Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ryker “Remind me again, why did I agree to go to this event?” Ryker yelled out from his bathroom, adjusting the uncomfortable tie around his neck and fidgeting in his slim tuxedo as he stood in front of the mirror. The black suit was cut perfectly, Ryker thought as he adjusted his lapels and checked himself out. He’d left his long hair loose and decided to wear his contacts tonight, but he’d skipped the eyeliner, much to Wes’s disappointment.
“Because you love the shelter and want to show your support,” Wes replied, sneaking up behind Ryker and smoothing his hands down his back to rest at his waist. “And because you get to show off your man.” Wes winked at him in the mirror and squeezed his waist.
Ryker took a moment to appreciate their profiles in contrast. Wes, bulky and broad, his blond hair and hazel eyes so bright. Ryker, slim but nearly Wes’s equal in height, with dark hair and navy-blue eyes. They looked so good together.
Ryker’s body began to heat up, and his cock swelled in his very tight pants. He reached down to adjust himself. Wes caught the movement, smiled, and dropped a kiss just behind his ear, then moved over to his lobe to lick and gently bite. Shit.
“Not there. You know how sensitive I am. I go fucking crazy,” Ryker said, wishing they could just stay home instead.
“Sorry, my bad,” Wes said and patted his waist. “Come on, we have a party to go to.” He reached out his hand. Ryker interlocked their fingers tightly, never wanting to let go.
They said goodbyes to the fur babies and headed downstairs to their limo. They picked up Grey and Luca and, fifteen minutes later, arrived at Legacy Loft, a well-known venue space in Greenwich Village. The space was over three thousand square feet, with panoramic views of the eclectic neighborhood. The main room was filled with dozens of round tables that each seated eight, decorated in the style of Heart2Home’s black, white, and red logo. A DJ was pumping up the large crowd as Ryker searched for his sister and his mom. He spotted them standing by the bar, both dressed in short, stylish cocktail dresses and sipping colorful drinks. Ryker grabbed Wes’s hand and tugged him over.
“Hola, querido, you look so nice in your tux!” Tina exclaimed, greeting them with hugs. “And you, too, Wes. So handsome.” “Thanks, Tina, but I think Ryker wins for the most beautiful man of the night.” Wes chuckled, giving Ryker a once-over. Ryker felt his cheeks heat up.
“Oh, look, Mama, Ryker’s blushing,” Rachel teased, reaching up and grabbing Ryker’s cheek, then turning to greet Wes with a hug. “Wes, it’s so nice to meet you in person. The video chat we had when Ryker was visiting you in Toronto was too short.” She stood back and looked at both of them. “Wow, you two are stunning together. Can’t one of you grow a wart or something?” she joked.
Wes rolled his eyes. “Please, take a look in the mirror. You have lots of men and women glancing your way.” Standing tall in a black sequin strapless dress and red satin heels, Rachel Desoumas was a striking beauty, just like her mom and brother. “In fact,” Wes said, “you’re one amazing family. Let’s get some photos.” After pictures and cocktails, Rachel pulled Ryker aside as Wes and Grey wandered over to view the items up for bid in the charity auction.
“I wanted you to know, I submitted my DNA and got a match a few days ago,” she said.
“Holy shit!” Ryker couldn’t believe it. “Who did it match to?” “A first cousin on our father’s side. She lives in San Diego. I’ve reached out to set up a meeting with her when I head to California in August.” Ryker nodded. “Have you told Mom?” “Yes, and she supports me. I think she’d like answers, too. You know, to finally put everything to rest.” Rachel sighed and rubbed her hands together. “I hope that you’ll support me, too.” “I’m still getting used to the idea. I may not want to know all the answers just yet, but I’ll always love and support you.” Rachel reached up and hugged him. “Thanks, bro. I love you, too.” He squeezed her waist as she drew back.
Ryker then spotted Javier across the room and signaled for him to come over.
“Ryker, so glad you could make it!” Javier said.
Introductions were made, and Wes returned with more drinks.
“Javier, nice to see you again.” Wes nodded politely, and Javier shook his hand.
“You traveled a long way for our benefit tonight. Thank you.” “I’m here to support my partner. It’s my pleasure,” he responded smoothly, sliding his arm around Ryker’s waist.
