Page 31 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

Owen inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “This was my bright idea, wasn’t it?”

“We don’t have to go out there,” Tyler said. “I see a video arcade room over by the concession stand.”

Owen grabbed his hand and said, “Let’s do this.”

The transition from carpet to hardwood nearly took him out, but between Tyler’s firm grip and Owen’s natural athleticism, he kept himself upright.

“It gets easier. I promise.”

Tyler stuck to a snail’s pace for their first time around the rink. He coached Owen through the crossover maneuvers into the turns and cheered when he gained confidence coming out of them. After their third time around the rink, the DJ announced it was a couples-only skate. Tyler pushed out in front of Owen, turned around to face him, and took his hands.

“I’ll skate backward.”

“Show off,” Owen called out over the music. His smile told Tyler just how much he loved it, though.

“I knew you’d be a natural,” Tyler told him.

“We’ve been here fifteen minutes,” Owen said. “Give me time to let my guard down.”

There were a few iffy moments throughout the night, but they stayed upright and uninjured. They ate greasy pizza, drank sugary sodas, and they skated until they had blisters on their feet. When the DJ announced the final slow dance of the night, Tyler moved in close and looped his arms around Owen’s neck, and Owen placed his on Tyler’s hips. They’d kept more distance during the previous slow skates, but Tyler had always wanted to try this. His mother never would’ve allowed him to get so close to his girlfriend, and Tyler was glad this was another first he got to share with Owen.

The DJ played some big ballad from the eighties that Tyler’s mother had loved, and it felt like they were the main characters in a romance movie. This moment called for a big gesture, and Tyler knew just what to do. “I want to take you to Texas for Christmas to meet my family. I want to show you where I grew up, and I want my family to meet the man I love.”

Owen’s eyes widened, and he almost lost his balance. “You told them?” he asked once he got back in the flow. “You talked to your mom for a long time today, but I didn’t know you planned to tell her.”

“I didn’t do it yet,” Tyler said. “But I plan to come out during my visit.”

“And you want me there? Do they know you plan to bring me?”

Tyler slid a hand into the hair at Owen’s nape and massaged his scalp to soothe him. “My mom invited you before I could get that far. In fact, she insisted on buying our tickets.”

“Oh wow.” Owen worked his bottom lip between his teeth.

“She wants an answer kind of soon, so I thought—”

“Yes,” Owen said. “I want to meet your family.” He blew out a long breath. “Damn, this is scary.”

“It doesn’t have to be. We’ll leave if someone says or does something that makes us uncomfortable. You’re the most important person in my life, so they’ll love you or lose me.”

“Ty.” Owen’s voice came out as a choked whisper as his eyelids closed. He realized his mistake as soon as he made it. Owen’s eyes snapped open about the time his feet slipped out from underneath him. He released his hold on Tyler’s hips to flail his arms for balance. Tyler tried to help stabilize him and got clipped in the shoulder with a wildly waving arm. Gravity got a hold of Owen, and there was no saving him. Unfortunately for Tyler, Owen’s leg shot forward and tripped him. Tyler did a bit of his own windmilling, but to no avail because he landed on his ass hard enough to rattle his teeth.

Owen crawled over to him with worry etched on every feature. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Those landings didn’t use to hurt as much when I was younger,” Tyler told him.

Owen watched the other skaters go by before giving his full attention to Tyler again. “How the hell do we stand up in these things?”

“Carefully. We’ll do it together.”

They fell on their asses twice more before they made it back to their feet. Owen kept a death grip on Tyler’s hand during the quick trip back to the gap in the wall. He sighed dramatically once they were on the carpet again.

“Well, am I buying you a pair of skates for Christmas or your birthday?” Tyler asked once they collapsed on the bench. He grimaced and rubbed his ass with his hand. “It’s going to bruise.”

Owen leaned closer, and his dark blue eyes shimmered with wickedness. “I can kiss it better.”

“You look…different,” Keegan said.

He sounded hesitant, which wasn’t their usual dynamic. Keegan had displayed that tendency with others on the ranch, but never with Owen. Was that a sign that he’d scaled back his time with Keegan too much? He didn’t want Keegan to think he’d abandoned him. Owen glanced away from the road long enough to assess Keegan’s expression and was relieved that he didn’t seem upset.