Page 28 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

“Of course.”

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, do you have time to catch up?”

He thought of Owen waiting for him in the laundry room and bit back a sigh. He really missed his mom, so he said, “I do. What’s going on around there?” Tyler put his phone on speaker long enough to type out a quick text to let Owen know where he was.

“Grandpa is teaching line dancing classes at the senior center,” she said.

Tyler smiled at the image that came to mind. “I’ve always said he’d outlive us all.” Which was why he’d never fallen for the frail-grandpa ploy. His mom did most of the talking since she caught him up on what was going on with his five siblings and their families. Tyler smiled when she relayed the many antics his nieces and nephews pulled off.

“You never would’ve let us get away with that,” Tyler said when she finished.

Her laughter was a warm reminder of the easy banter they used to share. “Yeah, well, it’s so different with your grandchildren,” she said. “You get to spoil them rotten and let their parents deal with the fallout. Your nieces and nephews have changed so much since the last time you came home, and you haven’t even met Skylar. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t hound you to come home, but I needed to make one last pitch. Please say you’ll really think about it.”

It’s all he’d thought about since she invited Owen too. With each new story, Tyler imagined himself and Owen in the middle of every scenario, especially when he learned a few of his nieces got into an argument over Candy Land. He recalled that Owen’s childhood didn’t include family game nights. His closest experience was poker nights on the ranch, though the crew’s teasing banter was significantly bawdier.

“And my invitation for Owen is sincere,” she added. “I know how important he is to you, and I regret we haven’t met sooner.”

Oh, Mama. I don’t think you have a clue how important Owen is to me. The thought put a slight damper on his excitement, but he refused to do the same to his mother. “I could tell your offer was genuine, and it means the world to me. I promise I will talk to him and get back to you.”

But when? Their romantic relationship was so new and precious. He didn’t want anyone or anything to disrupt the magic they’d found. Tyler expected her to push for a time commitment, but she changed the subject to the new horse that had caught her eye. By the time they said their goodbyes, more than an hour had passed. Tyler was so surprised that he nearly forgot the dirty bedding in his haste to return to Owen. He backtracked to the bed, snagged the bundle, and headed out the door. Keegan, Rory, and Rueben stood chatting near the cluster of cabins and halted their conversation when they caught sight of him. It couldn’t be more obvious what he was hauling to the laundry room, and the trio’s wide grins said they knew why.

Tyler rolled his eyes as he passed them. “Just shut up.” Their laughter followed him all the way to the laundry room, where Owen had fallen asleep in a chair. His eyes flew open, and he bolted upright when Tyler closed the door behind him. He dropped his bundle to the floor and put both hands on his hips. “So much for missing me.”

Owen leaned forward, hooked his index finger through Tyler’s belt loop, and pulled him closer. He leaned his head against Tyler’s flannel shirt and wrapped his arms around Tyler’s thighs. “You followed me into my dreams, so I didn’t have time to miss you.”

Tyler carded his fingers through Owen’s hair, and the dark strands slid through his fingers like silk. “It’s true that I’ll follow you anywhere.”

Owen raised his head and stared into his eyes. “Do you really mean it?”

Tyler recalled his willingness to choose Owen over his family. “Yes. There’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

Owen pushed to his feet and cupped Tyler’s face with both hands. “I want to take you on an actual date tonight.”

“And miss poker?” Cash’s wedding was the only time they missed the card night since its inception. When Owen nodded, Tyler said, “I’ve never been on a date without a chaperone.”

“I could ask Rueben or Keegan to tag along, or…” Owen let his voice trail off so he could kiss Tyler.

“Or we could go by ourselves,” Tyler said. “We’ve gone to dozens of places together, but this will feel different—better.”

Owen gently kissed his lips. “Mmhmm. I won’t have to wonder what you taste like.”

“And I’ve found the missing piece to my puzzle,” Tyler replied.

“So,” Owen hemmed, “is that a yes?”

“It’s a hell yes.” They shared a long kiss before Tyler forced himself to pull back. “The bedding won’t wash itself.”

Owen smiled wickedly. “No, but I have some suggestions on how we can pass the time between cycles.”

That was how Tyler ended up in Owen’s lap for the better part of two hours, kissing and touching. Luckily, no one else did their laundry, so they had the place to themselves. Owen hadn’t mentioned where they were going on their date, and Tyler hadn’t brought up his mother’s invitation to Texas. He wasn’t sure how Owen would react, and he didn’t want to ruin their first date with a serious conversation or think about why they hadn’t met one another’s families by now. Owen had a complicated past with his mother too, but they seemed on good terms. If Tyler wasn’t careful, he’d stop thinking about how good Owen’s kisses felt and create problems where none existed, like he’d done with Kerry Hart the previous evening.

One look at that hunk and Tyler had nearly forgotten about the beautiful milestones he’d reached with Owen. His brain had gone into hyperdrive, imagining all kinds of intimate moments between Kerry and Owen. He’d had no right to be hurt or jealous, but that was exactly how he felt until some wise inner voice reminded him to observe the way Owen looked at Kerry. The difference was night and day. Only Tyler brought out the twinkling in those midnight-blue eyes. And finding out what really happened between them had actually hurt less than letting his imagination run wild.

Owen pulled back from their kiss and sighed. “Where’d you go?”

Tyler wiggled in his lap. “Still right here.”

Owen cupped Tyler’s face, his thumbs brushing a hypnotic path along Tyler’s cheek. He couldn’t resist leaning into the caress and wondering how Owen always knew what he needed. “Physically, you’re right where you belong. But I felt you pulling away from me.”