Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dawson was going to have to get to the next event soon.
He’d called up Dakota to fill the alternate spot, because they were rolling into the finals, and they needed a full crew.
But for now, he was back at Seamus’s house in L.A., resting for two days before they had to both begin traveling again.
While Seamus worked out with Nick to do some physio on his ankle, Dawson slipped on swim trunks and went to the pool, needing the feeling of floating and the lapping of water to give him some peace and quiet in his head.
“Mind if I join you, man?” Topher asked. “I just need a quick dip.”
“Knock yourself out, buddy.” He grinned at Topher because he liked the guy, and he didn’t want to keep him from enjoying the nice day and the pool and everything.
“Thanks.” Topher sat on the edge of the pool and slid down into the water. “I kind of feel like I need to do a couple laps to work off some tension and then just float for a little while, you know what I mean?”
“Shit, yes, I know what you mean. It’s been a long fucking week or so.”
“Things are looking up though, right? It’s going to be okay eventually. They say his surgery went way better than they expected.”
“Yeah, he’s going to have a long road ahead of him. I don’t know, it’s just really weird. I feel like shit that I didn’t do more.”
Topher shrugged. “I think out of everybody you could talk to about this, I probably understand that better than not. But I can also tell you from experience that that’s not on you, man.”
“I hired him. I let him get hurt.” It was agonizing. Dawson felt like the worst kind of mentor there could be.
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Now, the corporate people? You might want to think about having Deuce’s family sue. The owners of the arena really fucked you guys over.”
Dawes smiled faintly, one side of his mouth curling up. “Yeah, that’s what Shay keeps telling me too.”
“That’s because it’s true. Oi. Nicky, come help me sit down.” Seamus jumped out of the house and was standing on the edge of the coping for the pool, his leg all bagged up.
“Yeah, yeah.” Nick came to help him ease down on the side of the pool. Seamus stretched the bagged-up leg out along the coping and then dangled the other one in the water.
“It’s like an abusive relationship, Dawes.
They’re treating you as if they have the right to sell your bodies for people’s entertainment, which I know you signed a contract that says you’d protect the cowboys regardless of the situation, blah, blah, blah.
But they don’t have the right to put you in harm’s way deliberately. ”
Dawson had to laugh as he swam over to hang on to the side of the pool right next to Seamus’s knee, sort of between his legs. “I know, baby. You’ve made that incredibly clear, and I agree. My fierce defender.”
Seamus reached out to stroke his wet hair off his face. “I am fierce when it comes to you.”
He turned his head to kiss Seamus’s fingers. “I know, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done this week.”
Cheeks going pink. Seamus shrugged. “I really haven’t done that much.”
Dawson wasn’t going to let Seamus get away with that sort of nonchalant disregard for his contributions.
“Baby, you are my rock. You—” He paused, trying to find the words.
“I would have never gotten through this last week without you, and neither would most of the cowboys who were milling around in the hospital for days.”
Seamus traced his nose, which had a little bit of a crooked slant to it because it had been broken. “I just wanted to help any way I could.”
“You’re amazing. You helped more than you could ever know. And Deuce is in love with you, I think.”
“Well, too bad. I’m taken.” Seamus shook his head. “Did I tell you Dad bought you a truck to take to Reno?”
His eyebrows flew up. “What?”
“He said there was no sense in you having to fly and Uber and all.” Seamus waggled his brows. “He’s in love with you.”
“Too bad, I’m taken.” Using Seamus’s words against him was fun. “He’s married. He showed me pictures.”
For hours.
“He does have a handsome hubby.” Seamus moved his foot through the water. “Anyway, I have to go do some re-shoots in the Seacouver area, so you and the guys could drive out to Reno, and then I could fly in for the last few days of the finals and you could drive me up to Seattle.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be in your pocket until January, then. I mean, if you’re into it.” He didn’t want to assume, but he also didn’t want to lose the chance to be with his man.
“I’m into it.” Seamus eyed him. “Though you’re not so little you’d fit in my pocket. Not like Lane McCray,” Seamus said, referencing a newish bullrider on the tour.
He saw Nick and Topher moving to the other side of the pool, giving them their privacy. “I want to spend the holidays with you.”
“How do you feel about Australia? We can Christmas on the beach together, work on our tans.”
“No shit?” Dawson felt his cheeks stretch with a grin. “Like on that Bondi Rescue show?”
“Just like.” He got that million dollar smile, that shit-eating grin that sold movie tickets all over the world.
“You know in Oz, my dad’s kind of a big thing.
I could probably even get you a nice little meet-up.
” Shay winked at him. “I want to see your house too. There’s a lot I want to do, up to and including get this goddamn boot off, but as much as possible I want to do it together. ”
There wasn’t anything else to say. Dawson was in, so he gave the only answer he could.
He pushed up off the side of the pool and brought their lips together.
“Yeah, babe. I love you too.”