Hunter and I headed to my grandfather's ranch, Hunter looking around as we drove and I smiled, grateful for the day we had had.

“You look enamored,” I rubbed his arm softly.

“It’s beautiful here. Not that different from Montana but… there’s a charm I like.”

“Wanna move all the animals out here?” I laughed softly.

“We could,” he shrugged, “give the farm to Robin and Hazel. They don’t gotta have animals on it after all. Could just live there with the babies. Plus, Mom and Dad would be able to live with ‘em down the line. We’d be close to your family.”

“I wouldn’t want to steal you from yours, silly. Plus, we just met my family. I don’t own the ranch, Sawyer does. It’s also nowhere near as nice as our house in Montana. I don’t want to live here. I want to stay in our home and come visit sometimes.”

“Whatever ya want I will always make happen,” he smiled, “now where the hell am I goin’?”

“Oh! You can’t miss it. Just a bit further,” I pointed down the road we were on and a large white gate came into view, a redwood home behind it, the trim white along with the lights that circled the property, “that’s it.”

“It’s cute,” Hunter laughed, pulling up to the gate and I hopped out, unlocking it once I found the key. He pulled in and I locked the gate behind the truck before following it up to the house, and he leaned out of the driver's window, “How many bedrooms?”

“Two. So we at least get a room to ourselves,” I smiled, reaching into the backseat of the truck to grab my backpack as well as Hunter’s, “is there anything else we should grab?”

“The ice chest with the food. We ain’t want the ice to melt all over the trunk or it’ll ruin the sleepin’ bags and stuff. I can get it though. You ain’t tall enough,” he laughed, climbing out of the truck.

“You’re such an ass I swear,” I snorted, heading up the porch, “I wonder if Sawyer… Dad has been taking care of the place.”

“You can call him Dad, ya know? I know it’s strange, but he is your dad,” Hunter followed me and smiled as I unlocked the door.

“It’s just something to get used to.”

“I know.”

We headed into the house and I smiled as I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Nothing inside had been changed since I was a child, but it was clearly cared for, no dust or dirt anywhere. The photos of my mother and I were still on the walls, my grandfather's favorite recliner sat underneath a window that overlooked the fields in the back, and the old television my grandfather loved was still sitting exactly where it had been next to the fireplace, a framed photo of him and my grandmother from their wedding perched on top.

“Oh,” I wiped a tear away as I walked to the photos of my mother on the wall, “he bought it and kept everything exactly as my Granddad did. As annoyed as Granddad was with Mom having me so early, he did love her. They just argued a lot.”

“You can feel the warmth in this place. It’s beautiful,” Hunter smiled, looking around, “I wonder if Sawyer will let ya take any pictures back to Montana. They belong to ya after all.”

“I don’t think I… oh…” I went to the last frame on the wall and it was from my high school graduation, my mother beaming with pride next to me as I hugged her tightly around the waist, my grandfather next to us with a small but warm smile on his face, “this was a week before Granddad passed… I think I might just take this one. It means a lot to me. He never really wanted to come to see us in Montana but he was… he was really proud of me. It was the only time he ever told me he was proud.”

“Was he just a stoic man or somethin’?” Hunter gently rubbed my back.

“Absolutely. Incapable of sharing his feelings vocally. But,” I set my backpack down and went over to the bookshelves that ran along one entire wall of the living room. Digging through them, I found exactly what I had been looking for, “Granddad loved to write. He journaled his feelings. It started when he would write letters to my Nana when he was in the military. Since he couldn’t say what he felt, he’d write it. He talks in all of these,” I gestured to the twenty leather-bound black journals that sat on the shelves, “of how much he loved my mom. That while he had a hard time showing it, he did adore her. I would read them during the summer when he was asleep. There is a point where it changes and it’s full of disappointment in her. But I don’t think he was upset that he was now a grandfather. I think it was the idea that my mother had been hurt by Adam. He knew that Natalie and Sawyer had been… ugh it’s gross to think about but… you know what I mean. That didn’t upset him. Me being born wasn’t upsetting either. It was knowing that Natalie had been hurt badly and he couldn’t get retribution. Adam going to jail ruined that. My mother never knew that I knew that. I read it in these. But he never talked about Sawyer or the first two years of my life on this farm. He stopped writing before I was born as far as I know.”

“I just… I’m not understandin’ why your mom hid Sawyer from ya,” Hunter sighed, taking a seat on the couch.

“I can guess,” setting the journal down, I went over and laid my head in his lap, “she wasn’t sure who my dad was. She might have thought it was Adam and didn’t want me to grow up knowing that my dad might be a pedophile. But I don’t think Adam is my biological father.”

