“Like I said, he’s been very tight-lipped about it all. I think that means he likes you a lot, if I know anything about him.” She leaned closer. “Don’t break his heart, okay?”
“I don’t plan on it,” Drew said. He admired Aubrey’s protectiveness over Gabriel. In another circumstance, her bluntness would be offensive, but he cared for Gabriel and could tell she did, too. “I like him,” Drew said, “and we know what we’re doing.”
She sized him up. “You seem older. How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
“Hmm.”
“He knows how old I am, and I know how old he is. I promise I’m not taking advantage of him.”
“I trust him, and if he trusts you, so do I.”
He did the mental math. “Okay. Thank you.”
“He’s a prize,” she said. “You’ll be sorry if you let him get away.”
Another customer at the other end of the bar called for her attention, and she slid away. She was right, Drew thought. Gabriel was a prize, and the thought of losing Gabriel at the end of the summer was growing more unbearable every day. He was falling for Gabriel and falling hard. He didn’t want the summer to end. Now that Gabriel was in his life, he couldn’t imagine life without him. It would hurt badly to leave.
Aubrey didn’t come over to talk to him the rest of the time he was there; other customers at the bar held her attention, and he didn’t mind the privacy as he finished his second cup of coffee of the night, reached the end of the chapter he was reading, and left a one hundred dollar bill by his mug to pay for his food and cover a large tip.
He walked back to his house, a longish walk that took him through crowds of people and past lines of cars. Everyone was getting ready to watch the magnificent fireworks display. It was best to watch it from the beach, and Drew was lucky that the property he was renting was right on the water. He and Gabriel could go down to the beach to watch it, or stay on Drew’s balcony. Whatever they preferred.
Gabriel entered Drew’s house a little after 9:30. “Honey!” he called. “I’m home!”
It made Drew smile, and he met Gabriel in the foyer, swept him up in a hug, and kissed him.
“Wouldn’t that be nice?” he said wistfully after kissing Gabriel. “You coming home to me at the end of the day, or me to you.”
Gabriel squeezed his hands. “We have it for the summer,” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.
For the summer, yes, Drew thought. But he wanted it for longer. Maybe forever.
He poured them each a glass of red wine and set a vinyl on the record player. Etta James, crooning into warm night air. He’d opened the windows on the main floor, and a nice breeze filtered through the big house. It was undeniably summer, and it was a perfect summer night.
“I was thinking we could sit on the back deck,” he said, “unless you want to go down to the beach.”
“The deck is perfect. I don’t like the idea of walking back up from the beach tonight, and I don’t want to get sand in my toes.”
They sat together on the back deck, overlooking the beach and the Lake. Drew had set up a little bistro table with another bottle of wine and some chocolate-covered strawberries he had made earlier. They drank wine and ate the strawberries and watched the last of the sunset. It was a beautiful night, and Drew wouldn’t have wanted to spend it anywhere else, with anyone else. Most of his recent Fourth of July celebrations had involved getting blackout drunk on a boat somewhere, often with teammates, or on a yacht in some foreign country, and the memories that remained of those nights were rarely pleasant. But that night with Gabriel was quiet and peaceful, and full of something that Drew could almost call love.
The fireworks were impressive, loud, and colorful, and they watched the whole show as they finished their bottle of wine. Drew didn’t always love fireworks, but these were pretty.
Later, after they made love and showered, and were lying naked in bed, holding each other, the call came in.
Gabriel’s phone buzzed, stirring Drew from his half-sleep, and he raised himself on his elbows while Gabriel reached for his phone.
“Mom?” he said, answering. “Is everything okay? Is it Dad?”
Drew laid his head on Gabriel’s shoulder, letting him know that he was there for him, if needed.
Gabriel listened for a moment and then swore under his breath. “Okay. Okay, thanks for letting me know. That sounds bad. Do you need me for anything?” He listened again for a bit. “I understand. Thank you for letting me know. We can deal with it in the morning. I’m glad everyone is okay. I love you, too.”
He put his phone down and rolled onto his side to face Drew. “There was another incident at camp.”
“Another prank?” Drew asked, concerned.
“I don’t know, maybe. One of the older campers fell into the lake. He almost drowned.”
