By Heart

by Sasha Kay Riley

  “I do.”

  And that simple kiss had so much more promise in it than any of their countless kisses from the last four years together. This was official. This was real. No one could take this away from them, no matter how hard they tried.

  Vince swore Jason had made the barn with the wedding in mind, because he had created a barn aisle wide enough to accommodate three folding chairs in angled rows on either side, with room for them to get back down to the indoor arena off the side of the barn. Jason was ready to finally reveal the arena, but Dustin abruptly stopped walking as soon as they got past the last row of seats. Vince looked to where Dustin was staring and saw two people just inside the barn door. He recognized Eve and could therefore assume whom the other person was.

  “Mom,” Dustin breathed beside him.

  The women approached them, and Eve smiled. “Congratulations,” she told them.

  Dustin’s focus was on the older woman, and he didn’t seem to hear his sister. Vince nodded to her and squeezed Dustin’s hand to offer support. All whispers and talking behind them had stopped, and Jason stood silently nearby.

  “You never said if you were coming,” Dustin said quietly.

  His mother smiled weakly. “I didn’t want to distract you. I didn’t want you to worry about me being here. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for so much. Can you ever forgive me for any of it?”

  She held out her arms, and Vince released Dustin’s hand as he stepped into her embrace.

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  Vince glanced back at their guests and saw smiles or people with hands over their mouths. Among the latter were Jane and Kyle. Dustin and his mom embraced for several long moments before she stepped away and brushed tears from Dustin’s face.

  “I’ll talk to you another day,” she assured him. “We have plenty of time. I want you to enjoy your special day without worrying about me. You can let me meet your friends and family later.”

  Dustin nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Of course,” she replied with a small smile. “After you invited me, I couldn’t stay away.” She looked at Vince, and the smile remained in place. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

  Vince returned the smile. “Of course. I love him.”

  “I’m so glad,” she replied, and then she nodded to them. “Call Eve when you want to talk,” she told Dustin. “Whenever you want.”

  Dustin nodded again. “Thank you.”

  When they had disappeared outside the barn, Vince pulled Dustin into a tight hug. “Come on,” he murmured, kissing Dustin’s cheek. “We can talk all you want when we get the party going.”

  Dustin squeezed his arm. “Right. Thank you.”

  “Of course.”

  Jason opened the door to the arena with a smile, though his gaze was soft when he looked at Dustin. The quiet, bittersweet feeling Vince got from Dustin quickly fled to something closer to joy when they stepped into the arena.

  Strings of decorative lights crisscrossed the entire arena, making the silver tablecloths glow and the flower-draped crystal horse statues on the tables glitter. The skylights let in a significant amount of daylight as well, but huge arena lights hung from the ceiling for after sunset. The floor was covered in what appeared to be a heavy rubber mat, linked together like a puzzle.

  “We’ll fill in the sand tomorrow,” Jason assured him. “I decided this would be a good party place without it.” He then motioned for them to turn around.

  On either side of the entrance from the barn were elevated viewing spaces for family members, other students, or anyone else to watch lessons. Both were accessed by separate flights of stairs not far from where they stood. Pinned to the front of the left viewing area was the Olympic flag he’d been given for making the team. On the right was something Vince had never seen before. It was a red flag with “Anderson-O’Brien” spelled out in a white, curving font across the top, and below it was a horse jumping a fence, also in white. And there was something else on it beneath the horse’s body.

  “Is that a snake?” Vince asked Dustin softly. Which he realized was totally rude, but he didn’t expect Jason to hear him.

  “I don’t think so,” Dustin said, grinning at him.

  Vince realized suddenly what he meant and turned to Jason. “Really?” he asked, pointing to the flag.

  “What?” Jason asked innocently. “You said you were hyphenating your names.”

  “The stirrup leather!” Vince replied, pointing again.

  Jason laughed. “Yes, well. It’s part of your image now, anyway. You’ll never live it down.”

  Vince chuckled and shook his head. “Thanks, I think.”

  Jason clapped him on the shoulder. “You letting everyone else in yet?” he asked, motioning to the guests still waiting at the door.

  Vince waved them in. “Sorry, had to look at the rest of my barn.”

  From there the rest of the day and evening went along perfectly. They took pictures, half of which included Justin and Xander in some way, along with their family members and friends. The caterers showed up and took over one of the viewing areas for their food prep. They served drinks and set up a portable bar and a snack table. The DJ set up the music to play through a series of speakers Vince couldn’t even see along the walls.

  “I had some speakers installed permanently,” Jason explained when Vince asked. “It’ll be good for fun shows or something. I like having music while I train,” he added with a shrug.

  Vince nodded. “Good idea. Thanks.”

