“Wait, what? You kept your hair long for me?”
He shakes his head. “Not for you. For me. Because it reminded me of you.”
“I had no idea,” I whisper, touched. A thought comes to me. “Oh! So when you cut off your hair, you meant something by that. More than just independence.”
He nods. “I was so in love with you, and I couldn’t make you see me. So I decided to stop copying your look and wear my own. It made me feel better.”
I shake my head, still not believing I missed that. “I like it when you do things for yourself. Tonight, whatever it is you’ve decided, just know I’ll support you.”
He throws his arms around my neck, hugging me so tight I can practically feel his heartbeat against mine. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“God, I love you,” I whisper into his hair, “and I’m so proud to be yours.”
He responds with a passionate kiss, and we stand there, kissing for far too long, getting lost in each other. We’ll join our friends soon, but it’s in these moments that I see our future. Not the specifics, just the general shape of things. And I can’t wait to see what we do next.
* * *
ANT
My family piles into the house, and even though we’ve had some fairly dramatic circumstances, their fun and warmth fill the space every time they’re here. Even better, I know Erik feels it, and little by little, they’re rebuilding his faith in family.
Ginger and Beckett have a founder’s celebration at the group home tonight, but they join us at least once a month for our Friday tradition. I’m glad I listened to Erik about reaching out to Ginger—having someone to talk to who went through the exact same experience has been invaluable.
One thing I recently asked Hedy about was the fact I’ve started crying over how grateful I am. I wasn’t sure if maybe there was something wrong with me. She just laughed. “Ant, that means you’re not just healing, but you’re recognizing how good things are for you right now. That, my friend, is the good stuff.”
She was not lying.
So yeah, I have to dash away a few rogue tears as my family and friends join us in the living room, but it’s a small price to pay.
Gael walks into the living room and skids to a halt when he sees Tolly on the couch. I crack up because, while my cousin is a ton of very cool things, smooth he is not. Tolly rises to greet him, and Gael’s eyes warm in his presence.
I’m pretty sure Tolly’s been in love with Gael since the second they met. Unfortunately, the timing was wrong. I’ll give Tolly this—he’s been patient.
Maybe the timing isn’t so wrong anymore.
By way of greeting, Tolly tugs up the hem of his pants, showing off his new boots.
“They fit!” Gael goes straight to him and kneels. Tolly swallows hard as Gael gently guides his foot to his knee, palpating the shoe. “It’s a perfect fit. I’m so pleased.”
“You’re pleased? These are by far the most supportive, comfortable, beautiful shoes I have in my entire collection, and that is saying something.”
I tease my royal friend. “I heard Tolls here has an entire room in his castle dedicated to shoes, so that’s quite the compliment.”
Gael shrinks back. “You own a castle?”
Tolly holds up his hand. “It’s a manor house, which is impressive enough in the English countryside, I suppose. I don’t know, however, if I own it or if it was bequeathed to me. I’m rarely there. Which is to say, I have no rooms dedicated to shoes or clothing articles of any kind. Give me a sturdy pair of shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and some flip-flops, and I am a happy man.”
Gael relaxes just a little. I remember the first time I told him Tolly’s entire name. He nearly died then and there.
Still, he straightens his shoulders and nods. “I’ll send you my finest flip-flops.”
“Oh? That would be lovely. I may also need to order some work boots as I seem to now be the owner of a small ranch just down the road.”
Erik turns around and stares at his friend. “You bought a ranch?”
“It seemed like a smart addition to my portfolio. This is a growing part of Texas, and I’m told vacation rentals do well out here.”
“What do you mean by just down the road?” I ask.
