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)
He hadn’t made sense of that yet.
“Almost there,” he said, and Reese caught his gaze in the mirror and pointed to his earbuds as if to say he couldn’t hear August when they both knew he could.
Parenting was fucking hard, the most difficult thing he’d ever done, but it was also the most rewarding. Reese meant the world to him, meant more than his own life, and he figured one day that had to count for something. He hoped that day would hurry up and arrive.
Jesus, he couldn’t believe he was back in Harmony, but he and Reese needed a fresh start, and August hadn’t known where else to go. He didn’t have a lot of fond memories of Harmony—not terrible, but not the best. Kids had picked on him, but then he’d found people he fit in with. His dad had left when they lived there, but Harmony was also where he’d fallen in love with animals, which led him to become a veterinarian.
The one bright spot, the one thing he’d thought about from time to time throughout the years, had been Clint Jones. His first kiss, first crush, first aha moment that told him he was gay. Sometimes, August couldn’t believe any of it had happened, that he and Clint had become friends. They hadn’t had a whole lot in common, but that hadn’t mattered. Clint had been his best friend, and August couldn’t help thinking about him now, wondering if Clint was still in Harmony. Was he married? Did he have children? Was he queer?
August shoved those thoughts from his head. They weren’t what was important right now.
He finished the drive, listening to his navigation as it led them to the house he’d rented. It was a smallish three-bedroom with a fenced-in backyard for Butter, their golden retriever. August figured being in town would be an easier adjustment for Reese. Harmony was a lot smaller than Orlando, of course, but moving him onto a bunch of property in the middle of nowhere probably wasn’t the best idea.
The house was yellow and sat at the end of a short gravel driveway, back from the road. They had a small U-Haul attached to his Traverse, the rest of their things coming with movers within the next couple of days. The second August killed the engine, Reese shoved the door open and jumped out, Butter right on his heels. Reese was her person. She loved him, and Reese loved her.
“What do you think?” he asked, climbing out of the vehicle. There was a large front yard too, with trees off toward the left and right.
“I fucking hate it here,” Reese replied.
“Hey. The language is unnecessary. I get that you’re fifteen and think you’re grown, but it’s disrespectful to speak in front of adults that way.”
“Whatever.” Reese rolled his eyes. He swiped at one of them, but turned quickly enough that August couldn’t tell if he’d been crying or not.
August’s heart broke, right there in the driveway of their new house. He walked over and put a hand on Reese’s shoulder. “I know it’s tough. The past two years feel like your whole world has been turned upside down, but I’m doing my best. It might not feel like it, but everything I do is because I think it’s what’s good for you. I might not always be right. I’m only human, and I’m going to screw up, but I love you. I will always love you, and no matter what happens, I won’t ever leave you.”
Because there was no doubt in his mind that Reese felt abandoned by Lewis, even if he couldn’t admit it; hell, maybe he didn’t even realize it. And if Reese needed to blame August to feel less like his pop hadn’t walked away from him, August would bear that burden for his son.
“Whatever,” Reese replied again, pulling away. “Butter, come on, girl,” he called to the dog before jogging across the front lawn with her.
August saw him wiping his eyes as he went.
When August had looked for a job before moving back to Harmony, he’d decided to start part-time. He was good with his money and always had been. Plus, he and Lewis had sold the house after the divorce and had split the profit they’d made from that. He figured he could at least afford working less hours through the summer, which would give him and Reese more time to spend together, especially since Reese didn’t know anyone here yet.
“Will you be okay while I’m gone?” he asked Reese on his first day back to work. He’d gotten hired at a veterinary clinic in Chelsea, a town in Briar County not too far from Harmony.
“I’m fifteen. I’ve been staying at home by myself since I was twelve. I’m in the middle of nowhere. What do you think is going to happen?”