Page 54 of Harris

They dressed and walked through the ranch house to find everyone on the back deck.

“What’s going on?” Harris asked.

“Wait and see,” Jennifer said as three trucks approached the ranch house. One of the trucks was towing something big on a trailer, but it was covered.

It was the Fire Lake team, and as they parked, Brian and Kyle came out of the barn, leading a blindfolded Shaw. They led Shaw to whatever was under the tarps and removed his blindfold.

“What’s going on?” Shaw asked, looking around.

Brick walked over to the trailer and pulled on a rope hanging down from the top of the tarp. As the fabric gave way, a cheer rose up.

“Happy birthday.”

“Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?” Shaw yelled.

“It is,” Brick confirmed.

“A BearCat Assault vehicle.”

Harris watched as Shaw hugged and kissed his lovers, shook hands, and hugged his teammates as the beast of a vehicle was rolled off the trailer. He couldn’t help but feel at home with these people. They were as crazy as he was, but in all the right ways.

“You see that old shed over there?” Bryan asked Shaw, pointing toward what looked to be a thirty-foot single-story shed that used to hold those huge round bales of hay.

“Yeah,” Shaw said.

“Have at it.”

“Really? Really, really. Oh shit, yesss,” Shaw hooted and hollered as he got in the driver’s seat and took off across the pasture.

He didn’t even slow down as he drove the BearCat through one side of the shed and out the other to the cheers of all. Harris pulled Woodley into his arms. He’d never felt complete happiness before now, and it was thanks to his tenacious detective.

“I love you, Liam.”

“I love you too, and as for breaking ground on our place, is that broken enough for you?” Woodley asked as he pointed to where Shaw was making quick work of the former building.

“You mean?” Harris asked in shock.

“Yep, that’s where our new home is going to be built,” Woodley said.

Everyone on the deck turned and cheered, this time for them.

“Welcome home.”

Jennifer had tears in her eyes as everyone clapped.

“You planned all of this for me?” Harris asked.

“Nothing less would do.” Woodley grinned before pulling Harris close and kissing him.

Harris wasn’t sure what he’d done in his life to deserve all this, but he thanked the heavens for this chance and swore never to take it for granted.

As the group watched, Shaw flattened the shed; everyone cheered him on as bottles of beer were handed out and a large birthday cake appeared.Where the hell had they been hiding all this?

Weeks from now, they’d be busy digging the first hole to lay the footings as he and Woodley watched while making those future plans that once scared him, and they’d never look back.

***

Lake House

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