Page 98 of Hack

EPILOGUE

"You sure it's supposed to go off now?" Carter glanced at his watch.

"That's what the sign in the museum said."

"It's five minutes late." Carter leaned against Archer's shoulder as they sat on the bench waiting for Old Faithful Geyser to erupt. He'd seen video of it a million times, but he was excited to see it in person.

"You know, if it was to stop going off on schedule, it would be when we're here." Archer laughed. "Even if we never got to see this, the whole trip has been amazing. It's so beautiful up here. I think we need a cabin in Wyoming or Montana somewhere. Get a few horses and have Faith and the others come up and ride."

"And in the winter when there's five feet of snow on the ground?" Carter asked.

Archer couldn't answer because at that moment, the geyser went off and they both stared at it in awe.

Nature really was amazing, and taking time away from the team to explore the world was exactly what he'd needed. In the six months since he'd quit the team, they had traveled all over the place, going to Europe for two weeks, then taking smaller vacations like this one before returning home and just spending time being lazy together.

In time, they both wanted to work again. Carter wasn't sure if that was with the team or if he'd find something else to do. He wasn't worried. When the time was right, he'd know.

"That was incredible." Archer kissed him.

"It was. We should hang out and see it again later." Carter looked around as the huge crowd started to wander off. "We should have gotten a hotel room here."

"We can come back. As for the hotel room, I'm quite fond of our little camper." Archer smiled.

So was he. They could take and park it almost anywhere, and the two of them fit perfectly together at night in the large bed in the back. It was all they needed. They wanted for nothing, because they both just wanted to experience life. That meant taking things day by day and just going with whatever life threw in front of them.

Without life pulling them every direction, they were content to just be together, forgetting the stress of the past, leaving behind the horrible things he'd seen, and focusing on an unknown future with endless possibilities.

Even though he would deny it, Archer had saved him, and Carter would never take for granted the gift that he had by his side. He'd found his partner, his lover, and his best friend.

"How about we head to Denver next?" Archer said cautiously.

Carter tensed. Archer and Bryon had both been trying to get him to go see Dyson in Denver. And he needed to. He knew that, but he just wasn't ready to face that mistake yet. He was glad Dyson was happy, but Carter couldn't forgive himself that it was because of him Dyson was no longer in California, with the friends and family he'd been around for so long. "I can't. Not yet."

Archer nodded and pressed no further. "Then how about we cut through to Cody, Wyoming? I hear there's a rodeo every night there, and a gun museum that I'd love to see."

Relieved that Archer was willing to move on to other topics, he nodded. "I'd love that." They had nowhere to be anytime soon. "And I love you."

"I love you too." Archer took his hand as they walked to where they'd parked the camper.

As they made their way across the large parking lot, Carter smiled. Life was good. He was happy, and he had the man he loved by his side. He could do anything with Archer's support and love. He'd faced most of his demons and come out on top, and he'd continue to do so one small step at a time. He could face almost anything with Archer by his side.

Denver and Dyson were going to be another story.