Page 86 of Saving You

Then the door slammed, and tiny feet sounded on the hardwood floors. He spun right in time to catch his giggling daughter and showered her with kisses. When he looked over,he saw Oz holding a white paper donut shop bag in one hand and Cheese curled up in the crook of his other arm.

As he should be.

Exactly where he belonged.

‘Welcome home,’ Ridge signed.

Oz’s eyes went wide for a second, and then he let out a breath, nodded, and kissed the cat before letting him down. ‘I missed you.’

Ridge knew he didn’t mean in the half hour he’d been getting donuts. He knew it was bigger than that and deeper. It was a profound sense of knowing that there had been years missed. But while they could never make up for that, the years ahead were going to be so much better.

And fuck. He was happy.

He was so goddamn happy.

EPILOGUE

OZ

The one thinghe hadn’t expected from these therapy sessions was the feeling in his body almost like he had the flu. He walked away achy, exhausted, and sore. He knew the reality of the phrase “feels like I got hit by a bus” a little too intimately and realistically, but it was actually true.

It reminded him of the long recovery he’d made after the accident.

And just like after the accident, the pain in his body was because he was healing. His intake assessment had gone well, and the practice had two Deaf trauma therapists, which not only allowed Oz to express himself in the language that came most naturally to him, but it also dug deep and tore open the scabs hiding all of his tender wounds.

He knew it was going to get worse before it got better, and he was making progress. His first thoughts were no longer about what he’d done wrong or what he didn’t deserve. He was starting to believe that not only did he deserve Ridge but that Ridge was lucky to have him.

That had come with a startled feeling that followed him around all day. He eventually confessed it to his boyfriend, who simply smiled, then pinned Oz on his stomach and ate himout, toying with his cock and edging him into an almost literal oblivion. It had been the best orgasm of his life to date, though he knew there was so much more to come.

He had bad days too though. Days when the therapy pushed a little too hard and a little too far. Days when he couldn’t control his anger. He’d snap at Ridge. He’d snap at his friends. Then he’d lock himself in his condo and ignore his phone until the next morning when all the guilt would come rushing to the surface.

They fought a few times. Ridge was patient and understanding, but he was also sensitive. He did his best to not take things personally, but Oz had learned how to be cutting and cruel from the best. Sometimes he hurt Ridge. Badly.

But he was getting better at compartmentalizing. At asking for space. For trusting that Ridge would give it to him without some sort of consequence or punishment.

Warm, open arms and laughter were always waiting for him when he came through it, and that was the one thing that kept him going and fed that flicker of hope in his chest.

Today had been a hard day but not a particularly painful one. He’d cried from joy after realizing that he could and would be cherished. They’d had a long talk about the concept of unconditional love, and Serena had validated him when he said he didn’t believe in it.

‘There have to be conditions, right?’ he asked, frowning. ‘Without conditions, someone can treat you terribly, and you’re expected to just…take it. To love them anyway, no matter how much hurt they cause.’

She smiled at him and nodded as he worked through it.

‘Even with family. Blood shouldn’t mean we have to take abuse. Blood shouldn’t mean someone’s entitled to my love and support no matter how they treat me.’

‘The only person who can come close to unconditional love is yourself,’ she told him. ‘Because even if you’re a bad person, you know deep down what it’ll take to change that. But the spirit of that kind of love—the kind that says I am here to take you as you are and stay with you as you grow—that is what you want to take with you going forward in your relationships. Not just the romantic ones,’ she added.

He understood that better now that he’d let himself really get to know the guys. And the more he let them get to know him. Things were still a little strained between him and Frey, but he knew Frey was still working through everything.

It had been six months since the incident. Rex had been evaluated and given an ADHD diagnosis, and Oz knew damn well that Frey was beating himself up about not realizing sooner. But he was doing great with his new meds and his therapy.

He and Oz were back to their old routine, and Oz couldn’t be happier.

Well, he supposed he could be. But he knew that would come with time.

Turning the corner, Oz saw the café come into view. Frey was there, sitting in the window. He brightened when he saw Oz, half standing as he waved. Oz laughed as he slipped in through the door and skipped the ordering counter to meet his friend.

Frey grinned, winking the way he always did right before embracing him, then kissed Oz on the temple before pulling out of their hug. ‘How are you?’

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