Chapter 35

The storm had passed, leaving the night sky clear. Looking out of the window Luca could spot the first stars glinting. Aries, Cassiopeia… It was too wet and cold to lie in the garden and gaze up into a sky that stretched to forever and beyond, but he could see them just as well from the warmth and comfort of the bed.

Adrian’s bed and now his, too, he supposed. Properly and truly his. Luca snuggled further down under the duvet. Next to him, the spot where Adrian had lain was still warm. He’d be back soon, bringing the tea and toast he’d got up for. Neither of them had wanted to go downstairs and leave the sanctuary they’d made for themselves, where everything was safe and warm, protecting them from the storm outside as much as it protected them from the storm raging in their hearts. But that storm, too, had passed, leaving the way before them as clear and boundless as the night sky.

The door nudged open, and Adrian entered with a tray. Luca’s stomach rumbled, a growling reminder he’d eaten barely anything over the last few days, but now he was famished as his appetite reasserted itself.

They ate in silence, too exhausted for idle chit chat. Spud nosed his way in, tail wagging as he waited for a titbit, his patience rewarded by a tiny piece pulled from Luca’s last slice of toast.

“You’ve made a friend for life,” Adrian said, his lips lifting in a small, tired smile.

For life. That sounded good. More than good. It was a journey he was prepared to make. It wouldn’t always be easy, because life with Adrian would never be that. But every step would be worth it. Luca knew it, in both his head and heart.

Putting aside their crumb-strewn plates, they hunkered down into the bed, arms and legs entwined, holding each other tight. Luca closed his eyes as he rested his head against Adrian’s chest, his man’s heart beating strong, solid and sure. His man… Two words that felt truer than ever. Adrian was truly his, as he was truly Adrian’s, but it had come at a cost that had almost broken them beyond repair.

“I’m going to contact the headhunter in the morning, and tell her I don’t wish to be considered for the Australian job. Or any other, for that matter.”

“Australia wouldn’t have been right for you.”

“Why not?” Luca looked up, his eyes meeting Adrian’s.

“Because it’s not here, with me. It’s as simple as that.” Adrian smiled. It was tremulous, it was weary, it was small, but it was there and after the storm they’d endured, it was enough.

No place would have been right for him, no place other than the one where he was now. It had been a fraught journey, strewn with the debris of the past, which had tripped them up and made them stumble. Now, they were in the place they were meant to be. Beaten and battered, maybe, and more than a little bruised. But they would heal and grow stronger as they took their first steps into their future.

Luca’s eyes drifted to a close as Adrian’s arms tightened around him, a smile lifting his lips as he tumbled into sleep.

They still had a long road ahead of them, but they would travel it together.