My Choice, My Chance: Men Of Crooked Bend Book 2

by Taylor Rylan

  “Wow. I’m sorry I made you feel that way, Liam. It’s a shock, but are you two happy?”

  “Yeah,” we answered together.

  “Then that’s all that matters. That and congratulations,” Sean said while walking toward us and wrapping his arms around the two of us to give us a group hug. It wasn’t difficult because I was still within Jasper’s arms as he was standing behind me.

  “Yes, congratulations, you two,” Simon said while joining us in the kitchen as well as in the hug.

  “So, what brought you two back from your honeymoon early?” I asked the other pair of newlyweds.

  “Long story, and we’ll tell you over dinner. At least the parts we can over dinner,” Simon told us.

  “Sounds good. Dinner’s almost ready. If you guys want to go to the den and sit, I’ll let you know when it’s ready.” I hoped they would leave me in peace in the kitchen so I could gather my thoughts and guzzle my glass of wine.

  No such luck. They chose to keep me company and sat at the barstools we had near the counter. I thought, What the hell, and guzzled the wine anyway. Of course, astute and observant Simon noticed.

  “You okay there, Liam?”

  I know I snapped at him. “Yep, just peachy. Why do you ask?”

  “Because you just drank that wine like it was water?”

  “Give us a sec; we’ll be right back, you two,” Jasper told our guests while taking my hand and leading me out of the kitchen. We stopped in the den and Jasper pulled me onto his lap after he sat on the couch. He placed his hands on my cheeks and forced me to stare into his beautiful brown eyes.

  “Liam, look at me. Calm down. I know you’re upset and nervous but it’s going to be okay.”

  I did my best to calm down but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want anything to jeopardize Jasper and Sean’s relationship. It already wasn’t what you would expect of identical twins. But hopefully they were on their way to repairing their relationship.

  I took a couple of deep breaths and replied. “Okay, Jasper. I’m trying. Let’s get back to our guests, shall we?”

  “Yes.” Jasper gave me a reassuring smile before he gave me a peck on the lips. I wanted nothing more than to turn that peck into so much more, but we had dinner guests so I would have to wait.

  When dinner was finally ready, we sat down at the table and surprisingly, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. Sean seemed genuinely happy for Jasper and me. It was such a relief that he finally knew everything and Jasper no longer had secrets between them.

  After an enjoyable dinner, we went to the den to finish our conversation. We hadn’t gotten to the reason why they were home early and I was so anxious to find out. What could cause them to come home early?

  “Okay, spill. Why would you return from your honeymoon early? You were in Tahiti! Nobody leaves Tahiti before they have to,” Jasper said after we all had gotten comfortable in the den. Simon and Sean had cuddled up on the loveseat while Jasper and I were on the couch.

  Just then, Hemingway decided to make his appearance. I guess I didn’t realize that Jasper had never told Sean we had rescued a kitten. He found out when Hemingway decided he needed to investigate the newcomers by jumping up onto their laps and demanding attention like my spoiled cat normally did.

  “Oh. My. God. You two have a kitten?” Sean took Hemingway off of Simon’s lap.

  “Hey, I was petting him,” Simon weakly protested.

  “Yeah, well, I’m stealing him. He’s so adorable, you two.”

  “You wouldn’t think that at three in the morning when he decides to spaz out on you and run circles on your bed,” Jasper told his twin.

  Sean laughed. “You’re probably right, but I won’t be around him at three in the morning. Right now, he’s adorable. What’s his name?”

  “Hemingway. I found him for Liam’s birthday a couple months ago. We adopted him from a rescue in Montana.”

  “That’s great, you two,” Simon told us while reaching over toward his husband to pet Hemingway. My cat was such a mooch when it came to attention.

  “So, are you two going to tell us why you came back early or not?”

  “Yeah, I can tell you some of what’s going on, but not all. Not yet. But the summarized version is that Isaac needed me. Remember that girl he was seeing? Well turns out she was pregnant and didn’t tell him when they broke up. She went home to her parents and had the baby. I guess she died about a week after childbirth from complications. Her parents found Isaac and are trying to sell his son to him. He desperately needed my legal advice as well as support so here we are,” Simon told us.

  “Holy shit!” Jasper and I said in unison.

  Epilogue

  Jasper

  October

  I couldn’t believe what Isaac was going through. Simon was able to recommend some friends from a law firm he worked with on occasion and it only took a couple of weeks for Sheriff McCoy’s team of law-enforcement to get what they needed. In the end, it was really no issue whatsoever. They were able to get Jessica’s parents on tape and video asking for an exorbitant amount of money in exchange for his son. And though I didn’t want children of my own, I would be one of the first to admit that little Mack was quite a cutie. Of course, I saw him more than I would have expected, because of Rhett and Sean. We’d started spending more time out at Wild Creek with Simon’s family.

  Liam and I welcomed Rhett while he was getting things taken care of and situated with his new bakery. It seemed as if we were back to having a houseguest just as soon as one left. Though I would never complain too much about Rhett being near us. He was nine years younger than Sean and me; a big difference. We missed so much of him growing up that I was only too happy that he decided to take our advice and move to Crooked Bend. It was a win for all because we were eventually going to get a bakery back in town, Sean and I got to spend more time with our little brother, and Liam got to see his good friend every day.

  The previous owners of the bakery were only too happy to sell their abandoned bakery to Rhett. He got it for a steal and was able to make several updates to it as well. Of course, Sean and I offered our services to help Rhett’s dreams come true. In his short life, he’d been through so much and we wanted to do whatever we could to help him move on from the past.

