Between Two Promises Read Online Free

glistening under the afternoon sun like a jewel. No wonder the pioneers named the area Jewel Basin, Aiden mused as he and Daniel descended the tree-lined trail toward the lake. Difficult to believe such beauty graced their backyard.
    Shallow snowfields layered the meadows abutting the forest that bordered the lake. Shielded from the sun by the surrounding higher elevations and towering trees, the snowfields left indelible imprints of unpredictable weather patterns common to mountains. An August snowstorm might arise more quickly than the bend of bear grass in the wind. Aiden shrugged off his backpack and built a stocky snowman from one of the snowfields. In a much better humor after Aiden promised never to wander off again, Daniel snapped a few pictures while Aiden posed next to his snowy creation.
    “An August snowman,” Aiden said, his cheeks stretching to what felt like his ears.
    “Almost as out of place as we are in most of the world,” Daniel said. Aiden detected the regret in Daniel’s ebony eyes the moment he’d uttered those somber words. Rolling his eyes, Daniel smiled softly and reached for Aiden’s hand.
    Fingers woven together, they hiked through the thick foliage and into a small clearing, where they spied the shores of Black Lake. After finding their designated campsite, they set up their two-man tent and made their way down to the lake to fill their water canisters. Aiden watched the muscles in Daniel’s forearms flex as Daniel, squatting low, worked the pump of their portable filter.
    Aiden set down his canister and crouched next to him, draping an arm across his strapping back. Daniel did not flinch from Aiden’s touch or shrug him off. In the woods, away from the judgmental glare of civilization, he always showed more comfort with open affection. Resting his arms a moment, Daniel looked from under his wide-brimmed hat into Aiden’s eyes. Daniel’s thick, dark bangs curled and lay damp against his forehead. He pushed the brim of his straw hat higher on his head with the back of his hand and kissed Aiden on the nose.
    “I wish you were as comfortable with me everywhere else as you are in the woods,” Aiden said. With his free hand, he let his fingertips break the surface of the lake. The water was refreshingly cool. He placed a droplet on Daniel’s nose and pecked it off.
    “Come on.” Daniel picked up the water canisters and headed back to camp.
    Aiden followed behind, his eyes stuck on his boyfriend’s stalwart form. Only the massive hemlocks detracted from his muscular bulk. There must be some way to get him to loosen up outside of the rustic backcountry.
    Back at the campsite, the air grew chilly as the sun disappeared behind a band of fluffy clouds. Aiden hugged himself and watched Daniel rig a urethane cord between two hemlock branches. He would use it to suspend their backpacks away from opportunistic animals. Even in his gawky boots, his six-foot-four frame seemed to hover over the ground, easily gliding from spot to spot. With each move, Aiden watched his sinewy muscles flex under his hiking clothes. Daniel stopped and sniffed the air, perhaps checking the weather.
    Daniel would always be Amish, Aiden mulled, watching him use his farm-honed instincts to inspect his environment. No matter how far they lived from Henry, Illinois, his Amish ancestry would follow them.
    “Well,” Daniel said, continuing with his toil. The veins on his neck were thick with blood. “Are you going to do nothing but stare at me?”
    “I was thinking about when we ran into each other in Glacier Park that first time,” Aiden said. “Sometimes I still can’t believe it.”
    “God has unique ways about Him.” Daniel went back to tying a sturdy knot on the cord.
    Aiden studied him a moment more. “I think we should talk,” he said. “I mean really talk. It will make us both feel better.”
    Daniel stopped and looked at him. “You mean it will make you feel better. Sometimes you get up on that soapbox