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Chapter Thirty-Five

L uke sat in the driveway, shaking a little.

He’d done it. He’d made it to Austin. The Mustang was there, along with a wee Mazda. Rory was in there.

Too bad he wasn’t sure his legs would get him out of the car.

A pretty little blonde bebopped out of the house, the vision of perfect co-ed, and came right up to the window.

“You are Luke. I’m Aislin, the middle child, which I hear you totally get.

He’s sleeping on the couch. He napped, puked, ate, then crashed.

I was staying to make sure he didn’t throw up and drown.

Apparently that’s a thing. You need a hand? ”

“I do. I’m kinda sore, so the arm crutches are totally out. My chair is in the trunk.” He popped the trunk, glad he had a fancy, lightweight new wheelchair.

“I’m on it. You do okay on the drive?” Aislin proved herself to be a stud, hauling the wheelchair out without a bit of trouble.

“I did. Had to stop in Waco, which is always scary for a gay guy.” We chuckled. “West is too weird on and off. We’ll have to stop on the way back up and get a pecan roll.”

“Uhn. The cherry ones are my favorite.” She got the chair opened and set the brakes. “Okay, what now?”

“Now you just stand by to make sure I don’t keel over.” He was getting pretty good at the hoisting thing. His upper body was on point.

“I am totally here for you.” She grinned at him, eyes just like Rory’s, blue as the Texas sky.

“Thanks. How did y’all end up with Rowenna as a sister?” he teased. “She’s like the inkblot of the McConnells.”

“She hasn’t figured out that she doesn’t have to compete with us yet, that’s all. Once she does? She’s going to be famous. No one gets her, that’s all.”

Okay, so he hadn’t expected this well-spoken, sharp, totally self-aware woman. Not at all. The McConnells raised some great children.

Luke breathed deep before grabbing the car door and the side panel. He heaved himself to his feet, teetering for a moment, and Aislin grabbed his arm.

“You turn toward the door and I’ll scoot the chair in behind you.”

“Great idea.”

“I’m a brilliant broad, just ask my brother.”

“I will. If he’s anything like my brothers he’ll say you’re a giant dork.” He eased into the chair. Yay. “Okay, if you can grab my arm crutches?”

“I’m on it.” She grabbed them and his go bag. “You want your Coke?”

“It’s empty. If you want I can put it in the chair and take it in.”

“I’ll toss it. I can’t stay. I have a class.”

“Well, thank you for coming to sit with him.” He liked her a lot already. “We’ll holler about the car? ”

“Totally. Heck, I might leave it parked here until I come up. Safer than trying to get parking anywhere near campus. I’ll park it in the garage.”

“Works for me.”

Aislin helped him into the house, which was a two-story, goodie. Rory was sound asleep on the sofa, his face haggard, dark circles under his eyes.

Luke’s heart clenched, because the last few days had to have been a nightmare.

“Aw.” Aislin squeezed his shoulder. “I love the way you look at him. Okay. I have to go. Good luck, SEAL.”

“Thank you, honey. I appreciate you.”

“Thanks. See y’all at Thanksgiving!” She bounced out, phone already in her hand and active.

Luke rolled over to Rory and poked him right in the ribs. His lover sat straight up, pure panic in his eyes.

“Shh. It’s okay, babe. Get up and show me where the bathroom is, and we can go back to bed for a bit.” They would talk. A lot. Right now they were both wore out.

“You came.” Rory was on pure auto-pilot, moving him through the house to a first-floor master with an en suite, stumbling around like a zombie.

“Well, yeah, once I found you, you monumental asshole.”

Rory helped him from chair to pot, then back again so he could wash his hands.

“I just need to text the mommas and let them know I got here and you’re okay.”

Rory looked at him, nodded and headed into the bedroom to pull the curtains closed and the covers down.

Luke shot off a group text to his momma, Helen and Matt, letting them all know everyone was safe.

Will call tonigh t

, he added.

You’d better

Helen shot back.

