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T rent watched the folks pack things with kid gloves on, yessiring Fox like a boss. He’d never seen such a thing.

He’d found himself a chair that Fox wasn’t bringing—and thank God for that, because the fucking thing was uncomfortable as hell—and watched Fox direct shit like a chute boss.

Impressive.

Also, more than a little hot.

They were fixin’ to go out and wander, once Fox had decided whatever he needed to. He wanted to see Fox’s old life, so that he could understand it for his new family.

Fox stuck bright pink stickers on a stack of boxes by the kitchen, then wandered over to him, grinning. “Comfy?”

“I’m good. You need help? I’ll help, darlin’.” He just wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.

“You’re good. I’m wrapping up. They’re going to load the truck soon. I hate that chair.” It must be a pretty small truck because Fox was donating almost everything that wasn’t Amelia’s.

“It’s… less than cozy, that’s for sure.” They had two recliners and a huge comfy couch at home that were covered in pillows and blankets.

“You look sexy sitting in it though.” Fox winked at him.

“That’s me. Sexy cowboy in a hard chair.” Trent flexed for him, winked.

Fox braced his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned over him. “You really need to understand how hot you are.”

Oh damn. That was sexual as all get-out, and he found himself getting embarrassingly hard. “Do I now?”

“Yes. Don’t laugh it off. You are. You’re gorgeous.” Fox leaned down even farther and gave him a kiss that was brief but sizzling.

Whoa. He was happy, that was for sure. “You’re gonna make me cream my jeans, darlin’,” he whispered.

Fox’s grin was slow and smug. “I’m sorry?”

“Liar, liar pants afire.” He rolled his eyes and grinned. “Good thing I like you, huh.”

“Good for me. You ready to get out of here?” Fox pushed off the chair and stood, still all smiles. “Can you walk?”

“Shut up, you.” He chuckled, shaking his head, but he stood, not hiding his need. “Where are we headed first?”

“Amelia’s old school.” Fox took his hand. “We’ll see you in Texas, guys. Keep my daughter’s things safe, okay?”

“Yes, sir!” It was like a chorus of minions.

“This is the way to pack,” Trent admitted. “They’ve been crazy careful.”

“I tipped them very well in advance and promised more if everything arrived on time and in good shape.” Fox winked at him. “It’s worth it. As you know, Amelia is worried.”

“Yes. She told me this morning that she wants a slumber party for her birthday, and she expects her dolls and her things at the house.”

Fox blinked at him. “Oh, shit. Think I should tip them more?”

“Nah. If they get it to the house, then you ought to, right?”

“I know, I’m paranoid though. I just really don’t want to disappoint her.” Fox stopped and took one more look around the living room. “This is weird.”

“Yeah, I bet. Do you want to stay in a hotel for the rest of the trip?” He would so do that for Fox.

Fox paused for another second, then closed the door. “Considering that guest bed creaks like your grandma, that’s not a bad idea.”

“And it’s no fun to be in an emptying-out place. Let’s go stay somewhere and pretend we’re on vacation.” Trent thought this was a great idea.

Fox gave him a smile. “I like it. Do you want super pampered and spoiled, or boutique hole in the wall? I’ll make us a reservation anywhere you want.”

“Oh, let’s do a boutique hole in the wall. Just somewhere with a clean, good mattress and midnight room service.” He could handle that.

“I’m on it.” Fox started texting as the elevator began to move. “Well, I have a guy who is on it.”

“You have a guy? Is he like yours permanently?” Because Trent was going to have to meet him.

“No, no. It’s a concierge service. I used to use them for all kinds of things when Amelia and I were here. Last minute childcare, rides out of the city, theater tickets, restaurant reservations, dry cleaning, grocery shopping… that kind of thing.”

Fox said all of that like it was a totally normal thing people did.

“Huh.” He had Rope and Jude, and they had him. In his world, that was the good ole boy network.

Fox glanced at him and put his phone away. “I know, I know. I’m sure you’re trying very hard not to laugh at me.”

“Why? You’re fancy, you’re in a big city. I can get all that same stuff with my neighbors. I’m glad you have all of us now.”

“I was fancy. Now, I’m just a guy with money who lives on a ranch.” Fox smiled at him and took his hand as they stepped off the elevator. “And I love it.”