  Dustin’s smile never faded the entire night. Whenever Vince looked at him, he was smiling, and Vince was glad. He had worried seeing his mom would have a negative impact on Dustin’s mood, but he seemed to be doing just fine. And, Vince realized, he hadn’t stopped smiling either.

  He was enjoying every moment of the celebration and made sure he kissed Dustin every chance he had. He couldn’t wait until they were alone at home and able to concern themselves with each other and not all the guests around them.

  They danced so many times Vince lost count. At one point during a rather slow song, Vince caught sight of Jason dancing with Kyle.

  “Look over there,” he murmured to Dustin, nodding slightly in their direction.

  Dustin glanced over and immediately grinned. “I think I’m winning the bet,” he commented softly.

  “But I’ve had the same idea you do,” Vince said with a chuckle.

  “That maybe they’ll have their own wedding soon enough?” Dustin asked.

  Vince shrugged. “You never know.”

  When the party finally ended and the guests left, Vince and Dustin walked up to their house with Tally in tow. She’d spent most of the day successfully begging for scraps, and Vince hoped she wouldn’t be sick off so much people food. They had made it almost the full distance to the house when Dustin broke their comfortable silence while tossing a stick for Tally.

  “I know we’re supposed to spend time together in bed or something tomorrow,” he began, his voice tight, “but would you kill me if I wanted to talk to my mom?”

  Vince squeezed his hand. “Of course not,” he assured Dustin. “Especially if you’re going to be worrying about seeing her again all night or all day. I want you to be happy, and if you need to take some time tomorrow to have a conversation with your mom, I want you to take that time. You’ve waited so long for this.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” Dustin promised.

  “Just being with you is more than enough,” Vince replied. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Dustin said as they entered the house. “But right now I want to take my mind off Mom and only think about you.”

  Vince smiled and kissed him. “I’m okay with that too.”

  IT WAS after eight when they woke up the next morning. For a while they lay together, but Vince could tell Dustin’s mind was elsewhere.

  He gently took hold of Dustin’s hand. “No nightmares?”

  “Only one that wasn’t very bad
,” Dustin answered, his head on Vince’s shoulder. “I was worried seeing her would make me have a bad one.”

  Vince nodded. “Me too. So what do you need from me?”

  Dustin sighed. “I am going to call Eve. If she can bring her over, I’ll see if you can get Jane to bring Hunter over. I want her to meet everyone right away. Maybe even your dad.”

  “Whatever you need,” Vince assured him. He pressed a kiss to Dustin’s forehead. “I’ll be right here.”

  “Thank you,” Dustin murmured. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Vince replied.

  Vince let Dustin shower first. Tally hopped up into the spot vacated by Dustin, and Vince petted her while he waited for his turn in the shower. When it came, he made sure to take extra time so Dustin could talk to Eve as long as he needed.

  The bedroom was clean when he left the bathroom. The bed had been made and their clothes from the day before set neatly on the rocking chair in the corner. He dressed quickly and went downstairs in time to meet Dustin as he was coming in from outside with Tally.

  “Mom and Eve will be here in an hour,” Dustin told him.

  Vince nodded. “I’ll call Jane.” He headed into the living room, where he pulled her name up in his phone and hit Call.

  “Did you mess up your marriage already?” was how she answered him. “You better not be calling for advice.”

  Vince would have laughed if he weren’t so worried about Dustin. “Very funny. After seeing his mom yesterday, Dustin’s been thinking about her and the talk they need to have,” he replied. “He wants to do it today and get it over with. He was hoping you guys could head over here in two hours, maybe?”

  “Even you must know the day after the wedding is for quality time,” she told him. “If not for sex, then at least cuddling.”

  Vince sighed. “I know. He knows. But I’m not going to make him go around in circles all day thinking about her, getting distracted, thinking about her some more. I just want him to be happy.”

  “I know,” Jane said gently. “We’ll head over in two hours.”

  “Thank you,” Vince replied. “You, Scott, and Hunter.”

  “Of course,” she assured him.

  By the time he finished the call and texted his dad to ask him over in two hours, he could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen. “They’ll be here in two hours. Jane, Scott, and Hunter. And I texted my dad, but he hasn’t answered yet.”

  Dustin nodded. “Thank you.”

  Vince stepped close and pulled him into a sweet kiss. “And I’ll be upstairs with Tally. Come get me when you’re ready for me.”

  “I will,” Dustin whispered.

  WHEN DUSTIN entered the room later, Vince felt his heart break a little. Dustin looked like he had been crying, but he was smiling as he pushed Tally away from the door. Vince got up from the bed and walked over to him. He pulled Dustin into a tight hug and kissed him softly.

  “Everything okay?”

  Dustin smiled and nodded. “Come meet my mom.”

  Vince returned the smile and helped him get Tally leashed. Dustin led the way down to the living room, keeping a tight hold on Tally. She wagged her tail excitedly when she saw the guests in the living room and whined to be petted. Dustin led her over and smiled as his sister and his mother petted her, scratching her ears. Vince had to smile at the natural ice-breaker that was a happy dog.