Tell him we love him.

Will do

He would, too. Maybe not right away.

The bed was a monster, but the comforter looked like a cloud, and Rory was standing by, ready to help him up if he needed it.

“I like your sister,” Luke said, turning off the sound on the phone.

Rory nodded, refusing to meet his eyes. “Me, too.”

“Help me up, babe.” That way Rory had to touch him.

Rory nodded and reached for him, face crumpling when he grabbed his lover and tugged him down.

“And don’t think for one second that I don’t want you in this bed with me. That video changed nothing about how I feel about you, you understand?”

Rory slumped against him, hard sounds coming from him, his whole body shaking.

Luke held on, tears in his eyes, because, Jesus, his lover was hurting so bad. So bad.

Still, the only way to deal with shit was to deal with it. So he let Rory storm, then he finagled them both into bed. “I love you, Rory.”

“I’m so fucking sorry.”

“I know, but you are not to blame.” The motherfuckers who’d hurt an innocent kid were. “What they did to you was criminal, babe. He’s going down for this.” Luke didn’t even want that man’s name in the same room with Rory .

Once he made sure his lover slept and ate and slept a little more, then they’d make a plan, together. Right now, it was more important that Rory stood up as if some of the weight was off him, then helped Luke into bed.

He got rid of his boots so he could shimmy out of his jeans. When Rory cautiously slid between the covers with him, Luke reached out to pull his lover close.

Rory came to him, face hot and wet, buried against his throat.

“I got you, babe.” Luke stroked that silky golden hair. “I love you.”

“I’m sorry. I never wanted… Never.”

“Right. I mean, I can tell you were waiting to spring that on me. Hush, you. Unless you need to babble, and then go for it.”

“My head hurts. My…my fucking soul hurts, Luke. Everyone’s seen it. Lori, my people, your people, the news.”

“Lori fielded all that like a pro.” Luke paused, pondering. “I knew why you wanted to go after Harris. Like in an academic sort of way. I swear, if I hadn’t been with Jake when the video came in, I would have gone and killed him. Now I’ve seen it, I’m surprised you didn’t.”

“I was nineteen and scared. Now, I’m fully grown and I’m not scared anymore. I’m pissed off.”

“Jake has a warrant for the old fuck. I don’t know if they got him yet.”

“A warrant? Does the DA think they can make anything stick?”

“Yeah. I mean, the tape can only do so much. If they prosecute, they’ll want you to be there.”

“I’ll be in court every single fucking day.”

“Good deal.” He just kept touching, needing to feel Rory, there with him, alive and safe. Nothing sexual. Just comfort.

“You drove all this way. Your legs must be unhappy. ”

“I took some Tylenol. I can’t promise not to kick you if I cramp up.” His muscles were jumping in places, tiny electric shocks going through his legs.

“You need me to rub them?”

“If you have an urge, I am not gonna say no. That lotion Avery gave me is in my go bag.”

“You bothered to drive down here. It’s the least I can do.”

“Hey.” Luke caught Rory when he started to move away. “I would follow you anywhere, okay?”

“Even still?” Sometimes Rory was so young.

“Hell, yes. You’re the bravest man I know.”

Rory snorted. “I’m just… I can’t believe I trusted them. I was so stupid.”

“You were young and desperate to join the old boy network.” He propped his head up with his hands, watching Rory get up to grab his lotion. “I like to think it made you the take charge, balls to the wall guy you are, and I like him.”

“Yeah? Good, because I don’t know how to be anyone else.”

“Good.”

Rory returned to him, lotion in hand. “Oh, honey, your legs are just jumping like frog legs in a hot pan.”

“I needed to get to you, no matter what.”

“Thank you.” Rory looked up, rubbing lotion between his hands to warm it. “I just ran. I should have come to you, but I shorted out.”

“I get it. That sort of attack, you have to get somewhere safe.” Besides, Luke could only imagine how fucking mortified Rory was.

