Page 66 of A Liar's Moon

“Isn’t there a pizza place that does delivery?” Riley asked.

“City boy,” Jason teased, and kissed Riley to take away the sting of his words. “Come on, let’s find out the worst.”

They walked together across the yard in the moonlight. Yellow light spilled through the kitchen windows, from where the sound of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter could be heard.

Jason’s attention was on the house, but Riley, who’d been looking around, taking in the place that was going to be hishome, held him back a moment.

“Look,” he said, nodding toward where the moon was bright in the clear night sky. “A lover’s moon.”

Jason turned, and Riley heard his breath hitch. The moon was bright, silvering the landscape and casting its glow over them. A perfect night.

Riley’s heart was full as Jason pulled him in, and their lips met, soft and sure.

They stood, wrapped in each other, as the moon rose higher in the sky and shone down on them.

And for the first time in as long as he could remember, Riley wasn’t searching for approval. He wasn’t bracing for rejection. He wasn’t striving to beenough.

Here, with Jason, he already was.