Can two broken men build one life? Ten years. That’s what Makai lost for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been exonerated, but the abuse he suffered in prison isn’t so easy to leave behind. He heads to the one place he remembers being happy: Acker, Wisconsin, where he spent summers with his grandpa. Unfortunately, not everyone wants Makai there. Ten days. That’s how long Emil, now twenty-one, was held prisoner as a teenager. The mental and physical injuries he suffered at the hands of a drug trafficking ring still haunt him. Nightmares, anxiety, and PTSD challenge the connection forming between Makai and Emil, though together, they might find a way to move beyond their pain and into a future -- and a relationship -- that both had thought impossible. Now they just have to convince Emil’s father, the town sheriff. It won’t be easy with danger closer than they know ...

“Okay. Let’s try it this way, then.” He moved until he was against Makai’s arm and then burrowed closer to him, head on Makai’s shoulder and waited for Makai to get the hint. He did, and soon Makai held him close, and they both relaxed.


“Light on or off?” Makai asked quietly. “I don’t mind either way.”


“On, then. Just in case one of us startles. And there are always the kittens who might climb in, so it’s easier to see them like that.”


They didn’t speak after that, just soaked in the warmth and closeness. Emil found that he liked to play with Makai’s chest hair and trace the tattoos he could see better now. He didn’t ask about them; he knew Makai would tell him if he felt like it.


When he started to get sleepy for real, he hummed. “Do you wanna be the big spoon?”


Makai smiled and kissed his hair. “Sure, turn and make yourself comfy.”


Chapter 62