“I got you.” And that was what he wanted. Hopefully, he wasn’t making a mistake.
“And I got you.” Hudson’s smile was everything. “And we got a house. I should give up my place in Denver, right?”
“Well, it’s up to you, but if you can work out here, we got a shit ton of work to do. Do you need a condo in the city?”
“No, I really don’t.” Hudson’s fingers slipped through his hair. “I need to be in Denver maybe twice a month for meetings and to check on the team, but I can work from here. I can work from an event hotel. I can work from anywhere. And that money could really help with the reno.”
“Well, I have to work this weekend in Nebraska… Do you want to come with? I can see if my buddy West has a place in Boulder to board the horses for a day or two while we pack some stuff?” Nebraska this week, and then the East Coast safety man took over until September. Then they were in Reno, Albuquerque, and Dallas for the finals.
“That’s your last one, right? Until the fall? I should come, because we can’t start anything here yet.”
“That’s it. Then we got time to do what we need to before the last three events. Then I’m off until late January again.”
“Sounds good. This was actually good timing, huh? We can have it in good shape by January. We’ll have to figure out what we need to hire people for and what we can do ourselves. I don’t know how handy I’m going to be, but I’m not afraid to try it.”
“I’m handy with some stuff, and we’re not dumb. We’ll figure it.” They’d hire out the kitchen and bathroom. That shit was hard.
“Cool.” Hudson gave him a quick kiss. “It’s almost embarrassing to say how long I’ve wanted this with you.”
“Like a ranch or an us?” It was an important distinction.
“Really, baby?” Hudson rolled his eyes. “Us. Me and you. Anywhere.”
“Hey, it’s nice to hear.” This was hard, to be… open for somebody. He grabbed Hudson and kissed his lover, hard enough that he didn’t feel exposed anymore.
Hudson melted into Jack, like always, just giving everything he had back to him. Hudson didn’t seem to mind putting things out there, going down the hard roads.
He was learning, but it was hard. This way of talking came more natural.
“It’s not nice; it’s necessary,” Hudson whispered against his lips. “I love you.”
Whoa. Jack sat with that for a few seconds, letting himself hear it. He’d known it, but he hadn’t known they could say it. Because this wasn’t friendship or family. This was lovers. This was being in something, heart-deep. “It’s good to not be the only one, darlin’. I ain’t never been in love with someone else.”
And he knew that now.
“It is good to know I’m not the only one. Finally. It’s really good, Jack.”
“You want to come lay down in the bed?” They didn’t have to fuck; they could just breathe together for a while.
Hudson nodded. “Yeah. Please.”
They settled in. He needed to order another bed like this. Solid, large, made for two men. It would be a good surprise for his… Hudson.
20
The Nebraska event had been a dream compared to the shit show in Vegas. Great rides, great crowd, no major accidents. Hudson had time to tell Ellie all about the ranch. Jack had been in good spirits. It had been an event weekend to remember.
Packing up his things in Denver had been bittersweet. But in the end, even though he’d been in that condo for a very long time, he didn’t want to take much with him. His clothes and things for sure, his collection of bull-riding souvenirs, electronics and a couple of pieces of furniture. They’d donated a lot, and by the time he’d handed over the keys to his realtor, he was ready to get out of there.
He’d been lightly dozing, listening to music and daydreaming until Jack hit a bump. He lifted his head and looked around. “Where are we?”
“Heading toward home. We got half an hour-ish. You good?” Jack offered him a goofy-assed smile.
“That’s it? Home in half an hour? I like the sound of that.” He reached for Jack’s thigh.
“Yeah.” Jack shook his head and grinned. “We’ll be home in time for supper. Mackey and Sid are heading straight for Tampa, so we’ll have their place to ourselves.”
“Tampa. Nice.” The place to themselves was nicer. “So we can hang out naked on the upstairs porch?”