by Sloan Parker
“Are you trying to use sex to get me to agree to this?”
Richard winked at me over Luke’s shoulder. “Is it working?”
Luke laughed. “You know it is.”
“Then you’ll come too?” I asked.
“Of course. And not for the sex.” He tossed another exaggerated roll of his eyes at Richard, then grew serious as he met my stare. “This is important to you.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Then I’m in.” He smiled at me and then turned to collect the map from the hood of the car. “Besides, you two would be lost after five minutes without me.”
“Yeah,” Richard said as he moved to the driver’s side door. “We definitely would be.”
Chapter Eighteen
“God, it’s beautiful here.”
Luke’s astonished voice carried from the backseat, where he sat surveying the incredible view of Windtree River. We were driving along State Route 389, following a ridge just outside Majestic Falls State Park, heading for the private lodge and campground where we’d be staying for the next couple of days.
We’d rented the vehicle, a blue Jeep Wrangler, two hours earlier and packed it full of the supplies we purchased in the small town of Majestic Falls, which was located south of the park. When we’d left home earlier that morning, we each brought an overnight bag in case getting in to see the sheriff had taken longer than expected and we ended up deciding to stay the night in town, but we hadn’t been outfitted for a backpacking trip. The woman working the camping store had been helpful. She loaded us up with the appropriate equipment and food for a week of camping and backpacking.
Now we had a three-person tent, battery-powered lantern, rope, compass, multi-tool, reusable filtered water bottles, bug repellent, binoculars, and various other supplies.
We’d already passed the wildlife center and the Vega home on our way to the campground. We decided not to stop and say anything to Tomas or his mom about what the sheriff had said or what we were up to. I didn’t want to get Tomas’s hopes up. I wasn’t sure what the chances were that we’d find anything in the park. Although I’d just started to wonder if not keeping him updated had been the right decision when Luke spoke up about the view.
From the front passenger seat, I turned to look back at him. “Isn’t it great? Wait until you see all the waterfalls.”
“It’s like a whole other world out here. Feels like we’re way more than forty-five minutes from the city.”
“It does,” I said as Richard maneuvered the Jeep around a curve in the road. The setting sun cast a brilliant orange glow over the rock formations on the far side of the river. Beyond that, a stretch of forest containing a spectacular blend of coniferous and broad-leaved trees covered the hills and valleys. It all made for a stunning view.
I couldn’t wait to see more of the park.
“Hey.”
At the sound of that deep voice, I focused on Richard. He was carefully watching the winding road ahead.
“I’m willing to do this, Matthew, on one condition. No splitting up. We all stay together. No matter what.”
“Sounds good.”
“And, we take it slow. We drive as far as possible and then we stay on the trails as much as we can until we get close to those locations the kid showed you on the map. No veering off anywhere else.”
“All right.”
“I’m not trying to be an ass about this. I just want us to be safe. We’re on our own out here.”
“I know.”
Earlier, after we’d loaded up the Jeep, we’d spent two hours in Majestic Falls trying to find anyone willing to serve as a guide to escort us into the park. Richard had talked to the woman who ran the camping store, but she hadn’t been able to come up with the name of one person who might be willing to assist us. We also tried asking around at the local diner, hotel, hardware store, and bowling alley. We hadn’t located a single person willing to help or a recommendation from anyone.
It was like there was some kind of conspiracy, like everyone in town had known we were coming and why, and they’d already planned to turn us away. Which was odd. Because most of them had also seemed regretful that they weren’t able to help. Had the sheriff said something to them? Manipulated them? Threatened them? But why? Maybe I’d read him wrong. Maybe he was determined to keep us from looking into Alex’s disappearance with even more vigor than I’d first thought, and for reasons I didn’t want to fathom right then.
As if Richard could sense my frustration, he laid a hand on my thigh and gave a squeeze. “We’ll be all right.”
“Shit!” Luke called out from the backseat.
I whirled around. “What?”
He was rummaging through his backpack. He stopped and slapped his hands on top of the pack. “I can’t believe I forgot it.”
“Forgot what?”
“Lube.” The disappointed look on his face was priceless. “I thought I grabbed it before we left the house this morning.” He smacked his pack again. “Dang it.” He was so damn serious. I couldn’t keep the laughter at bay.
Richard shook his head. “I’m here worrying about keeping us from walking off a cliff or drowning in the river or getting attacked by a bear, and you’re freaking out about going five days without sex?”
“Hey.” Luke pointed at Richard. “You were the one talking about fucking under the stars.”
“That’s not exactly how I said it.”
“Close enough.”
I laughed more, then said, “It’s incredibly rare to see a bear in this part of the country.”
Richard threw me a sideways glance. “Rare but not unheard of?”
“I guess. We’re more likely to see a coyote.”
“Really?” Luke sounded freaked. “Wait.” He pointed at the back of Richard’s head. “Don’t try to change the subject. I saw you at that camping store. When we bought that tent, you were thinking the same thing I was. You love the idea of doing us in the great outdoors.”
