AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Seth chuckled. "You've got a lot of them, but I mean the crew at the Triple M. West came up to deliver some supplies, and once he got a good look at the place, he insisted on sticking around to help. They all pitched in whenever they had the spare time, especially once I made it clear you'd be living up here with me someday."
Aiden's throat tightened with a mix of emotions—gratitude, disbelief, and a lingering sense of unworthiness. Maybe someday Seth's love would heal the last dregs of doubt out of him, but until then, he would battle it on his own. For the first time, he believed it was a fight he could win, so long as the glow of warmth and affection stayed in Seth's eyes.
"It looks like it did the first time I saw it," he murmured, more to himself than to Seth. “Maybe better.”
"Come on," Seth said, slipping an arm around Aiden's waist and turning him toward the barn. "I want to show you something."
The strange tension in his voice piqued Aiden's curiosity. Seth's hand was warm and solid on his back, grounding him, and Aiden couldn't help but lean into the touch as they walked, seeking his strength and reassurance.
The barn overflowed with golden afternoon light, and for a moment, Aiden was overwhelmed by a wave of nostalgia. By comparison, the ranch he'd been working in Idaho seemed soulless.
Seth didn't stop inside the barn like Aiden expected. Instead, he guided him through it and out the back door, where a horse paddock emptied onto a small pasture. In the distance, beneath the new spring leaves of an oak tree, was Bandit. He looked sleek and robust, frisking like a colt with Diamond.
Aiden's breath caught in his throat. He shook his head, unable to process what he was seeing. He'd spent months mourning the loss of the horse that had gotten him through such hard years when he was a child. As old as Bandit was and as little as his mother cared for him, Aiden had known he might never see him again.
"Seth…" his voice was barely a whisper.
Seth's hand rested on his back, rubbing soothing circles between his shoulder blades. "I knew how much he meant to you," he said softly.
"How did you get my mom to let him go?" Aiden asked, his voice strained with awe and disbelief.
"We had a long talk," Seth said wryly. Aiden got the sense from his tone that it hadn't been an easy conversation. "I used the money you left to pay for her roof, and then I got a deal with the company to take care of her place at the same time they were laying shingle for me. She's called a few times since then, mostly just to ask questions about the process, but I think she wanted to know if I'd heard from you. She's lonelier than I ever realized. You were right about that."
"She's the one who told me about the ceremony today," Aiden said, tearing his eyes away from Bandit long enough to glance at Seth.
Seth's dark eyes twinkled. "I know," he said impishly. "I might've suggested it the last time we talked."
Aiden opened his mouth to say something clever, but he was distracted when Bandit looked toward him and pricked his ears forward curiously. The gelding took a tentative step toward them, then a few more, picking up speed until he was loping across the pasture. Aiden stepped forward to meet him, tears burning the backs of his eyes. He blinked them away and let out a small, broken laugh when Bandit skidded to such a hard stop that chunks of earth flew up in front of him.
"I can't believe you did this for me," he said, grinning so hard it hurt.
"I'd do anything for you," Seth replied fiercely. "Bandit belongs with you…and you belong with me. This is your home, Aiden. It always has been."
Aiden looked up from Bandit, toward Seth, who was watching him with an expression of such love, and in that moment, Aiden felt something click into place—something he hadn't realized was missing until it settled deep in his chest and filled the last hollow spaces with warmth and light.
"Beats the hell out of a trailer," he tried to joke despite the quaver in his voice.
Seth's smile widened. "That reminds me. I've got something else for you to see…when you're ready."
Aiden smiled fondly at Bandit, stroking his freshly curried neck and giving it a few extra pats. "Lay it on me," he said gamely, so full of joy he felt ready to fly. "Bandit and I have all the time in the world to spend together now."
Seth took Aiden by the hand, then stopped dead and frowned down at his raw palms. "What happened here?" he asked.
"Would you believe me if I said that's how much I missed you?" Aiden joked, waggling his eyebrows and making a lewd gesture.
Seth rolled his eyes, tugging Aiden toward the house, and said, "I'd believe that you lost your gloves again."
"Maybe a little of both," Aiden said, leaning forward to grab a handful of Seth's deliciously muscular ass. "Whatever you want to show me, I hope there's a bed involved."
"What if there isn't?" Seth asked, sliding him a hot look from the corner of his eyes.
Aiden shrugged. "There's always the kitchen table. Tessa's taking a bullet for us at the ceremony, so we won’t be interrupted, and I’m not picky.”
Seth laughed, but he didn't stop at the table. He bypassed the kitchen entirely and led Aiden up the creaky staircase toward the second floor.
The farmhouse was the same as it had always been, with a solid, lived-in feel that whispered of all the generations that had come before them. The scent of cedar, coffee, and old leather lingered in the hallway, filling Aiden with a sense of peace that almost beat back the lust tightening the front of his jeans.
Disappointingly, Seth didn't stop at his own bedroom door. He headed down the long, narrow hall and paused at the master bedroom that used to belong to his parents.
