Colin chuckled and nuzzled against Joshua’s hair. “Well, the rest of us are grateful for your sacrifice.” He turned to look at David and Nate, who were cleaning up the picnic area. “We’d better hit the road. We’re still a couple of hours from our destination.”
* * *
It wasearly evening when they arrived in Kilkenny. After checking in at Lyrath Estate, the luxurious mansion where they were staying, the four men strolled the narrow city streets, enjoying the ambiance of this picturesque medieval town and browsing the various shops. As evening shadows began to fall, they stopped for dinner at a pub called Brewery Corner, which specialized in a beer sampler from a local brewery.
After dinner, they once again wandered through the streets of Kilkenny, stopping now and then to gaze into shop windows or stand outside the local pubs, listening to the Irish folk songs being sung within. “Let’s go in!” Nate encouraged. “You could sing with them, Colin.”
But Colin shook his head and took Joshua’s hand in his. “Nope. First off, I’m too damn tired. And second, I’d rather hear them sing. I hear me all the time.” He laid his hand on Nate’s shoulder and urged him down the street to their hotel. “C’mon, buddy. Trust me. You’ll hear me sing plenty on this trip. Right now, I need sleep.”
* * *
They metfor breakfast the following day and then drove to Kilkenny Castle. After spending several hours exploring its lavish rooms and surrounding green fields, they paused for lunch, then jumped back into their rental van for the twenty-minute drive to Kilfane Glen & Waterfall.
After wandering through one of Ireland’s most romantic gardens and admiring the waterfall, Colin led Joshua across a small wooden bridge to a secluded glade where they could sit on the grass and talk.
Joshua leaned against Colin’s arm and sighed in happiness, luxuriating in the beauty of their surroundings and the soothing sounds of the nearby cascade. “Colin, this is heaven.”
“I think so too,” he replied, then reached into his jacket pocket. “Present for you,” he murmured, handing Joshua a small wrapped package.
Joshua opened it, then turned to his husband in surprise. “Colin! Did you make this?” He held a key chain of polished wood inscribed: “Come home safe. I love you. C.”
“Of course I made it,” Colin said, then pointed to the keychain. “It’s oak.”
“Of course it is,” Joshua whispered. He caressed the glistening wood, his eyes burning with unshed tears. “Thank you, my darling,” he said at last. “This means so much to me.”
“Romantic moment?” Colin teased, grinning.
“Anintimatemoment,” Joshua whispered, then touched Colin’s cheek and kissed him.
Colin leaned his forehead against Joshua’s for a moment. “I mean what I said on your key chain.”
“I know.”
“You do what that says, and you never have to do another thing for me. Just do…” he touched the words engraved into the wood, “…that.”
“I will,” Joshua promised, his voice low.
Colin took the key chain in his hand and gazed down at it for a long time. “You know what I’ve discovered?”
“What?”
“We’ve talked about intimacy,” Colin said, then handed the key chain back to Joshua. “Talked about intimate moments we’ve shared.”
“Like this one.”
“Yes. Like this one. But the more I’ve thought about intimacy, the more I’ve realized that intimacy—at least forme—is another word for honesty.”
Joshua took his hand but did not respond. Colin was staring down at the grass beneath them, and after a moment, he lifted his head and met Joshua’s eyes. “Because our most intimate moments always seem to demand raw honesty about a truth we’d been hiding. A truth about ourselves we were scared to reveal.” He glanced at Joshua. “Or ashamed to reveal.”
Joshua’s fingers tightened on his. “Intimacy is a kind of nakedness that goes way beyond the physical.”
Colin nodded. “Physical nakedness is a piece of cake compared to emotional nakedness.”
“God, yes.”
“I’m never afraid of physical nakedness.”
“Whywouldyou be?” Joshua asked with a quick grin.
