Without much warning, Wright was surrounded by the four of them. Xander’s arms were around him, pressed tightly front-to-front. Paxton, Tracy, and Patrick joined. A family hug. He had a family. One that protected him and loved him, made him feel safe even in the middle of a crisis. All of these thoughts swirled in his mind. He wanted to say something as they continued to hug each other and him. But nothing seemed like enough.
“I love you all.”
Epilogue
~ Wright ~
* Two Years Later *
“Xander, what are you doing?” Wright laughed at the light touch against his skin. His arms were already tied intricately behind his back. He sat on his favorite stool in their own playroom. He had a blindfold on, only at the insistence of his boyfriend. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise he had for him for his twenty-first birthday.
Before living with the Lawson’s, Wright never really had a birthday party. Not one that was worth remembering. His mom would sometimes bring a cupcake home for him, but presents were seen as unnecessary. The past couple of years were the complete opposite. He’d been showered with attention and gifts.
His first birthday with them, he’d been surprised with his extended family. It had been out of the blue, but Xander and Patrick sat him down to give him the choice if he wanted to see them or not. It turned out that his father, the high and mighty man he portrayed, hadn’t even owned their house. The For Sale sign was because Wright’s grandparents heard what happened and effectively disowned their son. They’d been lied to for yearsfrom his dad about their family, everything from his job to how Wright was doing in school. They hadn’t known that his mom left. It wasn’t until Raegan got in touch with them to build her case against him that they learned the truth. They wanted to make up for all the lost time and offered a section of their land up north for William to expand the FFR. Wright was hesitant, but he decided to at least meet them. He hadn’t seen them since he was six. Xander stayed with him the entire time. After seeing each other face-to-face, they kept in touch. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a start, and gradually, they built a relationship.
For Christmas last year, Xander surprised him with their own home. The Starlin Ranch was selling and offered him a great deal. The couple was older and had been selling off their land bit-by-bit since they couldn’t keep up with payments and work. They were grateful that Xander wanted the remaining hundred acres. It’d taken a few months for them to renovate the house to their liking. And by them, he meant William redesigned everything and Wright got to watch Xander work shirtless most evenings. They both still worked on the ranch with Patrick, but Wright would be shifting his focus come next year.
This birthday, Xander one upped his surprise. How he could up reuniting him with family that accepted him and a whole fucking house, but he did. Xander explained that they were going to start up a new program. A horse rescue. He showed Wright all the blueprints, done by another designer William knew from school that specialized in barns and commercial buildings. He’d been working with the horses for two years and had job shadowed the vets that serviced their area to learn more. He’d taken a few courses to get a certification over the last year. He was excited for this next step. They’d celebrated with the family earlier in the day and now, they were having their own personal celebration.
“Shh,” Xander said. Wright jumped at the close proximity of his voice. He had to be down right next to him. Another brush of his fingertips across Wright’s stomach had him shivering. The simple touch made his whole body quiver with need and Xander knew that. “I’ve been planning this for weeks. Just sit there and look pretty.”
“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Wright teased out. He heard something. They were in their playroom. It wasn’t much, just a small shed behind the house they lived in together. Xander had spent a month fixing it up, refusing to let Wright inside. He’d claimed it was where he was storing all the construction things. Turns out, he and William- bless his soul for helping design this space knowing what it would be used for- brought everything in and did the work themselves. There were ropes hanging neatly on the walls, the white carpet thick and soft below his feet. A giant mirror took up the majority of one wall and Wright knew he was positioned to face it right now. They had other toys in the room, but their favorite would always be the ropes.
“I think you’re gorgeous,” Xander said. “I’m going to lay something across your shoulders now.”
Wright held his breath and waited. He’d been in this situation more than once. Xander loved to tie Wright up almost as much as Wright loved being restrained now. It had taken a bit of learning, figuring out what both of them were and weren’t okay with. But they talked and stayed honest throughout all of it. Wright’s therapy twice a week helped and by the new year, he’d gone to just once a week. Now, it was once a month to keep checking in.
He loved moments like this, but he also melted every time Xander planned them a romantic date night. It was either taking the truck out onto their own land or going into the city to dance, but they’d end the night with Xander making love to him. Sweet or rough. Wright got the total package with Xander.
