I zipped up my pants and grinned to myself. There was nothing quite like peeing in the woods on a beautiful morning with the birds chirping.

Yeah, it was probably a weird sentiment, but I felt at peace in a way I hadn’t in a while.

I’d fished, eaten that fish over an open flame, and slept under the stars. I’d enjoyed cold beers in the sun, while shooting the shit with my buddies, and had bathed in the lake this morning.

I’d had time to commune with nature and do a lot of soul-searching, and I knew one thing for certain … I was in love with Serena.

Maybe a break, and the fear of losing her, was what I needed to come to that realization, or maybe I’d have gotten there on my own. Either way, I knew I wanted her in my life, permanently, and I’d do whatever it took to get her back.

I made my way back to the campsite we’d made by the lake, to see Gabe and Dillon were finally up and had brewed some coffee.

“Morning, lovelies,” I said happily, chuckling when they both responded with a grunt. “Sleep okay?”

“I’m getting too old for this sleeping on the ground shit, I need my bed,” Gabe grumbled.

Dillon snorted. “You’ve never liked sleeping in sleeping bags, even as kids. I don’t know why you always suggest it.”

“Just feels like something a man should do, sleep on the ground while catching your food and eating it,” Gabe replied with a shrug. “Guess I’m more suited to the cabin life.”

Dillon nodded and told me, “You should come with us this summer when we go down to open Gabe’s camp. It’s a week of grilling, kayaking, enjoying the outdoors.”

“And cleaning,” Gabe added.

“Yeah, we’re there to clean up and get camp ready for the kids, but it’s still a good time.”

“Sounds like it,” I agreed.

I was interested in seeing what Camp Gabriel Lewis looked like in person. I’d heard a lot about it over the years, but it was usually just the family that went.

“So, what’s going on with you and Serena?” Gabe asked.

I chuckled and said, “I was wondering how long it would take for you to ask.”

“Yeah, what was the misunderstanding?” Dillon asked, stretching his legs out in front of him and sitting back.

I told them about what happened at the gallery, the stuff with Kylie, Serena’s reaction, and my overreaction. Then I told them about the phone call.

“She said we needed a break … so she could think things out and figure out what she wants.”

“Huh,” Gabe said, his brow furrowed, which worried me.

“What? Do you think she’s going to decide she doesn’t want to see me anymore?”

“As long as you don’t take a break to mean you’ve broken up and start messing around with other women, you should be good.”

I looked at him, confused. Why would he think I’d mess around with other women?

Gabe rolled his eyes and said, “You’ve been watching too much Friends.”

Dillon shrugged and said, “It’s what Laurel likes to watch before we go to bed.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

“In Friends, Rachel tells Ross they need a break, and that same night he goes out and sleeps with someone else. When Rachel goes to see him the next day to say she was wrong, she finds out he slept with someone else and says he cheated. He insists it doesn’t count because they were on a break, but their relationship doesn’t recover.”

Gabe smirked at Dillon when I said, “Well, I’ve never seen that show, but this Ross couldn’t have loved Rachel if he was able to sleep with someone else the same night they broke up.” I looked between the cousins and assured them, “I would never do that. I’m in love with Serena, and I don’t want anyone else. I’m hoping this time apart will convince her that we belong together and can get past what happened at the gallery.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Gabe said.

Dillon nodded and added, “Good, Rena needs a man like you. Someone who sees her for the treasure she is. And, I agree with you about Ross, he always struck me as the weakest Friend, especially after he cheated on a woman like Rachel. What an idiot.”

“You know it’s a show, right? Fiction?” Gabe asked with a chuckle.

“Shut it,” Dillon replied, then said, “I’ve seen some of the stuff you do for Zoey. Going to Comic Con, holding her purse while she’s on panel, so don’t try and act like I’m the one who’s whipped, when you’re just as bad, if not worse.”

“Shit, I’m whipped and happier for it. Zoey is without a doubt the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m not about to do anything to mess that up.”

“Heard,” Dillon said, raising his coffee mug in agreement.

“All right, are we going to do some fishing today, or sit around and gossip all day?” I asked, busting their balls with a grin.

“Fish for breakfast is one of my favorite things,” Gabe said as he rose.

“Bullshit,” Dillon said with a chuckle. “Eggs benedict, or some such fancy shit, is your idea of a good breakfast.”

“Says the man who wears suits every day and likes to eat at restaurants that cost two hundred dollars a plate,” Gabe countered.

I shook my head, thinking how crazy it would be to have the amount of money either of those guys had. Nah, I was good with catching my own meals and living the blue collar life.

I grabbed my gear and headed to the dock. Once my chair was set up, I settled back with my fishing pole in one hand and my coffee in the other, then looked out over the lake. With the early-morning sun reflecting off of it, the sight was amazing, and I wondered how Serena would react if I asked her to come fishing with me sometime.