Page 63 of Protecting his Heart

“So, where to first? The market? The aquarium, though, we’ll have to get some photos for Randall. He’ll be so jealous.”

“I’m sure Dominic will bring him one day,” Evan said. “He’s already taken him to the London one, remember?”

They wandered towards the market, spending time looking around the wares and buying little gifts for their friends. When Evan paused at a small snow globe with Brighton Pier inside, Owen knew who he was thinking of. Despite not knowing his sister had existed, she would never be far from his thoughts now.

“She’d love it,” Owen whispered in his ear, and Evan sent him a small smile and paid for it, tucking it into his pocket for safekeeping.

Owen bought a Laurel and Hardy mug for his mother, a mini plastic aquarium game for Randall, a boxing glove keyring for Dominic—now he was back to training with them—and couldn’t resist a cuddly teddy bear in a tuxedo complete with a crown for Princes Freddie and Damon.

“That’ll give them a laugh, if nothing else,” Evan said.

“You’re one to talk. Why would Matteo need a Daddy’s boy T-shirt?” He raised his eyebrows.

Evan grinned. “That’s for him to tell you if he wants to.”

“I don’t think I need to ask. The question I do need answered is who?”

“Again, a question for him. But I’m not truly unconvinced that it’s a terrible choice.” Evan shrugged. “I always thought the guy was straight, but after seeing him lately, I’m not so sure.”

They spent a couple of hours at the aquarium, grabbing some lunch when they were finished, and then aimed for Brighton Palace Pier. Owen loved rollercoasters, and thankfully, so did Evan. They would never be too old to ride them, and he had visions of them riding them when they were old and grey—if the attendants let them.

After far too many turns on the turbo coaster, twister and waltzers, they grabbed some candy floss, once more acting more like kids than adults, and Owen loved it. He also loved the easiness and relaxation on Evan’s face. It was what he’d hoped for, and although he knew it would return when they arrived home, he was happy for the reprieve.

They took a walk down the beach, removing their shoes and socks, and Owen wiggled his toes in the cold sand and breathed deeply.

“I don’t know what it is about the seaside, but it makes everything better,” he said.

“I thought that was ice cream?” Evan grinned at him.

“That, too.”

“I guess we’re going to have to go for the trifecta of candy floss, hot dogs and ice cream, then.”

Owen bit his lip. “I want space for dinner.”

Evan tilted his head. “Maybe we should go for ice cream after dinner?”

“A treat for the car journey home,” Owen agreed.

They walked to the marina and brushed as much sand off their feet as they could before putting the socks and shoes back on.

“I think I might regret that. Walking on sandy feet is never pleasant,” Evan said.

Owen gave their name to the host and settled at the table, draping their coats on the back of their chairs. The view from the window was as amazing as he remembered, the lights from the pier and the boats glowing brightly in the distance, giving them a sense of romance, especially with the dim lighting in the restaurant itself.

“Thank you for this,” Evan said.

Owen smiled. “You’re welcome. I think we both needed this. A reminder of who we were with a bridge to who we are now. Despite everything in between, we’re still those people. I don’t want to forget anything about our journey, but if I could go back to that morning and change the outcome, I would.”

Evan covered his hand. “I’ve been thinking about that, and I think we had to go through that to become the people we are today. If we hadn’t done that, I’m not sure we would’ve stayed together.”

“What makes you say that?” Owen frowned.

Evan leaned on his forearms, lowering his voice. “What we’ve been through changes us inside. I think we were far too in the clouds to see each other properly. I honestly think we would’ve caused each other more harm and possibly lost our friendship completely when we broke up.”

Owen thought about it. “Possibly. We still had a lot to learn about each other, that’s for definite.”

“And now we’re older, a little more dented, yes, but we can appreciate things a lot more.”

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