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That was an understatement. From the day I’d moved back to Wood Hollow almost two and a half years ago, our lives had been a series of twists and turns reminiscent of a high-speed roller coaster. We weren’t just two guys who wanted to be together. We had kids, parents, and jobs to juggle. But if I did say so myself, we made a fucking amazing team.

I’d moved in with Reg and the kids right away. Jed’s rental hadn’t been available and I’d figured I’d find something else, but Reg had insisted. Rhys and Gretchen had welcomed me with open arms…and Tate, too.

Problem: I hadn’t lived with a lover in—ever. I worried cohabitation would make for a rough start. We were both a little set in our ways. Reg was painfully fastidious about things like making beds and cleaning crumbs off the counter. However, he never put a condiment in the same place…ever.

Not that I was bothered. I liked his quirks, and thankfully, he didn’t mind that my baggage included a precocious nephew and occasional drama from Virginia. My sister was doing well. She had her ups and downs and a few crises of confidence regarding her motherhood skills. But she tried her best every day, and Emmett was a happy kid. That was everything.

Emmett had become a regular in Wood Hollow. He’d spent the past couple of summers with us. Honestly, it was fun. He was a blast to have around. We signed him up for camps, flag football, and even pee wee hockey in Elmwood…which he loved. He idolized Rhys, adored Gretchen, and considered Tate to be his dog.

“That’s what I tell my friends,” Em had once admitted. “I have a dog in Vermont and get to see him all the time. Oh…and that we’re probably gonna get another one ’cause dogs need dog friends.”

Yeah, that was how the new dog campaign had begun.

Rhys was a senior in high school and a star athlete on the football team. He’d had a girlfriend or two but lately claimed that he wanted to focus on his sport. Silas and Troy thought he had a chance to play for a Division I team, and Reg and I both hoped that would happen for him. Rhys had also gotten his driver’s license a few months ago, and there’d been some heated conversations about minding the rules of the road in our house. I privately reminded my man that not minding the rules was how we’d met. Reg had smiled, scowled, then smiled again.

Gretchen was a genius. We’d known that already, but it was becoming increasingly evident that the girl was gifted. She was in all honors classes and was a valued member of national math and science organizations. No kidding. Her team won the regional math competition last year and she’d won the Jeopardy-style trivia contest for budding scientists. The answers had flown right over my head, but I was thrilled for her and for her dad, who’d been bursting with pride.

Between exciting Hornets football games and scholastic trophies, there was a lot to celebrate. I knew it killed Reg that his dad wasn’t able to be part of it all.

Clark’s memory issues had reached a stage that required full-time care at a facility in Fallbrook. It had been a devastating decision but ultimately the safest one for his dad. He still recognized his family members, and I was the mountain man he still did some sanding with in the garage, however, others were fading. Clark hadn’t known who Cooper was on a recent visit, and he’d been very angry about the hippies who’d moved next door.

No one told him he’d known Cooper for thirty-seven years or that Rhona and Harry had been his neighbors for half a century. Those days were gone, and he wouldn’t remember the conversation anyway. It was heartbreaking. But every so often, the old man was so perfectly cognizant…and in a way, those instances served as a powerful reminder to cherish every fucking moment.

Like now. To be here, in this instant, with this man was a gift.

I pointed at a rocky outcrop half-hidden behind a veil of golden and red foliage. “See that? You asked me to marry you right there…on that boulder.”

Reg leaned into me. “Are you sure that’s the one?”

“Positive. Which makes this a pretty significant location for us. We can have coffee out here and tell our grandkids the story of how you got on one knee and almost fell in the lake.”

He laughed and swatted my ass. “I was nervous.”

“I was always gonna say yes. I love you, baby.”

Reg turned to gaze into my eyes, his hands cupping my face. “I don’t know how we got here, but I love it and I love you more every fucking day.”

I sealed my mouth over his, hoping to convey that he owned my heart. Every piece of it.

I had everything I needed here. My present, my future…and I wasn’t going to take a second for granted.