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“Sweet?”

“Of course. Gretch put a lot of effort into it and Christ, she was seven. Jess’s kitchen was a mess. I bet she’d cleaned marinara spots off her tile for weeks afterward. But it was heartbreaking too, you know. I sat across from Jess in a house I didn’t belong in, made polite small talk while eating stiff spaghetti with my ex, who at the time had a boyfriend. And our little girl was just brimming with hope. It was just so…painful.”

“That sucks.” Waylon trudged behind me to the promontory overlooking Lake Norman. He sucked in a lungful of air and gave an appreciative nod at the glorious view before sitting on a boulder to tie his shoelace.

“It did. Another conversation, more tears, more questions I couldn’t answer, a problem I couldn’t fix. The guilt is soul crushing.” I stared at the ridge of evergreens on the far side of the lake.

“Why guilt?”

“There’s no divorce in my family. My parents have been together for fifty-plus years. Jess’s, too. We’re the anomaly.”

“So what happened? Can I ask?”

I shrugged. “Lots of things. I wasn’t present enough in my marriage. I didn’t put her first. I didn’t notice when things weren’t right between us. Take your pick.”

“That’s her side of the story?”

“Yeah, but she’s probably not wrong. I’d like to claim she was or that I’ve changed, but I don’t know. I think if I’d loved her more, I’d have figured out a way to be what she wanted. Or maybe I’m spouting shit the therapist suggested. But I do know that I didn’t want to be divorced and I didn’t know how to fix it. Fix us.”

“That’s rough.”

“Yeah, especially with little people involved. We tried to uncouple gracefully, but sometimes unsuspecting folks, like you, get pulled along for the ride. So maybe I should apologize for⁠—”

“Shut up and sit down,” he scoffed without heat. “We need to get something straight before we hike to Elmwood for milkshakes.”

I furrowed my brow but obeyed. “O-kay…”

“I’m done with apologies. I don’t want them anymore. I don’t feel bad that I’m attracted to you, or that I can’t even look at you without wishing we were naked. I’m fucking grateful that your kids like me, and that they’d go through the effort to give us time alone. They didn’t trick me, Reg. I’m here of my own free will. Happily. I’ll take you any way I can get you. If it’s quietly in the middle of the night or during lunch breaks, I’m okay with that. This is your turf, and I get that you have police rules or…whatever…to deal with, but just know that for the next five months, I’m all yours.”

Fuck, that was a pretty speech.

Five months of Waylon. Either slightly hidden in the closet…or out. My choice. My kids approved, my father, who’d always been my biggest obstacle, thought Waylon was my boyfriend already, and the town? Maybe Rhys was right, and it was time to be more public in my bi-ness.

“All mine?”

I set my hand on his knee and scooted closer, nuzzling his neck and finally capturing his mouth in a searing kiss. Waylon hummed into the connection, flattening his palm over my crotch, coaxing my semi to life. I lifted his sweatshirt and tugged his tee loose in a quest for skin.

My fingernails trailed up his sides and along his spine as our tongues twisted. I was so lost in the kiss that I didn’t register that he’d slipped his hand into the waistband of my joggers and boxer briefs until his fingers were wrapped around my cock.

“On a scale of one to ten, how likely are we to get caught if I blow you right here on this rock?” he purred, stroking me from base to tip.

“Two,” I panted.

No one came this way in November. It was remote and off the beaten path. And if by chance some intrepid hiker stumbled upon us, they couldn’t do it stealthily. We’d hear the crunch of leaves and brush right away. At least, I hoped so, ’cause I wasn’t going to stop him now.

We fumbled for more skin, stroking each other as we made out in a frenzy. It was quick and dirty, and exactly the wrong thing for an officer of the law to get caught doing in the forest. Maybe that was what made it so hot. It was just the sort of thing I’d always wanted to do, and here I was…with Waylon. Once again, he made me feel like a truer version of myself. It was slightly overwhelming, but I clung to it for all I was worth. Until I just couldn’t any longer.

“I’m gonna come.”

Waylon growled low in my ear, trembling with his forehead on mine. “Holy shit.”

“We made a mess.” I righted my clothing and stood on shaky legs.

He laughed. “Yeah. Do you have any water in your backpack? And maybe some tissue?”

“I think so. Help yourself.”

“Water, granola bars, binoculars, two bars of chocolate. Sweet…and an envelope.”