Page 136 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“I know, Wyl.” Stewy studied his own feet and stuffed his hands in his jeans. “I figured they would be so disappointed in my lifestyle that they would reject me.”
“Listen, both Rod and I have strong family support. Before Walt’s accident…”
“Wait a minute.” Stewy tugged a hand out of his pocket and grabbed Wyl’s shoulder. “Walt had an accident? Is he okay?”
“Stewy, Walt died last November. His horse got spooked by a snake and reared. Walt fell and hit his head on a boulder. We disconnected life support the next day.”
Stewy bit his lower lip and looked at Wyl. “Wyl, I’m so sorry,” he muttered softly.
“It’s fine, Stewy,” Wyl said. “Rod didn’t leave my side for a full week. It was his strength and support that guided me through my sorrow.”
Stewy let his hand fall and shoved it back into his pocket. “You’re lucky to have him.”
Wyl gazed out the window and chuckled at the words, “Boy howdy.” He looked back at Stewy. “He’s the love of my life, and Walt could see it. He brought Rod and me back together when I struggled with the man-man relationship. He knew I needed Rod in my life. You might be surprised at your folks. Lefty was entirely accepting of Rod and me.”
“Really?” Stewy’s head jerked up. “Dad knows about you two?”
“We live in Blackfield. Of course, he knows. When I talked to him, his exact words were, ‘Surprised the fuck out of me, but whatever swings your lasso, I always say. I hope you’ll bring him by the house. We want to meet him.’We didn’t have a big wedding. In fact, we went to Santa Fe to get married. We didn’t advertise our marriage, but we also didn’t keep it a secret. Word gets around.”
“And he seemed okay with it?” Stewy asked, surprised.
Wyl chuckled. “He was more than fine with it.”
Stewy gazed at the panoramic view, deep in thought. “Maybe I was wrong about them,” Stewy whispered like he was talking to himself. He faced Wyl. “I’ll call them tonight.”
“What’s going on, you two?” Matthew walked up and handed Stewy a martini on the rocks.
“We’re talking about my dad.” Stewy reached out and pulled Matthew to him, taking his martini.
“Matthew shared how much you two enjoyed the event last night.” Rod took a sip of his martini. “I hope the program helped a lot of gay couples.”
“You two are an inspiration. Everyone wants to find love and happiness, and you two brought such warmth to the stage that it drew the audience in and made us want that too.” Matthew lovingly tugged Stewy’s goatee, then sipped his martini. “I know this is vodka, but it sure doesn’t taste like it.”
Stewy sipped his. “If I didn’t know better, I would swear this was something else.”
“That’s the Tito’s for you,” Wyl said. “It’s our favorite.”
“Babe,” Matthew said. “Let’s look for Tito’s the next time we stock the bar.”
“Look for the copper cap,” Rod said.
Wyl leaned over and kissed Rod’s ear. “As for us being an inspiration, we don’t have any magic formula. My husband is a pretty special cowboy, and I’m fortunate he is a part of my life.”
“You made the first move, as I recall,” Rod said.
“What’s this?” Matthew’s eyes widened. “We need the details you didn’t share last night.”
“A story for another time,” Wyl said. “Stewy, why don’t you help me with the steaks?” Wyl thumbed toward the balcony. “We should be able to eat in about ten minutes.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Rod drained his martini. “Matthew, follow me.”
Rod led Matthew into the kitchen. He set the plate of steaks on the counter, and Stewy and Wyl took them out on the balcony to the hot grill.
Stewy closed the balcony door as Wyl opened the grill and placed the four steaks on it. Smoke rose as the steaks sizzled.
“I gotta tell you, Wyl, I think I was in love with you in high school.”
Wyl jerked his head up and gawped at Stewy. “Really?”
