And Jake laughed lightly. Then his hand came up to cup Rye’s cheek, and love and hope and joy filled Rye’s chest. It was bright and warm. And safe. And strong.
Rye tilted his head back in invitation, and Jake closed the distance between them again.
This spot.
Right here, in Jake’s arms.
Thiswas his home.
Two years later . . .
Epilogue
Jake
“Ready?”
“Yeah.” He was. Maybe.
“It’s just like we did at home. No rush.”
Rye’s hand squeezed his, and Jake gave a firm nod, swallowed hard, and followed his boyfriend forward. Measured breaths, careful steps. Cane first, and then one foot and then the other. The boat dipped and swayed with the added weight as Jake stepped off the dock, and the knot in his stomach tightened, but only briefly. Jake let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Rye’s hand in his.
He could do this. More than that, he was looking forward to doing this.
“There we go,” Rye’s soft, calm voice reassured him, and Jake smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, okay. I’m good,” he managed, and he opened his eyes, his smile growing as he looked down at Rye. Rye’s gorgeous blue eyes sparkled in the early morning sunshine, making everything that much better. “I’m good,” Jake repeated, and Rye’s face lit up again, bursting with eagerness.
“I know it’s not Queensland, but—”
Jake shook his head. “This is incredible, and I’m so grateful you planned all of this. And I can’t wait.”
Rye was still smiling, and he glanced over his shoulder at the boat captain, Leah, who stood at the helm of the small private charter boat. Rye squeezed Jake’s hand in a silent signal, and Jake cleared his throat.
“We’re ready,” he told the captain, and she nodded in response, instructed them to make themselves comfortable, and took a few minutes to discuss their excursion with them.
They had four hours out on the boat, which would include about an hour of sailing out away from land, then two hours of guided snorkeling along one of the best stretches of Florida’s coral reefs before heading back to shore.
It was the culmination of their week-and-a-half-long road trip across the country. But more than that, it was really the culmination of two years’ worth of hard work from him and Rye to help him overcome his trauma and fear. About a year ago now, Jake had gotten back on a boat for the first time since his accident, thanks in large part to Rye’s encouragement and support. That first time had literally just been stepping onto the boat from the dock—one of Hal’s small rental boats back home in Rocky Cove—and then, carefully and over time, they’d worked up to taking short trips along the coast. They’d also slowly addressed Jake’s fear of being in the water—moving from just barely managing to let the waves hit his legs at the beach near his house to short swims together in the ocean. He wasn’t really confident yet; there was still that tiny tickle of anxiety in the back of his mind and that knot in his stomach. But he was at least fairly certain he’d be able to not only make it through this excursion but also have a wonderful time.
The outing to the coral reef—the only living coral reef that was a part of the continental US—had been a surprise to Jake until just last night, when Rye had finally told him why he’d picked this specific destination at the southmost end of the Florida Keys for the turnaround point on their road trip. Rye had lamented that he hoped someday they’d make it to Queensland so Jake could visit the Great Barrier Reef, like he’d said he wanted to, but Rye knew he still wasn’t ready to get on an airplane. The crowds and small, confined space would be too much. And that was just fine with Jake.
This—being here on a boat, about to go explore the coral reefs of the Florida Keys with his boyfriend—was just fine. Actually, it was more than fine. It was fantastic, and Jake had never felt more loved and supported. He’d never been happier.
Jake settled next to Rye in the small seats at the front of the boat, looping his arm loosely around Rye’s shoulders, and then Leah got the boat going and navigated them out of the small marina, heading southwest toward their destination. When Jake glanced over, Rye’s eyes were full of eagerness and love, and he grinned and bent down to whisper “I love you” in Rye’s ear. That made Rye’s cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink.
As the boat sailed, Leah told them all about the ecology of the reef, particularly the specific spot they were headed to, and some of the conservation efforts being made by local research groups and other organizations. Jake joined in, letting the conversation, and the closeness of his boyfriend, distract him.
About an hour after leaving the marina, they arrived and anchored the boat at one of a few mooring buoys along the shallow reef. Then they spent the next two hours in the warm, clear water, swimming with fish and marine life of all colors and sizes among the coral ridges. The highlight of Jake’s morning was the hawksbill sea turtle that swam lazily past them—and the look of pure joy on Rye’s face as they watched the turtle drift along on its way.
By the time they were finished and on the boat again, headed back toward the shore, Jake was both completely exhausted and utterly, perfectly, amazingly happy and content. He pulled Rye up against him, into his arms, as the two sat in the seats at the front of the boat, and he buried his face in Rye’s hair, which was damp and smelled strongly of the sea. Rye curled up against him, bringing his knees up onto the seat, and hummed with contentment.
“Thank you,” Jake murmured, though he knew there was so much more to say. “You... know how much this means to me.”
He swore he could feel Rye smiling against the thin fabric of his long-sleeve swim shirt, and he tightened his arms, closed his eyes, and breathed a kiss into Rye’s hair. Rye shifted then, tilting his head back. His cheeks were tinged pink, and probably at least a little of it was from how much sun they’d gotten already that day, but it sent Jake’s heart racing, and he leaned down and kissed one of Rye’s cheeks and then the other, and then the tip of his nose, which was also pink from the sun. Then he rested his forehead against Rye’s.
He wanted to give some long, articulate speech telling Rye all the reasons he felt so good and was so happy. He wanted to tell Rye how proud he was, how far Rye had come, how them being here together, taking this trip, this excursion, had brought him so much joy.