Richard turned the wheel to follow another curve in the road. After a minute of silence passed, he said simply, casually, “There are plenty of ways to fuck without lube.”
“Ah-ha.” Luke jabbed a finger in the air. “You were thinking about it.”
That had me laughing again, despite why we were there.
But then a thought hit me. Was there more to Luke’s words than he was letting on? Maybe this trip could be about more than helping Alex and his family. Maybe it could be exactly what the three of us needed.
“So?” Luke said.
“So what?” Richard asked.
“You going to admit it or not?”
“Admit what?”
“What you brought with you.”
Richard sighed. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest and fell back against the seat, keeping his gaze locked on the back of Richard’s head.
Richard continued driving, his focus on the road. Eventually he glanced in the rearview mirror at Luke and then shrugged indifferently. “It’s not a big deal. So I picked up some lubricant at the pharmacy in town. That doesn’t mean I’m as sex-obsessed as you.”
“Sure.” Luke winked at me, and I smiled back at him.
I loved them all the more for doing this with me.
After we were checked in at the main lodge, we headed for our assigned cabin, following a narrow dirt road that brought us even closer to Windtree River and the park land beyond. Each of the cabins was at least a quarter mile from the next. There were utility poles lining the road, but other than that, there were no other signs of civilization. Nothing but trees and brush and rocks and the chirping of birds. It was one of the most remote backcountry roads I’d ever traveled on.
“Guess this is it,” Richard said as he turned into a stone drive. He stopped the Jeep in front of a log cabin. The small building had a golden tone to the natural wood facade, which gave the place a warm, inviting glow in the fading sunlight.
We unloaded our overnight bags and went inside. The cabin’s charming one-room interior included a kitchenette, living room area, fireplace, and a king-size bed. A colorful patchwork quilt lay draped over the back of the couch, and the fireplace mantel had several carved wood animal figurines. Bears and coyotes and wolves.
When we’d checked in at the lodge, the guy working the front desk had made a point of telling us about the two rollaway cots in the closet. It didn’t occur to him that any of us would be sharing a bed. To him, we were probably a group of buddies, just hanging out, having some fun on a fishing trip for the week.
Well, at least he thought two of us were straight. It was obvious he knew Luke was gay, and the guy flirted mercilessly with him. Maybe living out there in such a rural area, he didn’t get many chances to talk to another gay man. It made me wonder what it was about Luke, and not Richard and me, that had clued the guy in. I also couldn’t let go of the idea that maybe Luke got that reaction from guys a lot.
Luke glanced around the cabin. “Hey, this is nice.” He set his bag on the couch. “Even has a fireplace.”
Richard deposited his bag beside Luke’s. “Yeah, it’s pretty great. Out here, I would’ve been happy with electricity, running water, and a toilet that wasn’t a hole in the ground.”
“And lube. Don’t forget the lube.”
Richard chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Luke’s waist and tugged him backward until he had Luke’s ass nestled against his groin. He kissed the side of his neck. “How about I make you a promise? I’ll never forget the lube. Ever.”
“So when you’re eighty, you still plan to fuck my ass?”
“Hell yeah. Why do you think I work out every day?”
“To keep up with Matthew.” Luke reached back and gripped Richard’s ass in one hand. He rotated his hips, provocatively rubbing his ass over Richard’s groin. “You know how young he’ll still be when you’re eighty?”
Richard let out a groan. “Don’t remind me.” He cupped Luke’s chin and turned his head sideways, planting a powerful kiss on his lips.
“I won’t care!” I practically shouted the words from where I stood across the room, clutching my duffel bag to my chest.
They both turned to me.
“I just want us all to be together. Always.”
“We will be,” Richard said.
“Yeah, kid,” Luke added. “I was just kidding around.”
“But…”
“What?” Richard asked.
“Does it bother you? Because it’s not like I’m going to be in my twenties forever.”
Richard let go of Luke and approached me. “The only thing that bothers me is that I don’t want to leave you all alone someday.”
I searched his face. “We don’t know that’s what’ll happen. We don’t know what will happen to any of us, or when.”
“I know.” He took my hand in his. “And we have a long time together before we have to worry about that.”
“Yeah. A long time.”
We said nothing more for a while, just stood there with our hands entwined.
As if trying to ease the apprehension or avoid the topic he’d brought up, Luke rounded the couch and flopped down onto the bed. “Nice mattress.”
“Yeah?” Richard kept his focus on me, but he indicated Luke with a tilt of his head. “Did you notice how he was the one who mentioned us being together when I’m eighty?”
I nodded.
“I love when he says shit like that.”
I nodded again. “Me too.”
“Remember that first week you guys moved in with me, how casual he was trying to be?”
“Yep.”
“But he was scared shitless.”
“I was too,” I said. “I was so scared it wouldn’t work out.”
He brushed my chin with the backs of his fingers. “Same here.”
I studied him with surprise.
“I thought I was pushing too hard, and eventually Luke would leave. Then you would too.”
