He forced himself to turn and walk back to his truck. But as he neared to within twenty-some feet from where he parked, the passenger-side door opened and Sean appeared. Music poured from the cab. “See You Again,” by Wiz Khalifa. Yeah, Max knew it well. And in this moment, it fit like a glove.
Sean didn’t say a word, just walked over and hugged him. Max exhaled and closed his eyes. Fuck, Sean’s arms felt so good.
“Thank you for coming with me.”
“I wouldn’t let you do this alone.”
Nope, he wouldn’t. ‘Cause he was amazing like that.
Max smiled and kissed his ear. “I love you, Sean.”
Sean nuzzled his neck. “Love you, too, Max.”
They stood there a while longer, not speaking, just embracing. Warm breath on each other’s necks, hearts beating. Beating, when not so long ago, before Sean came into his world, Max’s pulse had been as lifeless as this cemetery.
What an incredible sensation, the beating of his heart. It’d been so long, he’d forgotten what it felt like.
“You hear that?” Sean murmured, kissing his jaw.
“No… Hear what?”
“Europe calling our name.”
Max chuckled and took his hand. “Ah. I hear it now. Come on, cat. Let’s go home. Time to pack.”
EPILOGUE
— TWO WEEKS LATER—
EASTERN EUROPE – CROATIA
VELIKI RISNJAK PEAK, RISNJAK MOUNTAINS
“Rest, Sean… I need to rest. Slow your roll for a sec, would ya?” Max stopped, breathing heavy, and clutched his hips.
Sean paused a few feet ahead and turned around. He was flushed and smiling, his blue eyes bright. “Okay, old man. Don’t keel over on me or anything.”
Max smirked and shook his head. Sean’s endless source of energy wasn’t natural. Maybe he was the one who was part-god.
Sean glanced around, then pointed to a large rock outcropping. “We can chill there and grab a snack. Although, up here, anywhere we sit’s a great view.”
Man, was he right about that. In every direction, tree strewn mountain tops bounded, with large pale rock masses intermingled. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. Made Max feel so fucking small—but in the most fantastical sort of way. Kind of like when one stands looking out at the ocean. No end in sight, reaching past the horizon, making everything else look so finite. And fortunate to be part of such a magnificent world.
A magnificent world.
If someone had told him three months ago that those would be his sentiments, he’d have responded with a big, fat, “In your delusional dreams.” Not now, though. And not just because of the wonders he’d seen thus far on their trip. But because he’d finally realized that his soul mate was still on this earth. Hadn’t died. Wasn’t gone. And now that their paths had collided, they’d be going it together from here on out. The way it was always intended to be.
Made him wonder if Fate was nothing more than some built-in GPS guiding him toward his rightful destination. And that in order to get where he needed to be, he’d had to travel through terrains that’d nearly killed him. Which ultimately fashioned him into the person he was now, the person he needed to be for Sean to find him.
It was crazy, the way their pasts played such a part in bringing them together. How if he hadn’t been so jaded and stand-offish because of Kevin’s death, he probably would’ve jumped at the chance to hit it off with Sean. Thing was, that attitude would’ve put him in the same category as all the other guys Sean wasn’t interested in. Because thanks to Sean’s past with neglectful parents and dickhead Rick, he’d been taught that he needed to work for love. That if a guy wanted him right from the very start, then it was undoubtedly for all the wrong reasons.
On the flip side, if Sean wasn’t so drawn by the challenge, after a few cold shoulders from Max in the beginning, he would’ve cut his losses and gone elsewhere. Which meant he wouldn’t have stuck around and fought for Max, the one thing Max fundamentally needed to learn to trust again.
The most beautifully paradoxical catch-22.
Max joined Sean over at the outcropping. Both shouldered off their rucksacks and sat down. Sean pulled out his iPhone and fired up some tunes. Max grabbed two bottles of water and some energy bars.
Sean gazed out at the mountain range. “Croatia. Who would’ve thought?”
“Not me. When you said Europe, I thought you meant like London and Paris.”
“For backpacking?” Sean laughed.
“Yeah.” Max laughed a little, too. “Thought that was a fucking figure of speech.”
“Ah, well, yeah.” Sean nodded. “It kinda is. But hitting a few mountains was definitely a must.”
Max smiled at his cat. “Always needing that challenge.”
Sean’s lips quirked. “You know it. To date, you’ve been my biggest.”
“I was pretty treacherous.”
“You were.”
“Worse than this mountain?”
“Oh, yeah. Think Everest.”
Max made a face. “Shit.”
“No way. Don’t feel bad.” Sean cracked open his water. “I’m proud of that fight. I gave it everything I had. Makes me appreciate what we’ve got so much more.”