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 ...

Makai thought for a while. “I guess it’s possible. Self-hatred is a powerful thing.”


“I think it’s been studied that a lot of homophobic men actually have repressed homosexual feelings themselves.” Emil shrugged and then waited for Makai to cough and spit into the bushes before they continued to walk again.


They had this down. Walking to a certain point to the driveway and then turning back to make the same trek back. It was okay. At least it was easy terrain to walk with a mug and an arm cast. Here, Makai didn’t have to worry about tripping and hurting himself more.


“Oh hey, I was going to order some stuff off Amazon today. Do you need anything?” Makai asked after they’d turned back home.


Emil didn’t say anything at first, and when he did, his tone was hesitant and quiet. “Maybe new strings for the guitar and some picks?”


Chapter 80