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 ...

“I don’t—” Emil said, then lunged to hug Makai tightly, clutching his precious camera in his hands. “Thank you!”


“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Makai said without thinking, and the endearment caught both of them at the same time.


Emil pulled back a little but didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled Makai into a kiss that left them both breathless. “There. Now let’s see….” And there he went, figuring out his new camera.


“I thought you’d want it here today, and I know it’s not the ideal place to learn it all, but at least you can take photos now, and then next time we come here, you’ll know some tricks and can take better ones?” He hiked his bag up his shoulders and kept the second objective on top of the bag, wrapped in the towel, so it would be easy to get if Emil wanted it.


Chapter 67