“The results are in.” Bryant raced outside to the informal Sunday gathering the Compass Boys, their sisters, and their parents had started having now that the weather had cooled off some. He held up a thick sheaf of papers. “After eight weeks of operation at full capacity, we’ve used seventy-two percent less water than our baseline and have been able to reclaim enough of that to fully restock the storage systems, even with less than two inches of precipitation during that time.”

“That’s amazing, son.” Sam slapped him on the shoulder. “I could tell by our bills that we were consuming a hell of a lot less. But…what about your degree?”

“It’s official. After seeing these reports, the board unanimously approved my project. Dr. Burgess will personally be hooding me at the winter commencement ceremony. They also submitted my data to an award panel for innovation in agriculture, and they think it’s likely that I could win. The prize is a hundred thousand dollars toward implementation of the ideas in the paper. So…I could pay you back, Dad.”

“You’ve already given the ranch its money’s worth.” Sam smiled. “Use anything that comes of this to start your own business. One where you can install this stuff at other farms. No reason you can’t do good and prosper, too.”

Bryant nodded. He wanted to argue, because he knew how much his family had sacrificed to push him ahead and it still wasn’t sitting right with him. He’d told Vaughn how he felt and they’d been working through it together. As a team. He still hadn’t figured out the right solution, but together they would eventually.

As if Vaughn could read his mind, he pulled Bryant aside. “I think this would be a good time to give this back to your dad.”

He pressed something cool and heavy into Bryant’s hand. When Bryant got a good look at it, he nearly choked. “JD’s watch? How? Hang on, is this why you sold your truck?”

“Like I said, we pretty much go everywhere together. We don’t need two vehicles right now. This was more important to you and your family. For us.” Vaughn smiled softly. “I would have told you sooner, but it wasn’t a done deal until this morning, while you were giving your presentation to the board. I went back to the shop with the sales money last week but the watch was gone. I had to track it down again and make a deal with the new owner. I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I knew I could pull it off. Anyway, I won’t let you lose something this important if there’s anything I can do about it. Not now or ever.”

If Bryant hadn’t already been madly in love with Vaughn, he would have fallen right then. But like his father, who’d obviously traded a material possession for the good of his family, Bryant needed Vaughn to understand that what they shared was priceless. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. No matter what the outcome had been today, I was at peace with it, because I knew that I’d walk out here after that videoconference, and you’d be waiting for me.”

“That’s true. I have your back. I always will.” He closed Bryant’s hand around the watch. “And that’s why I did this.”

Bryant flew to Vaughn and crushed him in a bear hug that the guy returned after a moment or two. Right there on the ranch, surrounded by everyone who meant anything to him, Bryant no longer gave a fuck who saw. In fact, he was proud to be Vaughn’s man.

“I’m so happy for you two,” Bryant’s mom Cindi murmured from nearby. “I never wanted anything except for you kids to be as happy as your father and I have been for so long. I can’t wait for your wedding and for Vaughn to be my son-in-law on paper, like he already is in my heart.”

“It means a lot to me to be part of your family. It’s something I’ve always wanted, and never had.” Vaughn cleared his throat.

Cindi nodded, unable to speak. Was she knuckling away a tear? Oh God, Bryant couldn’t survive his mom crying, especially since he could count the number of times he’d seen her do it on one hand. To distract her, he turned to her and his father, who—as always—was right by her side.

Bryant lifted the watch, carefully cradled in his palm, and held it out to them. “I think this belongs to you.”

If he thought returning the heirloom to his father would stem his mom’s tears, he miscalculated. Because they escalated into sobbing. “Is that—? How?”

Sam staggered back a step. The commotion began to draw the attention of the rest of the family. Bryant’s uncles Silas, Seth, and Sawyer huddled around his dad, making sure he was okay.

When Uncle Silas saw the watch, he cursed.

Even Uncle Sawyer took off his hat and stared.

Uncle Seth cleared his throat and said, “I guess what they say is true. What’s meant to be…”

Bryant didn’t waver. He clutched Vaughn’s hand and said, “Thank you for believing in me and for all the sacrifices you made for us, even when you didn’t let us know there was a price to be paid.”

“It looks like it was all worth it. You kids are turning out pretty damn fine. JD and Vicki…and Jake…would be even more proud than we are,” Sam said, and his brothers nodded in agreement.

Bryant was in danger of joining his mom then, so he turned toward his cousins with Vaughn still holding his hand tight. If he spied Austin blinking rapidly or James staring at Ivy, he couldn’t blame them either.

Doug, however, knew just what to do to save them from an emotional free-for-all. He grimaced. “Hey guys, somebody missing this?”

He tossed something stubby and black at Vaughn, who snatched it out of midair and jammed it into the pocket of his jeans before any of the older—or younger—generation could see what it was. The rest of the Compass Boys, however, started cracking up. Austin, Hayden, James, Ivy, and Doug drew attention away from the sentimental moment with their riot of hoots and snorts.

“What—?” Bryant started to ask Vaughn before he remembered the night they had fucked in the rain. Right about where Doug had planted his lawn chair. Oops.

Vaughn grinned as he put an arm around Bryant’s shoulders and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry. He’s just jealous he doesn’t have wild sex with that girl of his out in the storms they chase.”

Doug grimaced, but said, “I’m happy for you, Bryant. We all are. For finishing school and for finding someone to spend the rest of your life with. I never figured I’d be the last one of us to hold down the bachelor fort considering my wicked good looks and irresistible charm.”

“For the record, I found Vaughn a long time ago. It just took forever to work things out.” Bryant leaned closer to his partner, grateful that they were finally together and would never break apart again. “That could be the same for you.”

“I’m not that patient.” Doug shrugged, then drained his beer before reaching for another from the old metal washtub filled with ice. Bryant let it go. For now.

Sterling came outside then, carrying something heavy. Viho rushed to her side and took a fancy cake covered in blue icing that looked like waves from her, carrying it over to the table and adding it to the mountain of food his relatives had brought with them.

“What were you all going to do if I failed?” Bryant wondered.

“Celebrate your other successes and help you drown your misery in beer and cake. What else is family for?” Sterling grinned as she patted his cheek.

Lomasi wedged herself between them and said, “Or we could have just scraped the icing off and ate it when you weren’t around like we did last time, Uncle Bryant.”

Her parents looked horrified enough that he knew she was telling the truth. Vaughn squeezed him, as if trying to shelter him from the memories. He didn’t need to, though Bryant loved the heat and weight of him nearby, as he would always be from then on.

He laughed and laughed. Something that had hurt him so much no longer had the power to do so. He was finally ready to let go of all the mistakes he’d made in the past and fully embrace his future.

As often as he’d prayed for rain, he was now looking forward to basking in years of sunny times.

Just like these.