“I don’t either,” Hunter ran his fingers through my hair, “ya look too much like Sawyer. An exact copy almost. You’re also similar to each other. So I would say he’s biologically and absolutely emotionally your dad.”

“That’s what I think too. Hey?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you disappointed we can’t camp?” I looked up at him, laying my hands on my chest.

“Nah. I would rather we didn’t drown.”

“True,” I laughed, “it’ll also be warmer in here. We just gotta grab the firewood. I saw it piled up outside. I wonder if Sawyer stays here sometimes.”

“Probably. Ain’t no reason not to if ya own it,” Hunter shrugged, “feels weird not to have the dogs with us. I miss ‘em.”

“Me too,” I sighed, “kinda wanna go home,” I laughed, “but it’s nice to just… spend time together.”

“That’s all we ever do,” he bent down and kissed me softly, his hand resting on my throat, “Grayson?”

“Yeah,” I smiled, my eyes closed.

“Can I take ya on a walk in the mornin’? We were plannin’ to hike but with the weather, it probably ain’t gonna be a good idea to be too far from shelter.”

“I would love that. We have an hour until we need to meet Sawyer. What do you wanna do?”

“Can we just lay here for a while?”

“Sure.”

I sat up and Hunter shifted so that he could lay down, pulling me back against his chest as he wrapped me tightly in his arms, “hey? Are you okay?”

“Why do ya ask?” he muttered into my hair.

“Because you’re acting strange. I’m worried.”

“Just… ya found your family. We’re literally in your granddad’s house right now. Your dad is actually a good person, not some piece of shit that took advantage of your mom. I… I’m scared, Gray.”

“Of what?”

“That you’re gonna stay here. Not come back to Montana with me. I wouldn’t blame ya if ya chose to stay. I wouldn’t try and force ya to come back with me. But I… I can’t lose you.”

“Hunter,” sighing, I rolled with some effort and laid my hands on his chest, “I’m going home with you. To our home. I don’t belong here. Yeah, I have family here. But I can come back and see them. Sawyer can come to Montana and see us. But my priority? My dream? That’s you,” I gently rubbed his cheek, “it’s our farm. The life we’re building. It’s your parents, Hazel and Robin, the babies. Our dogs. That’s what’s important to me. My dad will understand. He told me he’s proud of me. That the life we have, the simple happy life we live, that’s all he wanted for me. Because I’m happy. Because you make me happy. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone.”

“Not even the hottest guy in the universe?” he laughed.

“Well I’m currently cuddling with him so…”

“Grayson. Are ya flirtin’ with me?”

“Duh,” rolling my eyes, I smiled when he kissed my forehead, “don’t be scared, Hunter. I won’t leave you.”

“I believe ya. I trust ya. I know. I just… I want ya to be happy even if that ain’t at my side.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m happiest when I’m with you.”

“Me too,” he whispered and tilted my chin up so that he could kiss me.

The kiss was warm, gentle, but it sent shivers down my spine, my grip on his shirt increasing the longer we lay there, never breaking away. Hunter softly licked at my bottom lip and I opened my mouth, allowing him in, a groan escaping from somewhere deep in my chest. Hunter slid his hand from my back to the nape of my neck, holding me still, his other hand now tight on my hip as he pressed closer, forcing whimpers from me when he would let out soft moans.

“Hunter,” I panted softly between kisses, “Hunter we have somewhere to be…”

“We have 20 minutes. Let me give ya more attention for another 10. Then we can leave,” his lips found mine once again and I easily surrendered to the gentle way he rubbed my pulse point with his thumb, the tingles from his fingers massaging my hip. I gently bit his bottom lip and he groaned, making me smile, “don’t do that. You’re gonna push me.”

“But you like it,” I whispered.

“Of course I do. I like anythin’ ya do.”

"Oh I've noticed," I laughed, "You're so easy to rile up."

"So are you," he quickly sat up and before I could even react he pulled me up to straddle his waist, his grip on my hips tight, "hi," he whispered.

"H… Hi. What are you doing?"

"I like it better when you're sittin' on me," he ran his hand slowly along my side and underneath the very bottom of my shirt, "your skin is so soft."

"Hunter," I pressed my forehead to his as he carefully traced my side with his fingers, the roughness of his hands sending shivers through me, "You're testing me…"

"I am," he laughed, "to see if ya can keep the promise we made."

"You know that I can," I whispered, panting softly as his fingers slid further into my shirt, lingering on my spine before he trailed one slowly down to the top of my pants, making me arch my back, "H… Hunter."

