Mike was happy with his and Lane’s relationship. It seemed like he was finally getting somewhere in getting his shit under control. He hadn’t had an episode in a couple of weeks and was sure he wouldn’t.

Living with Lane was nice. He’d almost fully adjusted his time to Lane’s, but there were meetings he had to take part in during the day. Lane had the weekend off, and they were going down to Alexandria to help Clay move. He also was doing a little work since he had to do security at a concert soon. Everything was set for his security gig, but he needed to meet with a few people. Really, it was more a vacation with the guys instead of a trip to help since Clay didn’t have too much stuff in his apartment. They all wanted to see each other anyway, so the train ride down wasn’t a big deal.

They took a cab from the station to Clay’s apartment. Anticipation grew with each passing second. The door flew open, and Thomas stepped out.

“Hey, what’s up?” He ran down the steps and pulled Lane into a hug.

Mike wasn’t jealous—okay, he was, but it was Thomas, and he knew Lane would never cheat on him. Clay pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight.

“Feels good to be with a man, doesn’t it?” Clay whispered.

Mike chuckled, thinking about how he had sat on the floor, leaning his head back over the bed while Lane fucked his mouth. “So good,” he growled.

Clay chuckled and then moved to Thomas and Lane, slapping Thomas on the ass. “Move over, I need a hug from Lane.”

Thomas reached for Mike and tugged him into a hug. “You’re a good man.”

“Thank you. I don’t feel good.”

Thomas leaned back and narrowed his eyes. “I know you feel bad about what happened.”

“I do. He looked so bad.” Shame filled him and he wanted to pull away and take off. Facing Thomas was harder than he’d thought it would be. He didn't want Thomas or Clay to be mad at him, but he was having a hard time with them accepting him so easily. Lane came over and slung his arm over his shoulder.

“So, what can we do to help?” Lane asked.

“We need to run a load of my furniture to a charity a few miles away, then we can start loading the stuff I'm moving. The company is picking up the container in the morning,” Clay said.

“Whose truck are you using to move the furniture?” Lane asked.

“We rented one. Both of ours are in Florida, and we didn't want to have to drive here then back south,” Thomas said.

“We're here to help.” Lane took Mike’s hand and beamed at him.

“Tell us what to do.” Mike squeezed Lane’s hand then followed the guys inside. He felt Lane’s hand on his back and sighed. He was very happy having his man with him. Though there was some stress from him hitting Lane, he couldn't imagine life without him.

They loaded the furniture in no time, and Lane went with Thomas to drop it. He and Clay stayed behind to start packing the container. They were working quickly and had it half full when the guys got back. They took a few minutes to talk about the rest of the boxes.

Mike was pleased to see Thomas and Clay together. He wanted them to be happy. Lane caught his gaze after he stored one of the boxes, his lips stretching wide in a smile.

He had friends who supported him. He was lucky. Lane wanted him to be successful and get better. Maybe he could overcome everything, and life would be really good with Lane. Benjamin would have wanted them to be happy. He still feared the damage he could do if something caused him to get off balance. With Lane, he let down his guard, letting everything spill out, even the bad. His time with Sharron had taught him the only way to move on was to accept he had some issues, then he could change his actions. He couldn’t ignore how he felt when life got rough. He would have to learn how to work through his issues.

After they finished packing away Clay’s things, they closed and locked the container. Clay took one last look through his apartment before he moved to Thomas, pulling him into a hug.

“You’re good about moving, right?” Thomas asked.

Clay nodded. “Yep, I want to live with you.”

Lane smiled, his eyes were shining bright. “I’m glad you two are together.”

“Same here.” Thomas turned to face them.

“Are you really?” Mike asked. He needed to know if Thomas and Clay could accept him after everything he’d done.

Thomas moved to stand in front of him and glanced away before his gaze came back, zeroing in on Mike. “I was angry you hit Lane. He’s my best friend.”

Thomas shook his head and looked away as his lips tightened. Mike felt a wave of shame wash over him.

Thomas continued. “He’s a good man too. I’m not sure what is going on with your therapy and recovery, but you’ve got to know I want what is best for Lane. You’re a good man. I think Lane is lucky to have you. I know you can get this fixed.”

Mike’s throat had closed up with emotions while Thomas had been talking. They were his best friends. Lane moved to stand beside him, wrapping one arm over his shoulder.

“Thank you,” Mike choked out.

Thomas pulled him into a hug. It felt good to have his friends’ support. They meant the world to him. When Thomas stepped back, Clay was there to hug him. He felt odd having so much support, and when Clay stepped away, he chuckled.

Thomas patted him on the shoulder. “How about we head to the hotel and wash up? We can go out to eat and celebrate.”

Thomas had booked a room at the same hotel as he and Lane, so they were staying together, kind of. It wasn’t like the vacation houses Lane usually found, but it was close.

“Sounds good.” Mike looked around at his friends and sighed.

“Anything wrong?” Lane asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It would be nice if Jake and Brent were here.”

“Yeah, it would be good. I have to say I’m happy they’re moving close to us,” Clay said.

“Do they have a place?” Lane asked.

“They put an offer on a house near ours,” Clay replied.

“That’s awesome.”

“If they get it, they’ll have a pool. It’s not huge, but it’s a nice house.”

Lane took his hand and led him to the truck Thomas had rented. “The truck is tiny,” Lane joked as they squeezed in.

“Yep, it is. No question about that. Not at all what I would normally buy, but it served its purpose. I’m glad you two came down even though we didn’t need a lot of help,” Clay said.

“It’s good seeing you though, and we’re close. Doing the train was nice,” Lane said.

“So yeah, how was taking the train?” Thomas asked as he started the engine.

“Peaceful.” Mike had liked the easy flow of using the train. It wasn’t as chaotic as getting to the airport, going through security, and then waiting. There hadn’t been any real stress.

“That’s good to hear. There’s a train that picks up in DeLand, which isn’t too far from us, but I don’t think I would want to ride it all the way up here.”

“Goodness no, it would be a freaking long trip,” Mike said.

Thomas pulled into traffic, and Clay turned, staring back at his old apartment. Mike knew how he felt. He was happy to be with Lane, but when he left Boston, it had felt bittersweet.

At the hotel, they took a quick shower and met the guys in the lobby before walking over to a restaurant. They laughed and joked over dinner. His heart felt lighter and he imagined happiness was possible. It was an awesome evening, and he hated saying goodbye, but Clay and Thomas needed their rest. He and Lane went back to the room and enjoyed some much-needed naked time before they dropped to the mattress and slept.