“I’m honored you shared your truth with me. One day at a time is often all any of us can do.”
“Yeah, it is.” George relaxed into Levi’s strong embrace, comforted by Levi’s candor and acceptance, and the warmth of his arms. Also the weight of whichever cat decided to stretch her body out over his ankles. He was too content to look.
George closed his eyes and soaked in the man holding him, and this little slice of heaven they’d found in a tiny house in the middle of nowhere.
Chapter Sixteen
The following day, Levi did his promised trick riding demonstration for the other guests, and he even got Robin to join him. They didn’t do their full show from the ghost town, but the tricks all earned them applause. Little Faith cheered the loudest and when they took their final bows, announced to her dads she wanted to be a trick rider, too.
Rey looked horrified.
George and Shawn followed Levi and Robin into the barn and helped untack the horses. “You guys make it all look easy,” George said.
“A lot of years of hard work will make anything look easy,” Robin replied. “We’re nowhere near as flexible or flashy as in our younger, touring years, but it’s still a hell of a lot of fun.”
“Agreed.” Levi hefted the saddle off Zodiac and carried it into the tack room. He returned with two brushes. “Plus, you have to build trust with the horse you’re riding. Not all horses can do what we’ve trained Zodiac and Apple Jax to do.”
“Yup. I tried working with Tude when Mack first floated the idea of the rodeo celebration, but she’s too stubborn.”
“I think she’s just loyal to Mack,” Shawn said as he began brushing Apple Jax’s flank. “Stubborn people stick together.”
Levi chuckled.
“So are you gonna miss the ranch when you go home?” Robin asked George.
“I will.” George stroked his own brush along Zodiac’s neck, a dreamy smile on his face. “It’s gorgeous and peaceful out here. And I feel like I’ve made a few new friends.” He glanced at Shawn, who winked.
Interesting.
“We’ll have to find reasons for you to come visit us again,” Levi said. “As a friend and not a paying customer.”
George quirked an eyebrow at him. “Technically, you’re the paying customer.”
“Good point.”
Once the horses were taken care of and back in their stalls, Robin and Shawn followed them up to the guesthouse for a game of Scrabble. Back in the day, Robin, Levi, Xander and their dad, Doug, would have epic Scrabble battles, all of them super competitive. Levi hadn’t played the game since Xander died, and he found comfort in playing again with both Robin and George.
And George’s vocabulary skills impressed the crap out of Levi. He won the game with a remarkable 370 points. Their group had plenty of time for a second round before dinner, and Levi just managed to edge George out of the win by using “quixotic.”
“I’ve always wanted a chance to play that word,” Levi said.
After dinner, George demanded a rematch, and they played just the two of them, with several of the other guests watching. Levi didn’t want to thrash George but he was still a competitive player, and they kept fairly close scores throughout the game as the board filled with tiles. He was confident in his final move—until he saw the way George’s eyes lit up. Then he saw his mistake.
Too late. The N Levi had put down gave George what he needed to spell “snug” and earn himself a triple word score.
“Nice one,” Shawn said. “Why am I sensing more Scrabble tournaments in your future?”
“Because I need to defend my honor,” Levi replied. “Right now it’s two to one in favor of George.”
George’s smug grin made Levi’s blood warm in a pleasant way. He loved seeing George this confident. He’d blossomed leaps and bounds in the week they’d been on the ranch, and Levi was sad it would all end tomorrow. Well, their vacation would end. This thing they were exploring was only getting started.
And the idea of exploring this thing beyond the magic of the ranch lands scared him on some level. He wanted to be honest with George about his worst mistakes, but he didn’t ever want George to look at him with fear or disgust. But if this thing between them was ever going to be more than casual sex, Levi needed to be honest. He told George he’d never lie to him.
“Guess you’re out of practice, bro,” Robin said as he poked Levi in the ribs. “You used to kick my and Xander’s ass without blinking.”
“I still kicked your ass today.”
“George kicked yours worse. Good job, by the way, Master Thompson.”
George chuckled. “I haven’t played in years. We used to play with my grandparents before Orry and I moved out. It was fun getting back into it.”
“I bet there’s an app you can download on your phone,” Shawn said. “You can either play the computer or against other people.”
“I’ll have to look into it. I never thought to do that before now.”
Later that evening, Levi waited until they were alone in their room before asking, “Do you think you never thought to play Scrabble again because you missed your grandparents, and it reminds you of them?”
George paused by the big window and gazed out, his body angled slightly away from Levi. “I don’t think I did that consciously but it makes sense. This vacation has given me the courage to go out more. To go see them, instead of just talking to them over the phone or a tablet. So playing Scrabble tonight didn’t bother me. I had fun.” He twisted his head to smile at Levi. “I’m a little sad this is our last night here. It’s been the best vacation of my life.”
“I’m honored I could give you such a tremendous gift. You are such a special soul, George, and I’ve loved watching you come alive this week. I’m also sad the vacation is almost over, but I hope we’ll continue to see each other when you go home. I know the distance is a bit inconvenient but I...” Levi straightened his spine and took the plunge. “I would like to date you, if that’s something you want.”
“Really?” George somehow seemed to smile with his entire body. “I’ve never dated anyone before. I have no idea how.”
“Then we’ll do what’s fun and comfortable for us. Dating doesn’t have to be complicated, and with technology it doesn’t always have to be in person. As long as we enjoy ourselves and keep getting to know each other.”
“And having sex?”
Levi laughed and finally closed the small distance between them. Took George in his arms and inhaled the faintest scents of soap and sweat. “Yes, and having sex. Just like dating, we’ll have whatever sex makes us both happy with no expectations.”