Page 111 of Saving Wyatt

Thump. Thump.

There it was. And yet still, I held my breath.

“Wyatt? Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer. I waited.

Thump. Thump.

The beat thundered against my fingertips, and I felt an electric current blast up my arm, leaving goosebumps in its path.

Thump. Thump.

He was okay. Wilson was dead, and all of this pain…it was over.

I looked up, right into his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Eyes,” I whispered. “Van. Sunset.”

“What?” Ari mumbled, searching my eyes for an explanation, but I just repeated those three words.

The three words that would let him know I was okay. That we were okay. And the more I said them, the more I realized it was over.

This nightmare that had haunted us all for some two years was well and truly over.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, the panic still visible in his eyes.

I cupped his face and breathed in.

“Eyes, beautiful as yours. Van, like the one we’re in. Sunset, like the thousands I wish to see with you in my arms,” I said, and it was only then that he smiled.

And kissed me.

And hopefully, from here on out, he would never stop.

THIRTY-EIGHT

WYATT

A few weeks later

It was hard to believe, but with Wilson out of the way, it truly was over. The police got to the house a few minutes later to find the ex-mayor with his brains blown out and a very shaken eyewitness that it wasn’t hard to believe I had acted in self-defense.

Plus, with everything that went down on the opening day of Winterfest, it wasn’t that hard to prove that Wilson had escaped and was intending to harm both Ari and me. It didn’t mean my legal troubles were done, and Camille was more than ecstatic to have a client with two murder cases on his name, but we were confident both charges would be cleared and I wouldn’t be facing any severe consequences once all was said and done.

For the next few weeks after Wilson’s murder, I had dedicated myself to the community and rebuilding bridges, but also to Ari who I’d put through so much I’d made him a target for a crimelord, and yet he was still here, with me, unwavering.

So how could anyone blame me for being his shadow? I had to make up for lost time. I knew we hadn’t known each other for long, but that was exactly the problem. That I wished I’d known him for a thousand days already. A million days even. I wanted to get to know all of him and him all of me and to simply be happy. Something I hadn’t been in a very long time. Not even with Dare, who I’d loved, but even then, that love hadn’t been enough to make me push my fears down and let go.

If Ari had a problem with me going everywhere with him, he didn’t complain. I suspected he was still shaken. Waking up with a gun to your head and the very real threat of dying in an instant wasn’t easy. But that was another reason why I couldn’t let him go anywhere on his own. Not until I was sure all of Wilson’s associates were either arrested or gone from this island.

With Slade’s help, we’d uncovered most of his criminal empire and delivered the evidence to the FBI. The island had been the epicenter of a national scandal, thanks in no small part to Santiago, Joey’s husband, who had written an expose of everything that had been going on on this island for the past few years. It had gotten him national attention and even a few offers to be a correspondent for some big news outlets. However, as a new parent to a pair of adorable twins, he had turned down most of them and was considering instead starting a political commentary vidcast which was almost ready to take off thanks to Slade’s help.

The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day went by in a whirlwind. Not only were locals coming up to me all the time to thank me and praise my work, but I’d also gotten a lot more involved in my men’s lives. I’d always held back for fear of letting something slip or getting on someone’s gaydar, but now, after kissing Ari in public, it was as if a veil had lifted from my eyes and I could see the world a little clearer. A little more in color.

No one batted an eyelid at my reveal. No one made a big deal out of it. It was simply ordinary. I’d been invited to parties and birthdays, asked to pet-sit or babysit. We’d even got a few offers for double dates, but I knew in my heart the first couple I owed that to was Dare and Zach.

It might’ve been weird to want to go on a double date with my ex, but it felt important, if only to make sure Dare was okay.