A soft weight rested on his shoulder and he sucked air into his lungs. His toes curled against the floor. He let the sensation of the rope take over his mind and body. He was no longer afraid of them, knowing that they had no power. The person holding it did and Wright trusted and loved that person with every ounce of his being. Xander worked silently, tying and adjusting the rope against his skin. As the minutes passed, he could feel the places where the knots sat snug against him, changing the direction of the rope to create patterns across his skin.
“You look so beautiful like this, Wright. Shit, this should be my birthday present, not yours.”
Wright wished like hell he could see himself. See Xander and watch him as he tied him up. The blindfold had been a recent endeavor of theirs. Xander joked with him that they should see if it kept Wright from coming too soon. He may or may not have come untouched just from being tied in different positions a time or two. Or three. He blamed Xander because sometimes their sessions could take up to an hour before he was satisfied with the placement of each knot. They’d almost had an incident with needing to use the restroom once. Xander made sure he was good before they started anything now. It was an inside joke between them.
“Will I get to see?” Wright asked. He played his voice as innocently as he could. He knew Xander couldn’t resist it.
“When I’m done,” Xander said. His voice was in front of him now. He felt his hands brush up his thighs. Wright was totally naked. “Move your right leg and put your heel on the chair.”
Wright did as directed. He felt Xander’s lips brush against his inner thigh and his cock stirred with interest. He knew he’d be hard in no time. His lips parted and he let out a moan when Xander started wrapping a rope around his leg, tying his thigh to his calf. The rope wrapped all the way down to his ankle. Thiswas going to be a new pose. He was going to be so exposed. He felt a swell of pleasure course through his body.
“Fuck, baby.” Xander’s hand wrapped around his cock unexpectedly. Wright relaxed into the grip. He bit his bottom lip, hoping the slight pain would take away the growing pressure in his balls. “I don’t know how I got so lucky with you.”
“Oh, you know.” Wright panted a few breaths when Xander’s hand disappeared from his cock but his lips brushed against his inner thigh of the leg not tied up. Yet. He could hope to be fully tied. “Just a bit of trauma and you showing up like my cowboy in shining denim.”
Xander made him change their safe word because of how often Wright joked about him being his cowboy. He didn’t want there to be any confusion. Now, their safe word was grits. Because Wright would never willingly talk about them. He still didn’t understand why people liked them. They were just gross.
“I’m so glad you’re able to joke about it now,” Xander said, his tone half sarcastic. It had truly been a long road for them the last two years. After his dad tried to take him away from the Lawsons, Reagan unleashed everything she’d been building against him. There were medical records, police reports, witness testimonies. Apparently, for all the time Wright people watched from his front porch, his neighbors noticed and they were all too happy to talk about how they could hear yelling and always saw Wright doing the yard work. His dad pleaded not guilty, but a jury found him the opposite. He got thirty-five years for everything. “You’ve come a long way, baby.”
“Because I found someone that took a chance and loved me,” Wright said earnestly. They’d had this conversation time and time again, but Wright loved it. He was happy with his life now. Loved everything about it. Another rope tightened around the shin of his left leg and he was effectively tied to the stool he sat on. “I couldn’t have done any of that without you, Xander.”
“Keep sweettalking,” Xander said. His hands were on Wright’s body again. This time on his chest. He was doing something, adjusting one of the knots. Xander loved to tease and edge him. Last time they’d come out to their play room, he’d spent a full hour placing the ropes just right. It’d only taken Wright ten minutes to come once he started fucking him. “I’m almost done.”
“Already? Must be my birthday or something to not have to wait.”
Lips landed on his and he opened his mouth greedily for Xander. He pulled against the ropes his hands were tied in, but it was no use. They had to be wrapped at least two dozen times in some sort of intricate design. He’d be able to see pictures later; Xander always took pictures of him. “Will you be quiet now?”
There was something new on his skin. Kind of cold, but small. It was resting in the center of his chest. But Xander was moving on. Wright bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out as Xander wrapped something around his cock. He’d never done this before. “Is this okay?”
