Chapter Twenty #2
“Careful what you ask for. My presence on the ranch started out as a favor between Nick and Cash,” Rory reminded him.
“You’re not a favor, Rory. You’re a gift.”
Rory inhaled a shaky breath. “You keep talking like that, and I’ll fail in my objective.”
Ivan tilted his head to the side. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
“Waiting longer will lessen the impact. It might look more like damage control than the olive branch I intend it to be.”
Awareness dawned in Ivan’s eyes. “We best get to it then.”
Rory had left all his major recording equipment and specialty makeup behind, but he wasn’t worried about how he looked.
He took a few minutes to tidy his hair and put some moisturizer on his skin to improve his complexion.
He decided to film the most important video of his life in Ivan’s comfy chair in the living room.
The cozy fabric would feel like one of his hugs.
The cats were still where Ivan left them, and he offered to shoo them away, but Rory declined.
Their purring presence was relaxing. Tux crawled into his lap as if he knew Rory was anxious, and Rory stroked his sleek back a few times, then met Ivan’s steady gaze and nodded.
“You’ll count me down from five, then press Record,” Rory told him.
Ivan sat on the matching ottoman and studied Rory’s image on the phone. He scooted the foot stool back a few inches and reassessed. “That’s better,” he said. “I press Record on one or after one?”
“After one.”
“So on zero,” Ivan said, the earnest expression on his face endearing.
“Yeah, that works. Thanks for being my cameraman.”
“At least I don’t have to duck water balloons,” Ivan replied. “Or run in high heels.”
They shared a laugh, and it eased Rory’s nerves. “Ready?” Rory asked him.
“I am. Are you?”
Rory nodded, and Ivan counted him down. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to settle his racing heart and ease the tightness in his chest. When Ivan hit one, Rory opened his eyes and found himself in the perfect headspace.
“Hey everyone, Rory here,” he began. “I know I’ve been absent for a few months.
There’s a ton of speculation floating around about me, and I’ve decided to clear the air the only way I know how.
And that’s to look you in the eye and speak my truth.
” He looked into the phone Ivan held steadily and bared his heart, speaking of loss, regrets, and redemption.
Rory closed with his usual farewell, then sighed when Ivan stopped the recording. “What did you think?”
Ivan set the phone down and tugged Rory onto his lap. Wrapping his arm around his waist to hold Rory firmly in place, Ivan leaned in for a kiss. “I think you were wonderful,” he said once they broke apart. “Honest and sincere. I want to believe your message will move your dad.”
“That makes two of us,” Rory said. “I don’t expect it to fix all our problems, and certainly not overnight, but I hope it opens an honest dialogue between us.
” He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “If not, I feel like I’ve put myself out there and attempted to set things right. I can’t do this all by myself.”
“No, you can’t.” Ivan kissed him again. “What’s next?”
“I need to edit and upload the video to my site, then schedule the release for the morning. I’m going to send a copy to my dad first so he doesn’t feel ambushed. It will give his campaign manager time to muster whatever damage control he thinks is necessary.”
Rory hadn’t been online all evening, but it was likely scenes from the pet adoption fiasco were already floating around.
He’d have his work cut out for him. Rory yawned and leaned his forehead against Ivan’s shoulder.
It had been a very long day, and it wasn’t over for him.
He allowed himself a few minutes to bask in Ivan’s warmth and affection before pushing himself to his feet.
“Can I borrow your laptop?”
“Of course,” Ivan said.
Rory curled up on the couch and went to work on his edits while Ivan whittled in his chair with his snoozing cats.
He typically loved the editing process, but he kept getting distracted by his yummy guy.
It occurred to him that he’d declared his intentions earlier in the day, but Ivan hadn’t reciprocated beyond insisting Rory stay at the ranch.
“Am I your guy?” Rory asked, breaking the silence.
Four heads snapped up and turned in his direction. The cats looked sleepy and curious while Ivan looked confused. A slow smile spread across his face, and he said, “I guess I didn’t respond, huh?”
“Nope.”
Ivan nodded toward the laptop. “Finish your editing, and I’ll show you properly.” The look in Ivan’s eyes made it very clear the method he planned to use to deliver his message. Talk about incentive.
