Jevon shrugged. “They don’t know I’m here. And they’ve pretty much given up on me as far as Christmas is concerned. I usually make it up to them over the summer with a couple of mega barbecues. Trust me, it’s easier than trying to get your head around pouring turkey gravy over your rice and peas.”
“You’ve lost me.”
“Have I?”
“Never.” Rhys lolled his head on Jevon’s shoulder. “And for what it’s worth, I can’t imagine a better way to spend Christmas than here with you... and my family.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Family is important, man. You’ve gotta drop the lone wolf shit... I hate thinking of you being alone when I’m gone.”
“It won’t be for long.”
“How d’ya figure?”
Rhys sat up as Joe took a tumble off the big black horse, waiting until he stood up and threw his helmet at Emma before answering with a theory that had been on his mind since he’d woken up. “Transferring my secondment from the air ambulance to the NGO needs a lot of paperwork shuffling I didn’t really have time for while I was working. If my ankle heals right, I can probably wrap it up by the time I’m back on my feet.”
“Wow.” Jevon shifted on the bench so he was facing Rhys. “You could be on camp by February?”
“I reckon so.”
“Do you think—”
He stopped. Rhys nudged him. “What? Go on, please?”
Jevon gazed steadily at Rhys. “You said last night you were thinking of talking to someone about all the shit you’ve been through. Are you going to do that too…while you’re off your feet anyway?”
Rhys nodded. “I am. I’ve been dodging service counselling for years, but that’s going to change. I need to be back on my feet in every sense before I embark on anything new.”
“And your ankle will be okay?”
“Hopefully. I’ve got the best physiotherapist in the business for a brother, so I’ve every chance.”
A smile burst slowly across Jevon’s lovely face, like rays of sunshine eating up the clouds. “I thought it would take months and months. That we’d be apart until summer, at least.”
“Fuck that noise.” Rhys brought one of Jevon’s hands to his lips and kissed it. “I’d quit my job before I let that happen. I want to be with you, but more than that—I want—fuck... I want to use the skills I have to make a bigger impact. These days, there’s a waiting list of paramedics to get on the air ambulance team—dozens of people lined up to do my job, and I know it every time I put that damn suit on. Working on the camps feels more personal, you know?”
Jevon nodded slowly. “I get it. I worried for a while that I was being selfish by pitching you the idea, but then I saw the light in your eyes every time we talked about it and knew you’d make it happen with or without me.”
“I can’t be without you, Jevon. You know that, don’t you?”
“As much as I know I can’t be without you.”
Rhys’s own smile widened enough to hurt his face. “Then we’d better go tell Harry to order an extra turkey.”
Epilogue
Six months later...
“I can’t believe you live in a minibus with blacked out windows. Thought you were supposed to be roughing it?”
Rhys gave Harry the finger down the phone and continued on his guided tour of the Sicilian IDP camp he currently called home. “A tour company donated a bunch of broken-down vehicles that were bound for scrap—warmer than tents come winter—and I think we got the mafia’s cast-offs. I’m not complaining, though.”
“Bet you’re not,” Angelo called out from somewhere behind Harry.
He left the rest of the sentence unsaid, but he wasn’t wrong. The rusty gangster minibus had everything he and Jevon needed, including a facade of privacy they wouldn’t get anywhere else on the sprawling camp.