Page 32 of The Hookup (Firsts and Forever #13)

Six Months Later

Every season on the ranch brought new wonders.

During the summer while Ryder was recuperating, I discovered a love of gardening and grew corn, tomatoes, and strawberries for us, along with so many flowers that our house was always full of beautiful, fragrant bouquets.

At the same time, huge vines took off, producing fat, ripe pumpkins to enjoy in the fall.

When Logan and his husband and son visited in October, the pumpkins were a huge hit.

“I love the fact that Owen gets to grow up with this,” Logan said one afternoon, as he and I sat on the porch with mugs of hot cider.

Ryder and Lucky were carving one jack-o-lantern after another for Owen, because the kid couldn’t get enough of them.

“It’s pretty great, isn’t it?”

“It really is.” My best friend glanced at me and added, “I was worried about whether you’d be able to adapt to country life, but you look happier and healthier than I’ve ever seen you. You’re not just surviving out here, you’re thriving.”

“I definitely am. That’s both because I’m madly in love with my amazing boyfriend, and because I’m truly enjoying living on the ranch. It just feels good out here.”

Logan nodded and said, “I’m already looking forward to our next visit.”

Even though it had been bittersweet to move away from my friends, I knew they’d always be an important part of my life. They visited when they could, and in between there were video calls, group texts, and plenty of reminders of the love we all shared.

A shiver pulled me back to the present. It was late November now, and fall was transitioning into winter. The garden had been put to bed until next spring, and there was a general sense of everything slowing down as the weather got cooler.

It was about an hour before sunset, which happened pretty early this time of year. I was standing on the porch, surrounded by dogs, and I waved as one of our helpers called goodbye and headed to his truck.

With my encouragement, Ryder had moved his ranch hand to a full-time schedule, hired Dwight’s cousin part-time, and was letting his former teammates help with the horses. All of that was necessary, because his road to recovery had been a long one.

As predicted, he’d tried to do too much too soon, and that had set him back a bit. After that, he finally allowed himself to slow down. He accepted help when it was offered, concentrated on physical therapy, and gave himself the time he needed to heal.

Even though his hip was as good as new now, we still had plenty of help on the ranch. He’d finally learned he could rely on other people and didn’t have to do everything on his own. That was huge, and I was really proud of him.

Letting his former teammates volunteer with the horses had also been a great way to keep in touch with them, since Ryder had retired from rugby.

We also got to see them regularly at cookouts, poker nights, and other get-togethers, which were usually organized by Tank.

He joked that he’d become the group’s social secretary after he returned from the UK. He wasn’t wrong.

A smile spread across my face when Ryder stepped out of the stable and started heading toward the house.

When he spotted me, he broke into a light jog and took the porch steps two at a time.

I laughed as he literally swept me off my feet.

He kissed me and said, “Hi, baby. Aren’t you getting cold out here? ”

“A little, but it’s so nice out. There’s something in the air. Does it snow here?”

“Rarely, and when it does it’s usually just a light dusting.”

“That would still be exciting.”

He put me down, kissed my forehead, and said, “Hold that thought.” Then he hurried inside and returned moments later with one of my shawls, which he draped around my shoulders. I’d learned to knit recently and enjoyed it so much that everyone I knew was getting hats and scarves for Christmas.

I told him, “I love the way you take care of me.”

“Right back at you.” He kissed me again and said, “There’s something I want to show you. Will you meet me at the paddock in ten minutes?”

“Absolutely.”

As Ryder returned to the stable, I headed to my studio with Lola right on my heels. We’d adopted the little, black poodle mix from the shelter a month ago. Right away, she’d decided I was her person and rarely left my side.

The studio was a beautiful, spacious structure located just a few yards from the house.

Ryder had hired a contractor to build it for me over the summer.

It had huge windows for natural light and plenty of room to work, and he’d outfitted it with everything I needed to launch my business, including a sewing machine, worktables, dress forms, and more.

I was so touched by his generosity, and by the way he supported and believed in me.

It was great to have a dedicated workspace, and it had been completed just in time.

