Page 17 of For the Rest of Forever

“Sorry, Mom. It—it was a mean thing to do. And it was stupid of us. I don’t really know why we did it, and I—I’m sorry, sir. I’m really, really sorry.”

Christopher nodded. “Me too, Mr. Westin. I’m sorry. I-I mean, we both knew it was wrong, and we shouldn’t have done it. And—and...” The boy was visibly shaking now, and Allen had to look away.

He shifted just slightly so he was standing a little closer to Greg, needing to feel his husband’s warmth, and Greg took his hand again. Allen lifted his eyes once more to the boys and their parents, and he managed another tight smile.

“I accept your apology. Thank you. Both of you,” Allen said, not surprised when he heard several of the other adults inhale sharply. The boys, for their part, both held his gaze, and he could see the regret and remorse in their eyes. “I accept your apology, and I forgive you both. And I... expect that you will both come to volunteer at the library as part of your community service hours.”He glanced at Sheriff Mike, who nodded, and then back at the boys.

“Thank you, sir,” they both said in unison.

Allen bit his lip, struggling this time to hold back all the things he was feeling. He nodded again and turned to Greg. “Let’s go,” he said quietly. Then he looked up at Mike and Cheryl and managed another “thank you” before tilting his head to the boys’ parents.

Without another word, Greg then led him back out toward the entrance. Allen was barely aware when they paused at the front desk for the receptionist, Jan, to hand Greg a couple of envelopes—the boys’ letters they’d written him, he supposed. A short moment later, they were at the SUV. As he had earlier at the library, Greg stepped ahead of Allen and opened up the door.

Before he got in, Allen paused and closed his eyes. Greg’s hand came to rest on his upper back, rubbing gently.

“Are you okay, darling?” Greg asked, his voice quiet.

Allen didn’t answer right away because he wasn’t sure what the answer was. He’d said what he’d needed to say, and he’d even surprised himself with feeling in control most of the time. But now, the tightness in his chest seemed to become more uncomfortable, and he leaned into Greg, who shifted to wrap his arms fully around Allen.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Allen rested his head against Greg’s shoulder. “I-I don’t really know yet. But, um, take me home. Please?”

“Of course.”

Allen’s strength was gone, and he let Greg help him into the SUV. Then he leaned his head back against the headrest, closed his eyes, and didn’t hold back as his tears finally fell.

Chapter Nine

Greg

“Paul, hi! Nice tofinally talk. Sorry I had to reschedule Monday. This week has been—well, let’s just say I’m glad it’s finally Friday, and I’m looking forward to the weekend.” Greg shifted his cell phone to his left hand as he slipped into his office chair and scooted it up to his desk, pushing aside piles of invoices and other documents.

“No worries about rescheduling. It’s been a beast of a week here too. Hang on just one second.” Greg heard some rustling on the other end, and then Paul, his friend and long-time client, cleared his throat and continued. “And you know what, this actually works out better for me. Meghan’s out of town today, so there’s no chance she’ll overhear.”

His curiosity sufficiently piqued, Greg leaned back in his chair and adjusted the phone slightly. “I’m intrigued. What exactly are you looking for? You’d mentioned wanting a custom print made?”

“Well, not exactly. So, I’m not sure if this is something you even do or might be able to fit in, because itistime-sensitive, but I’ve got a vision about something, and it’s more than just a custom print.”

“Tell me more,” Greg said, pulling a notepad out of the mess on his desk. He scrounged around for another moment to find a pencil and then listened carefully, his enthusiasm building, as Paul explained his idea.

They talked for nearly an hour, and by the time Greg hung up, he was buzzing with excitement. He scanned the several pages of notes he’d taken as his mind raced with all the possibilities.

Custom shoot . . . Jack Mountain areaand summit. . . For Meghan’s birthday in late October . . . Photo collage book plus extra-large print . . .

His energy spiked, and Greg buried himself in research for the next few hours. He studied the mountain, roughly mapped the nearly fifty-mile path to circumnavigate it and nearby Crater Mountain, and read stories online from the few who had climbed to the summit. As Paul had mentioned, there seemed to be a complete absence of high-quality, professional photos from the summit.

It seemed like the trip of a lifetime, and he vaguely wondered why he hadn’t ever considered it until now.

But then he frowned and stared at his computer screen, the tab still showing one hiker’s detailed topographical map. The hike would take a week. Maybe more. And it was probably nearly twenty thousand feet of elevation gain to summit both peaks and complete the circumnavigation path. Plus there were several stretches that were designated as class-four climbs.

That was no small feat, especially considering that he’d have to be carrying a week’s worth of supplies, all of his camping gear, and his camera and equipment.

His younger self wouldn’t have hesitated to go on a fully funded trip like this. But now, at fifty-six, even with as fit as he still was, it would be a challenge.

And that wasn’t even considering the timeline.

Paul wanted the gift for his wife, Meghan, for her sixtieth birthday. Paul and Meghan had been avid hikers themselves, but Meghan had fallen ill shortly before their planned summit of Jack Mountain, and they hadn’t been able to go. That had been over a decade ago, but Paul had said Meghan still mentioned the mountain and their planned hike all the time, describing it with a yearning that Greg fully understood.

Meghan’s birthday was in late October, and the mountain wasn’t really accessible after the end of September anyway due to the potential for snow and unsafe weather conditions. He’d also need several weeks at least to edit the photos and prepare the photobook and the print.

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