Xander sent back a string of emojis and then a voice memo that Wright definitely did not listen to. They pulled up to Wylon and Brett’s place a few minutes later and William was all too happy to wake up and then proceed to lay on them to wake both up at once. There was grumbling and laughing mixed together until they said their goodbyes and Paxton started driving again. This time, Wright was sitting up front and Clark and William were doing who-knows-what in their own car. They’d chosen the backseat, furthest away from them.
Wright kept Paxton entertained with a recount of what she missed while she was away getting her faced sucked off. Her words. It wasn’t much, but she looked just as tired as the rest of them and the last thing they needed was her falling asleep at the wheel. She’d taken a nap earlier in preparation for tonight though, something Wright wished he’d done too. But given the chance of sex with Xander or sleep, the choice was obvious. They talked about her starting college at the end of next month, Wright’s birthday on August fifteenth. Paxton relayed the information that Xander’s birthday was in March so he’d missed it this year.
“Can you take a right up here?” Wright asked when he realized where they were. Taking Brett and Wylon home put them in a different spot in the city. Paxton seemed to know her way around well enough without a GPS. Wright only recognized where they were when they passed the hospital. “I just want to drive by my old house and see it.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Paxton glanced over at him.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I don’t see it as my home anymore. I just want to see it. I don’t know why.”
“Sort of closure, maybe?” Wright was startled at William’s voice. He turned his head to see William adjusting himself in the middle seat. He noted Clark was sitting in the back row still, hair messed up.
“I don’t want to know what you two just finished doing,” Wright said. William cocked one side of his mouth and winked before licking his lips. This group was definitely very open about their sexualities. Wright loved it. It would take some getting used to, but he loved being able to be himself. “But yeah, I guess that’s it. I just want to be able to drive by and see him still living there while I’m living my life now.”
“Maybe not the healthiest viewpoint in the world, but good with me.” Paxton slowed down through the neighborhood. Clark joined them and they all looked at the house when Wright pointed it out.
The yard was a bit overgrown, but not bad. Shutters were closed and there were no lights on. No car parked in the driveway either. “Is that a For Sale sign in the yard?”
Chapter Nineteen
~ Xander ~
“You look like shit,” Bailey said as Xander walked to the barn. She’d just pulled up in her truck when Xander was walking out of the house. Wright was taking a shower and then meeting him in the barn. He was nervous about today, didn’t want Wright to push himself so quick. He was facing his problems head on, though. Facing what he called his triggers. He was proving to Xander how ready and dedicated and strong he was. He was still worried though.
By the time they all got home last night, Xander made him a quick meal of a ham and cheese sandwich and some chips and water and they went to bed. Wright was sleepy smiles and giggles while he fought his way through several yawns to explain their night. They only got five hours of sleep but Wright had woken up with a smile and promised that he was still good on his offer from the night before.
“I feel like shit,” Xander said with a laugh. Bailey was an old family friend. Her grandpa and his were friends, same with their parents. She was older than Patrick, the big sister they never had. She was the farrier for a lot of ranches around the area and he knew she kept a busy schedule. “We all took a night off lastnight after making sure the animals were okay. Stayed up too late.”
“Still stayed up later than us.” Xander turned toward the porch and saw William sitting on the steps. He looked half asleep, not faring much better than Xander.
“Yeah, I really liked seeing that picture of your head in my boyfriend’s lap last night.”
“Boyfriend, huh? So, you two are official and all that?” Xander paused in the gravel and looked from William to Bailey and back. He hadn’t seen Bailey in a while, she hadn’t met Wright yet. But William knew their timeline. Neither of them had expressly said they were dating, but they loved each other. That came with being boyfriends, right? “I’m messing with you, Xander. He said the same thing last night. I don’t think he realized he was even calling you that, but he did a few times.”
Clark walked out of the house then and William stood up. They had to head back home before going to a luncheon with Clark’s dad, the Governor. Clark raised his hand to stop Xander from continuing toward the barn. Bailey was standing next to the door waiting for him. Xander met Clark at his car.
“I don’t know if Wright told you anything last night,” Clark said. “But we drove past his old house. It was late, and we didn’t stop, but the house is for sale. So I don’t know where his dad is living right now.”
Xander’s eyes widened and his mind started to race. Wright hadn’t told him that, but then again, he’d barely eaten his food and brushed his teeth before shoving his pants to the ground and falling asleep in the mesh shirt and his briefs. Xander had been the one to undo the belt after he fumbled for a minute.
“I’ll call Reagan and see if she knows anything later today,” Xander said. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“He did great last night,” William said. “He had a lot of fun and he’s funny as shit too. I’m glad he’s got you, and this place to help him. He’s come a long way.”
Xander looked back at the guest house just as the door opened and Wright stepped out bundled in a hoodie and pair of sweats. It was his go-to outfit. A vast difference from last night. “He’s definitely something. You’re not getting that mesh shirt back, though, I can promise that.”
Clark clapped him on the shoulder as William waved bye to Wright. Wright leaned into Xander’s side as they watched them leave, then headed toward the barn. “You tell me-”
“I know, Xander. I promise, I’ll be fine.” Wright looked up at him and Xander saw nothing but earnestness in his eyes. He really did want to do this.
Xander unlocked the door and pushed it open. The smell of the hay and horses hit his nose, the scent of comfort and home for him. He loved the horses, loved working on the ranch. He knew that living in the guest house wasn’t a long-term solution and he’d already lived there longer than he expected to. But he wasn’t sure what they were going to do. He didn’t want to leave Wright, wouldn’t leave him. He knew Wright loved the ranch as much as him and didn’t want to live back in the city. And with the house he grew up in for sale now, he wasn’t sure what that meant as far as his dad and where he was.
With the rain yesterday and the inevitable roll in the mud that Benito did, Xander planned on giving him a bath. He was a gentle horse, playful. If Wright was comfortable with it, he’d start showing him how to bathe and care for the horses. Right now, they were going to focus on turning the horses out and cleaning the stalls. They’d go ahead and do a deep clean today, spraying the floors and disinfecting everything. Patrick had a cleaning schedule pinned to a corkboard just inside the barn door. Everyone signed off on daily cleaning.
“What do you need me to do?” Wright asked. He pushed the sleeves up on his hoodie. His hair was still damp from the shower.
“I would say just sit there and look pretty,” Xander said with a smirk. “But it is just me in here today, so I’m going to put the horses outside if you want to grab the supplies. We’ll need a wheelbarrow, shovel, pitchforks, and the brooms. They’re all in the supply room. The door after the tack room.”
“I’m going to start with Luna today,” Bailey said. “Bring her over this way and I’ll get her set up.”
