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EPILOGUE

MASON - THREE YEARS LATER

I knew summers in Dallas would be hot, but this was insane. The air conditioning in our offices had stopped working the day before, but we were fortunate enough to get an HVAC company on-site by mid-morning today. I’d set up two fans in my office to stave off the heat, but it wasn’t the same as the cool air from the central system.

A very sweaty Connor walked into my office and dropped into a chair in front of my desk. “How long do you think it will take them to get the air figured out?” he asked in exasperation.

"They said they should have it taken care of by the end of the day, babe," I replied. "There was a problem with two capacitors that needed to be replaced, and they only had one with them. They're picking the other one up now."

I took in the sight of him all sweaty and flushed, and it stirred my dick. It made me remember the late-night flurry of lovemaking we had on my desk when our business was born. We considered it the christening of my office.

When Connor graduated from EOU, we’d discussed our future together. I was finished driving after years on the road. Connor had just started getting his feet wet in the big bad world of business, and I wanted him to take charge of our company’s finances. He was a natural at budgeting and keeping us profitable. He’d hired an assistant with the same drive he had, and between the two of them, things were running smoothly.

I sold Big Red the year Connor graduated and worked with my financial advisor to get our new business off the ground. Using the money from the sale of my truck, money I’d saved over the years, and a bank loan, we decided the best place to build the business would be Dallas, Texas. Dallas was centrally located, with easy access to both coasts. Connor always made fun of our business being ‘bi-coastal.’ He found that humorous.

We had a fleet of eight rigs and hoped to build it to twelve within the next eighteen months. We named the company Hardsen Freight Lines , a nod to both our last names. Connor enjoyed that ‘hard’ was in the title, which made me chuckle every time I glanced at our logo. I was the CEO and president of the company, and I dealt with logistics management and training drivers. Connor was the CFO and vice president and dealt with the accounts receivables, expenses, and payroll. I hadn’t been sure how things would play out living and working together twenty-four hours a day, but it had been extremely easy.

“I’m thankful for the air conditioning we have at home during the summers,” Connor said as he blew out a big breath. “Birdie can barely stand to go out and do her business during the day right now.” We suddenly heard the clicking of nails on the concrete floor as our beloved Corgi walked in and splayed on the much cooler floor. Connor got up and aimed a fan at her.

Birdie was a female Corgi Kyle had gifted us two years ago. Connor loved the breed and always wanted a pup of his own. We felt it appropriate to name her Birdie, considering Kyle’s Corgi was named Bunker. Since golf had played into how Bunker was named, we decided to keep the golf theme going.

I looked up from the spreadsheets I’d been skimming and asked, “When are Kyle and Brianna coming to visit?”

Connor pulled his phone out to check his calendar. “They’re supposed to arrive in another couple of weeks. I’m hoping it won’t be too hot for her, considering she’s almost eight months pregnant.”

Connor was ecstatic that he was going to be an uncle. Kyle had started dating Brianna over two years ago and fallen deeply in love with her. They got married after a year, and we’d never seen two people that fit so well together—besides Connor and me. Kyle still worked as the head mechanic at the motorcycle dealership in Portland, and now he had an expanding family of his own. Kyle’s mother was even more excited at the news that she was going to become a doting grandmother.

I hadn’t wanted to give up my seaside condo, so I turned it into an Airbnb when we weren’t using it. It worked out well, having my mortgage paid every month from the rental. Crescent City was a coastal town for tourists, and my place was always booked. I was also thankful that Eli was a good watchdog for it.

“Why in the world would the two of them come to Texas when they had the chance to stay at my condo by the ocean?” I asked.

“They wanted to come visit us, honey,” Connor replied. “We haven’t seen them since their wedding. I’m just happy they chose to visit us instead of going to Crescent City. I’ve missed my brother.”

I walked around my desk, stood to face him, and placed my hands on his hips. “I know you miss him, babe,” I said softly. “Hopefully, the weather will cool down some by the time they get here.” I kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth. “It’s funny that we’ve had quite a few visitors down here this year, though.”

“I know. It was great to have Spencer and Evan visit from Boise this past spring at the end of their honeymoon,” Connor said. I knew he missed his best friend just as much as I missed mine.

We were happy that Spencer and Evan remained together and tied the knot earlier in the year. Evan was now head of the cybersecurity team at his father’s company in Boise, and Spencer worked as a CPA in a large firm in town. Although Eli stayed in Crescent City, he also found a new love in his life. He called me constantly when they started dating, asking for my advice. It had been a long time since he’d met someone, and I was happy for him.

Connor and I had discussed marriage—I had proposed, but we both decided to wait and make it a long engagement. He did wear a ring on his left hand, probably more to prove that he was taken, and I loved seeing that simple yellow-gold band on his finger. He always introduced me as his husband, which made me feel we were married anyway.

We owned a beautiful home in Oak Lawn. Our backyard had some shade trees and plenty of room for Birdie to romp and waddle around. It was an upscale urban community with a liberal vibe. Our neighborhood was made up of a diverse group, and we’d made many friends in the community. We had a great life and enjoyed living there.

Birdie let out a quick bark, which startled me with the arrival of one of the drivers I’d been training earlier in the day. I stepped next to Connor at the interruption.

“Hey, boss. The air conditioning guys said the air…” Miller got out before we heard the familiar hum of the A/C click on, and we felt the cool air cascade down around us. Miller pointed to the upper vent and broke into a smile.

“Thanks for the warning, Miller,” I snickered and returned his smile. He nodded and walked back down the hall.

“Oh…thank God,” Connor exclaimed as he closed his eyes and tipped his face to the vent.

It was close to the end of a long workday, and I suggested we should bug out and get Birdie home. Connor didn’t argue and headed to his office to grab his briefcase and laptop. I joined him in the parking lot at our SUV with Birdie in tow. Once I secured her in the backseat, she settled in and seemed just as relieved as we did to feel the vehicle’s cool air after being in our sweltering offices all day.

We sat in slow-moving traffic in companionable silence with the radio volume low. The memories I’d stored from having been on the road for so many years drifted back to me while I maneuvered us through the traffic. My life had changed so drastically since I’d picked my husband-to-be up at a secluded rest area in Oregon.

Over the past five years, I’d had to navigate my sexuality, deal with a traumatic brain injury, survive a cardiac arrest, and eventually believe fate had guided me to where we were. I wouldn’t have given it up for anything.

I turned and looked at Connor as he strummed his fingers to the beat of the music from the radio. He must have seen me since he turned to look at me with those dancing, emerald-green eyes and a contented smile.

“I need to ask you something,” I said as I brought my attention back to the highway.

“Sure, what’s up?” he replied, reaching over and putting his hand on my thigh.

I took a beat before asking, “Have I ever told you about the Red String Theory?”

The End.