Chapter 69: Chapter 69

He just wanted to leave Enterprise and all of this behind him. He wanted to have a new beginning somewhere else.

“Do you really think we can get a fresh start together?” Justin asked, hope swelling inside his chest.

“Yes,” Del said softly. “I think we can do anything we want.”

Justin smiled and drew Del in for another gentle kiss.

* * * *

Justin fought with his nerves the entire day Emily and her husband were due over for a cookout. He knew that Del knew Emily from school, but he was finding it difficult to imagine that she wouldn’t somehow be the bearer of bad news. That she’d suddenly tell him that no, he couldn’t have the kids after all since he couldn’t look after them on his own. It wasn’t even fair to Emily, he knew, because she’d been nothing but helpful and supportive. It was just that she represented the system, and Justin had been raised to never trust the system to begin with, and to know that he was totally powerless against it as well.