A little shiver of anticipation snaked its way down Rory’s spine, and his commitment to finishing his project increased tenfold.
When he finished, Rory slipped on Ivan’s headphones and played the video from the beginning.
He wasn’t one hundred percent confident it would land the way he hoped, but it was worth a try.
Rory emailed the video to his dad with a heartfelt message, knowing Charles wouldn’t see it until the morning.
There was no guarantee he’d even open it, especially if the pet adoption footage made Rory and the RR crew look bad.
He closed the laptop and turned his full attention to Ivan. “I’m ready for that demonstration.”
Hand in hand, they went upstairs to their little haven where Ivan showed Rory where he belonged with every kiss, caress, and whispered endearment. As they lay tangled up in one another, Ivan pressed his lips to Rory’s ear. “You are absolutely my guy.”
The day had been one revelation and confession after another, but Rory wanted Ivan to know something else about him. He lay his head on Ivan’s chest, listening to the comforting sound of Ivan’s heartbeat.
“Confession,” Rory said. “Snyder men are notoriously bad at showing their affection. I don’t think I ever heard my father tell my mother he loved her.”
“Yet you knew he was crazy about her,” Ivan said.
“Head over heels. He lit up when she walked into the room.” Rory sighed. “I see what you did there.”
“Maybe your father saved the words for when they were alone. Maybe he showed the depth of his devotion in other ways. I don’t think there’s one way to love someone or accept love.”
Rory sighed and rubbed his cheek against Ivan’s chest hair. “My poet.”
“You bring out the best in me.”
Rory pressed a kiss to Ivan’s chest and sighed happily. “We bring out the best in each other.” He closed his eyes and drew a lazy heart on Ivan’s sternum as sleep loomed ever so close.
“Rory,” Ivan said.
“Hmmmm.”
“I know you’re going to be massively busy with this new project, but do you think you could schedule some time off in August? I would really like to take you home to meet my mama.”
Tears filled Rory’s eyes and stung the back of his nose. He was grateful for the dark that hid his reaction, but when he blinked, the tears spilled onto Ivan’s chest. Strong but oh-so-gentle fingers eased into Rory’s hair to rub his scalp. “Another first,” Rory whispered.
“For me too.”
“The beauty of my work is that I can film extra segments in advance and schedule their release. I would love to go to Kansas to meet your family.”
They celebrated their plans with a kiss, and the kiss led to wandering hands, which led to lazy sex that took them late into the night. When Rory woke, the sun was high in the sky. He panicked until he saw a note on Ivan’s empty pillow.
You worked late last night, and I thought you deserved to sleep in. I’ll bring breakfast back to you. He’d drawn a heart before scrawling his name under it.
Rory went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before returning to bed.
Scruffy had sprawled in Ivan’s spot during his absence, and the tabby cracked open one eye as if to warn Rory that it was too early for petting or cuddling.
Fools would not be suffered lightly if they dared to touch the belly.
Rory barely resisted the urge but reached for his phone instead.
His heart was in his throat when he checked his email to see if his father had responded.
The same heart fell to his stomach when Rory only saw junk mail in his inbox.
He blew out a harsh breath and set his phone down.
One book he’d purchased from Hope’s store talked about the benefits of a gratitude practice.
No matter how difficult the situation a person found themselves in, there was always a reason to be grateful.
Focusing on the positive helped shape a person’s approach to the negative things that cropped up during each day.
“Today feels like a good day to start a gratitude practice,” Rory said.
Scruffy let out a mrrrt sound that sounded like a feline version of a derisive snort.
“Okay, I’ll say them to myself.” Though he rolled over and sank his hand into the cat’s soft fur.
I’m grateful for Ivan. I’m grateful for Ivan’s cats. I’m grate—
His borrowed phone rang before he could finish his third acknowledgment. This was the first call he’d received since Nick had handed it to him. Since his brother was the only contact programmed into it, just the phone number showed on the caller ID. Rory still recognized it.
With a slight shake in his voice, Rory said, “Hello.”
“Hi, Rory, it’s Dad. I got your email and video this morning. Is now an okay time to talk?”
“Now is perfect.”