Elliot and I were like two peas in a pod. For the past few days, we had been seeing each other regularly. It was no secret now that we were starting to become an item, and people around town were starting to talk.

The worst of it came from the assholes at Elliot’s police station. They first disliked him because he was too much of a beta male. Then, as soon as they heard that he changed, the guys went to the harsher insults.

At the station, Elliot endured all the hate speech he could handle. Words like “freak,” and “disgusting” were supposed to be taken with a grain of salt. But how could anyone deal with hearing those things, day in and day out?

Eventually, I decided they needed to shut their fucking mouths. Every day that I spent with Elliot made me realize how incredible he was.

Elliot took care of his father, he made sure he did the right things for other people, and he was just an all-around great guy. I despised the cops for their comments. Part of me wanted to kick in the door and throw the handcuffs on all of their wrists, but I knew violence wasn’t going to solve the issue.

I took Elliot’s idea of having a neighborhood block party to heart. Rowan and I didn’t live in much of a neighborhood, so I had no idea if anybody would show up, let alone bring their smiles. It was an experiment that scared the hell out of me.

During the late hours of the night, I set up the decorations for the next day. I spent the money to have a huge blowup slide that sat on the lake. I figured the kids would enjoy that. I spent my last paycheck on food, beverages, tables, and the rest.

I went all out for this town, knowing that I wouldn’t get any respect for it in the end. Elliot assured me that everything was going to be okay. “If I didn’t think it would be a nice day, I wouldn’t bring my dad tomorrow,” Elliot said confidently.

But I was still worried. That night, I could barely sleep. It was easy being a hermit out there in the woods. Integrating back into society was much harder.

The next day, Elliot drove over early in the morning. He helped his dad out of the car. I ran over and hugged both of them. “Hey, pops,” I said.

Elliot’s dad was a gentleman. His mind had started to fade, but there was still a part of him that was still cognizant. It was just difficult for him to hold onto it for very long.

“Hello! I remember your smiling face. You need to shave,” Elliot’s father said.

I blushed and ran fingers across my five o’clock shadow. I had actually been shaving because I didn’t want Elliot to think I was too unkempt. But after his father pointed out my light facial hair, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should run into the house and shave again.

“Don’t worry. You look handsome,” Elliot whispered.

We helped him up the hill to the house and set him down on the chair on my porch. Elliot and I walked down toward the tables by the lake. I turned on the grill.

Elliot quickly noticed that my hands were shaking. “Tate, what’s wrong?”

It was difficult for me to respond. I went into a daydream, but it was more like a nightmare. I didn’t mean to envision what I did, but my mind just went to the worst images.

Elliot grabbed my hand and lightly massaged around the knuckles. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Sorry,” I said. I snapped out of the daydream and bent over against the table. “Panic attack.”

Elliot ran his hand across the small of my back. He messaged upward, relieving my tension. “Tate, we don’t have to do this if you don’t feel like you’re able,” Elliot said.

“No. We need to do this,” I said. “I just really hate those guys.”

“You mean my co-workers?” Elliot asked.

“Yeah. The brothers in arms,” I said, heaving out a sigh.

Elliot laughed at my last comment. “Brothers. Right. Like Cain and Abel,” he said.

“I just hate what they’ve done to you. I think about those officers and this rage I didn’t know I had seized up my body. It takes hold of me, and I feel helpless. Why do they have to be so mean?” I asked.

I doused the grill with more fluid and flames shot up into the sky. “Sometimes, I hate them too,” Elliot said. “Other times, I understand it a little better. They had poor upbringings. Most of all, they hate themselves.”

“Themselves? Yeah, right. They’re self-obsessed,” I said.

“To a point, maybe,” Elliot said. “But at the end of the day, they don’t have much to fall back on. They’re sad people, Tate. That’s why they take their anger out on me. I’m different, so they associate their pain with my difference.”

