Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Yes. God yes. Fuck yes,” Roe answered, and then Holden was sliding a ring on his finger, and they were hugging and kissing, everyone around the fire clapping and cheering.
Clint couldn’t help looking over at August, who he noticed was watching him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
August
The fireworks were beautiful.
After the proposal, Holden and Roe had headed away from the crowd to light them off together. Reds, blues, and greens lit up the sky, and August couldn’t stop his mind from wandering. He’d changed a lot when he and Clint had first become friends. He’d been a loner before Clint, defensive because he was small and got teased. He hadn’t trusted anyone until he’d trusted Clint. August didn’t know if Clint knew it, but he’d given August a lot of confidence back then. He was part of the reason August had grown into the man he had.
The one who knew what he wanted. The one who felt more confident. The one who even at a young age in college, worked for the things he wanted for his life and felt secure in that.
He’d wanted to be a veterinarian, and he’d made that happen.
He’d always known he wanted a husband and a child. Both of those things had happened too, only the marriage hadn’t worked out. It was for the best, August knew that, but thinking about Holden and Roe tonight…it made him realize how much that was still his dream. That he wanted to find the right man, and go to bed with him every night, and wake up with him every morning.
He wanted to tell someone he loved them, and surprise them with breakfast in bed, and be the one to make them laugh, and be there to hold them when they needed that too.
He wanted to belong to someone and to have someone belong to him. Maybe that was a silly dream. Maybe he was more of a romantic than he’d ever thought, but he wasn’t sure he cared much.
Another firework flew high above them, then exploded in the air. He felt the warmth of Clint beside him, both resting on the arms of their chairs, but close enough that they were touching.
He looked over at the kids, saw Reese laugh when Sean pointed up and said something to him, then saw Scout lean close and look up too.
He couldn’t stop his head from turning, his gaze settling on Clint, the colors from the fireworks reflecting on his face. He was the most handsome man August had ever seen. All strong angles and features, the goatee that August longed to feel against his skin.
He wanted to reach over and hold Clint’s hand, wanted them to go home together and shower together before they climbed into bed together.
August was getting ahead of himself, but then some things a person just knew in their bones, and he knew he wanted Clint that way.
The man in question turned his way, cocked his head slightly, and gave August a grin, one he felt in the depths of his gut, in each throb of his heart. He was afraid of chasing Clint away, because August knew that sometimes he could be a little much. Lewis used to tell him that all the time, that he could be overwhelming, a perfectionist who pushed hard and got these ideas into his head about how life was supposed to be and then struggled to go with the flow.
Clint and August had been dating for only a few weeks, and August had already created this future in his head for them that he didn’t know if Clint would want or if it was even realistic.
Clint frowned like he could see something was wrong, the need to fix it for August in the brown depths of his eyes, so August offered a small smile, trying not to go all August on him.
Lighten up, he told himself.
August turned his attention back to the show where it belonged. He just needed to enjoy it, enjoy where he was in his life instead of always pushing for more, more, more. With Lewis it had been more time at home, more family vacations, more help parenting Reese in ways that weren’t just the fun ones.
With Clint it was August’s whole damn life. His son’s life too. And they had infiltrated Clint’s in nearly every way.
Everyone cheered when the fireworks were over, Roe and Holden joining the group again.
“You good?” Clint asked.
“Yep.” And he was, maybe better than he’d ever been.
They hung out for another hour or so, celebrating Roe and Holden’s engagement. Around eleven, people started heading home, and after saying their goodbyes, the three of them climbed into the truck to do the same.
“Did you know Holden was going to propose?” August asked.
“I didn’t. That was a surprise for all of us, I think. Special, though.” He tossed a grin August’s direction that made his pulse speed up.