“Pop? Where’re you at?” Cam called out, taking Gannon’s hand and pulling him through the room.

They stepped into a bright, updated kitchen. The stainless steel appliances glowed from the sun shining in through the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out at the water. From where he stood, Gannon could see a boat ramp, a pier, and two chairs. Looked as though Cam’s father spent a lot of time down there.

This was the type of house Cam needed. One that was right on the water, giving him access to the lake whenever he wanted it. Not that he didn’t have access from the marina, but this… It was private, and Gannon liked the idea of a place like this, one that would give Cam what he enjoyed most.

A throat cleared from behind them, and Gannon turned to see Cam’s father, a man he vaguely remembered seeing in the marina office the very first time he’d come to rent a boat with Milly.

The man was tall, closer to Gannon’s height. And there was an air of authority that surrounded him. He was a man people respected, that was clear.

“This the one?” Cam’s father asked, the imposing tone making Gannon’s insides churn.

Gannon glanced over at Cam to see him still smiling.

“Be nice, Pop.” Cam laughed, then took a step closer, still holding Gannon’s hand. “Gannon, this is my father, Michael Strickland. Pop, this is Gannon Burgess.”

Michael held out his hand, and Gannon shook it in return, praying his palms weren’t as sweaty as he thought they were.

“I remember seein’ you,” Michael said, his dark blue eyes—very similar to Cam’s—studying him intently. “Over at the marina, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Gannon replied. “You were leaving when I was coming in.”

“What’s for lunch, Pop? I’m starvin’,” Cam said, drawing Michael’s attention away.

“Hamburgers,” Michael said with a smile, peering from Cam back to Gannon. “But don’t worry. I’ve got the real deal. Not the flat patties you get over at the marina grill. Come on. We’ll eat outside.”

Michael passed by them, then out through the sliding glass door to the deck. Gannon started to follow, but Cam pulled him up short. He turned to face Cam, noting the smile still plastered on his face.

“He likes you,” Cam said softly, leaning in and kissing Gannon briefly.

“How can you tell?” Gannon whispered, running the events of the last few minutes through his head. Nothing in that time made Gannon think Mr. Strickland liked him.

“He didn’t interrogate you,” Cam told him.

“I heard that!” Michael yelled from outside. “Lunch ain’t over yet, boy.”

Gannon laughed, feeling the tension that had coiled him into a knot ease.

It wasn’t a given that Cam’s father would like him, but if Gannon expected to spend the rest of his life with Cam—which he did—then he was just going to have to make sure that he did.

Straightening his shoulders, Gannon squeezed Cam’s hand, then headed toward the back door. He was up for the challenge, there was no doubt about it. And before he left that house, he would make sure Michael Strickland knew that he intended to love Cam for the rest of his life.

Cam chuckled from behind him. “Who’s the reckless one now?”

An hour and a half later, while Cam was inside cleaning up, Michael was giving Gannon a tour of his garage. More like a workshop, actually. There were two cars inside, one a ’69 Barracuda, the other a ’67 Mustang that he was restoring. Both still needed a lot of work.

“So, you travel a lot for your job?” Michael asked, turning to face Gannon and leaning against the wooden shelf that held a wealth of tools.

Gannon stopped moving. “Yes, sir.”

They’d discussed what Gannon did for a living over lunch. Although Cam’s father had insisted he wasn’t interrogating Gannon, he’d answered more questions in that hour and a half than he had in his entire life. Or it felt like it.

“I take it Cam’s told you about his mother.”

“Yes, sir. We’ve dealt with a few things.”

Michael nodded. “I’m glad he’s getting into counseling again. I think it’ll be good for him.”

Figuring he needed to be candid, Gannon moved to stand beside Michael, leaning against the shelf and staring over at the cars. “I love him, sir. He means the world to me, and I’m willing to go the distance with him. I know it won’t always be easy, but I’m willing to give it everything I’ve got.”

“I knew you were important to him,” Michael said. “I’ve never met one of his boyfriends. Not that he’s had many. At least not that I know of. But not once has he brought one home to meet me. What do your parents think about all this?”

Gannon swallowed hard. “I haven’t seen them since I was seventeen,” he admitted. “They weren’t very supportive of me being gay.”

He could feel Michael’s eyes on him, and he was prepared to hear a reprimand. He’d heard plenty over the years, people telling him he needed to make amends, that he needed to make things right with his parents, no matter what it took.

“Well, it’s their loss, then, son. As far as I’m concerned, a parent’s one and only job is to love their child, regardless. It’s not so hard, I don’t think.”

Gannon smiled. “Thank you for that.”

“Anytime.”

Gannon turned to face Michael. “I know I’ve just met you and all, but…”

Michael stood up straight, his hands dropping to his sides.

“I plan to marry your son one day. Hopefully one day in the near future. I know it’s a little presumptuous of me to ask this now, since you don’t know me very well, but I’d like to have your blessing.”

Michael grinned. “Yeah, Cam was right.”

“About?”

“You’re good enough for my boy.”

Gannon was going to take that as a yes.

“Come on,” Michael said, clapping Gannon on the back and steering him toward the door. “Let’s go see what that boy’s gettin’ himself into.”

Thirty-Eight

“So…” Cam said, drawing Milly’s attention toward him. “You still seein’ that Gary guy?”

Milly rolled her eyes, then tilted her beer to her lips. “Not anymore, no.”

Cam knew that dinner had been a disaster, but he never claimed to understand the inner workings of a woman’s mind, so he hadn’t made any assumptions. “What happened?”

“Oh, you know … I realized I’m a grown woman and … he’s a child.”

Cam laughed.

“I know a guy you’d get along with,” Dare said but didn’t elaborate.

Cam looked up at his friend. They were all sitting along the dock, drinking beer and watching the sun set. It had been a long day, but after he and Gannon had lunch with his father, Cam had come back to work, and Gannon had pitched in. When Milly had called, Cam had told him to invite her down, to hang out. It hadn’t been hard to convince her.

And here they were.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Gannon asked, turning to Roan, who was sitting beside him.

Cam watched the interaction, noticed Roan look over at Cam as though asking what this was about. Cam offered a shrug. He honestly had no idea.

“Yeah, sure,” Roan finally said, getting to his feet and following Gannon as they headed back toward the marina office.

“Where’re they goin’?” Teague asked.

“Oh, I’m sure Gannon’s gonna ask Roan if he wants to be a beta tester for the new game.”

“No shit?” Teague leaned forward. “Why not me?”

“You don’t play video games,” Dare told him, tilting his beer to his lips.

“So?” Teague leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “What if I want to?”

Milly laughed, as did Cam and Dare.

“Well, we’ll get you set up with Super Mario Brothers,” Dare said. “That’s a good start for you.”

“Fuck off,” Teague said, a grin forming on his face.

“So, how’d lunch with your dad go today?” Milly asked.

Dare and Teague instantly quieted, their full attention on Cam.

“Good.”

“When’re you gonna introduce him to your sister?” Dare asked.

“Already done,” Cam told him. “I should’ve known my dad couldn’t keep his mouth shut. She showed up as I was doing the dishes. She and Keith, along with the kiddos.”