He held on, squeezing a little, loving this. “You have miniature horses and a bunch of kittens, after all.”

“And yaks! Yak? What’s the plural?” The air was warm as they left the building, but there was a breeze that felt like fall was coming.

“Yaks. Absolutely. What’s Ames going to dress up as for Halloween, do you think?” He’d bought Faith a little Highland cow costume for her first Halloween.

Jude hadn’t been super amused.

Fox laughed. “Yeah, I never know until last minute because she changes her mind at least three times. I’m usually scrambling for a costume for her.”

“There will be a couple big trunk-or-treats, and there’s always someone who does a party. This’ll be the first year I’m home for it.” He was typically on the road. October was high season for bull riding.

Fox steered them down the sidewalk without rushing, unlike most of the people passing them by. “Sounds like fun. What are you dressing up as?”

“Cowboy.” He had all the clothes, the hat, the boots, and a wee cow to carry around.

Fox snorted, then burst out in a big laugh, giggling so hard he had to stop moving. People walking by were staring. Fox didn’t care.

Oh, yeah. He was good. He made his lover laugh. So there, grumpy, busy people!

When Fox got it together, he took Trent’s hand again, the giggles bubbling out in short little bursts now. “No. Nope.”

“No?” He fluttered his eyelashes, teasing madly.

“Maybe we should go as each other.” Fox winked at him.

“Ooh… I could go as a pretty-tailed little fox?” He waggled his eyebrows, winked back.

Fox rolled his eyes. “You’re impossible. Amusing, but impossible. I could go in an arm brace.”

“I have one you could borrow! What a coinky-dink!”

Fox shook his head and laughed again, the sound always so warm and genuine. “That’s Amelia’s school,” he pointed out. “It looks small from the front, but it goes back almost a full block.”

“Wow.” That was so much different than the sprawling, multi-grade campus that Ames went to now. “That’s cool. She’s adjusting well to her new school, though.”

“She is. This is a great school, but I think she is happier where she is. This place is very competitive, which isn’t really her thing.”

“She seems like she’s settling in. I love to listen to her jabber on.”

Fox nodded. “The way she talks, you’d think she always lived there, right?”

He pondered that a second. “I think she was craving a change, and so were you. She took her cues from you. She was willing to start a new life because you let her be brave.”

Fox looked at him. “You think so? I don’t feel like I did much of anything. I was trying to find my way too.”

“I do. You let her know she could look for her way.” It probably sounded stupid.

“Maybe.” Fox squeezed his hand tighter. “Yeah. Maybe so. I’m glad, if that’s the case. Thank you.”

He wanted to kiss Fox, but he knew better. “Just the truth.”

“She’s as happy as she is because of you too, you know. You’re always thinking of her.”

“She’s part of my family. I love her. I love you, but I reckon you guessed that.” He couldn’t meet Fox’s eyes.

Fox caught his chin and lifted his face so he had no choice. “I’m such a coward. I wanted to say that last night, but it just felt like too much. I love the way you just say what’s on your mind, just because it’s true. I love you too.” Fox looked right into his eyes that time.

He’d never have thought—never—that he would tell someone he was in love, and have the emotion returned, in the middle of a busy street in New York City.

Never.

“Funny we had to come all the way up here to admit all of that.” Fox kissed him, right out in the open, right in the street with all those people walking by.

His eyes went wide, but he went with it, kissing Fox good and hard. When in Rome, and all that.

When they parted, Fox was flushed and grinning. “Mmm. I heart New York.”

Oh, that was cute.

“I think I might too.” Trent winked at him. “Show me around, darlin’.”

“Cool. From here, we’re going for a walk in Central Park.”

They wandered, and it was pretty—cooler than back home, and so many different folks to look at. He was fascinated by all the colors and energy.

“Fox? Fox, is that you?” A man wearing jeans and a black T-shirt so tight Trent could see his pulse hurried over to them.

“Jameson. Wow. Hi.” Fox and the hunky guy shook and bro-hugged. “Good to see you. You look amazing.”

“Thanks. I’m doing keto, and I hired a new trainer.” Jameson glanced at him, eyebrow arching. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m terrible about introductions. This is—” Fox smiled at him and then back at Jameson. “This is my boyfriend, Trent. Trent, this is Jameson, Xan and I used to spend a lot of time with Jameson and his husband Brad.”

