Page 68 of Ropers Can't Tie Knots
Hunter bends for a kiss. “I knew you were the one. See you later, babe. You can make the choices and fill me in later.” He kisses me again before leaving with Jackson. They have work to do in the rodeo barn now that the weather is warming up. Spring will be here soon, and I, for one, can’t wait.
Riley returns Jackson’s kiss and then turns his pout at me.
“Hot dogs and poutine.” Riley shakes his head, but softens his gaze. “He’s so damn different now, Gabe. He loves you to the moon, and while I’m relieved to know he has a heart, sometimes it’s weird to see.”
“He is literally my dream man, Rye. I’d do anything for him, and if it’s hot dogs and poutine at a wedding, then so be it.”
Riley sits back, leaving the wedding plan for a moment. “How are you doing, waiting for the divorce?”
I fucking hate hearing that word and it instantly flips my mood.
“Okay-ish. I mean, we’re planning a wedding while waiting for a divorce, and technically, he still hasn’t proposed properly, like he said he would.” He promised he would, and I don’t doubt him…but it’s eating at me while I wait. “I’m excited and anxious. I’m always wondering if he’s changing his mind and the divorce will be final, and he’ll be gone. Wedding planning or not, it’s just a stupid anxiety that I can’t shake.”
Shit. I shouldn’t have said that out loud. Now that I have, though, I feel better getting it off my chest.
“Gabe…you don’t think he’d change his mind for real, do you? He put his foot down for a hot dog and poutine dinner. That’s serious.”
I hate feeling insecure. It’s new to me because I’ve never had someone like Hunter before. I don’t doubt he loves me, and I can’t even explain why I feel like this. It’s just there gnawing at me every day.
“No, I don’t think he’ll change his mind. If he does, then I’m a huge fool, and he deserves to win an Oscar for Best Actor. But signing those papers for a divorce was… so fucking hard, Riley. But I did it for him, you know? He wanted to break from that day with all his grandfather’s bullshit, and I understand. Honestly, I get it.” In my haste to make Hunter happy, I failed to consider how this would affect me long term. Initially, I thought it would go away, but it hasn’t. “I don’t think I’ll feel right until he slides a ring on my finger for real.”
“Does he know it bothers you this much?”
“Some. I’ve never told him the whole thing. He already feels bad about asking for the divorce. I don’t want him to coddle my insecure ass.”
He’s incredibly thoughtful and kind. I know my anxiety is unfounded. I know it, but I can’t keep the unsettled feeling away. The closer our wedding day gets, the more excited I should be, and I can’t make heads or tails of why this keeps bothering me.
“I bet if you told him how you feel, he’d make it right.” Riley picks up the planning notebook. “Now that we have food settled, I can get the caterer scheduled. Is the rodeo barn still going to work, or do you want me to book a space in town? Have you thoughtabout if it rains? Tell me all the things. If we’re aiming for June, I’m running out of time to make changes.”
I know Riley’s change of topic is to get me back to the happy space I was just in, and I appreciate it.
Hunter and I have discussed this and agree we want to be married here with the horses and the ranch. It’s where we learned our true feelings despite him insisting he had none. We’ve made this a happy place now, and it means so much for him to let go of the ugly memories here. By marrying here, it’s like sticking our flag in a conquered country. A final middle finger to the past that made his life hell.
Even with my unfounded anxiety, I have the best memories here. He gifted me a horse here, took me on my first horseback ride, and we’ve shared so many evenings on the porch swing. I love it here.
“No changes, Rye. It’s here. Maybe a tent for the field where we’ll say our vows. Any luck on a new minister?”
Since Hunter and I aren’t religious, we don’t want to be married in a church or with any sort of religious overtones. Riley assured me it could be done.
“Well…yes. Sort of.” He sips from his coffee cup and clears his throat. “I, uh, found a former priest who will do it.”
Narrowing my eyes, I wait for more. “Former? So no bible readings or whatnot? He understands that?”
“Oh, very much so. He’s a nice guy, and we spoke on the phone. He’s from out of the province, but he’ll totally do it. He, uh, asked for a bizarre payment, though.”
“Okay…”
“Chocolate chip cookies. For his husband. I’ve already asked Diamond if he could bake them, and he’s thrilled.”
“He wants payment in cookies?”
“Said he didn’t want any money.” Riley passes me a printout with his bio and a photo. “Charles likes to travel with his husband, and prefers daytime ceremonies,” I read aloud. “While most people prefer to pay in cash, we prefer cookies and baked goods. My husband is a foodie, and it’s his goal to sample baking across Canada.”
Riley bites his lip. “I know it’s weird. I know…but everyone is booked or pregnant for the date. So…”
With a small laugh, I pass the paper back to Riley. “Yeah. Do it. As long as he can legally marry us, I don’t care if he wants to be paid with nickels.”
Riley and I review a few more details before calling it a day. There isn’t a lot left except to wait for the day to arrive. Which, so far, I’m the only one nervous about.
