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A sraced Nick’s tanned face, and he braced himself at the last round They disappeared froht briefly, and Zane hurried to join them

Kelly didn’t seeht of his lack of decorued Nick hard Nick flailed under hi still on his back He finally wrapped his ar instead

“Jesus Christ, if that’s the welcoer said as he approached He shook Zane’s hand and patted hi at Zane’s feet and threw himself on top of Kelly

A moment later, Owen appeared from the sea of faces and launched hi his ar pile in theon the bottom Almost

He glanced up, scanning the crowd for the only person he desperately needed to see He was searching so hard that he al just a few yards away and gazing at Zane with a smile

Zane’s breath caught “Ty”

“Hi,” Ty said with a bigger grin He was tanned and bearded, which hy Zane hadn’t ier than when he’d left too, obvious even under the hat he wore, and he was far leaner But his hazel eyes still glinted like they always did

Zane started toward hiht see or what the consequences would be Ty jogged the rest of the distance and threw himself into Zane’s ar the warmth and solidity of the h it wasn’t the one Zane usually associated with Ty It was still him

“Oh htened his ar at his uniform

“I ripped at Zane’s hair, and he stood on the toes of his boots so they could cling tighter to each other

The thought of a kiss never entered Zane’sback so he could look at Ty’s face, the face he’d seen in his dreaht as he lay awake He just squeezed his eyes closed and held on to Ty like he rasp for his very soul in a pit of a thousand reaching hands

Ty held to him the same way

“Can’t breathe!” a pitiful voice finally called out, interrupting the joyous reunion

Ty pulled back only enough for hihter that were their friends Nick was trying to extricate himself from the bottom, with little luck

Ty shook his head “Don’t care,” he rinned widely He took Zane’s face in his hands “Hello, beautiful”

Zane returned the sether, kissing him for all the e of a dreaht he ered on Ty’s hands on his face were still warm and solid His beard was scratchy at Zane’s cheek He was real This was real, and Zane wasn’t about to let it slip away