“It’s partly because I wanted to use it as leverage to get Devon onto a stage—I will if you will, that sort of thing. He’s an incredible singer, but he’s never performed for an audience because he feels like he waited too long and missed his shot atmaking a career out of it,” I said. “But also, he inspires me and makes me want to take chances. You should see his bucket list. It’s this wild jumble of experiences, everything from jumping out of an airplane and traveling through Asia, both of which he’s done, to goofy stuff like driving a tank and riding a bull. Those two particular items have yet to be crossed off his list.”
Hal grinned as he pulled four mugs from the cupboard. “Both of those things are possible in Texas, as long as he’ll settle for a mechanical bull. I’m pretty sure they don’t let beginners climb onto the living, breathing variety without taking a class or doing some type of training.”
“You’re right about that, I looked it up online.”
A minute later, Ryder and Devon joined us in the kitchen. Ryder went straight to his fiancé and gathered him in an embrace, kissing him like they’d been apart for days. I loved the fact that Devon did the same thing to me.
“You have to go see the horses,” he said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “They’re so cool! Ryder let me give them some apples, and they ate right out of my hand.”
“I need to work my way up to the horses,” I told him. “I’m starting with trying not to be afraid of the donkey.”
“I was the same way about the horses at first,” Hal said. “They’re just sobig. But I love them now, and I bet you will too, if you give them a chance.”
“I will. My goal is to pet a horse while I’m in Texas.” I looked up at Devon and said, “Speaking of goals, Hal and I were talking about your bucket list, specifically driving tanks and bull riding. Will you settle for a mechanical bull, or do we need to find you a place to take lessons?”
He shrugged. “I don’t want to spend a bunch of time on it, so I’ll settle for the mechanical variety.”
“You don’t have to compromise when it comes to tanks, though,” Ryder said, with a big grin. “There are a coupleof places around here that let you get behind the wheel of the genuine article, no experience required. We can do that tomorrow, if you want.”
Devon lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Awesome!”
We’d brought a big gift basket of treats for our hosts. After they served up some cookies from the basket and poured the tea, we all took a seat around the kitchen table. “We want to hear all about this road trip,” Ryder said. “What’s been your favorite part?”
After I rambled on about all the incredible things we’d seen and done, Devon squeezed my hand and smiled at me. “My favorite part has been watching Kit experience these things for the first time,” he said. “I can’t begin to explain how much that’s meant to me.”
That evening, after a big dinner, a few beers, and a great conversation, my friends said goodnight and headed to bed. It wasn’t very late, but as Hal explained, mornings were busy on the ranch, and they started early.
We weren’t tired yet, so Devon and I got comfortable on the couch, beside the massive pine tree. As I curled up with my head on his chest, Devon said, “Those two are awesome.”
“I think so, too. Hal is one of my favorite people ever, and I’m glad I have this chance to get to know Ryder. He’s really sweet, and I’m so happy they found each other.”
“It must have been a huge adjustment for Hal when he moved here.” He tilted his head to look at me and asked, “Do you think you could ever make such a big change?”
“The old me would have said no. I was used to life in a big city and couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else, but this trip ischanging my mind. After all we’ve seen and done, I think I’m more open to new experiences now. So yes, I could see myself moving away from what’s familiar.”
What I really wanted was to tell Devon I’d follow him anywhere, but that probably fell under the heading of too much, too soon.
The next morning after breakfast, Devon and I pitched in on the daily chores. There were a lot of animals to feed, and a million other things to do to keep the ranch running smoothly.
Around ten, their ranch hand arrived, and Devon and Ryder got ready to fulfill their GI Joe fantasies. They invited us to come along, but Hal and I both passed. “Have fun, though,” I said, as I gave Devon a hug. “And please be careful.”
“I’ll be inside a tank,” he reminded me with a grin. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine, but everyone else at Jimmy Joe’s Tankmageddon should be worried.”
“That name doesn’t inspire confidence.”
“I know. But what do you expect from a place that lets unqualified civilians drive actual tanks?” He had a point.
After they took off for their nearly two-hour drive, Hal and I got comfortable in his studio. While he worked on his current wedding gown, I spent some time sketching. I had a lot of ideas, and I wanted to get them down so I didn’t forget anything.
Later on, I asked him to put me to work, so he handed over one of his donation dresses. He used the leftover materials from each of his lavish gowns to make beautiful, one-of-a-kind prom dresses, which he donated to LGBTQ youth centers. This one was an empire style made of dark red silk, and I took over the job of hand-sewing sparkly beads around the neckline.
“This is nice,” he said, as he turned down the volume on his built-in sound system. “I feel like I’m back in school, in that on-campus studio we shared.”
“I can’t believe that was earlier this year. It feels like a different lifetime.”
Hal grinned as he admitted, “I was so jealous of you back then.”
I looked up from the dress in my lap and raised a brow. “That’s nuts. Why would you be jealous of me?”
