That was decency.
That was compassion.
Those were the traits he’d fallen in love with when he first met D’Artangnan. It was the man feeding a stray dog in the desert, giving it half of his food and going without because all things deserved to live.
It was how he always gave the Afghani children candy he carried in his pocket, and got help for one of the children who lost his leg to an IED.
This man had been a hero, and once more, he was saving someone who needed him.
“D’Artangnan,” he whispered, his face buried in his neck.
“I have you,” he admitted.
Michael held him up because he could. Out of the two of them, he saw that Graham had suffered more than he had. That his pain was nothing compared to his.
They stood there a few minutes, and finally, Graham had the courage to ask.
“Did you mean it?” he asked. “About staying?”
Michael hugged him tighter.
“Yes. I’m staying, unless you want to get the hell out of here. If that’s the case, we can go anywhere you want. I’m flush with cash now, Baby. I can buy us a house, and we can have a life. The war is over,” he whispered. “We’re going to go home.”
Graham couldn’t believe it.
Those were words they had prayed for when they’d been stationed in the worst places. They dreamed that they’d be able to do that together.
To leave as one.
Now, they’d made it.
There was no way he deserved this, but he got it, and for that, he was grateful. The circle was closed, and he’d found his way back to D’Artangnan.
“Maybe we should go,” he whispered. “Then, you won’t have to hear about how I was a whore.”
Michael laughed.
When Graham looked up, he wiggled his eyebrows and smiled lecherously.
“Maybe I like you a whore,” he teased, trying to show the man he was okay with it.
What happened before him, and after him didn’t matter to Michael. Only what happenedWITHhim. As long as he could trust his partner, and he wasn’t sneaking around behind his back to continue…
That was water under a bridge.
Hearing his words, Graham had hope that this would be good.
That they would be okay.
“For the record, Graham, the first person who says that about you in this country is going to get my boot in their face. No one isEVERsaying that about you and getting away with it.”
His heart skipped.
He.
Was.
Back.
