Zach smiled at Amilie and Erica, the two tots that were running around as they were setting up. He was going to start the shoot with them. Twins born conjoined three years ago, they had just gotten their latest artificial leg and arm. They were born joined side to side and had two legs and two arms but not each. Then he had Marco and Danny, each born with craniofacial abnormalities, and after them, he had a couple of teenagers with bad burn scars. Tony had been deliberately doused with gas and set alight in a gang retaliation incident. Alejandro was completely blind after having burning cooking oil spilled on him as a baby by his mom when she was high.

And that was only going to be the first couple of hours. The afternoon was saved for the older teens and adults. It was going to be a long day. He was going to have to take a couple of breaks though. Use plenty of drops in his eye. Seth had been manic in his instructions. He was going to finish today then he was going to the island for a long weekend or so before he started school next semester. Interestingly enough, Seth had made noises about maybe coming himself. He was completely convinced it was Seth’s fascination with Chris, and not the desire to hang out with his brother, that was the cause.

He hadn’t thought he was strong enough to go there without Ben, and he still wasn’t convinced he could do it, despite wanting to see Joshua, Daniel, and the rest of them. It would just seem so empty without him. It had been easier in New York because he had been so busy. The emptiness had never completely left him, but it had been muted a little, except when he had crawled exhausted into bed every night. He hadn’t dared to tell Seth he had spent more hours lying awake than he had asleep.

Seth wasn’t an idiot though, but so long as he ate properly, and all his checks were okay, there wasn’t really anything Seth could complain about.

He had stuck to Seth’s plan, and while it had kept Zach healthy and given him a purpose to help a lot of people, he still didn’t feel he was any nearer to getting Ben back, and he really didn’t know what he was going to do.

Around three hours later, they had just finished photographing a teenager and Zach was bent fiddling with a lens he wanted to change out. He heard Mel, who was assisting him, tell the next person to wait just for a second while Zach readied the camera. “Zach?” Mel called out, indicating the next model was ready, and without looking up, he heard Mel asking the model where he wanted to be.

“I don’t know,” rang out the clear voice that Zach knew better than his own. “It depends where Zach wants me. Bending over?”

For only the second time in his career, Zach nearly ruined a very expensive camera. He quickly focused the lens and stared through the camera at what was the most gorgeous thing Zach had ever seen in his life.

And it wasn’t just beauty. It was confidence. It was the love shining through two stunning green eyes and the adoration that matched his own.

“Mmm, let me see,” Zach said, pretending to consider the question. “How about silent?”

“I ought to beat you,” Zach moaned much later as they lay in a sticky tangle of limbs. Ben chuckled.

“Why?”

“For making me suffer so abominably,” Zach grunted but didn’t open his eyes.

“Do you mean just then or are you talking the last seven years?”

Zach did open them then because the light question didn’t quite mask the hurt behind it. He reached out and cupped Ben’s cheek gently. “It’s so soft,” he marveled.

“It’s ridiculous really. I’ve just been doing as I was told to do four years ago, but this time, I’ve been sticking to it.”

Zach lifted his hand and ran his fingers through the short hair. “I love this,” he said with feeling, and Ben smiled.

“I guess, as statements go, it was pretty powerful.”

“I saw you talking to Davic.” Zach had been stunned to see Millie Kline’s assistant at the shoot.

“Yeah, he works for Teen Trends now.”

“He does?” Zach was impressed. The magazine was nearly getting a cult following and wasn’t ashamed of tackling hard issues. Eating disorders and body image were a recent ones.

“He wants to do a piece on me and you.” Zach screwed his nose up, imagining what Ben had said. “I said definitely but the photographs had to feature me at the smile center.” Ben shrugged. “Some publicity is good.”

“You astonish me.” And he did. Ben had to be one of the most courageous men he had ever met.

“Mmm, well. Don’t go singing my praises just yet because I might need your help with another gig next month.”

Zach tilted his head to one side and looked at Ben carefully. There had been an edge to his voice as if Ben was trying to make light of something that was quite serious.

Ben huffed. “Do you know how annoying it is that you can see right through me every time?”

Zach pressed a kiss on his bottom lip and sucked it gently into his mouth. Ben moaned. “Tell me. What is it?”

“The trial in Boston. I said I would go give evidence and make sure the case is as airtight as possible, but they had some good news. Another girl has come forward. A credible eyewitness. She’s a cab driver and saw them both with one of the victims maybe an hour before she was found if that. It confirms they were together that night, and it was the last thing they needed to get the second guy to roll on the other one. He’s telling the whole story to anyone who will listen.”

“That’s fantastic news, and yes, try stopping me.” Zach nibbled on Ben’s neck, making him squirm.

“So where are we going to live?” Ben asked.

“I’m enrolled in school come fall next year,” Zach said. “It’s mostly online, but I’ve got practicals to do. Robert Sams offered me patient interaction there, and I can go to UCF as well.”

“I’d like to spend some time here and help Cynthia and the charity.”

“Sounds perfect to me,” Zach agreed. “We live on the island and just come here for trips?”

“Kai will be happy,” Ben agreed.

