“You’re not going back?” Harlow asked breathlessly. The wild thumping of his heart sent it higher than he dreamed possible. “You can… you can stay?”
“Yeah.” Simon peeled back from his chest and gazed up at Harlow, gleeful. “I can stay.”
Vibration after vibration shook Harlow’s phone. At first, Harlow hadn’t wanted to distract himself from the moment, but as it happened again and again, he had no choice but to look. The Single Dads were tagging him in message after message.
GlitterDoctor: Just got a picture from Evie, you guys. Looks like the cat’s out of the bag.
A picture loaded following GlitterDoctor’s message. In it, Harlow held Simon to his chest while Simon rested his head on Harlow’s shoulder. Their facial features were obscured—the shot got the back of Simon’s head and captured Harlow in profile—but there was no denying it was them. Framed against the bright sky and the receding ocean, based on the angle they appeared at in the picture, it had to have been taken from the other side of the sliding door. Harlow checked through it to find Evie standing on the other side, her cell phone out. She waved and smiled, then winked and gave Harlow a thumbs-up before leaving the door to go elsewhere in the house.
GlitterDoctor: Surprise, @LoveHarley
TeenDad2: We love you, @LoveHarley!! You guys look so cute together
KnotMyProblem: You owe me one, @LoveHarley. Next time we’re in the same place at the same time, I demand Bar Crawl Part II. Still… you’re kind of the best. I hope this makes you happy beyond your wildest dreams
xVerity: You have no idea how happy this picture makes me, @LoveHarley. I can only imagine how wonderful you must feel right now. We love you, and we’re wishing you all the happiness in the world.
Gwynning: @LoveHarley, you’ve always gone out of your way to keep us smiling. I hope that we’ve returned the favor. All our love to you.
“You have some amazing friends, H.” Simon smiled. He sniffled, then winced and laughed.
“Wehave some amazing friends.” Harlow kissed Simon’s forehead. “I guess this means we’ve got our travel plans sorted for Labor Day.”
“And Thanksgiving.”
“Christmas.”
“New Year’s.”
“Easter.”
Another vibration drew Harlow’s attention. The Single Dads weren’t done.
GlitterDoctor: @LoveHarley, one last thing
GlitterDoctor: I told Simon, but I’m going to tell you, too, before you mysteriously leave the chat and ultimately end up in your bedroom, screwing my little brother’s brains out
GlitterDoctor: … I’m happy for you. If you need anything, anything at all, Shep and I are here for you.
xVerity: All of us Single Dads are.
Once, seven long years ago, Harlow had lost the most important person in his life, and with him, he’d lost his way in life. Now, after years of wandering, he’d been adopted into a new family. No matter the distance between them, and no matter who he was in his day-to-day life, the Single Dads were on his side. They would always be there for him.
And Simon, glowing with love, would be there, too.
After so long adrift, his heart had found its home.
