Page 29 of Fighting Fate

After walking the property for the thousandth time, he went in search of his sexy, soon-to-be husband. He found him where he always did, competing against Zander’s guards at their indoor obstacle course. Shirtless, climbing the rock wall, muscles flexed, making Baylor weak. He chewed his thumbnail and ate up the sight of Chipper’s perfect body showing out in a powerful display of strength. Baylor was half a second away from moaning when Chipper reached the top, turned and spotted him. His immediate bright smile made Baylor’s breath catch. Love poured through him.

Chipper motioned for Baylor to join him.

Baylor snorted. He had to shout to be heard over the sound of rushing water. “There’s no way in hell I’m making it up there.”

“You can do it. I believe in you.”

Baylor thought there was a chance he could do it, but he didn’t want to humiliate himself if he failed. Even having left his shoes in the mudroom, he wasn’t dressed for wall climbing. “I don’t have anything to wear after I get wet.” There was definitely no way he could climb a waterfall rock formation and stay dry.

A squeal burst from Baylor when his feet suddenly left the ground. He found himself over a huge shoulder, holding on for dear life, and headed up the wall at an inhuman speed. He covered his eyes as the shallow pool of water at the bottom got farther away. Then he was on his feet at the top. Zander’s guard, Pytor, smiled like an idiot at his shock.

“There. You can enjoy the view.” His thick Russian accent didn’t show even a hint of guilt. In fact, it was obvious he fought a laugh.

Baylor peeked over the edge. It honestly wasn’t that high, but he still discovered a new and horrible fear of heights. “Holy shit. How am I supposed to get back down?”

Chipper physically turned Baylor’s body. On the other side of the waterfall, a slide for the indoor pool waited.

“I’m fully dressed—like phone, wallet, and all.”

“Oops.” Chipper didn’t sound like he felt the least bit guilty.

“Toss your stuff down. I’ll catch it.”

At the shouted words, Baylor glanced down again. A guy he had never seen before waited in the pool below. He might have been a stranger, but the alternative was having his shit ruined. He tossed the items from his pockets down one at a time. The guy set everything on the edge of the pool.

“Thanks.”

He got a thumbs-up in response.

“Come on.” Chipper took his hand. “We’ll go down together.”

Suddenly, Baylor felt younger than he had in years. That was one of the many things Baylor found irresistible about Chipper. He breathed life and happiness back into Baylor. Not only had he lost that before him, Baylor hadn’t expected he would ever feel this way again.

Baylor plopped down into the water at the top of the slide, soaking his pants. Chipper sat down behind him and wrapped his arms around Baylor. Baylor smiled like an idiot when Chipper pushed, sending them careening down the slide. A laugh burst from him a half second before the water engulfed him. He swiped his hair back as he broke the water’s surface. His cheeks ached from the huge grin he wore. He wrapped his legs and arms around Chipper, holding on like a monkey while Chipper kept them afloat.

The guy who caught his stuff swam their way. “Hey. You must be the Baylor I’ve been hearing all about. We keep missing each other every time you’ve been here.”

Baylor nodded. He held out a hand over Chipper’s shoulder. “Nice to meet you.”

The guy shook. “You too. I’m Legend, Pytor and Yaro’s husband.” Legend said the words, looking exactly like a man who expected to get judged.

Two husbands. Fuck. He could see it, though. The three fit. They were all gigantic and nice. Baylor never stopped smiling. He would never judge anyone for finding a slice of happiness in a world that actively tried killing everyone every day. “You must be amazing, then. Pytor and Yaro are great guys.”

Legend’s smile lost its brittle edge. “They really are.”

As if hearing his cue, Pytor made a gigantic splash, cannon-balling into the water. Yaro came down the slide, holding a small bundle. A child’s wild, happy scream cut through the air. When he came up laughing, Baylor realized it was Rhorey.

“Hey!” Baylor was ridiculously happy to see him. “It’s my favorite pilot.”

He swam Baylor’s way, smiling. “Hi.”

Baylor reached out and gave Rhorey something to latch onto. When he grabbed Baylor’s arm, Baylor towed him in, forcing Chipper to hold everyone’s weight. As far as Baylor knew, Rhorey had never acknowledged Chipper. With Baylor there, he obviously felt safe. That warmed Baylor’s heart.

“Hey, buddy.”

Rhorey didn’t stop smiling at Chipper’s greeting. “I went down the big slide!”

“I saw. You were very brave. That’s a tall slide. It took me ages to go down it.”

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