Chapter 7

I put my arm around him. “You can do anything you want to, love,” I said. “The world is yours for the taking. So what if you can’t fight in the army anymore? Guess what, you’re still a fighter. It’s just not on the battlefield with guns, bombs and insurgents, right? It’s you against the world.”

“Yeah.”

I kissed his forehead. “I’m here for you, but I know you can handle it.” I hugged him closer to my side, his head on my shoulder as we just let the afternoon pass us by.

Sometime later, Joey sat up and slid a leg under his butt, his body now angled toward me. “How’s the trailer park?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s fine. Everyone sends their love, even Adrian.”

Joey laughed. “Adrian acts like such a hard-ass, but he’s really a softie, especially when it comes to people he cares about. I mean, look at him and Brandon, and what they went through.” He stared out over the water. “I’d like to have a relationship like that someday.”