“They sent it to my mom,” Rory said. “My goddamned mother.”

“Not the brightest move. Moms are vicious.” He thought about his mom being right there at the McConnell place today, bringing muffins and cheering him on. “Your mom was totally like, take my car, go get my boy.”

“Dude, she gave you the Caddy? Impressive. She loves that car.”

“She insisted. My momma freaked.” Luke moaned when Rory began to rub at his calves. His thighs might kill him.

“I have you.” Rory was careful, knowing where to touch, how to make it better, make it right.

“Sore.” He panted through a wave of cramp that finally relaxed, leaving him a little limp.

“I’m sorry.” Rory leaned down and kissed his thigh, the touch gentle, careful as anything.

“Well, you can make it up to me later when we both feel better.” Luke raised his head to grin. “Rub.”

“Taskmaster.” Rory didn’t manage to smile, but the touch of his lover’s hands was gentle as hell.

“Yep.” He tensed when those hands found his left thigh. His right was stronger, and even with all the driving he was less sore there. That left leg was gonna be a bear the rest of his life. He hated it, but it could be way worse and Luke knew it. Even with the drama, these days he felt lucky.

“Tensing isn’t going to do you any good, honey.” Rory’s hands were like feathers, just skating over his skin again and again until the muscles relaxed.

“It’s totally not voluntary. Thank God for cruise control, at least between Waco and Austin. Man, it’s not a lot of country out there anymore. Everything is growing up.”

“The world is changing. That’s one of the reasons I bought the land, to keep our home, to keep our bit of Texas.”

“I like that. I mean, I really do.” He thought he actually got it now, and Luke was happy to do his part. Besides, the Rocking W was becoming a real thing, kind of. The barns were up, he had the one house almost livable.

The work blistered his hands and made him sleep hard at night, but it made Luke proud. “Did I tell you the VA finally called back? They’re wanting to work with us.”

“I told you they’d like the idea. It’s great PR.”

“Yeah. I mean, they’re super-enthusiastic. They assigned me a caseworker.”

“Excellent. When did you find this out?”

“Right before I went to see Jake, so I guess we haven’t talked.” Luke sighed, the knot in his left leg giving way. Goosebumps rose on his skin, “Oh, good. Babe. Good.”

“There we go. I knew it would happen.”

Luke wasn’t sure if Rory was talking about the VA or his leg, but it didn’t matter. Rory was talking, was there with him and breathing. They both needed this.

“You need me to return the favor and rub your neck?” Rory got a terrible headache if he drank more than three beers. Lord knew, Luke could tell he’d had way more than that.

Rory looked over to him, bloodshot eyes just miserable. “My head is going to bust like a ripe watermelon.”

Luke slid up to lean against the headboard. “Get up here.”

“You sure?”

“Rory, don’t be any dumber than you have to be, man.”

Rory chuffed out a tiny laugh and slid up between his spread legs, which Luke could do now that his muscles had relaxed some.

He reached up to press against the sore spots, because Rory always held his tension in the same spots. Oh, his poor lover. His poor man. “I want to kill him, Rory.”

“Me too. I’m so embarrassed. I’m never going to be able to go home.”

“Yes you are. You held your head high for years when everyone thought you were the one who got drunk and stupid. Now we know better.”

“Everyone knows better.” Rory’s head fell forward, giving in to his hands .

“How is that bad? They need to know that bastard deserves to be in jail. Now you can be a hero for buying all that land instead of just an obsessive weirdo.”

“I need this to be over. I’m so tired.”

“Rest, babe. What you need is sleep. That always brings perspective.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen to you.” Rory helped him scoot down and they both settled into one another, spooning. “Go to sleep.”

“Mmmhmm. Be here when I wake up,” Luke demanded.

“I can do that.” Rory nodded and pulled the blankets up over them.

Luke knew it was true. Rory wouldn’t run from him again, and if he did, well, Luke would just hunt him down again.

Really though, together they would figure it out. They had to.