Page 41 of Where the River Meets the Skye

“Good?” Skye asked, looking in the rearview mirror. He couldn’t help smiling. He hated that River was in pain, of course, but he did look pretty stinkin’ adorable curled up in the back seat of the Newport. And Skye found that he, once again, felt right at home taking care of River.

“Mmmm,” his boyfriend murmured, which Skye took as a yes, and pulled out of the parking spot and back onto the road.

A moment later he heard soft snoring coming from the back seat and his chest filled with warmth.

“River,” he said, as he reached over the seat and nudged his friend awake an hour later. “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

River moaned and rubbed his eyes. “Already?” he said with a yawn.

“It goes by a lot slower when you’re driving,” Skye said with a smirk. “Come on.” He reached for his door handle and climbed out, and River reached forward over the seat and grabbed his seat cushion before joining Skye outside.

“Wow,” River said, looking around at the full parking lot. “I knew she was active in the church and the community, but I didn’t know there would be this many people here. There must be fifty cars, Skye, and I don’t recognize most of them.” Tears filled his eyes again and slid down his cheeks. Skye reached an arm around River’s shoulders, pulling him close and planting a kiss on his temple.

“She meant a lot to a lot of people, it looks like,” he said. And then his eyes caught sight of something on the church lawn, and it almost took his breath away.

“Wow.” He let his arm fall to his side once again as River wiped away his tears. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.” Across the lawn of the church were doors, all painted a different color, but together they made a rainbow, and across them were the words All Are Welcome Here. “Guess I don’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll accept our relationship,” he said, a sense of peace washing over him. He’d never felt so unafraid, so free to be himself in a religious setting, and it was overwhelming for him to feel that kind of acceptance.

River smiled softly and took his hand. “This is the church I grew up in, Skye. They and Aunt Jodi taught me that no one has to choose between their faith and their sexuality. We are who God created us to be. Fully loved, and fully accepted. And as long as we honor and respect each other, I believe our relationship is honoring to Him, too.”

Skye turned to him and squeezed his hand. “Let’s go pay our respects to Aunt Jodi,” he said. Then he placed a chaste kiss on River’s temple and they walked into the church hand in hand.

CHAPTER 17

River

2 WEEKS LATER

“Hey, angel, you feel up to going out with Jenna and Nick?” Skye asked as soon as River got home from work. Then he was taking River’s face in his hands and pressing a heated kiss to his lips before he could answer. It took River a moment to come back to reality once Skye pulled away. He blinked and smiled lazily, and Skye grinned.

“Sure,” he said. “Guess I won’t take my coat off, then.”

“Your tailbone will be okay?”

“Yeah, it’s getting better. It still hurts but I can manage.” River knew he needed to get out of the house. Even if his bum was sore as a result. He hadn’t done much of anything since Jodi had passed away and he needed to see his friends. Nick and Jenna always had a way of helping him feel better.

“You look good,” he said, smiling and raking his gaze over his boyfriend. He really did look incredible. Skye had changed out of his dress clothes into dark wash jeans and a gray sweater, and was looking cozy, and very handsome.Those jeans fit him perfectly, hugging his rear and showing off his long, slender legs, and the sweater made his green eyes pop.

Skye looked down at what he was wearing, then back up at River with a gorgeous smile on his handsome face. “Thanks.” He leaned in and kissed River again. “Dinner,” he said, pulling away. “They’ll be waiting on us.” He stepped past River and grabbed his coat, sliding it on.

“Hey, if your tailbone is getting better, maybe you can start going back to church,” he said, and River’s heart melted at how sincere and hopeful he sounded. In all the years they had known each other Skye had never once been to church with him. River had never asked him again after that first time in college. But that hadn’t kept Skye from supporting River in his faith, encouraging him in it, even. He’d actually gotten River a really nice study Bible one year as a birthday present, and River loved it. And while Skye didn’t believe in God, he knew River loved him, and that River believed God did, too.

“Hey, there’s the cutest couple in the world,” Jenna said with a beaming smile as Skye and River took their seats in the booth across from her and Nick. “Told you it would happen sooner rather than later.” She nudged Nick with her elbow.

“Yeah, all right, you win,” he grumbled, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and sifting through it.

“What’s going on?” Skye asked.

“He’s giving me the money he owes me.” Jenna beamed and held out her hand, palm up. “Hurry up, slow poke.” She poked Nick in the ribs. “I got things I want to do with that money.” Her eyes twinkled and she winked at the couple as Nick slapped a wad of cash into her hand. She did a little happy dance in her seat as she tucked the cash into her purse. Skye and River laughed as Nick rolled his eyes.

“Wait a second, you guys were betting on us?” Skye asked.

“Not on whether you would end up together,” Jenna said, “just on how long it would take. Before or after Valentine’s Day.”

“You couldn’t have waited one more month?” Nick pouted. He looked at the two men like they had genuinely betrayed him by falling in love without consulting him on the timing. River just rolled his eyes as Skye leaned over and kissed his temple, making him blush and smile like an idiot.

“Awww.” Jenna grinned from ear to ear. Then she slid her arm through Nick’s and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and it was River’s turn to look at him in betrayal as his cheeks turned crimson.

“What the hell was that?” Skye said, echoing River’s thoughts.

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