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Why what, Gray?" He whispered back.

"You're never… like this. You never touch my skin this way."

"I've been… wantin' to for a while. I'm tryin' to build my confidence in bein' close to ya. I'm workin' through the nerves. I'm sorry everythin' has to be so slow. I get panicked."

"I don't mind," I whimpered softly when he gripped my rear, "Jesus…"

Hunter kissed me softly and I wrapped my hands into his hair, the curls feeling wonderful around my fingers as he pulled me flush against him, the kisses growing hungrier as we fought against each other for control. I slowly rocked my hips and he groaned, gripping me tighter.

"Don't stop," he panted against my lips, "d… don't stop doin' that."

"I should," I broke away, trying my best to catch my breath, "we promised."

"Fuck," he grunted, tilting his head back against the couch, "I know. I just didn't think…"

"It'd feel this good to be close to someone?"

"Yeah."

"Look at me," I whispered and he lifted his head again, meeting my gaze, "I'm yours. I'm not going anywhere. We have all of the time in the world to learn what we like when we're in these moments. It's been two months, Hunter. That's no time. We're still learning new things about each other. Still learning what makes us feel good. I like your touch. The roughness of your hands. You seem to really enjoy it when I let you have control."

"I… feel like I never get to have control in my life. Everythin' just happens. It's always so surprisin'. Knowin' that I can… I can make the choice with ya on what we do… it makes me happy. But I want to know what makes you happy too."

"I like this," I wrapped my arms around his neck, "I like being on you like this. It makes me feel like I'm holding you. I can't do that because you're so big. But I know you enjoy being held. So this is really the only way I can. It feels good."

"You can sit on me like this whenever ya want. I love it because I can see your face," he tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, "You're so… so um… I don't know if this is the right word since you're a man but you're beautiful to me, Grayson. So beautiful."

"Do you want to know something funny?" I laughed softly.

"Sure."

"I call you beautiful too when I'm talking to Zee. Because you are. You have a beautiful heart," I gently touched his chest, "I'm still in shock I get to be the one to see it."

"And you're the only one who ever will," he covered my hand with his own, "I promise, Gray."

"I promise the same. Um, we kinda went over the ten minutes," I laughed, pressing my forehead to his, "should we head to dinner?"

"I suppose. But… I'd like to… is there a bed big enough for both of us?"

"We'll have to see when we get back. Why?"

"We were gonna share a tent. I wanna share a bed with ya tonight. I sleep better when you're with me."

"Okay," I smiled, kissing him softly before climbing out of his lap, "if that's what you want."

"Is it what you'd want?" He got to his feet, stretching as he put his hat back on.

"Mhm. I need your warmth. This house gets really cold. We might be better off bringing the mattresses out here and sleeping in front of the fireplace."

"Oh I love that idea," he took my hand with a smile, "Alright. After dinner, we set up the livin' room. It'll be like campin'. I had a surprise for ya and it'll come in handy since there ain't a good one here."

"What do you mean?" I looked at him confused as we left the house.

"I brought my projector and a white sheet so we could watch our movies at night when we were campin'. The projector could run on the truck's battery. But we ain't gotta worry about that now since we're stayin' here. So we can have a movie night with our favorite drink in front of a nice fire and listen to the rain," he rubbed my hand with his thumb as we walked down the driveway.

"Oh, you're… so romantic," I could feel my cheeks grow warm.

"I knew you'd like it so that's why I brought it."

"You're so good to me."

"I always will be."

We reached the small blue house across the road and as soon as we were on the porch the door swung open to reveal Sawyer, a nervous smile on his face.

"You actually came," Sawyer stepped aside to let us in.

"Of course we did," I smiled, looking around as Hunter took his hat off, hanging it on a hook by the door, "we wouldn't have missed dinner."

"I'm glad," Sawyer patted my back softly and led us further into the house.

"Sawyer… Dad this house is adorable," I laughed, looking around as Hunter wrapped his arm around my waist.

Sawyer froze and looked at me after turning slowly around, "y… you called me Dad."

"I did," I smiled hesitantly, "I mean you are after all so… I have to get used to saying it. If you're okay with that."

"Oh Grayson… of course I am kid," Sawyer rushed over and wrapped me in a tight hug and started to cry, "I never… I gave up hearing it again."

"I'm sorry you thought… I'm," I started to cry as well, squeezing him tightly.

I was never alone.

My dad was waiting this entire time.

I wish Mom had told me.

I needed Sawyer after she was gone.