“I wouldn’t have left. I was way too obsessed with you already.”
He smiled. “It doesn’t matter now. He’s still here. We all are.”
“Yeah, we are.”
He gave me a kiss, and any remaining unease faded away. When we parted, I went to the small round table that sat between the kitchen and the living area. Setting my duffel on a chair, I opened the bag and removed Tomas’s map. I laid it out, covering the entire surface of the table. Dropping into a seat, I examined the map.
“You got a plan for tomorrow?”
Richard’s voice startled me. I hadn’t heard him step closer.
“I think we should start here first.” I pointed to the location Tomas had marked that was closest to the cabin.
According to the map, the nearest trail ran along the road for a while, then veered off toward the middle of the park. It actually made little sense for us to explore the first few places on the map. The road, as well as the outermost trail, would’ve been heavily traveled by the sheriff’s deputies and the park rangers throughout the search, plus by all the hikers and tourists that had been in the park since then. But I wasn’t about to leave until I’d searched every spot on Tomas’s map. Also, with our limited hiking experience, it seemed wise to start with the more accessible locations as a way to ease into things.
Richard laid a hand at the back of my head. “Whatever you think is best. You’re in charge on this.”
“Why me?”
“This is your show.”
Luke crossed the room to us. He stood on my other side and placed his hand over Richard’s. “Yep.”
They waited for me to go on.
“Okay. Then we’ll start here and hit these spots along the main road on the west side of the park first. Then head down this trail if we have time before it gets dark.”
They both nodded in agreement.
“It’ll be a long day,” I added, “but I think it’s doable.”
Richard bent and kissed the top of my head. “Sounds good.”
I gestured toward the bed. “I guess we should get some sleep.”
Luke and I changed for bed and brushed our teeth in the kitchen sink while Richard used the small bathroom. Earlier that day in town, we’d purchased warmer pajamas as well as some more appropriate outdoor clothing, hiking boots, and lightweight waterproof jackets specifically made for keeping warm without adding too much bulk. The late spring days were getting warmer, but at night, the temperature dropped significantly.
Luke spotted me staring at him. He yanked the toothbrush from his mouth. “What?”
I flipped my brush through the air, scanning up and down his body. “You never wear this many clothes to bed.”
He glanced down at the blue-and-white flannel pajamas. “I’m not about to freeze my dick off out here in the middle of nowhere.”
I laughed and finished brushing my teeth. When Luke had done the same, we climbed into the bed. He moved in to lie close at my side, an arm draped across my waist. He nuzzled my neck. “This is nice.”
“Yeah.”
“If we have more time tomorrow night, we should get a fire going.” He swept the tip of his nose along my cheek. Then he kissed the same path. “It’d be romantic.”
I laughed again.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just getting used to this new romantic, flannel-wearing Luke.”
“Oh jeez.” For a moment I thought he was going to do his usual tickle retaliation, but then he tightened his hold on me. Richard had been right about him. Every time Luke held me, I could feel his love for me.
Guilt hit me hard. I still hadn’t told them about what I’d hidden in our bathroom cabinet at home. “Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“You know what we were talking about earlier? About growing old together?”
“Yeah.” He sounded reluctant again.
I forced myself to go on. “Do you ever worry about being faithful to us? Long-term, I mean?”
He let go of me and shifted back so he could get a good look at my face. His eyes were wide, and they held a wounded note that seemed different than anything I’d ever seen from him.
Shit. I never should’ve brought this up.
Chapter Nineteen
“Why would you ask that? Is this about that night I went upstairs with that guy at the Haven? I told you nothing happened then.”
“I know,” I said. “I believed you about that. I guess I’ve just been thinking lately that…”
“What?”
“Forever’s a long time.”
The sound of running water in the bathroom shut off, and then the door opened. Richard came out and went to the couch to return his toiletry items to his bag.
“Hey,” Luke called out for him. “Come here.”
Richard came to the bed. He crawled in and lay on my other side, propping himself on one arm. “What’s going on?”
“Matthew’s asking weird questions.”
“Weird how?”
“Wanting to know if I worry about being faithful to you guys.”
Richard looked at me with stunned surprise, and I shrugged like it was no big deal. But I couldn’t fool them.
“I guess I wonder if you’ve thought about it, really thought about what it’ll be like. In five years, ten, twenty.”
“If I’ve thought about it?” Luke asked.
“Well, both of you, really.”
Richard asked, “You don’t think the three of us can make it?”
“No, I do. I just… that guy at the lodge was really flirting with Luke. I guess it got me thinking.”
“I didn’t flirt back!”
“I know.”
Regardless, he gaped at me, eyes wide, mouth hanging open in disbelief. “You can’t tell me other guys don’t come on to you sometimes, Matthew. You haven’t been asked out at all since you met us?”
“Sure. Once.”
“Who was he?” Richard asked.
“A guy in one of my classes.”
“And you told him about the three of us?”
“I did.”
“Did he keep on pursuing you, try to get you to change your mind?”