Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Trevor follows shortly after, and then the three of us lie there together, tangled and entwined, all of us sweaty and spent.
48
Autumn
I don’t get much sleep, but the few hours I do get is solid, the deep slumber of a body that is utterly satisfied.
In the morning, it’s a challenge to get up and ready for the day without falling back into bed. Actually, we don’t need the bed, because the shower provides a perfectly good spot for more sex.
Duke and Garrett are halfway through their breakfasts when the three of us finally make it down to the coffee shop.
“Sorry, we couldn’t wait,” Garrett says, arching a brow. “I guess your alarm malfunctioned?”
“Something like that,” Trevor replies with a grin that makes no attempt to hide our real reason for being late.
Duke summons the waitress, and Trevor, Adrian, and I all order variations on the cafe’s largest breakfast, with pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns, and eggs.
“Worked up quite an appetite, did you?” Duke asks after she walks away.
“We had a good night,” Adrian says diplomatically.
The food comes quickly, and between bites, Adrian and Trevor talk about some options for the day. Apparently there’s a beautiful park nearby with boating and horseback riding, and there’s a whiskey distillery tour that a couple of the guys seem particularly interested in.
“I think we should go up to the room for a while before we go anywhere,” I say.
“Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap?” Garrett asks.
I give him a smile. “I’m not tired at all.”
It might be my imagination, but the men seem to eat faster after that, and they have the bill paid before I even drink the last of my coffee. In the elevator, Trevor pulls me in for a kiss, while Garrett nuzzles my neck from behind me. Hands are all over me, though we keep it clean in the hallway when we pass a family with children.
Back inside the privacy of our room, things get very, very dirty, pausing only for rest and eventually more food. We decide we’ll see the sights of Raleigh on our next visit, or at some future point after that, because we have more important things to do this weekend, and a lot of lost time to make up for.
Epilogue
Duke – Six months later
The bagpipes almost get to me.
We’re gathered in a large theater where the graduates are filing onto the stage in their navy blue dress uniforms. A sense of pride for two of the men in the group has been forefront on my mind today, but the addition of ceremonial music somehow stirs up memories about the alternate paths their lives almost took.
I’m so proud of the decisions they made and the hard work they put in to get to this moment.
There’s the pomp and circumstance, and many, many speakers, and finally, the names of the new firefighters are announced one by one. When Trevor’s and Adrian’s names are called, Autumn cheers the loudest, but Garrett isn’t far behind. We’re all proud to be here supporting them today.
When the ceremony is over and we meet them in the lobby, I reach to shake their hands, but decide to pull them into hugs instead. “Congratulations! Job well done,” I tell them.
“We wouldn’t be here without you,” Trevor says, and then tears do sting at the backs of my eyes.
Garrett claps them on their backs and Autumn hugs and kisses them, and then the pictures start, Garrett taking most of them, but also posing in several with the graduates. Trevor and Adrian seem to smile the widest when Autumn is between them.
Tonight, we’ll all go out to a fancy dinner and celebrate their graduations and their new jobs. They’ve been hired by the Raleigh Fire Department, which is an honor, but they’re going to be applying for jobs closer to home as soon as they can. In the meantime, we’ll keep visiting frequently.
Since Autumn’s schedule is flexible and her IT work is remote, she plans to stay in Raleigh with them sometimes, now that all of their studying and exams are done. She’s also started reaching out to bars in the city, with the hopes of lining up some gigs here too.
We’ll figure things out. The situation isn’t ideal at the moment, but it’s good for now. Autumn’s happiest when we’re all together — and so am I — so that’s what we’re working toward.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“What are we doing today?” Trevor asks. “More sightseeing?” His smirk lets us know he’s joking. There are some fun things to do around here, but nothing compares to the fun we have behind closed doors.
“It’s a surprise. You want to ride with me, and we can get your cars tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. We packed a bag like you said to,” Adrian says. “We just need to stop by the hotel and get it.”