It’s Independence Day, and the annual fireworks along Lake Champlain are set to begin.<br><br>Adam Rankin gets a telephone call from his former boyfriend, Dave Peterson, who’s back in town for the festivities. It’s been a year since they separated and parted ways. Dave has moved from their small upstate New York town to Albany, where he works as a paralegal. Adam stayed behind, working as a chef in a Greek restaurant and feeding the homeless on weekends at a local shelter.<br><br>The two men reconnect over the holiday and sparks fly. Can they rekindle the flames between them, or will their romance burn out? Will this be the start of a new beginning?

Red, White, and a New Beginning

He continued talking. “I wanted to tell you at the fireworks why I came back to Oakville. I wasn’t as clear on the phone with you when we talked. Yeah, I wanted to see you. But I’ve also been thinking about this past year. I’ve missed you. I let you go for selfish reasons. I was scared of commitment. I didn’t want to tell you until we were face to face how lonely I’ve been without you.” He stopped, took a breath, and burrowed his chin in the back of my neck.


I didn’t flinch, stayed quiet, and let him talk.


Chapter 10