Page 75 of Emil

Yes on Nico.

Barrett

Owen and I will be there.

Travis

Yes, for Casey and me.

Reed

Fuck. I’m working a shift, and I’m not sure about Jakob, but probably yes for him.

I appreciate you all coming for him.

If you can’t make it, don’t stress. I just want him to be supported.

He’ll be able to fill you in later.

“Is there something going on that I need to know about?”

Anders’s question was a valid one. The ferry ride to the mainland was done in silence. We parked the car on the island side and then walked onto the ferry. I led Anders upstairs so we could watch from the best view. I held his hand the whole time, but I stayed quiet. It was pretty obvious I had something on my mind, and since that thing was rehearsing my speech, I didn’t want to unsettle him before we got there. He’d asked about it earlier, and I’d patted my pocket and told him not to worry, that I had it written down.

“I made arrangements for the boys and their Daddies to be there. I thought it would be nice to have a do-over, and I know you’ve missed them,” I said, glancing at him from the passenger side of the Uber in the back seat.

“Seriously? Thank you. You’re not wrong. I have missed them. It feels like it’s been forever, even though I know it’s only been, like, what? Two weeks?” Happiness radiated off Anders from the inside out.

“Something like that,” I answered with my own grin.

“I love them, but the break’s been nice. What I haven’t missed is wearing a suit.” As he said it, he tugged at the collar to give himself a little more space, then at the sleeves.

I leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. “If it helps, you look amazing.”

“It doesn’t. Thank you, but that’s all right. I guess I’ll have to get used to it again once I go back to work.”

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic about it.”

“I’m going back knowing that they all believed John, except Lacey.” I listened without interrupting. I’d never heard Anders sound so cold. “And it really pisses me the fuck off. How could they believe him? How could they think I would do those things? Even if we weren’t friends, I thought they thought more of me. Walking back in is going to be hard.”

Anders had every right to feel the way he did about the job, but it wasn’t something I could fix for him, and that weighed heavily on me. He deserved better than returning to work with that cloud over him. I knew without question he’d decline an offer to move him to another position within my firm.

As he spoke, Anders stared out the window, his face passive but his body tense. I reached across the space and laced my fingers with his, squeezing his hand. He glanced down but didn’t move away. He didn’t speak either.

“But I’m going to do it.”

The rest of the ride was quiet until we pulled up in front of the downtown Meridian Grand.

“Before we go inside, I want you to know that if someone can’t see the goodness in you, then they can just get fucked.” I was serious when I said it, but Anders snorted.

“Was that a pep talk?”

“Does it need work?”

“Maybe just a little, but I got the gist.” Anders smoothed the lapels of my suit and straightened my tie. He leaned forward and kissed me straight on the mouth, then said, “Fuck ’em.”

The mischievous twinkle in his eye was more than I could have asked for under the circumstances. This man was more than I could ever hope for, and definitely more than I deserved.

“Then let’s get to it,” I said. “Wait here, and I’ll get your door.”