He nods, hugging his arms around my waist and leaning into my side as I guide the boat out of the harbor and onto the open ocean. Icruise around the dark and rolling water, looking for a place to drop anchor. Just as we can see the silhouette of Stormhaven Light, jutting up from the craggy island it sits atop, I navigate the boat around, so that it faces in towards the harbor. I drop anchor and kill the engine, taking in the sights and sounds around us.
Brooks leans back into me, his back to my chest, and I wrap my arms around him, placing a kiss to the top of his head. “You know I’m only joking, right?” I ask him, peering down at him, his hair flipping in the breeze. “I never expect anything in return. Nothing with you and I is transactional.”
“I know,” he assures me. “Never once have you ever done that to me. You’re the most thoughtful and soulful man, Evan. I’m just thinking about this, all this. You’ve brought me out of my shell, my little bubble. Never once would I ever think I would feel so—I don’t know—okay with leaving the camp in anyone else’s hands, while I go off on adventures. This has been… so much better than I imagined. Thank you.” He rises up on his toes and kisses me.
I guide Brooks over to one of the padded seats on deck, and sit on it lengthwise, tugging him down onto my lap, in between my legs. Reclining back, Brooks rests his head on my chest, while I lay my arms over his shoulders. He reaches up and holds onto my forearms, snuggling into me.
“This is nice,” he sighs, gazing up at the stars. “Look!” he exclaims, pointing at a shooting star.
“Make a wish,” I murmur, chuckling lightly. “And don’t give me that ‘I don’t need to, because I already have everything I want’ woo-woo sappy bullshit.”
He laughs. “You think you know me so well, huh?”
“No,” I disagree, “I know I still have a lot to learn about you…”
He peers up at me. “What do youwant to know?”
“Favorite color?”
“Blue. Specifically the shade of blue in your eyes. They’re ocean blue.”
“Mu-shy!” I chuckle again. “You can ask me anything too, you know. I’m sure there must be something.”
“Okay…” He taps his finger to his chin. “If you could travel anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go?”
“Easy. Alaska.”
“Seriously?” he scoffs. “Isn’t that too similar to Maine? Don’t you want to go somewhere tropical?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, because a day getting crispy in the sun, and getting sand in my taint and ass crack, sounds sooo fun,” I tease.
He rolls his eyes. “Well, when you put it like that, yuck. Now I don’t know if I would ever choose that. Italy always sounded nice.”
“Are you sure that’s not because you just had alfredo tonight?”
He laughs. “Nah. Venice always intrigued me. I want to ride a gondola through the canals.”
“Noted,” I hum.
“Don’t even, Evan. You know darn well I can’t just go gallivanting off to Venice.”
“You think you know me so well, huh?” I throw his words back at him, playfully.
He shakes his head. “You’re a vault, babe. I’m drilling holes in it, though.”
“You are,” I agree. “Why do you think we’re having this little Q and A session right now? Next question, do you ever think you’d want more kids?”
He stiffens beneath me and gapes up at me. “Well,thatjust got serious…”
I shrug. “Go big or go home, I guess. Answer the question.”
He thinks about it for a minute. “I mean, I’m not sure. I’m always so busy with Morgs now, but I know once she graduates and moves out, the silence and the stagnancy will eat away at me. That, and I still get calls, even though I let my foster license lapse, and each time I have to give them the bad news that I’m not in a place to agree to placement, I feel gut punched. I want to, but I can’t do it alone, you know?”
“What if you had me—a partner?”
“You want more kids?”
I nod. “Despite the falling out we had, raising Colton has been one of my greatest privileges. I hate that we started off so young, and had to bust ass just to make ends meet for him. I missed a lot. I always wanted more, but I think knowing that held Miranda back. Now that I’m more mature, and a little more stable, I wouldn’t mind having more. I always envisioned two or three.”