“Boyfriend? I mean I knew you left your job, but—wow.” Jameson looked Trent over like he was from Mars or something.

Trent smiled, nodded, and held out his hand. “Pleased t’ meet you.”

Jameson shook his hand. “You sound like you’re from Texas. What are you doing in New York?”

“Helping Fox here move home to Texas.” The ‘nosy’ was implied.

Jameson’s nose wrinkled. “You’re moving to Texas? For real?” Trent heard the disdain, but he wasn’t sure whether Fox caught it.

“I am. That’s where my family is now. We have a great ranch. Amelia loves it.”

“You’ll be back. Everyone who moves comes back eventually.”

“Actually, I hope not. Listen, we have to run. Take care now. Say hi to Brad.” Fox took his hand again.

“Yep. You too. Good luck with it.”

Fox rolled his eyes as Jameson turned to walk away.

Trent leaned in. “Good luck with it, huh?”

Fox shrugged and leaned back. “We already have all the luck we need.”

“Yeah. Poor guy, doesn’t know what he’s missing.” He winked, knowing that Fox knew what he meant. Where he lived wasn’t for everyone, but it was for them.

“Damn right. More the fool, him, as they say.” And with that, Fox seemed to just leave Jameson and everything he represented behind and changed the subject. They finished their walk past the Natural History Museum and headed into the park. “I love it up here. There’s a lake and a castle. You’ll see.”

“No shit? A castle? How cool is that?” He couldn’t imagine. A castle, in a city.

“Well, it’s a small castle.” Fox winked at him “It is cool though.” The path was tree covered and shady, a nice change from the summer sun. It even felt less humid here.

Trent was loving this—walking and talking, just being someone no one but Fox knew for a minute.

“Amelia and I took this walk on the weekends sometimes. She would pretend she was a princess. Wait until we get up there, the view is really neat.”

“I bet she has a few more years of pretending left in her. A couple for sure.”

“I think so. I hope so. I’m not in a hurry to have a full-on teenager.” Fox led him past the castle and Turtle Pond, which it overlooked, around to a path that led uphill to the castle itself. “So, that’s the Delacorte Theater; they do Shakespeare in the Park there. And that’s the Great Lawn.” And everywhere else were views of the city’s tall buildings.

“Wow. Have you ever seen Shakespeare? I saw Hamlet in Honolulu once.”

“In Honolulu? How cool is that? I’ve seen lots of Shakespeare right here. Xan and I went every summer. It’s free.”

“They do it in Austin too. We can take Amelia, if you want.” There was a ton of things to do in Austin, and it was just over an hour’s drive.

Not bad at all.

“Yeah? That would be fun. Maybe she’d like a comedy if they’re doing one. I’ve actually always wanted to see Austin.” Fox leaned on the wall and looked out over the lake. “So pretty, in the middle of this crazy city.”

“It is.” Austin had Lake Travis, Town Lake, Lady Bird Lake—they’d have to explore together. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Field trip!” Fox chuckled. “Cool. Okay. Next up, a stroll in the Ramble.”

They hiked for a couple of hours and were hungry by the time they made it back to the apartment to get their things. Fox packed up quickly, and they were gone—Fox didn’t even look back as he closed the door.

There was a car waiting for them to take them to their hotel, which was nestled in the middle of a tree-lined block and looked like almost nothing on the outside.

He smiled at the sight. “Look at this. I like it. It seems homey.”

“Right? I’ve never even heard of this place.”

They walked inside and there was a young woman sitting at a small, ornate wooden desk. “Mr. Fox and Mr. James?”

“That’s us.” Fox smiled at her.

“Welcome. Fifth floor. You’ll find an open bar and an extensive menu. Call down any time for anything you need.” She held the key out to Trent. “Anything at all.”

“Thank you, ma’am. You have a nice day.” He tipped his hat and grabbed their bags, at least until Fox grumbled and took them.

“Watch that arm.” Fox bent and kissed his temple. “Please.” Fox followed him to the elevator. It was just big enough for two people and two suitcases. “It’s a good thing you’re sm—uh, not as tall as I am.”

Small? Him? Nonsense. “Ooh. I’m short, not tiny. Rope? He’s itty bitty.”

