Page 110 of Ship Happens

“Yes,” Owen finally says.

Jacob pauses. “I didn’t even ask a question yet.”

Owen smiles. “Then ask.”

“I want you to always be a part of my life, Owen Henson. I don’t want this to be an engagement—who knows when I’ll come back to the States, who knows where we’ll both be by then. But what I do know is that I want you to be there. I want to be able to call you whenever I want. I want to hear your voice before I go to bed, and I want to look forward to the day I get to see you again.

“Owen Henson . . .” Jacob holds the grass ring up for Owen to see. “Would you like to always be a part of my life? Whatever that ends up looking like?”

“Yes,” he answers.

He wants to be in Jacob Morrison’s life for however long he’ll have him.

Owen looks down at the ring, his heart swells, and he can’t stop himself from leaning in to kiss him. His anxieties want to regret it, telling him that he should be afraid, that maybe they’ve taken this a step too far, or made a promise that neither of them can hope to keep. Instead, Owen chooses to trust the moment, to believe in their futures. They are two sides of the same coin, linked together. Forever. And neither one of them can do a thing about it.

But Jacob wraps his arms around Owen’s waist, pulling them both down to the picnic table, their lips still pressed together, giggles slipping past their tongues, and Owen lets those worries melt away, choosing to trust that Jacob will always be there to catch him.

“I love you,” he whispers to Owen.

And Owen whispers back, “I love you too.”

At the end of the workday, Owen and Jacob take Dani’s Jeep to pick her up from the lab before they head back to her house.

In an effort to continue to thank Dani for all of her assistance, Owen takes over making dinner, starting up Dani’s grill out on the wraparound porch as Jacob gets the fire pit going. Owen breathes a sigh of relief when he opens Dani’s spice cabinet and sees the variety of options at his disposal.

“Smells good,” Jacob says, waving the smoke from the grill away from his face as Owen lifts the lid to check on the chicken thighs.

“I think they’ve got a few more minutes,” he says. “I’ve steamed some broccoli, and Dani’s got rice going.”

“This is starting to sound like those meals Kevin makes while he’s training.”

“Yeah, except I’m not blending it all into a smoothie.”

After dinner, Owen takes the lead on the dishes, appreciating the time to think about his and Jacob’s conversation from earlier. The first thing he’d done when they got back to Dani’s house was put the grass ring in the Chetek book he found earlier. On page 458, the scene where Pattern and Intyre quietly declare their feelings for each other the night before what they believe will be a suicide mission.

Owen remembers reading the passage for the first time as a teenager, surprised that such an old fantasy book would have queer characters openly admitting their attraction to each other. That wasn’t just the first time he’d considered what love would look like for himself—that was the first time he’d envisioned living long enough to find that love.

Never in a million years did he think he’d find someone who loves him the way that Jacob does. So effortlessly, like it’s the easiest thing in the world to do.

He hears heavy footsteps behind him, the floor creaking under Jacob’s feet.

“Are you baking?” he asks, sniffing the air and eyeing the oven. “You never stop, do you?”

“Dani had the stuff to make blueberry cobbler,” Owen tells him, tossing the dishrag back to the counter. “Minus a Mama Morrison–approved skillet of course. Besides, it’s the least I could do.”

“You made dinner,” Jacob says, stepping closer so that he can grab ahold of Owen’s hips. “You did the dishes. I think you’ve done enough.” Jacob pulls Owen even closer, letting him rest his head on Jacob’s chest.

To think, he wouldn’t have gotten to have this again if he hadn’t come on this vacation. If he hadn’t taken a chance, taken that leap. He and Jacob would still be back where they started.

“I’m going to open the shop,” Owen says.

The words surprise even him.

“Yeah?” Owen can feel Jacob smiling as he presses a kiss to the top of his head. “You were so on the fence just yesterday.”

“Yeah . . .” He looks up at Jacob. “I guess I got the push I needed.”

It’s not going to be easy, and he still might have to delay the plan by a few months, just to save up a bit more. But this is his dream, it’s what Owen knows that he wants. A step toward happiness. And if it fails, if they shutter in a year and Owen has to go back to his spot at Sunset Tattoo, that’ll be okay. Because at least he was kind enough to himself to try.