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"You switched rooms?" Aiden asked in surprise.
Seth cocked his head as if to tell Aiden to see for himself, and Aiden reached out to turn the old brass knob.
The room was flooded with soft afternoon light. It poured through windows overlooking the sprawling pastures, illuminating dust motes as they danced through the air. The old, faded wallpaper was gone, and the floors and heavy oak furniture were polished to a warm glow. Traces of Seth's quiet labor were everywhere. The lumpy mattress with broken springs that Seth's father had stubbornly clung to had been replaced by a thick, plush-looking king-size. The patchwork quilt Seth always used was folded at the foot of the bed.
Aiden's hungry gaze took in dozens of details at once. Seth's spare boots sat beside the door, and the scent of his aftershave lingered in the air. His presence was everywhere—but shockingly, so was Aiden's. On the dresser, beside a few spare coins and a tube of chapstick, sat the tin of hand-rolled cigarettes Aiden used to smoke just for the scent. A worn baseball cap he thought he'd lost forever hung on a peg beside Seth's summer Stetson. The nightstand was bare except for a silver picture frame and a photo of them from their younger days, both grinning like fools, sunburned, mud-splattered, and wild-eyed after a long day in the saddle. It was as if Seth had taken pieces of him and wove them into the fabric of the room, turning it into more than a place to sleep. It was a sanctuary for both of them.
Aiden's heart swelled as he turned a slow circle inside the room. "What did you do?" he asked in wonder.
"I picked up the boxes from your neighbor," Seth said. He wrapped his arms around Aiden from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder, gazing at the room around them. "I wanted this to be a fresh start for us both. No more living in the past. Just you and me building our future together."
"Seth…" Aiden began, but the words tangled in his throat. He was overwhelmed by the enormity of Seth's gesture. It was more than a room. It was proof that Seth had been preparing for this moment. Seth had believed in it—in them—even when Aiden hadn't. "We've lost so much time," he said thickly.
Seth shrugged. He kissed Aiden’s temple, and his voice was a deep rumble against Aiden’s back when he said, “We have the rest of our lives to make up for it. From today on, this is your home as much as mine. You're the person I can be tired with, the one who can share those quiet moments with me. Even when nothing much is happening, it still means everything. You’re the one I can look at and feel peace, and I’m the one who will listen to you breathe until you fall asleep. I’m yours, Aiden Doyle, body and soul. For the rest of our lives. I swear it.”
Aiden's cheek tickled, and he belatedly realized a tear was slipping down his cheek. For the first time in his life, he didn't bother wiping it away or hiding behind a joke. Instead, he turned in Seth's arms and buried his face in the crook of his neck, holding him like he'd never let go.
"I felt it the moment I met you," he whispered, unsure if the salt on his lips was from his tears or Seth’s skin, “but it took me this long to believe it.”
"Believe what?" Seth asked, kissing his earlobe. He ran a caressing hand down Aiden’s back, coaxing their hips together, already beginning to work on the buckle of Aiden’s jeans. Aiden’s body responded instantly, just like it always would, and he happily backed up a few steps toward that beautiful new bed.
“What?” he asked distractedly, tilting his head to give Seth’s mouth access to the side of his neck. He slipped his hands beneath Seth’s shirt and reclaimed the territory of his muscular abs. He’d never get enough touching him.
“What do you believe?” Seth reminded him gently.
“Oh.” Aiden tipped his head back and smiled blindingly up at him. "I'm home," he said simply. "I'm finally home."
Then he wrapped his arms around Seth’s waist and tipped over backwards, toppling them together into bed.
EPILOGUE
Seth
The Double Jay was a place reborn. The ranch had weathered storms and come out the other side stronger than ever. Summer beat like a vibrant pulse through the land. Oaks unfurled into a lush, green canopy, and the pastures were thick with new grass that swayed in the mountain breezes. It looked good—no, better than good. Something all the generations that had come before Seth could be proud of. The once weather-beaten fences were freshly painted, and the barn with its new timber stood proudly as the heart of it all.
Well, not quite the heart—that was Aiden.
Seth couldn't have been prouder of the man he'd become. Strong, determined, and so full of life, it took Seth's breath away. The days were noisy and full of laughter, but it was the quiet moments that Seth cherished most—Aiden's sleepy smile in the morning, the way his hand would find Seth's in the dark, and the warmth of his body curled around Seth's at night.
His presence had helped ease the sting of Tessa's departure once she packed her bags and moved into town with Riley. It had been a rough transition, but Seth couldn't begrudge her leaving, not when she was so happy and excited for the future. She'd decided to continue her schooling online and switched her major to counseling so she could work part-time as an assistant to Barbara Doyle.
"The town needs more help than that woman can give," Tessa had said, grinning cheekily over her burger when they met for lunch at the Hungry Pig. “And she needs someone who won’t put up with her shit.”
Aiden's mother would never change, but she'd softened since her son's return. Though she’d never admit it, his leaving town had shocked her to the core. She’d been forced to come face-to-face with the fact that he wasn’t a child. She seemed more tentative around him now, more eager to please, or at least more willing to make an effort. She’d never stop trying to manipulate the people around her, but she seemed to have decided to try catching flies with honey. Seth could live with that, so long as she kept building Aiden up instead of tearing him down.
Aiden was standing inside the corral that afternoon, lunging Bandit in gentle circles. Even from a distance, contentment beamed from him like sunshine. He was still a jittery, sarcastic smartass determined to eat Seth out of house and home, but in the past few months, a joyful peace seemed to have settled over him. When a man was confident with his place in the world, nothing could stop him. This was where Aiden was meant to be, where he'd always belonged.
It filled Seth with a sense of deep satisfaction.
They'd accomplished so much together. The ranch no longer felt like a relic of the past. It was thriving again, not just because of the stud fees coming in from Whit's glowing recommendation, but because of the hard work he and Aiden had poured into it.
Even the town felt like it had changed, or maybe Seth's heart had changed, and with it, the way he viewed everything. Sweetwater had once felt like a place full of closed-door whispers, but Seth had been shocked to discover how eagerly bridges were mended once he stopped isolating himself. It was a slow process, but every day brought more acceptance. He no longer felt eyes boring into the back of his head when he walked down the street beside Aiden.
Sweetwater was alive with the promise of summer, a hive of activity as folks prepared for weddings, vacations, and celebrations. Derek Owens and Briar Phillips were tying the knot, sending the old biddies at church into a tizzy of preparation. Seth had never been a fan of big gatherings, but Derek had always done right by him when he was an outcast, and Aiden loved a good party. There was something reassuring about how enthusiastically the town had embraced same-sex couples settling down. It was a community he was proud to return to, even if he’d done it kicking and screaming once Aiden popped back into his life.
Seth hopped the corral fence and strolled over to Aiden, sliding an arm around his waist and pulling him in for a deep kiss. Aiden dropped Bandit's lead line and instantly relaxed into him, his lips warm and pliant beneath Seth's mouth.
"You plan on playing with your friend all day?" Seth teased, nudging Aiden's hat back and pressing an extra kiss to his temple.