“I corrected myself!” Fox laughed. “You’re solid as a rock, babe.” The elevator let them out into a vestibule and Fox stepped aside so he could use the key. “I’m excited to see this place.”

“Yeah? Why’d you pick it?” He loved how Fox’s mind worked.

“Honestly?” Fox grinned at him. “It was the most expensive place my agent found for us. We have one more night in New York together, just us on our own, so I thought we should splurge.”

Trent opened the door, tickled as all get-out. It was nice, a little, to be all pampered. “No squeaky bedsprings?”

“Nope. Not going to miss them either.” Fox wandered into the entry room to the suite, which had a comfy-looking couch, a TV, and a bar, then poked his head through a doorway to the right. “Whoa. Got any friends in town? The bed is big enough for four.”

“Nuh-uh. Not sharing.” Trent was sure about that. He wasn’t a player. He was a long-term monogamous type. “We’ll roll around on it.”

“Yeah, not my thing. We can sleep sideways!” Fox laughed and disappeared into the room. “We can dance in the shower. It’s huge.”

“Mmm…” They could shower together in there for sure. Hell, they could do yoga.

Drowning downward dog.

“Drink?” Fox put an arm around him and pulled him toward the bar. “I wonder if there’s music? Grab the menu; we can order room service.”

“Hey, make me your favorite.” He did love room service. He was sort of a room service connoisseur.

“All right. And you order us food.” Fox got behind the small bar and pulled out a bottle of tequila. “Do you like grapefruit?”

“Love it.” He opened the menu, and there was just about anything you could want available. Wow. “You want pasta?”

“Love pasta. We don’t have that a lot at home.” Fox started pouring and shaking and ice clinked into glasses.

“I always think of that as a winter food. Or at least a post-Halloween food.”

“Get something with, like, lemon and tomatoes and capers in a wine sauce, with chicken or fish. Totally summer. Trust me.”

“Okay. What’s a caper? They’re sort of like a pickle right?” He searched for that in the pasta section of the menu.

“They’re like—I don’t know. Very salty peas. I think you’d like them.” Speaking of summery, Fox sat a frothy, fruity-looking drink down next to him. “Paloma?”

“God bless you.” He grinned and took the glass. “Lemon caper linguine with garlic bread and a Caesar salad?”

“Perfect. Yes? I think it sounds good. And dessert. Don’t forget dessert.” Fox sat close and looked over his shoulder.

“Mmm… chocolate or berry? Or one of each? Chocolate cake and berry galette? It has a crust…” He liked crust.

“Do it. We can feed bites to each other.” Fox’s hand tucked into his back pocket.

“Oh, that sounds hot as hell. I like how you think, darlin’.” He flexed, tightening his butt cheek.

Fox kissed his neck with lips chilled by his cocktail. “I like how you call me ‘darlin’’, darlin’.”

“Yum…” He took a sip of his drink and sighed at the tart sweetness. “That’s nice. I like it.”

“I’d kind of forgotten how much I love tequila cocktails in the summer. They’re fun to make too.” Fox got up and started poking around. “They have to have a Bluetooth speaker or something.”

“We going to dance?” He could two-step with the best of them.

Fox nodded. “We’re going to try. Aha!” Fox pulled out his phone, and in a minute, they had music going. “Choose your poison. I have Spotify.”

“I want to hear your favorite song.” He wanted to know things. He guessed Fox’s favorite color was blue, he knew his jeans size.

“Huh. Okay.” Fox started scrolling on his phone, picked a song and the solo guitar intro played through the speaker. The rich voice and slow groove of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” was warm and familiar. Fox set his drink down. “Oldie but goodie.”

“Perfect.” He opened his arms, making a clear offer. “May I have this dance?”

“You may have all my dances.” Fox stepped right in close and slid an arm around him.

“Mmm… I like that.” He hummed as their bodies met, his toes curling. “You smell good.”

“Really? I don’t smell like I’ve been hiking all over New York on a hot day?”

“No. You smell like you.” Fox smelled like musk and wind and rain to him.

“Hmm okay. Maybe later, I’ll smell more like you, hm?” Fox didn’t seem to know the two-step but danced him around in a circle.

He did love that idea, yes he did. He rested his head on Fox’s shoulder, sighing softly.