But he wasn’t there anymore.He was in Mayport, and he was free to be with whomever he wanted.
And he wanted Thomas.
Chapter Seven
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THOMAS STARED AT THEemail in his inbox.This was it.When he opened it, he’d know whether or not he’d passed his GED.He’d know if he had to go back to studying every evening or if he would be free.
He wasn’t sure what he’d do in either case.Well, if he hadn’t passed, he’d go back to studying, even though he’d be sad and disappointed.If hehadpassed, he could focus on the rest of his life.Thatwas what he wasn’t sure what to do with.
He sucked in a breath and opened the email.It took him a few seconds to make sense of what he was seeing, but when he did, he started smiling.He had to resist the urge to scream, but he couldn’tnotcelebrate, so he jumped to his feet and did a little dance.Of course, that was when Seth happened to walk past the bedroom door, which Thomas had left open.
“What’s going on?”he asked, leaning against the doorframe.“Is Rowan the one who’s making you smile like that?”
Thomas turned to face Seth.He could tell him now.“Usually, he would be, but not this time.I got my GED.”
For a second, Seth didn’t say anything.He looked a bit confused, which made sense since Thomas hadn’t told him that he was studying for it.“Wait, you mean to tell me that’s what you’ve been hiding the entire time?”Seth asked, stepping into the bedroom.
“I didn’t want to disappoint you in case I didn’t pass, but I did.”
Seth made a weird noise and reached for Thomas, pulling him into his arms.“How could you ever disappoint me?You should’ve told me.”
“That’s what Rowan always says.He knew that you would support me.I just wanted to know if I could do this before I told you.”
“Well, you know now.You did it.”Seth leaned back and grabbed Thomas’s shoulders.“And I feel like this deserves a party.”
Thomas laughed.Normally, he would say no, but he did want to celebrate.He wanted to tell everyone in his family what he’d done.“Who are you going to invite?”
“Everyone,” Seth said with a wide grin.“And you better invite Rowan and warn him that he’s going to be swamped by the family.”
“He wants to meet you, so he’ll be happy.”
“I’m sure he’ll be happier because you passed your GED.Have you told him yet?”
“No.I just found out.”
Seth clapped his hands.“Well, it seems like we both have things to do.You let Rowan know and tell him that he’s invited to the party.I’ll start organizing everything.I don’t have a lot of time if it’s going to be tonight.”
Thomas was glad he didn’t have to organize any of it.He would’ve told Seth that he didn’t have to, either, but he knew that Seth would ignore him.He was always happy for a reason to reunite the family, and what better opportunity than this one?
He grabbed his phone to call Rowan.He would be as happy as Seth to find out about this.He would also probably be a bit nervous at the thought of meeting Thomas’s family, but they both knew that they were in this for the long term, so it made sense that he would eventually.Maybe right now was too soon, but it didn’t feel like it to Thomas.
*
THOMAS WASN’T SUREwhat kind of miracle Seth worked, but by the time the sun was setting, the house was full of people.There was food and drinks everywhere, and every single person present had stopped to talk to Thomas and congratulate him.Theo had been visibly emotional, hugging Thomas several times and telling him how proud he was of him.Even though he was just a few years older than Thomas, he’d been the alpha of their ragtag pack, and he’d always felt that he was responsible for them.It felt a bit like he was a proud father, or maybe an older brother.
Rowan still hadn’t arrived, but Thomas wasn’t worried.Still, he was glad when he heard another car park in front of the house.He squeezed Josie’s arm and left her with Dustin, rushing to the front door, hoping it was his boyfriend.He hadn’t seen Rowan yet today, and he couldn’t wait to hug him.
He swung open the door and beamed when he recognized Rowan’s car.He started coming down the porch steps when Rowan opened the driver’s door, but to his surprise, Rowan didn’t come toward him right away.Instead, he opened the back door, confusing Thomas, especially when a streak of something rushed out of the car.Thomas was only confused for just a second, though.That was all the time it took for Finley to collide with him.
Thomas laughed and dropped to his knees to hug the dog.Finley was wearing a collar now, and when Thomas checked the tag, he recognized his phone number on it.
Rowan had brought Finley home.
Thomas hugged the dog again before getting to his feet.“How?”he asked.
Rowan rubbed the back of his neck.“Well, I hope you weren’t planning on keeping your GED a secret from Shane because I told him about it, and that this would be a good way to celebrate.He agreed.”
