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"Then the cowboy hears a voice that shouts…Seth?"

The change of pitch in Aiden's voice pulled Seth back to the present with a jolt.

"Seth? You okay?" Aiden asked, giving him a narrow-eyed look of concern.

Seth nodded, but it was impossible to ignore the sense of melancholy swelling inside his chest. As he looked at Aiden, disheveled and lively, but stronger and harder than the boy from his memories, he was gripped by a profound sense of longing for simpler times. They'd both discovered who they were, sweating together in the hot summer sun. Aiden had learned the confidence and skills of a man, and Seth…he'd learned that he would do anything for someone he loved.

"You're spooking me, man," Aiden said, resting a hand on his shoulder and turning Seth to face him. Aiden's fingers were cold as they cupped the side of Seth's neck. "Talk to me."

Seth swallowed hard and said, "In all these years, you know when I missed you the most?"

"When?" Aiden asked, bewildered and nonplussed by the sudden change in Seth's demeanor.

"Those nights when I was on predator watch, just me and a rifle and a herd of needy cattle. You know what it's like. So damn cold you shiver all night, listening to howls that always seem closer than they were a minute ago."

"Loneliest feeling in the world," Aiden acknowledged knowingly.

"Yeah," Seth said, taking a deep breath and ignoring the sudden pounding of his heart. "But you always have a way of making even the hardest times feel lighter. I even missed those stupid jokes of yours. I'd lay in my sleeping bag and repeat them to myself, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't you."

"Stupid jokes are my one and only talent," Aiden said, trying to lighten the mood with a playful grin. "It's why everyone loves me."

"Not me," Seth replied, reaching up to cover Aiden's hands on his neck with his own. He squeezed Aiden's fingers and said, "That's not why I loved you back then."

Aiden's eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked terrified. His fingers flexed in Seth's grip, but Seth refused to allow him to pull away. He looked so young and uncertain, unable to meet Seth's eyes, searching the ground beneath their boots as if he could find some reassurance there. Not for the first time, Seth despised Aiden's mother for planting the seeds of insecurity so deep in him.

Aiden nervously licked his lips. "Just…back then?"

"Then. Now. Always." He curled a finger beneath Aiden's chin, nudging it up so he could look directly into those summery eyes. "I think I was on my way to loving you before I even pulled over that day, back when you were just some underclassman running through the halls like a hyperactive puppy. I'm not open to very many people. But you? There isn't anybody you don't like. You were the kid who caught attention everywhere you went with that loud laugh and sunny smile."

"Yeah, I know I'm too much sometimes," Aiden said with a self-deprecating laugh. He glanced down at his feet, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

Seth threaded his fingers in Aiden's hair and tugged his head up, forcing him to look at him. "That's your mother talking," he said fiercely. "You'll never be too much. You aren't too loud. You aren't too needy. You're allowed to take up space exactly the way you are."

Aiden stared at him, open-mouthed, and Seth hesitated. But he'd already come this far; there was no sense hiding how he felt anymore. So, he forged ahead, saying haltingly, "I know that I've gotten on your case too much, made it seem like I want you to change…but I don't. I know your faults, I know the ugly parts of you, and I love you, anyway. I loved you before I even knew how or why, for no other reason except that you're you."

"Damn," Aiden whispered. His smile wobbled, and he struggled to inject levity into a voice that cracked with emotion. "You don't need to go that hard. I'm already yours for as long as you want me. That's always been true."

"Then tell me you love me," Seth demanded.

"I already did," Aiden said with a chuckle. "You heard me, even though you pretended you didn't."

"I know," Seth admitted with a pang. "But say it again, anyway."

Aiden rested his hands on Seth's waist and tugged him closer until their bodies were flush against each other. Seth felt Aiden's burgeoning arousal pressing against his belt buckle, and his own body began to respond in kind. Slowly, Aiden leaned in and nuzzled the bridge of his nose against Seth's chin, across his jaw and ear. He nibbled at Seth's earlobe, just hard enough to sting, and then whispered into the shell of his ear, "I love you, Seth McCall. I'd burn the whole world down for you the second you asked. Never doubt that."

Chapter Twenty-One

AIDEN

Aiden stood at the kitchen sink, scrubbing grime from his hands with lava soap and a brush while he listened to the faint hiss of Seth's shower. He was tempted to sneak upstairs and join him, but he knew Seth would never fool around with his sister in the house.

Aiden wasn't expecting a warm reception from her after that incident at the festival, but he wasn't too worried. He'd charmed crankier people than an overprotective college girl. If he could convince Gus Awbry to thaw toward Seth, he could win over anyone.

It was only early evening, but the world was bathed in long shadows that were only kept at bay by the glowing bulb hanging above the sink window. The scent of roasting meat, garlic, and herbs wafted through the kitchen, making his stomach rumble. He'd worked up such an appetite that it felt like his stomach was trying to chew through his backbone. He couldn't help but peek in the oven, salivating at the marbled slab of chuck nestled in a bed of carrots and pearl onions. Surely, cutting off a little piece wouldn't do any harm.

He pulled out the wire rack and had just begun to ply one corner with a fork when a loud shriek nearly busted his eardrums. Aiden dropped his cutlery and slammed the oven before taking off down the hall. The door to the downstairs bathroom opened just as he skidded past in his socks, and he collided with a towel-wrapped woman.

"Tessa?" he asked, grabbing her by the shoulders to avoid knocking her to the floor. "You okay?"