  “This is Tally,” Dustin explained, visibly easing his hold on the leash. “As you can see, she really hates people.”

  His mother laughed and looked up at him. Her gaze landed on Vince behind him, and she stepped away from Tally.

  “And you already met my husband, Vince.”

  Man, did that phrase make Vince’s heart soar. Husband. My husband.

  Vince came forward and held out his hand, but Dustin’s mother pulled him into a hug instead.

  “Thank you for saving my son,” she said, her voice hitched with emotion. “Thank you for loving him.”

  Vince returned the hug easily. “Thank you for having such a great son. I love him very much, and I will always take care of him.”

  “I am glad he has someone in his life to make him happy,” she went on. “I am so happy for him. For both of you.”

  “Thank you,” Vince replied and felt tears starting to prick at his eyes. “I am glad you accept us.”

  She pulled away with a wet laugh. “My love will always be stronger than anything a religious leader can tell me. My son must be stronger than I ever imagined, and you must be strong and loving to be his partner.”

  Vince chuckled. “Oh, it’s pretty easy to love him.”

  Dustin smiled at him, and Vince felt his heart soar once more. Oh yeah, he was happy.

  More than happy. The future was spread out before them.

  More from Sasha Kay Riley

  Anderson Stables: Book One

  Vincent Anderson has everything he thinks he wants: a job he loves, a girlfriend he feels comfortable with, and a horse that never lets him down. He successfully trains off-track Thoroughbreds at his dad’s stable, teaching them to do things other than race. When he’s not working at the stable, he trains with Xander, a rescued former racehorse turned talented show jumper—not that Vince takes him to many shows.

  Everything changes when he hires a homeless drifter as a stable hand. Seeing the young man’s passion for working with horses, Vince takes him under his wing. But his passion for horses isn’t the only thing Vince notices about Dustin. This revelation leads to him to question his relationship with his girlfriend of two years.

  As Vince learns to accept himself, he and Dustin grow closer. At the urging of his family, he agrees to try to make the United States Olympic show jumping team with Xander, and he hopes Dustin will travel with him as his groom. But first, Vince must confess his feelings before Dustin decides there’s no hope for romance between them and moves on.

  Anderson Stables: Book Two

  When Vincent Anderson returns from eight months in Florida helping his dad train racehorses, he expects a peaceful homecoming. But the initial happiness over the reunion with his boyfriend Dustin doesn’t last long. Chris, a disgruntled stable hand, causes a riding accident that sends Dustin to the hospital—then Chris disappears.

  The fear of Chris’s return hovers over the stable like a dark cloud while Vince and Dustin build their relationship and Vince works with his own horse, Xander, to begin trying for the United States Olympic equestrian team. The competition becomes the last of Vince’s concerns when Chris shows up at the barn brandishing a gun and demanding money. Vince faces his former employee alone, and what happens next changes everything.

  Anderson Stables: Book Three

  Over the last year, Vince Anderson and his retired racehorse, Xander, have been competing at the Grand Prix level of the equestrian sport of show jumping. He’s also been enjoying a comfortable relationship with his boyfriend, Dustin O’Brien, who’s there at every show to support Vince as Xander’s groom. Instead of taking the winter off as usual, Vince decides to travel to Florida for one of the biggest shows of the season: the twelve-week-long Winter Equestrian Festival.

  While Vince expects the show to be a challenge for himself and Xander, it becomes so much more. As the wins add up, Vince discovers the highs and lows of gaining celebrity status. Demands on his time, his desire to hide his sexuality to protect Dustin, and incredibly tight living quarters all threaten his and Dustin’s relationship. Just when he thinks nothing more could be added to the impending pile of disaster, Vince learns the secrets of Dustin’s past.

  Vince must decide what really matters in life and what he truly wants for his future before he loses everything.

  SASHA KAY RILEY grew up near a small thoroughbred racetrack in upstate New York, where her earliest memories of horses began, thanks to her dad. Her obsession with writing started several years later, and of course she decided to combine the two. Throwing in a romantic twist made the adventure especially fun. It was even mo
re fun when she discovered that love stories between men didn’t make her feel lonely like the rest of the romance genre. When not writing or reading, Sasha can usually be found at the barn playing with her Haflinger pony, Alec. She plans to one day own and run a small equine boarding stable, and to keep writing until the voices stop talking.

  Website: www.sashakriley.com

  By Sasha Kay Riley

  ANDERSON STABLES

  By Chance

  By Blood

  By Fault

  By Heart

  Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Published by

  DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  By Heart

  © 2018 Sasha Kay Riley.

  Cover Art

  © 2018 Tiferet Design.

  http://www.tiferetdesign.com/

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.