After meeting Oliver at a winter’s tango night in the art gallery, it took some time but Stacy let down his guard and let Oliver dance him across the room. In that short amount of time, unknowingly, Oliver shows Stacy that his life isn’t over, just like dancing the tango, all he needs to do is follow his heart. Stacy returned to the beach and asked his deceased wife for forgiveness and to release him. He knew she did as soon as Oliver kissed him there on the beach in the black of night. 

After a bit of soul-searching, Stacy returned to Rehoboth Beach hoping to find Oliver. All he knew was his first name and his occupation. With a new-founded determination, he found Oliver and the two started something more than a friendship – a first for Stacy. After several weekends at the shore, the two men fell in love, and with Oliver’s help, Stacy entered into his first gay relationship.

But Stacy’s repeated weekend trips to Rehoboth Beach raised the eyebrows of his two kids who felt it was too soon after their mother’s passing for their dad to start seeing other women. Stacy tried to assure them he was not seeing another woman but he never mentioned seeing a man. To prove to his kids that he was in a good space and that was partly due to spending time in Rehoboth Beach, he took his kids for a weekend trip. While there, he took them to tango night where they too fell in love with Oliver, even Stacy’s son. 

The relationship between Stacy and Oliver grew and became a hidden-loving relationship. That summer, Stacy took the kids into his new life for a week’s vacation. He was still afraid to come out, especially since his son was semi-homophobic. Stacy rented a beach house for the three of them, which turned into five with sweethearts. Oliver was there from the start, charming the four kids as he had done to Stacy. But Stacy’s daughter’s boyfriend watched too closely, seeing a closeness that wasn’t quite right. He accused Oliver of making inappropriate advances, which put Stacy in a spot between his love and his kids. He stood up for Oliver but still could not come out.

But Oliver wasn’t used to hiding his sexuality, and the breakup was palpable. It was Stacy’s daughter who came to realize the truth and told her dad it was ok if he came out. But Stacy’s youngest, wouldn’t be that easy. One night, at the end of the vacation, the kids went to dinner without Stacy. They said they would go to a specific restaurant but changed plans last minute. Sitting outside on the deck of the Stingray, they saw Stacy and Oliver walking by and holding hands. Stacy’s son freaked – ranting and cursing. Stacy stepped up, put his son in his place, and taught him a valuable life lesson. The entire family ended up on the beach, just as Stacy and Oliver had done so many months before, to ask for permission, guidance, or forgiveness from a wife and mother that had left too soon. 

An epilogue takes us through the lives of the son and daughter who mature into sensible and loving adults. The son made a complete reversal and ended up following Oliver’s career and ended up working with Oliver. The daughter married and had a baby, insisting that Oliver be there even though he and Stacy were no longer a couple.

The most important part of the story is how Stacy and Oliver’s lives unfold. They show us that even though you may not end up with the love you thought was “the one”, it might still be the most important relationship you could ever have. The two men never lose their love for each other nor their friendship even though both found the right person for each. 

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