Page 45 of For the Rest of Forever

It was a funny question to ask, and Allen had no idea what it could possibly mean. If they’d been younger, he might actually have hesitated, since that look in Greg’s eye could have meantLet’s go jump out of an airplane!orParagliding! It’ll be a blast!orA class five climb! Come on, let’s do it!

But even though he was ninety... eight? percent certain Greg wouldn’t throw something at him that he couldn’t handle, he found himself glancing back in the side mirror again, his teeth worrying at his lower lip.

Maybe he did just want to go back home. Maybe that was the safest thing. The easiest thing. The predictable thing.

He’d said yes, though, because hedidtrust Greg. Especially now. Today. With everything.

Allen closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow—again. And he counted backward from ten as he breathed in and out in controlled, measured breaths. Just as he reached zero, the driver’s side door opened again.

“Sorry to take so long, darling. Everything’s packed up. You ready to go?” Greg’s voice sounded slightly different—both eager and nervous, Allen thought.

He turned his head slowly until he could see Greg, who was now seated in the driver’s seat, fastening his seat belt. “Um, yeah, but...”

Greg tilted his head a little, still smiling, and he reached out and started up the SUV. “But what was that all about?” Greg said, his eyebrows raised in earnest.

“Yeah.”

“Just some planning I had to do. You still trust me?”

“I don’t know why you’re even asking me that,” Allen said, and though he’d meant to keep his tone light, his voice sounded more serious than he’d intended. He let out a short breath. “I mean, I do trust you. Of course I do. I just don’t... trust myself. Which is... I don’t even know what it means in this context because I have no idea what... you’re planning...”

Allen trailed off as he watched Greg’s smile fade and his lips purse into a frown. Shaking his head slightly, Greg reached over and set his hand on Allen’s thigh. “I didn’t mean to worry you, darling. I just got a little excited. Maybe a little carried away, and ah, well, I hope you’ll love it. I think it’ll be wonderful.”

Allen gave a small smile and nod and somehow refrained from asking what exactlyitwas. Some last-minute excursion, anouting somewhere that hehopefullyhad energy for. And because he reallydidtrust Greg, he was sure Greg wouldn’t plan something strenuous. Because he very much didn’t have any energy. At all. “I-I don’t know if I can...” He shook his head, hating how he seemed incapable of finishing his sentences.

But Greg just squeezed his thigh gently.

“We’re going to grab some quick sandwiches from Minnie’s—I called ahead, so they’ll be ready when we get there—and then we’re heading up the coast a bit. Trust me, darling. I’ve taken care of everything. And today, tonight, tomorrow, the whole weekend, my only plan is totake care of you. Whatever you need.”

“Tomorrow? The weekend?” Allen asked, now thoroughly confused.

Greg nodded. “We do sort of have to hurry, though. The ferry leaves at two, and we don’t want to miss it.”

“The ferry?”

“Yep. For our Friday Harbor vacation, which starts now.”

***

It was the definitionof spontaneous, and yet, somehow Greg had managed to fully plan and execute “spontaneous” in the ten minutes or so that he’d been at the back of the trailer, “closing it up.” He’d called Annabeth to ask whether it would be difficult for her if Allen took the rest of the week off. He’d called Joe to ask if Beans could have a bit of an extended playdate with Poppy for the rest of the week and over the weekend. He’d called to reserve the ferry ticket for them and their vehicle. He’d called a friend who owned several rental properties on the island to check their availability—and when luck was on his side and their favoritecabin happened to be available, he’d reserved it for tonight through Monday morning. Then he’d called their friend Darryl and asked if Darryl could grab a few things for them from King’s Market—a short list of clothes, toiletries, and groceries, which they’d pick up on their way through town after getting off the ferry.

It was completely spontaneous. Completely last minute.

And because of that, it both terrified Allen and felt exactly right. For one, it completely saved him from all the stress of decision-making, all the worry over planning and making sure everything was taken care of.

Greg had handled all of it.

And now, all Allen had to do was relax and let Greg take care of him...

Greg didn’t even have his camera with him, or his laptop. It would just be the two of them. From now through Monday morning. No obligations, no worries.

They could just be.

Hecould just be.

“We can do as little or as much as you want,” Greg had said as he’d pulled the SUV out onto the highway after they’d stopped at Minnie’s to grab their lunch. “We can stay at the cabin the whole time, or we can go walking through town. We can go hiking or kayaking, or we can watch stupid movies and eat popcorn. We can do whatever you want, or nothing at all. It’s all for you. All whatever you need, darling.”

As Allen stood next to Greg on the outside deck at the back of the ferry, leaning against his husband and watching the mainland get farther and farther away, he still wasn’t really sure what that meant. He still didn’t know what he wanted or exactly what he needed. He’d had a flicker of anxiety about missing work, but then Greg had held his hand and kissed his knuckles and reminded him that his mental health was more important.

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