After the fashion show, I’d posted videos of my collection online.

When a famous designer shared one of them, the whole thing blew up.

It turned out there was a demand for bespoke, nontraditional wedding dresses, and I’d been working on one or two commissions a month ever since.

The majority of that work happened virtually.

I met each new client over a video call to talk about what they wanted, presented them with sketches, and sent them to a tailor in their area to get accurate measurements.

When each dress was nearly done, I carefully packed it up and flew out to meet my client in person.

Then we’d do a fitting, and I’d make the final alterations.

That method was going really well. I’d done it five times so far, and I was booked a year out, with new inquiries coming in every day. I was careful not to take on too much at once, though. I loved being able to take my time and handcraft the gowns, and each ended up as a unique work of art.

My business model was buy one, give some.

For every wedding dress I sold, I designed and sewed one or more prom dresses to donate to LGBTQ kids—as many as I could make from the leftover materials.

There was always extra fabric and trim after I finished each wedding gown, and I liked the fact that I got to upcycle it, instead of wasting anything.

I’d gone into the studio to retrieve my phone, but I paused to admire my latest creations.

A wonderful lesbian couple had hired me to design two unique but complementary gowns for their upcoming Southern gothic wedding.

One was black and frothy, the other deep red and more tailored, and they worked together beautifully.

They were just about done, and I was flying to New Orleans in a week to deliver them.

I was so excited about this trip, because Ryder was coming with me. We were going to enjoy a long weekend in the Big Easy, just the two of us, while leaving the ranch in the very capable hands of his employees and friends.

When I picked up my phone, I saw that Kit had sent me a photo.

After graduation, he’d started accepting commissions from local drag artists.

He was also working a part-time job to make ends meet, but given the way his reputation was growing in the drag community, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he was designing full-time.

The picture he’d sent was of a hot pink and white gown that was reminiscent of a stargazer lily.

Like all of his stuff, it was beautiful, inventive, and totally over the top, which was exactly what he’d been going for.

I sent him a text telling him it was amazing, and he replied: Right?

Show me how your goth fantasies are coming together .

After I sent a photo of the two gowns, he wrote: They’re fabulous! It’s like Wednesday Addams is marrying the girl from Beetlejuice.

That made me smile. I told him: Exactly what I was going for.

His next message said: I’ve got to run, I’m helping a friend get in drag and we’re having a zipper emergency. PS, I met a guy. More on that soon! That message was capped off with six eggplant emojis, the water droplet emoji, a drooling happy face, and a bunch of fire emojis.

I chuckled at all of that and replied: Way to leave me in suspense .

Then I pocketed my phone and called, “Come on, Lola. Let’s go see what your other daddy is up to.

” She was curled up in one of the five dog beds along the back wall—not in hers, of course, but in the biggest one, which was supposed to belong to Sally the greyhound.

In her mind, I was pretty sure Lola believed she was a huge Rottweiler.

I shut off the lights as we left the studio, and when we stepped outside we discovered Deogee was waiting for us.

It seemed he had a crush on my Lola girl, but she stuck her nose in the air and pretended to ignore him as he fell into step with her.

She was playing hard to get, but it was all an act.

I’d noticed her snuggling with him on more than one occasion.

When we rounded the corner of the stable, I saw that my boyfriend was in the paddock with Barbie.

He hadn’t been able to ride while his hip healed, so the two of them had been working on other skills.

It was a way for them to bond, and it also kept the incredibly intelligent horse from getting bored.

Ryder had set up a folding chair for me outside the fence, along with a 1990s-style boom box. The rest of the dogs, Jeff the donkey, and a couple of chickens were settled in nearby, as if they were waiting for whatever was about to happen.

Barbie stood by patiently while Ryder called, “We put together a little show for you. It’s pretty goofy, but I think you’ll like it.”

Ryder and Barbie moved around so they were facing each other.

That way, the horse could see his movements and hand signals.

“Okay, boy,” he said to the horse, “let’s show Hal how brilliant you are.

