33. Roman
Roman
Two Months Later
I return a wave to the couple I’d just taken on the last trail ride of the day.
The sun is already sinking behind the mountains, staining the snow-covered peaks gold and orange.
Winter days are short. The nights are long and lonely, even with Jude around.
A few months ago, I didn’t mind the quiet dinners and the long stretches of silence that followed before sleep claimed me. Now, it feels like torture.
I should be on cloud nine. Last month, Natasha gave me the biggest surprise of my life.
It was a phone call from her assistant, but nonetheless.
She kept her word. Now, I don’t need to worry about losing the resort anymore.
Once this season is over, I’m going to shut down for a while.
I’m going to hire a contractor to refurbish the entire property.
I’m also going to need a marketing specialist, someone who can increase visibility for this place.
Jude keeps saying Taylor would excel in that area, but his recommendation is useless since Taylor is still MIA.
And just like that, the simple thought of his name sends a stream of longing through my veins.
I still don’t know how I got to this point, where I’m aching for the last person I should want.
Rubbing a hand over Ranger’s neck, I guide him inside the barn.
If only my heart would get the same message I preached to Jude two months ago. It’s over.
Taylor isn’t coming back.
I’m unsaddling Ranger when movement catches my eye.
I peer through the window. An SUV cruises up the long, winding driveway, tires crunching under packed snow.
With the stirrups still clutched in my hand, I head outside.
We have no new reservations as far as I’m aware.
The vehicle pulls to a stop in front of the main lodge.
Somebody probably got lost, I guess. They might be looking for directions—
A boot hits the ground. Then another.
A slender blond man slides out of the SUV. For one impossible second, I forget how to breathe.
Three months. Three goddamn months of wondering if he was alive, if he’d gotten himself hurt somewhere, if I’d ever see him again.
And now he’s standing here like a ghost that decided to become flesh.
His hair has grown longer, brushing his shoulders.
He’s bundled against the lingering cold in a charcoal coat over a dark sweater, jeans, and sturdy boots.
He looks...
Christ.
He looks a little taller. Stronger. His shoulders have broadened beneath the coat, his frame leaner but more muscular, as though the last three months have carved something new into him.
Beautiful.
More beautiful than I remember. My fingers loosen around the stirrups, and it falls into the snow with a dull thud. My feet start moving. “Jude!” I shout toward the main house.
The front door flies open a few seconds later, and Jude steps outside, wiping his hands on a rag. “What?”
I point ahead. He freezes, every bit as stunned as I am. The difference is that happiness flashes across his face almost immediately. “Holy shit.”
He rushes toward Taylor, beating me there. Up close, the changes are even more obvious. His jaw is sharper, and there are faint shadows beneath his eyes. His face has matured somehow.
But something about his expression makes my stomach twist.
Without hesitation, Jude wraps Taylor in a tight embrace. “Oh, my fucking God.” His voice cracks. “You scared the shit out of us, pretty boy.”
I wait for Taylor to hug him back. He doesn’t. His arms stay rigid at his sides. After several long seconds, Jude seems to realize it too. He slowly pulls away. “What happened? Where have you been?”
Taylor lowers his eyes for a second before meeting Jude’s again. “I’ve been living in New York for a while now. I needed to get away.”
His calm voice clashes with the tension in his shoulders. “I had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And I thought... if I stayed away long enough, I’d be able to move on.”
He swallows hard. The silence stretches as I wait for him to continue. Somehow, I suspect I won’t like what he will say next.
“But I couldn’t,” he finally mutters. “I realized if I’m ever going to move forward, I’ll need answers.”
“Answers?” Jude interjects with a frown.
“Yes.” Every muscle in my body goes rigid when Taylor asks, “Did you take me in because my mother paid you to?”
Jude and I share a glance. There is no use denying what I didn’t even want to hide from him. “Yes.”
Taylor grimaces. He closes his eyes.
“In hindsight, I should’ve followed my instincts and told you the truth, but your mother asked me not to,” I go on. “She wanted to keep the peace between you and her. I didn’t want to be the reason you two fell apart. I’m sorry that my decision hurt you.”
Jude’s hefty sigh fills the brief silence. He steps forward. “Taylor—“
“Was any of it real?” Taylor’s eyes open, his harsh gaze shifting from me to Jude. “Were you both using me?”
