Hi Toots. 20years old ,wow , I have 4 cars and that's 4 to many sometimes!!!!!!
It willl be great to have her with you and for you to be able to give her all the love and care that' she needs. I'm an animal lover myself and have promised the kids a puppy in the near future.
Re your H. From my point of view , he now has options I think you were right to let him know that you would be interested in a M in the future and I feel that he was unaware of this He now has to decide and that possibley has made in own future unclear. If things with OW are rough and life is not what he thought it would be lthen who knows how he feels.
All Toots can do is to continue living ber life and learning who Toots is. The book you are reading sounds great and you have seen a lot of yourself in it , just don't be too quick to label yourself Toots is Toots , unique and very special Flawed , Maybe !!!! But still great.