At that time, it was profound to hear. It didn’t make them right, and I had a sincere desire to expose them for who they were. “I’ll play nice if they do,” I said.

“Regardless, we should play nice,” Elliot said. “We can’t stoop to their level.”

Rowan stepped onto the porch and greeted Elliot’s father. After, he ran toward us. Rowan was not my favorite at the moment because he liked to disobey my every word.

But right when he got to the grill, he extended his arms and hugged me. “Hi, dad,” he whispered.

A flurry of relief rushed into my stomach, traveling upward through my body. “Hey, son. Feelin’ better today?” I asked.

Rowan smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m excited. I guess a lot of the other guys at school are coming by later. We’re going to toss around the football and jump off the top of that slide,” Rowan said.

I lightly rubbed his head. “No BB guns today, okay? Families are going to be here, and we can’t have the town thinking we’re weirder than they already do,” I said.

“Okay,” Rowan said. “But you know that we are weird, right?”

I snorted. “Weird? Us? Nah. We’re normal,” I argued.

Elliot laughed, holding his hand in front of his mouth. “Sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “Had something in my throat.”

“Are we that weird?” I asked the two.

Rowan widened his eyes and stuck out his tongue. “Do I look weird to you, dad?”

I shook my head. “Okay, you little monkey. I get the point,” I said.

Elliot high-fived Rowan and leaned down to his level. “We still on for that paintball game?” Elliot whispered.

Rowan glanced up at me, and I pretended not to listen. This was their little secret, and it gave them a great excuse to spend some time together.

“I can’t freakin’ wait,” Rowan whispered.

Elliot extended his hand. They both began a series of hand movements, ending with a big fist bump. It was their secret handshake.

As soon as Rowan walked away from us to say hi to the first classmates that arrived, I kissed Elliot’s neck. “You’re really good with Rowan,” I said. “He looks up to you. Reminds me of…”

I stopped myself before the words “ex-husband” fell from my mouth. I didn’t want to make Elliot feel uncomfortable. However, it was a big time in my life. For the longest time, I thought it was going to be him and I against the world.

Elliot quickly wrapped his arms around me. “Never forget him,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked, letting out a hesitant laugh. I didn’t know how to respond.

He held his forehead against mine and kissed me. “I’m serious. Honor your ex-husband every single day,” Elliot said.

I gulped down. I didn’t want to cry. I had been so happy lately with Elliot. “But—”

Elliot shook his head slowly. “Stop. Don’t worry about me. I know what we have. Just because you loved someone at one point, doesn’t mean that you can’t treat me right,” Elliot said. “You spent so much time together. You had a beautiful child. You have to honor him, Tate. And I want to with you.”

I choked up and started to cry soundlessly. It was the kind of cry that begins in the center of your chest, reverberating all the way to your shoulders.

I sunk into Elliot. “Shit, I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I’ve learned to move past this, I swear.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s life. This crap is really hard sometimes,” Elliot said. “You’re a wonderful man, Tate. Just remember that.”

“You’re right,” I said.

I felt embarrassed by my emotional outpour that I immediately threw the burger patties on the grill. Within minutes, the cops from Elliot’s station came, hootin’ and hollerin’ down the hill like loud-mouthed frat boys.

Elliot placed his arm around my waist. “Brace yourself, alpha,” he whispered.

“I’m ready for them,” I said.

“Omega!” Daniel Thornton screamed. The rest of the guys followed along, clapping their hands loudly.

“Glad you made it,” I said to Daniel.

Daniel grinned menacingly, but he was never threatening looking. Most of the time, he tended to look like he was confused.

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Daniel said.

“Great,” I said.

Both of us were starting to wonder why he kept hovering over Elliot. I looked down and noticed his boots again. They were still covered in dried mud. Elliot saw them too.

“Nice boots, Daniel,” I muttered.

Daniel shuffled back and laughed. “These?” Daniel pointed.

“Yeah. They new?” I asked.