Ryker had a brief flash of guilt when he recalled what he’d said to Javier about not being interested in a relationship. But he’d never be anything more than friends with Javier and had made that clear, so there was nothing to feel guilty about.
Javier looked between Ryker and Wes, then nodded in understanding. “Wes, I heard you adopted Rudy, congrats.
Ryker, Rachel, so nice to chat, but I must go and mingle with potential donors.” Javier headed off into the crowd with the other guests, while Ryker, his family, and Wes found their table.
Mac and Cal arrived a few minutes later, and there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere. Mac aimed his icy glare at Luca, and Luca returned it, tenfold. Great. Cal and Grey chatted amicably for a while until Cal signaled the waiter for more drinks and downed two glasses of wine in a row.
“Slow down, man, you’re going to be shit-faced before the dinner gets started,” Ryker whispered.
Cal waved him off, downed another drink, and started flirting with Rachel. Grey abruptly left the table. Ryker looked at Wes, who shrugged.
“He’s still out of practice at these things,” he said. “He’ll be fine.” “So, Big Mac, how’s your assistant? Still overworked?” Luca taunted as his glaring match with Mac continued.
Ryker nudged Wes under the table with his knee to get him to defuse the firestorm that was about to erupt.
“She’s on vacation, not that it’s any of your business,” Mac snapped.
“Unlikely. She’s at home, on her laptop, job searching,” Luca said before turning to Ryker’s mother and ignoring Mac’s furious scowl.
“Mac, are you having issues with your assistant?” his mom inquired.
“No,” Mac replied with a polite smile. “Luca is under the incorrect assumption that she’s unhappy and overworked when, in fact, she is well compensated for her hours.” Luca opened his mouth to speak, but Ryker’s mom beat him to it.
“As a business owner myself, I can tell you that finding—and keeping—good employees is not easy. Don’t take them for granted,” Tina replied as she sipped her wine.
“Too late,” Luca piped in, and Mac’s face reddened.
Ryker cleared his throat and decided to change the subject. “So, Mac, Wes and I have completed five chapters. Looks like we’ll be on track to have the first draft finished in a few months.” Mac’s grimace eased somewhat. “Amazing.
How’s the move back to fiction, Wes? Any issues?” “It hasn’t been easy, but I have a good beta reader.” Wes squeezed Ryker’s thigh and leaned in for a kiss. It started out rather chaste, but they soon got lost in each other and forgot about everyone at the table until someone coughed and startled them.
“Enough PDA. Jesus, is it hot in here or is it me?” Cal joked as he tugged on his shirt collar.
“It’s just you. You’re not used to wearing a shirt.” Ryker smirked as everyone at the table laughed.
The lights in the room lowered, and Javier and Charlotte took to the stage with their opening speeches.
Charlotte spoke first. “Thank you again for coming out tonight to support the Heart2Home shelter. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers. A big round of applause, please!” she said as the audience clapped. “And now, I’d like to present our Donor of the Decade award. This is our tenth anniversary, and we could not have been operating for all these years without the support of one very special person. On behalf of the staff and board, I’d like to invite Ryker Desoumas up to the stage to accept this award.” Ryker was in shock. The clapping around him was deafening, and he stood with trembling legs. Wes squeezed his hand and whispered, “Congrats, love.” Ryker took a deep breath and made his way to the stage.
He absently accepted the award, a beautiful crystal sculpture, and hugged Charlotte. Then he cleared his throat and bent toward the mic.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for this award. Those who know me know that I don’t like attention, but I am thankful for your acknowledgment. It means a lot. I’ve loved animals since I was a kid, and I can’t imagine a world without them.” He paused and took another deep breath to steady his nerves.
“It’s true that at the Heart2Home shelter, we rescue animals. But the fact is, they rescue us by loving us unconditionally. Thank you for supporting this benefit and this important cause.” And with that, he fled the stage.
Wes stood up at their table. As he came closer, Ryker walked into his arms and hugged him, shuddering in relief and awe that he’d managed to get through his impromptu speech without a major panic attack.
“I’m so proud of you,” Wes murmured into his hair, holding on tight. The rest of his family and friends gathered around to offer their congratulations.
