Page 11
Baylor had planned thousands of weddings.
Putting one together with Chipper was an adventure.
Chipper had… ideas.
They all made Baylor laugh.
Sometimes, he let Chipper win.
He had already agreed to hire a tattoo artist for the reception and set up a bouncy castle.
They would also have lawn games along with an adult ball pit.
Baylor knew Chipper had a childlike personality.
A carnival-style wedding fit him perfectly.
Plus, Chipper would never do anything like everyone else.
He wanted their wedding to stand out in people’s memories.
Baylor wanted that too, but he had only given in to the tattoo artist when Chipper said he wanted to be the one to get the first one that day: Baylor’s name along with their wedding date.
Chipper kept him smiling.
Zander had offered his enormous compound of a house as a venue.
Baylor spent way too much time invading the man’s home, trying to figure out logistics.
Narrowing down the guest list would be the death of him.
He wanted all their friends to come.
Baylor equally wanted to keep it reasonable.
It was Zander’s home, after all.
He didn’t want the place to be overrun.
Plus, Zander planned to provide security.
He knew Zander could afford it, but he still hoped to keep that expense down as much as possible.
Baylor also prayed the weather cooperated for the day.
He planned to keep everyone outside.
Zander’s backyard was the perfect size, and it faced the beach.
The pictures would be top tier.
Baylor focused on everything under the sun to keep himself sane. His nerves were bad, but the excitement also had him ready to scream. Baylor wanted to be married right now. Nothing happened fast enough for him.
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.”
Baylor looked between them. Feelings swelled in his chest. He suddenly wanted a huge family with Chipper with the power of a nuclear bomb. Sooner rather than later. Chipper would be an amazing dad. He was such a big kid.
“I like heights. I’m going to fly planes. Uncle Zander says he’ll make sure I get all the right certifications and then I can fly their missions to help save kids just like me. I can work for the family.”
“Whoa. Hey, little dude. Do you want to go down again?”
At Yaro’s question, Rhorey launched himself at the giant guard. They swam away, leaving Baylor staring after them and wondering what the hell Rhorey meant.
Chipper kissed his ear, distracting him. “You’re such a sexy dad.”
Baylor’s eyelids dropped at the sensation of Chipper’s lips on his skin. “Funny. I just had the same thoughts about you.”
Chipper’s lips moved to Baylor’s neck. “I don’t think we have the patience to wait as long as you think.”
Baylor lost track of the conversation. All he felt was Chipper’s body against his. “Wait for what? To get married or for us to have kids?”
“Both.” Chipper nibbled his neck.
“Jesus. You’re killing me and we are not alone.”
Chipper chuckled against his skin. “I can’t help it. You just do it for me and I’m dying. It’s been six months. How much longer until this wedding already?”
Damn. They had planned to wait a year to give them time to properly plan. Baylor regretted that choice a little more every day. He ran his hands across Chipper’s sexy, solid shoulders. With Chipper’s mouth on his skin, Baylor realized how badly he didn’t want to wait. “I mean, I have everything planned out. If we spent the week calling vendors and guests, we could be ready by next weekend.”
“I get to carry rings next weekend?” The excited little voice that silently appeared had Chipper laughing in triumph.
Baylor dropped his forehead to Chipper’s shoulder. Chipper knew Baylor couldn’t say no to Rhorey.
He blew out a breath before looking Rhorey’s way. “If your dads are okay with making the trip again next weekend, then yes. If they can’t make it, we’ll wait until you can be here.”
A huge grin met his words.
Rhorey dog-paddled his way back toward the throuple who were obviously his babysitters for the day. “I get to carry rings next weekend!”
Chipper kissed his ear, chuckling. “That boy really loves you.”
Baylor thought it was more a case of Rhorey having a heart of gold. “The feeling is mutual. He’s an amazing kid.”
Chipper kept trying to seduce him as if they didn’t have an audience. “He’ll be a great cousin to our kids.”
Baylor closed his eyes and melted into Chipper’s touch. The next week would be a nightmare of scrambling. Chipper was worth every second. He was worth everything.