They pulled into Hattie's parking lot. Tim and Adam had not had any alcohol since the bonfire that night. But after the last couple of days, they both were in bad need of a beer. They made a promise to each other that each would only have two beers and absolutely NO moonshine.

"Oh, my Lawd." Hattie smiles as she sees the foursome walk in. She had been sitting and chatting with Mark and Bob.

"We're baaaack!" Tim says, opening his arms as the small older lady runs to him.

"I've been so worried about you guys." She says as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"She definitely has. It wouldn't have hurt you guys to call." Mark smiles. "We thought you might have ended up in jail."

"Tim probably would have if he got to do what he wanted to do." Adam chuckles.

"So you didn't get to beat his ass?" Bob asks.

"Unfortunately, no." Tim chuckles as he pulls a chair out for Adam before he, himself, sat down.

"Could I get y'all something?" Hattie asks.

"Beers for everyone." Tim smiles up at the older lady.

"You buying?" Bob asks.

"But I thought y'all had quit drinking." Hattie says as she crosses her arms.

"Yes, we're buying." Adam chuckles. "We have a reason to celebrate."

"So, I take it that things went in your favor?" Mark asks with a raised brow.

"Yep, Adam got his inheritance and we also had a restraining order put on Chris." Tim nods.

"Well." Bob laughs as he scoots his chair closer to Adam's and drapes his arm around the blonde's shoulder. "You just became my new best friend."

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of." Adam laughs as he pushes the big man away.

"Well, I happy for you guys. Y'all definitely deserve a break." Hattie smiles as she serves the beer.

Tim grabs the beer and takes a big swig. It had been months since he had had one. It didn't taste quite as good as he thought it would. With a somewhat sour look on his face, he slowly looks around at his husband. The look on the blonde's face was similar to his.

"Would you like something else to drink?" Hattie asks as she begins to laugh.

"Root beer, please, Mam." Tim answers sliding his beer over to his brother.

"Sweet tea for me, please." Adam replies, sliding his to Olena.

"Oh, uh, since you guys are rich now, are you gonna stop trapping and hunting gators?" Bob asks.

"Uh, no." Tim answers as if it was obvious. "That's what I love to do. It's just now I can stop patching up my old pirogue and get me the airboat I've always dreamed of having." Chuckling softly.

"We're not changing, Bob. Just maybe now we can just enjoy life a little more without some of the worry." Adam adds.

"Listen, if you guys aren't busy tomorrow, I could really use some help." Bob says as he leans his elbows on the table.

"What do you need?" Tim asks.

"I've got a lot of gator traps set in the swamps and we're supposed to have some storms moving in tomorrow afternoon. I could really use the help getting my traps run." Bob answers.

"Sure. I guess we don't have any plans." Tim replies as he looks around at his husband for confirmation.

"I've got some things I need to do but you and Austin can go help." Adam says.

"Well," Tim smiles as he looks back at his friend. "There's your answer."

They sat and chatted for a good thirty to forty-five minutes before exhaustion began to set in for the travelers. Tim couldn't stop yawning and Adam had a hard time keeping his eyes open as he lays his head over on his husband's shoulder.

"Well, I guess we need to get these two home." Austin smiles as his brother yawns again.

"I am pretty tired." Tim replies, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"Me too. It's been a stressful couple of days." Adam adds. "I just want to go home and relax."

"Should we go by and pick up Bailey?" Olena asks as they were walking out of the cafe.

"We will later. Let them have a few hours of peace and quiet before we go get the wild child." Austin chuckles.

"Okay, I'll call Jenika when we get home." Olena says.

Sami smiles as she walks out onto the porch as they drive up into the driveway.

"You guys look beat." She giggles as she walks out to the car.

"We are." Tim says as they begin to unload their luggage from the trunk. "I really hate flying."

"It's good to have you home." She smiles as she gives the couple a hug.

"Home." Adam repeats softly as he smiles and nods, looking around at the beautiful trees covered in Spanish moss around the old house. This was his home.

Tim gathers some of the luggage and starts toward the house. He glances over his shoulder to see his husband staring up at the trees with a soft smile on his face.

"Babe? Are you alright?" Tim asks.

"Yeah." Adam smiles as he looks around at the Cajun. "I've never been better. We're home."

"Uh, yeah?" Tim replies with an unsure nod.

"Home. Such a small word to have such a powerful meaning." Adam rambles as he picks up the remaining luggage and walks toward his husband, who was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"You're exhausted aren't you." Tim says with a smirk on his lips.

"ExTREMEly." Adam giggles.

Sami fixes them all a glass of tea as the Fousts carry their suitcases to their bedroom. Olena calls Jenika to let her know that they were home and would come after Bailey later. But Jenika begs for them to let the little girl spend the night. She loved having her 'niece' there and figured they all could use some downtime. Olena agreed. She and Austin were also tired after the long drive.

"Thanks, Sweetie." Tim smiles as Sami hands him a glass of tea after he plops down on the couch. "Nectar of the Gods." He adds as he takes a sip.

Satchmo follows Adam out of the bedroom where he had been napping on his owner's bed.

"Look who I found sleeping on our bed." Adam chuckles as he starts to walk over to the couch where his husband had laid down to relax.

"That's where he's stayed since you've been gone." Sami replies.

"Hey, Buddy." Tim smiles as the furry beast hops up on the couch and lays down on top of him. "Did you miss me?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Adam laughs, placing his hands on his hips. "I believe that is my spot, Mr. Satchmo."

"I guess he figures it's his turn to snuggle." Sami giggles.

"That's right. You have to learn how to share, Adam." Austin laughs. "Satchmo demands his time with Timmy."

"Did you ever tell me how you and Satch got together?" Adam asks, taking a seat in the recliner.

"I found him in the swamp while I was out trapping one day. Someone had just dumped him out in the middle of nowhere." Tim says as he gently pets his best friend. "He couldn't have been more than two or three months old."

"Yeah, that's right. I remember now. But it still blows my mind why someone would want to dump such a beautiful puppy?" Adam asks.

"A lot of Cajuns are very superstitious. Having a dog with two colors of eyes were thought to bring a curse or bad luck to whoever owned the dog." Tim says as he looks down at the sleeping beast. "He was almost dead from starvation. I just couldn't leave him to die."

"Timmy nursed him back to health and they've been inseparable ever since." Austin adds. "That dog has saved both of our asses several times."

"I was so scared of him at first." Adam chuckles. "That look he gave me when I first met Tim was like, you take one more step and you're a dead man."

"But he fell in love with you just like I did." Tim smiles up at his husband. "And look at us now. One big happy family."

*******

Until next time ....  ✌️