An hour later, the party was in full swing.
Rachel pulled Ryker to the dance floor so they could show off their fiery salsa moves. Then Ryker danced with his mom, and Charlotte after that. A slow song came on for the fourth dance, and he found himself face to face with Wes again. Ryker couldn’t help but laugh at the shocked expression on Wes’s face.
“Where did you learn to dance like that?” Wes asked as they slowly came together. “What other secrets are you hiding?” “It’s not a secret. I never mentioned, you never asked, and we’ve never had the opportunity to go dancing,” Ryker replied with a smirk. “My mom taught us. Dancing is a big part of Puerto Rican culture.” “Hmm, well, we definitely have to go out dancing from now on. Maybe you can teach me how to move like that,” Wes said as he squeezed Ryker’s hips.
“You’ve already got excellent rhythm, so no problem there,” Ryker replied with a sultry stare.
“All of Me” began to play, and Wes and Ryker swayed together slowly among the other couples on the dance floor.
Ryker remembered the song from the first night they spent together.
He nuzzled his cheek against Wes’s as their bodies moved in a sensuous tangle. Had it really been only a month since they’d met?
It felt like their souls had known each other forever.
As the song neared its end, Wes stepped back and suddenly lowered himself to one knee.
Oh. My. God.
**** Wes The plan had been to propose at the planetarium, but then it hit Wes as they were dancing. The song was right. The mood was right, and their family was there. This was the moment. So Wes went for it.
He bent down on one knee and took the ring box out of his pocket. His hands trembled as he looked up into those beautiful blue eyes that had claimed him from the very first glance.
“Ry, I know we’ve only been together a short time, but I am so in love with you, and I’m ready to start our life together. Right here. Right now. You knocked me on my ass the moment our eyes met, and I have yet to recover.” He paused and licked his lips as the crowd ooh-ed, ahh-ed, and made the occasional whistle. “So here, in front of our family and friends, and surrounded by love, will you be my husband?” he asked, opening the box to show Ryker the two white gold bands he’d picked out.
There was silence in the room as Ryker stood there, tears slowly trickling down his stunning face as he mouthed, “Yes.” Wes could barely hear it above the pounding of his own heart, but when the answer finally sank in, he rushed to his feet and bent Ryker back in a kiss so full of love and promise he never wanted it to end.
After a few minutes, Ryker pulled away. “Are you going to give me my ring?” he asked cheekily, and Wes rushed to place the gold band on his finger. Ryker took the other ring and slipped it onto Wes’s left ring finger, then brought it to his mouth to place a kiss on it. “Love you,” he murmured.
They were suddenly surrounded by their friends and family, Ryker’s mom and sister both in tears. All of them offered hugs and excited congratulations.
“Fall wedding!” Luca yelled with both arms raised, and they all groaned.
“We just got engaged, man!” Wes protested as Ryker laughed.
As much as Wes enjoyed having their loved ones around, he wanted to be alone with Ryker. Now. Wes grabbed Ryker’s hand and hauled him out into the hallway.
“Wes, where are we going? Oomph!” Wes claimed Ryker’s mouth in a kiss designed to drive him out of his mind. Their hot tongues dueled, and their bodies slid against each other as they moaned their enjoyment.
“I need you, right now,” Wes whispered urgently against Ryker’s swollen lips, pulling him into the bathroom and locking the door.
Fifteen minutes later, they emerged with their ties undone, their shirts half unbuttoned, their hair a mess, and their smiles so wide, it hurt. The jeers and whistles that greeted them when they reentered the ballroom caused Ryker to blush and Wes to bow. They quickly headed back to the dance floor to join their group.
“You know, we still have a book—well, several books—to finish. Are you sure you want to be stuck living and working with a grumpy, sarcastic writer who’s set in his ways?” Ryker asked as he wrapped his arms around Wes’s neck and swayed to the music.
Wes smiled as he rested their foreheads together, looking deep into Ryker’s blue depths. “As long as you’re okay sharing your life with a slightly egotistical, albeit super sexy, author who has bouts of writer’s block,” he replied, softly kissing Ryker’s lips.
“No worries,” Ryker whispered and kissed him back. “I have just the cure.”