The question hangs in the air. Jude takes another step toward him. “No, Taylor. Every second with you was real—so real that I’ve been fucked up since you left. I kept expecting you to walk through the front door.”
The first sign of emotion runs across Taylor’s face. He blinks furiously, glancing at his feet. Jude lifts his chin with the tip of his finger. “So real that I could hardly fucking breathe.”
Taylor’s lips part. His eyes glisten. I should say something—anything. Instead, I stare at the man I’d spent months trying to convince myself was just another mistake.
It didn’t work.
It never will.
“I wish it weren’t real,” I murmur. Taylor shifts his gaze to me, a slight frown bunching the skin between his brows. “I wish I could look at you and feel absolutely nothing. It would’ve made my life a whole lot easier.”
Taylor snorts, his eyes watering even more. “At least you’re honest.”
My chest feels painfully tight from the burden resting on it.
I close the distance between Taylor and me, standing beside Jude.
“I worked long hours, buried myself in every distraction I could find, convincing myself those feelings would fade. They didn’t.
The more I tried to escape them, the stronger they became. ”
He sucks in a soft breath.
“You asked if I was using you. No.” I meet his stare, placing a fist on my chest. “This is the realest I’ve felt in a long time.”
Taylor’s composure finally cracks. His lower lip trembles. He looks down at his hands, dragging in an uneven breath. “I moved to New York after Mom won the election, thinking—hoping it would feel as if I belonged there. It didn’t.”
He glances up and takes in the entire property, then Jude, then me. A softness settles in his features. “Not like this place did. It’s more peaceful here. Safer. Better for my mental health. Yet, I spent three months convincing myself I could live without this place. Without you guys.”
His shoulders sag, as though he’s too exhausted to keep pretending. “I can’t. So if what you said is true... I’d really like to come home.”
Home. The tightness in my chest loosens. Without missing a beat, I pull him into a warm embrace. Jude’s arm slips around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. I’m not sure how long we stand in this position, but the sun is sinking behind the mountains when we pull apart.
“Welcome home.” Jude ruffles his hair affectionately. I notice how red Jude’s eyes are. When have I ever seen him cry? “You’ll always be safe here, understand? Roman and I will burn down the world for you.”
Taylor smiles softly. “It’s the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
A gust of icy wind sweeps across the property. He looks around, and his smile slowly fades into something more serious. “I’m happy Mom kept her word. I know exactly how I can help restore this place.”
“Told you he was the answer we’ve been looking for,” Jude says, his tone as smug as his expression.
I ignore him and ask Taylor, “How are things between you and Natasha?” Besides the phone call from her assistant, I haven’t heard from her. She refused to take my calls. Not that I blame her.
He shrugs casually, but I glimpse a tension on his face. “We’re still trying to figure it out.”
It’s not exactly what I wanted to hear. Technically, Natasha is the only parent he has. The last thing I’d want is for him to lose her, too.
Jude squeezes his shoulder. “Well, until you work things out, you’ve got a second family right here.”
Taylor offers him a soft smile.
“Much better. Now, let’s get you settled.” Jude strides toward the SUV. “This is not the Ritz, but I don’t mind carrying your bags this time.”
“Actually...” Taylor makes a face.
Jude whips around. “What?”
“I, uh... left my bags at a hotel in town.”
“You didn’t.”
“What? It’s not like I knew how this conversation would turn out.” Taylor looks at me as if asking for understanding. I shrug. He huffs. “Come on, I’m sorry.”
Jude stalks toward him, a wicked look darkening his features. I roll my eyes, already foreseeing the crazy dynamic of this situation we’ve found ourselves in. “That’s okay. I have at least a dozen ways you can make it up to me.”
Taylor groans in his throat when Jude dips and swipes him up, bridal style.
“This is ridiculous,” he complains, yet he makes no move to wiggle out of Jude’s hold.
A beautiful flush covers his face and neck.
He throws an arm around Jude’s shoulders as they head toward the house.
I follow them, shaking my head, not holding back the first genuine smile I’ve had in ages.
For the first time in months, everything feels right again.
The ranch doesn’t feel so empty anymore.