“No. Well, maybe. I don’t know. Who’s asking?” Daniel laughed wildly like a weasel and turned to his friends for backup. No one came to his aid.

“Well, they’re nice.” I was calm and acting like a gentleman, but Elliot knew what type of game I was playing. I was making Daniel feel as uncomfortable as I could. We both knew that he was the culprit. He snuck onto our properties, and maybe someday we’d eventually have the proof to show the county.

Daniel grumbled a “thank you,” and quickly scurried off with the rest of the guys. I let out a sigh and side-eyed Elliot. “Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought,” I said.

“It’ll be fun,” Elliot assured me.

And it was fun. The kids were going buck-wild on that slide. They were honestly scaring the crap out of me, but Elliot felt confident that they’d be safe. However, once Rowan did a triple backflip into the water, I had to turn away completely.

Sergi and his boyfriend finally arrived. They greeted both of us with kisses on the cheek. Sergi couldn’t help but look at me and smile. “I knew you’d end up together,” Sergi said, pointing. “Didn’t I say it?”

“You said it, boss.” I laughed and held onto Elliot’s hand.

“I love it!” Sergi exclaimed. “I love love!”

“Stop using the L-word,” I groaned. Both Elliot and I shifted against the dirt below us.

“I know love when I see it. That’s all I’m saying,” Sergi said with a wink. “Anyway, we’re going to dip our toes in the water. We’ll see you lovebirds down at the lake.”

“See you guys,” I said.

“Lovebirds,” Elliot said.

A crooked smile formed on my face. “He likes to mess with me,” I said.

But the butterflies in my stomach never stopped flapping their wings. Elliot and I seemed to grow stronger in our relationship everyday together. But Love? I wasn’t going that far, yet.

I was surprised that people were so friendly to Elliot and I. The cops didn’t even poke fun at their usual level. All in all, I think we gained a few acceptance points.

“What a damn good day, right?” Elliot said. He had unbuttoned his shirt, and now his chest was burnt red.

“I love you for coming up with this idea,” I said. “It brought everyone together.”

“And you didn’t believe me!” Elliot said.

“You see? This is why I need you,” I said. Need you. I didn’t want my words to come out in the order and manner that they did, but I couldn’t take them back.

Elliot held his lips together, but his smile eventually curled upward. “You need me,” he said.

I shook my head. “Nope. Do not.”

“You. Need. Me.” He ended his sentence with a kiss and a frolic toward Rowan.

“Hey! You can’t run away from me,” I said.

“Watch me!” he called out.

Well, Elliot was almost always right. He had such a calm head on his shoulders, and he loved to find the truth in all things. The fact was that I was beginning to need him. I wasn’t going to admit to that too fast.

I sat down at the table alone with my Coca-Cola in my hand. I sipped the carbonated beverage and watched Rowan and Elliot joke around together. The world felt at peace, finally.

Then, I saw Daniel Thornton wandering in my direction. He was visibly drunk. “Tate!” he called out. “Let’s talk.”

I ran my hand across my forehead, thinking of all the ways I could escape this conversation. I waited too long to get up and walk away. When he sat down, I gave my best smile, but it was apparent it was strained.

“What do you want now, Daniel?” I asked.

“Sid wants to make an apology,” Daniel said.

I let out a hearty laugh of disbelief. I should have kept an open mind, but it was too difficult to do that when I knew these peoples’ history.

“An apology? Sid? You have to be yanking my chain, right?” I asked.

Daniel shook his head and laid his hands flat on the metal table. “No, I’m not kidding around. Sid wants to meet with you,” Daniel said.

I set down my soda and leaned back. “There is no way in hell I’d go and meet with him,” I said.

Daniel smiled and shook his head. His eyes lacked mystery, but there was something extreme about them. “Your funeral,” Daniel muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me? Mind repeating that?” I asked.

“You don’t want to tell Sid ‘no.’ Just meet with the guy. What’s the worst that can happen? Make things right,” Daniel said.

