Page 60 of After the Rain

And he did—beautifully, violently, gloriously.

He came with a strangled cry, thick spurts painting both our stomachs. His body tensed, then trembled, clenching down around me with such intensity it tore the orgasm from me like a storm. I came with a groan, hips stuttering, cock pulsing deep inside him, spilling into the condom as my body went rigid above his.

The world narrowed to nothing but the two of us, bound by sweat and heat and something far deeper than just sex.

I collapsed onto him, careful not to crush him, our chests rising and falling in tandem.

His arms curled around me. “You okay?” I murmured.

Wade let out a soft, broken laugh. “I don’t even know what planet I’m on right now.”

I nuzzled into the crook of his neck, pressing soft kisses along his jaw, his throat, his collarbone. “You were perfect.”

“I feel wrecked,” he said with a smile, eyes closed. “In the best way.”

I eased out of him slowly, gently, watching his body twitch at the loss. He hissed at the sensitivity, then sighed as I cleaned us both with a soft cloth from the drawer.

He reached for me when I returned, tugging me into his arms like gravity was realigned just for us.

I held him tightly, wrapping my arms around his waist, his head tucked beneath my chin. I could still feel the thrum of him around me, the echo of his moans in my blood.

Wade traced slow lines on my chest. “I was scared,” he admitted softly. “That I wouldn’t know how to do this. That I’d mess it up.”

I tipped his chin up. “You didn’t. You let me see you. All of you. That’s everything.”

He kissed me again, sweet and unhurried, and when we pulled apart, his eyes were clearer, his smile unguarded.

“Ezra,” he said. “I think I’m yours.”

“You always were,” I whispered. “I was just waiting for you to know it.”

Afterward, we lay tangled in sheets that smelled like sawdust and possibility, Wade's arm around me as evening light faded to darkness outside the windows.

"What happens now?" I asked quietly.

"Now we figure out how to build the life we want while protecting the people we love," Wade said, his fingers tracing patterns on my shoulder. "Starting with Cooper's birthday party."

"You want me to come?"

"I want you to come as my partner. I want Cooper to see that his dad is brave enough to love openly, even when it's scary. I want everyone in this town to know that we're together and we're not hiding anymore."

The thought was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure. "Wade, they'll come after us with everything they have."

"Probably. But Ezra, look around." He gestured to the room, the house, the future he'd been building. "I didn't renovate this place to hide in it. I renovated it to live in it. With you. With Cooper. As a family."

"Okay," I said, surprised by the steadiness in my own voice. "Let's do it. Let's stop hiding."

Wade's smile was brilliant in the darkness. "Really?"

"Really. But we're going to need allies. Brook, Uncle John, other parents who support inclusive education. If we're going to be visible targets, we need to make sure we're not standing alone."

"Already working on it," Wade said, pulling me closer. "Marcus is helping me understand what legal protections I have regarding custody. Sarah's being supportive, even though herparents are furious. And I've been thinking about ways to get the broader community involved."

We talked for another hour, making plans and acknowledging fears, building strategy and sharing dreams. By the time we finally left the house that would soon become our home, we had a plan.

It was going to be terrifying. We were about to make ourselves visible targets in a small town that wasn't always kind to people like us. But we were also about to build something real and honest and beautiful.

And after years of hiding and pretending and protecting other people's comfort, that felt like the most revolutionary act of all.

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