a strange set of events this weird furry friend of his had started. If it hadn’t been for Dog, there would be no Justin, Thom was sure of it. Justin would have continued to exist, of course, but the two of them would have lived separately, most likely never talking beyond a forced, neighbourly greeting or two. It didn’t even feel like a coincidence, either. It was as though Dog had purposely worked to make it happen, drawing Justin back whenever Thom pulled away.


Maybe Dog had known Thom was lonely from the start. After all, Thom was pretty sure he and Dog had connected from the moment they’d seen each other; Dog had seen two single points and drawn them together into a line. Had Dog, in some weird doggy way, known that a four-legged buddy wasn’t quite enough? Had Dog seen that line between them and knew the only way to complete it was to add another point? One was lonely, two was better, but three was damn near a family.


Chapter 32