“So that’s alright then?” Zach said in amusement.

“I might be quite happy as well,” Ben chuckled, but whatever else he was going to say was swallowed in Zach’s kisses.

The next day, Ben and Zach couldn’t wait to get to the island, and Zach eagerly called Joshua to give him the good news, but Joshua was with a guest that was having a crisis, so he never got to talk to him. They did manage to get ahold of Matt though, who was unsure if he could pick them up at first, but then worked out he could collect them and the delivery at the same time. They might just have to wait while it was loaded.

Zach had been a little disappointed that none of their friends had seemed excited. He’d even tried to get ahold of Charlie, but his phone was off, and Ben had laughed and said that sounded typical. In the end, Zach had agreed that it didn’t matter, and as they neared the jetty, suddenly, all the hotel lights came on.

“Oh wow,” Zach said. “It’s beautiful.” Matt docked expertly as always, and they both jumped off.

“Where is everybody?” Zach asked and looked around, appreciating the grounds he had never been able to see properly the last time he was here. He remembered Joshua telling him to think of Scarlett O’Hara and laughing, saying he had his own Rhett Butler. Zach eased his arm around Ben’s waist and drew him close. Ben turned in to him.

“Are you glad to be home?”

Ben nodded, and Zach solemnly wiped the moisture out from under both his eyes. Ben tried to duck his head, but Zach wouldn’t let him and kissed him on the lips instead.

Matt followed them up to the hotel. “Josh says would you mind going in the side by the pool? The patio will be open next to your room, Zach. The electrician is fixing something on the main door, and he’ll have his ladder in the way.”

Zach rolled his eyes. “I can see it now, and anyway,” he looked at Ben, “don’t you want to go to the cabin?”

Ben nodded. “Absolutely, but maybe we should say hello first?”

Zach nodded, and they both picked their way around the corner to the private patio outside the room Zach used to stay in. They’d taken one step onto it, and Zach jumped as what seemed like a thousand fairy lights came on.

“Surprise!” everyone chorused, and Zach grinned as all their friends crowded around them both. After a few minutes, Zach, still holding hands with Ben, walked up solemnly to the lady sitting in the corner and took her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to see you properly, ma’am,”

“Oh, my sweet boy,” May-belle got up sprightly and hugged him close. She did the same to Ben and promptly kissed him on both cheeks taking absolutely no notice of his scars.

“Hey, little brother.”

Zach turned in delight and hugged Seth. “How did you manage to get here so quickly?”

“I was consulting in Atlanta.” Seth grinned, and Zach sensed movement behind him and turned.

A young woman with short dark hair and huge blue eyes smiled back at him. “Now you haven’t got the glasses, does that mean I won’t get fired if I accidentally punch you?”

Josh laughed. “You didn’t get fired before, but I keep telling you, you can’t go around hitting people.”

Beth scoffed. “That’s not what you said about Mr. Feltham in room fifteen.”

Josh rolled his eyes. “I guess there are exceptions to every rule.”

Zach noticed the man standing behind Beth then and took a half step to the side and grinned. Ben had been right, but before he could say hello to Chris, Seth beat him to it and put out his hand. “Chris?”

The stunning young man stared down at Seth’s hand for what seemed forever before he cautiously put out his own and very gently Seth clasped it.

“It’s really nice of you all to meet us,” Zach said, a little surprised when he had a glass of champagne thrust at him by Daniel. “But are we celebrating something I don’t know about?

“Maybe,” Ben answered for Daniel and took the glass Daniel had just given Zach out of his hand and put it on the table. He took both of Zach’s hands in his as every person around the patio fell silent.

“Zachary Marvin Jones.”

Zach blinked in astonishment as Ben let go of his hands and very carefully went down on one knee. “I know you have loved me for seven years. You loved me when I was selfish—ah” Ben shook his head when Zach would have interrupted him. “You loved me when I didn’t realize what a perfect thing I was throwing away, and you loved me”—Ben swallowed—“even when I couldn’t love myself.

“But what I don’t think I have ever properly said to you, even once, was how much I love you. How you complete me. How you make me a better person, and how I am never ever going to let you go.”

He fished into his pocket and brought out a small box. Ben looked up at Zach, love and adoration shining from his eyes, and opened the box, showing the plain white gold band. “I want us to be together always, and I love you more than I can ever say. Please, will you marry me?”

Zach was stunned, awed. It was completely and beautifully perfect, and he bent down and gently took each of Ben’s arms, lifting him to his feet. “You planned this didn’t you?” There was no way everyone didn’t know what was going on.

“I might have,” Ben acknowledged nervously.

“Yes,” Zach said firmly and drew him closer, putting the ring box down on the table. “Yes, to loving you so desperately I would never live unless you were by my side. Yes, to wanting to spend the rest of my life with you. Yes, to wanting to be your husband.” The last was murmured just as their lips touched.

Cheers erupted behind them, glasses were clinked, and Zach could feel the hands of his friends patting him on the shoulder, but he never moved. He had exactly what he needed wrapped up in his arms and his heart, and there he knew Ben was going to stay.