Page 112 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
Epilogue
“Been awhile sinceI saw you in skinny jeans.”
Roan turned away from the bedroom window of the master bedroom at the farm, where he’d been standing to watch the white tents go up and the mess of wires, lights, cameras, and crew setting up for filming.
Walker looked amazing in his black dress shirt, tight Wranglers, and white cowboy hat. His tanned skin shone with more than the sun’s kiss, though. Clearly Kylie, or whoever was doing makeup for the shoot, had already gotten ahold of him. They’d actually added highlight to Walker’s cheekbones. Hilarious.
But kind of hot.
Walker stepped into the room and pulled Roan into his arms, cupping his ass and squeezing. “I missed ’em.”
“I figured flip-flops and shorts wouldn’t be quite fancy enough for our wedding.” Roan still had his fancy clothes from before, but he rarely wore them now. He didn’t miss them. Not really. His new life with Walker was so real—dirty (in both the delicious way and the actual dirt way), physical, and full of day-to-day joys—that he felt fully at home in his body for the first time ever. He didn’t have to dress to impress, though on date nights he still did, because he wanted to. All he needed to do to impress Walker was show up. Every day. And be there.
Walker lifted a brow. “I’d marry you naked.”
Roan smirked. “I bet you’d like that.”
Walker pulled him in tighter, nuzzling his neck and then kissing his ear. “I should.”
“Andy would love it, too. Get those ratings sky high.”
Walker huffed a laugh, his head tipping back to expose his long neck, and Roan didn’t resist the urge to press a kiss to his Adam’s apple. “Screw Andy.”
He still couldn’t believe they’d agreed to this, but they had. The extra money would be nice for their honeymoon and, besides, it felt right somehow. Full circle. Seeing Andy, Molly, and John again was going to be strange, but they’d done a good job with the first season of Queer Seeks Spouse.
Everything had been edited to pieces, of course, and what made it to the TV screen didn’t reflect the reality of their relationship in any way—especially now that they really knew each other—but it didn’t portray them in a bad light either. Agreeing to let Andy and company come in for a follow-up special, letting them film the ceremony, so long as they footed the bill for the decorations and cake, plus paid them a handsome sum, hadn’t been that hard of a choice to make.
Speaking of handsome.
“You’re looking pretty good yourself, cowboy.”
Walker’s cheeks flushed with pleasure. “Tessa will be upset that you saw me before the wedding.”
“Does that make you the bride?” Roan asked, laughing and poking Walker in the chest.
Walker chuckled and kissed Roan’s cheek. “C’mon. We should go down. Get you to makeup.”
“How long until the guests arrive?”
“Soon enough.”
They’d invited important friends and family to the ceremony. Though there would be many more people in attendance for Walker than for Roan. Lindsay had said she couldn’t make it, though she’d sent a beautiful card and some photos of him as a child that she’d found in her things. One of which was a very special picture of Roan and his mother. He’d been about eight in the shot, and he’d been curled up at her side on Lindsay’s sofa, laughing, both of them. It was priceless to him.
Walker had it framed and placed on the mantel with his own family photos. It still choked Roan up—in a good way—to see it there every morning. Of all the changes made to the old farmhouse in the last year, that was the only one that really mattered to Roan. He smiled toward the photo as they passed through the living room together on their way out.
Stepping out to the front porch, they were greeted by a profusion of reddish-pink azaleas in full bloom. Out in the field where they were setting up and decorating the large white tent under which they’d be married, a white fringe tree provided a cloud-like background for the stunning purple irises he knew Tessa had planted twenty years ago. Another cloud of pink, a mimosa tree, bloomed to his right, and Roan took a long slow breath.
It was beautiful. If only his mother were here to see it…
“You okay?” Walker asked.
“I’m good. Just missing my mom.”
Walker nodded and slung his arm around Roan’s shoulder.
Roan smiled, his throat tight, and he squeezed Walker’s hand. “But let’s not be maudlin on our day.” Then he spotted someone standing in the shade of one of the oaks, talking with a producer, and he frowned. “Did you have to invite him?”
Walker squinted into the midmorning light, trying to see with the sun in his eyes. “Mike?”