” He glanced at me and called, “Please hit play on that boombox.” I did as he asked, and “Boogie Shoes” by KC and the Sunshine Band started up.

Then, to my absolute amazement, he and the huge stallion began to dance.

They both sidestepped to the right, then to the left, turned in a circle, and pranced in unison.

It was cute and funny, but it was also a truly impressive accomplishment.

More than that, the way this traumatized animal trusted him was deeply touching.

When the song ended, I cheered and applauded, and Ryder grinned self-consciously. He held out his hand and lowered it, and both he and the horse took a bow.

I left my shawl on the chair and climbed onto the lower rung of the fence as he hurried over to me. Then I leaned over the top rail and kissed him before saying, “You’re amazing. So’s Barbie.”

“I guess that means you liked the show.”

“I loved it.”

Ryder kissed me again and said, “Dancing with a horse is kind of a weird lead-in to this next bit, but I was dyin’ to show you what we’ve been working on. I also couldn’t wait another minute for your real surprise.” He climbed through the fence and called, “Deogee, bring me the bag.”

The dog got up and retrieved a small drawstring pouch, which had been sitting on an upended milk crate. As he brought it to Ryder, I asked, “What’s that?”

“I’m about to show you.”

He removed something from the pouch and got down on one knee.

I didn’t realize what was happening at first, not until he took my hand and said, “I love you more than anything in this whole entire world, Hal. You’re my sun and moon, my better half, and the best thing that ever happened to me.

Would you do me the incredible honor of being my husband? ”

I shouted, “Oh my god, yes!” When he slipped a purple amethyst ring onto my finger, my breath caught and I whispered, “It’s beautiful.”

Ryder stood up and grabbed me in a hug. “You’ve made me so happy.”

“I absolutely adore you. And wow, way to spring this on me out of the blue!”

He leaned back a little and smiled at me as I caressed his cheek.

“I was planning on proposing when we’re in New Orleans, with champagne, candlelight, the whole nine yards.

But then, like I said, I couldn’t wait. Plus, I thought it was better to do it here, on our ranch. This place is a part of us.”

“It is. How could we get engaged without being surrounded by dogs, chickens, a donkey, and a horse?”

“Exactly.”

“We need to have the wedding ceremony here, too,” I said, “in the springtime, when the bluebonnets are in bloom.”

“That sounds perfect.” The donkey brayed loudly, and Ryder grinned and said, “I think Jeff approves. He’s going to be jealous though, because I’m planning to ask Tank to be my best man, not him.”

“He can still be one of your groomsmen. Jeff and your friends can even get matching outfits.” I was joking, but I could totally see that happening.

“Speaking of outfits, I can’t wait to see what you decide to wear. I know it’s going to be the most spectacular thing you’ve ever designed.”

“I’ve sketched five different ideas so far.”

“You knew I was planning to ask you!”

“Actually, I was planning to ask you next week, when we’re in New Orleans.”

Ryder looked shocked. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “I was putting a whole thing together with champagne, candlelight, all that romantic stuff. But it was much better to do it here at home.”

He kissed me and asked, “So, should we shoot for this spring, or the one after that?”

“This one. I don’t want to wait to be your husband.”

“I don’t want to wait, either. There’s a lot to do, though. Spring will be here before we know it, so we’ll have to start planning the wedding right away. But I already know one thing we can cross off the list.”

“What’s that?”

“The song for our first dance.” He hit a button on the boombox, and “Boogie Shoes” started up again.

I shook my head. “No way.”

“Yes, way! It’s perfect, and I’ll prove it.”

With that, he grabbed my hands, and the two of us started to dance. It was silly, and clumsy, and pure joy. When he lifted me up and spun me around, I shrieked with delight, and both of us started to laugh.

As recently as a year ago, I couldn’t have predicted I’d end up here.

And yet, my entire life, every choice, every high and low, every experience had led me to Ryder.

I knew, without a doubt, that this was exactly where I was always meant to be—in this wonderful place, with this absolutely extraordinary man.

The End

Thank you for reading!