Mchapter29

Lance moved into Josh and Leah�s house that day with the added help of Joey. Justin and Leah were sent to go buy boxes to pack all of Lance�s things, while Josh and Lance sorted everything out at the apartment. Joey was busy in the morning, but he came with pizzas for lunch and then helped them actually move the boxes.

It took three trips using Joey�s truck, Lance�s car, and Josh�s SUV. But they got everything over to Josh�s house and into the front hall and dining room. The group had a blast together, joking and telling stories. Lance felt very comfortable around Leah and vice versa. Justin also started feeling more comfortable around Josh and Lance. They all knew they�d been blessed with wonderful friendships.

A week later, Lance was all unpacked and moved in completely, when they packed up and went to Maine. Leah had come home one day a few weeks after they�d had Lance over for his �thank you dinner� and asked if they were still going on their yearly trip to Maine. She asked excitedly if Justin and Lance could come with them. And Josh had told her that if his relationship with Lance lasted, like he hoped it would, then they could go. The relationship lasted, and grew stronger and stronger, so there they were, packing for the trip.

Josh was exhausted because he usually only had to organize packing for himself and Leah. This time it was for four people. Lance helped him out, but it was still tiring. It was a good thing Josh�s SUV was big because he had two extra people�s things to find room for. Finally, the car was packed and everyone was seated. They made their way to the airport, Leah and Justin leaning into each other, sleeping, since it was still early. Lance was looking about brochures and talking about all the fun things they could do in Maine.

Josh looked over at Lance while he was at a stoplight and smiled at how excited he was. Josh had been to Maine with Leah almost every year since she was born. After Christi had died, he�d practically become a hermit, but their trip to Maine was the exception every year. He�d pack her toys and clothes and fly her to Maine, loving to just sit and watch her play in the sand. He�d bring her into the ocean and listen to her delighted squeal as the water hit her tiny feet. He loved his time in Maine with Leah, and now they�d be spending it with two more people that he loved.

The plane ride passed by quickly for all of them. Justin and Leah didn�t sleep because they had in the car, but they talked, played games, and watched the movie that the airline provided. Josh and Lance, both exhausted from the day they�d spent packing, both slept, heads on each other�s shoulders. They didn�t wake up until Leah shook their shoulders, excitedly telling them they�d landed and could get off the plane.

They got off the plane, got their luggage, and found their rental car, and made their way to their hotel in Wells, Maine. When they got there, they unpacked and made their way to their room. When they entered, Lance and Justin were both amazed at the size. Josh and Leah stayed there every year, but Lance and Justin had never seen if before. The place was huge. There was a master bedroom for Josh and Lance, a smaller bedroom for Leah and Justin, a nice kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a loft. And the ceilings were high so that just made it look even bigger. There was also a balcony that overlooked the ocean, which was less than a mile away.

After wandering around the room, they decided to go down to the beach. They hadn�t unpacked yet, so they didn�t have bathing suits, but they decided just to walk on the beach. They piled into the rental car and drove to the beach. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. Justin and Leah immediately ran to where the ocean came up to the sand, both gasping as the cool water hit their feet. Josh and Lance watched them from a distance walking slowly together.

�It�s so pretty,� Lance said, and Josh could hear the excitement in his voice.

�Yeah,� Josh agreed, giggling as Justin splashed Leah and he heard her squeal.

�Thanks for inviting me,� Lance said, grabbing a hold of Josh�s hand.

�Thank you for coming,� Josh replied, squeezing Lance�s hand before letting go. But Lance held on to Josh�s hand tightly.

�I don�t care what people think,� Lance whispered softly in his ear. �I love you.�

�I love you too,� Josh responded, smiling at Lance and holding on tightly to Lance�s hand.

They made their way down to the water where Leah and Justin were still �playing.� Josh gasped as the water hit his bare feet and he heard Lance make a similar sound beside him.

�It�s freezing,� Lance said softly.

�Yeah, but it doesn�t matter. It�s still run to swim in. You forget about the cold after a while,� Josh told him, pointing to Leah, who�d just been thrown into the water by Justin. They giggled a little as they continued to watch the pair.

�Justin!� Leah screamed as she was thrown into the cold water.

�Yes?� Justin asked innocently.

�You got my clothes all wet,� she stated, standing up and walking towards him.

�Oh, yeah, sorry about that,� Justin replied, unable to keep the grin from his face.

�Oh, you think this is funny, huh?� Leah asked, her eyes sparkling.

�Well, yeah, kinda,� Justin responded, trying not to laugh.

�I�m so going to get you for that,� Leah told him, lunging forward, but not fast enough as Justin stepped back. Justin giggled as Leah landed in the water again, making a big splash. He stopped giggling, however, when he saw the evil gleam in her eyes. She smiled sweetly at him as she stood a second time.

Just then, he was knocked over into the water and he could hear Leah�s delighted shout. He looked up to see Josh standing over him. �You better be nice to my girl, Justin,� he joked, laughing.

Justin laughed too, grabbing Josh�s legs and pulling him down. Leah saw Lance coming over and ran, knocking him down too. They all laughed and splashed each other, having a blast. None of them cared that they didn�t have towels, or that they�d be freezing walking to the car. All they cared about were the people around them, and having a good time.

They eventually decided they�d had enough and went back to the hotel to shower and change. Later that night, after a wonderful seafood dinner, they lounged around the living room, watching TV. Josh wasn�t paying too much attention to the TV though. He watched Justin and Leah interact. He watched Lance watch TV. And he thought about how blessed he was to be with the three people he loved most. He knew he�d had a second chance at finding a soul mate, and he couldn�t be more thankful for that. He and Lance weren�t married, yet, and Justin wasn�t his son, but it felt like a family. His family. And that�s all he needed.