I felt furious, but I quickly calmed myself down. It wasn’t worth fighting over. I made one point clear, however.

“Sid has been terrorizing my family since the accident. If I’m speaking the God’s honest truth, all of you have been messing with us. There is nothing I need to make right here. If Sid wants to apologize, he knows where I’ll be,” I said.

“In the lake, right? Swimming with the catfish,” Daniel said. He stood up and attempted to walk away, but I was too quick.

I grabbed Daniel’s arm and pulled him close to me. “What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.

Daniel yanked his arm away from my hand. “Nothing. You live on the lake.” Daniel turned around and started walking toward the other cops.

“Who was on that boat, Daniel?” I asked. “What was the equipment for?”

Daniel put his fist into the air as he walked away. His middle finger slowly extended from the center of his fist. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Tate,” Daniel said.

Elliot eyed the whole interaction. As soon as Daniel was gone, he ran toward me. “What was that all about?” Elliot asked me.

I shrugged. “Sid wants to have a meeting,” I said.

Elliot carefully eyed the rest of the police. Daniel was smoking a cigarette and laughing loudly. “A meeting? Why the hell would Sid want to do that?” Elliot asked.

“I don’t know, but I don’t have a great feeling about this,” I said.

Elliot latched onto my side. “Tate, don’t do it. It’s not worth it. We can just ignore these dolts,” he said.

“No, we can’t.” I sighed. “This lake was supposed to be my solitude. I thought I’d be free from everyone. They have permeated that dream, Elliot. They’re testing me in every way that they can. They want us gone.”

“I’m not leaving. You’re not leaving. Nobody is leaving, except for them,” Elliot said.

I appreciated him for calming me down. After all, this was a party, and I desperately wanted to hang onto my good spirits. But if Sid wanted to talk to me, he’d find me eventually. I’d have to agree, whether I liked it or not.

“I’m meeting with Sid,” I said. “I don’t know when, but I do know that I have to do it.”

“Tate,” Elliot whispered. “Please don’t do this. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Do you remember the boat in the water? The footsteps in the mud? Do you remember your house burglary? They’ll find a way to get to me, sooner or later. I might as well just go,” I said.

Elliot bit the inside of his lip and took a heavy stance against the dirt. He exhaled sharply. “Okay. But I’m going with you as backup,” Elliot said. “I’ll keep watch from a short distance.”

I hugged Elliot. “Okay. But I don’t want this to escalate. I just want to make a truce, so my boy can grow up with peace,” I said.

“It’s a deal,” Elliot said.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. By the time the sun set, everyone looked exhausted and happy. As much as I didn’t like Elliot’s co-workers, they even seemed impressed with the whole thing.

People eventually filtered away from the party, and by the end of the day, our group was the only one left.

“What a success,” Elliot’s father said.

“I’m so glad you came,” I said, hugging him. He was such a gentle and kind man. I was glad I was getting to spend as much time as I could with him.

Elliot had to take his father home, and Rowan had school the next day, so we had to part ways. I gave Elliot the biggest kiss in the world and felt his warm body against mine. I took every last second in before I walked him to his car.

“I’ll miss you,” I admitted.

Elliot smirked. “You will?”

I nodded solemnly. “I always miss you,” I said. “It’s starting to become a nuisance.”

Elliot ran his hand over my stomach. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, handsome,” he said. “And the next day, and the next day, and the next day after that…”

“Okay, maybe we need to take a break,” I joked.

Elliot kissed me again, moaning. He didn’t want to leave me, and I sure as hell didn’t want to leave him. We were starting to fall into this. I didn’t know it at the time, but we were becoming entangled in one another’s lives.

“Goodbye, handsome,” he said.

“Bye, Elliot,” I said. “But not forever, right?”

“Not forever,” he whispered. “I’ll be dreaming of you.”

My heart was full, and it was all because of Elliot. I was head over heels for that cop.