  Just because Rhett was now living in Crooked Bend, didn’t mean things with Logan were going well for him. If anything, I would say they were nonexistent. After dinner one evening, I found out why.

  “I realize you’re busy trying to get everything ready on your bakery and the apartment above it, but what else is going on in your life lately? You haven’t mentioned Logan for a while and I was wondering if something was wrong,” I asked Rhett while lounging on the couch with Liam’s head in my lap.

  We were so much more comfortable around Rhett than we ever were with Collin. I think it’s because he’s my brother and was already good friends with Liam even before we met. Collin, although a great guy and amazing architect, was one of my coworkers. He seemed to want to keep our friendship more distant than the one I had with my brother.

  “Well, there isn’t much to tell. Logan still texts and calls me but he seems to have pulled away. He’s friendly enough but I don’t think he’s really interested in a relationship with me. Well, other than friendship.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “I don't know. Probably because he really just seems disinterested for lack of a better word.”

  “Huh. Well what did he say when you told him you’d moved to Crooked Bend?” Liam asked.

  “He didn't say anything because I haven't told him. He doesn't know I'm here. I spend all of my free time at the bakery trying to get it ready. I figured if he really wanted something with me, it wouldn't matter if I was in Crooked Bend or in Monterey. So he doesn't know.”

  “How could you not tell him? Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again. He's incredibly busy and responsible for so much out at Wild Creek that maybe he seems so disintere
sted because you are so far away in Monterey. Seriously, Rhett. Did you not think about that?”

  “Yeah, but why should my location really matter?”

  “Not everyone is willing to try a long distance relationship, Rhett. I'm almost positive that Logan is one of them. You have to remember he had a fiancé but his fiancé cheated on him. He caught him in bed with other men, as in plural. That really has to have had a negative impact on his ego as well as his take on relationships. Think about it. That was someone who was supposed to love him. That was someone he was going to spend the rest of his life with and it was thrown away for an easy fuck. How do you think that makes him feel? I know if Liam ever did that to me, it would really mess me up emotionally. It sure would make it incredibly difficult for me to trust any man ever again.”

  “Well shit, I didn't think about that. I've been so focused on getting Son of a Biscuit up and open that I haven't really given it to much thought. Maybe it's for the best. I don't really have a whole lot of free time and neither does he so really, where does that leave us?”

  “Well, Rhett, it leaves you wherever you want it to. If you want a relationship, you have to be willing to work for it. It wasn't easy when Liam and I first got together. Things were crazy at work. I worked such long hours that there were nights that I came home just in time to shower and pass out,” I told my brother.

  “Yeah, but luckily for you Liam works here at the house. You saw him on a daily basis. Tell me, how often does Logan leave the ranch? I'm going to have such insane hours at the bakery that there's not much I can offer in a relationship to anyone really.”

  “Sure there is, you can offer yourself. You’re an amazing man, Rhett. You’re loving and so giving. You’d do just about anything for those you love. Why would you say you have nothing to give?” Liam included.

  “Again, if you want it bad enough, you'll make sure you find a way to have it. If Logan is the man you truly want, you’ll find a way to have a relationship with him. Period. I did with Liam, and look at us now. Can you honestly say you ever thought I would end up in a relationship, let alone married?”

  Liam nodded. “The first step is to let him know that you're here. He has a whole bunch of cowboys who work for him; it's not like he can't come into town every so often to see you. It's not like the bakery is going to be open twenty-four hours a day. You'll be able to go see him, or even spend time with him when he comes to see you. You'll find that the stolen moments will be what you look forward to most. You'll treasure spending even ten minutes with him if that's all you get. I know I did when Jasper was working so many long hours before Collin joined their firm.”

  “All right. Next time he calls or texts I'll let him know that I’m here. And then I guess I'll see what happens.”

  “That's all you can do, little brother. You never know unless you try. And like Liam said, if you really want Logan you need to let him know and so far you haven't.”

  “So, do you think I fucked up by not letting him know that I was in town?”

  “No, I don't. But I know you’d better have a good reason why you haven't let him know that you were here. He might be upset, but if you explain to him how busy you've been, trying to get the bakery and your apartment ready, then I think he'll be more understanding,” Jasper told him.

  “I guess,” he conceded. “Well, I’m beat so I’m going to go upstairs and wait for him to call before I turn in.”

  “All right. Just remember, if things are meant to be, they’ll work out,” Jasper said again.

  “Thanks, Jasper. You too, Liam. Good night, you two.”

  Rhett left the den and walked upstairs towards his room. He was young, but he was running himself ragged trying to open the bakery as soon as possible. The new name, Son of a Biscuit, definitely reflected his personality. I only hoped he made sure to have a life outside of his bakery, too. Maybe I needed to have another chat with Logan. It’d been a few months since the bachelor party. I justified my idea by telling myself I was only watching out for my little brother. Perhaps I could get Sean to help, too.

  Liam and I didn’t stay up after Rhett turned in. We were back to behaving everywhere except our bedroom and although Rhett did limit where I could make love to my husband, Liam and I both were happy he was here with us.

  After shower sex, because it’s wonderful to get dirty where you can clean up afterward, Liam and I crawled into bed. As usual, he immediately snuggled up to me. I would never get tired of Liam falling asleep on my shoulder. It was so comforting to have him there beside me.

  “You falling asleep?” I asked.

  “No, not yet. What’s up?”

  “I was just thinking. I’m worried about Rhett. I’m afraid he’s going to overdo it where the bakery is concerned. I don’t want him to put everything he has into it. He needs to make sure he saves some energy for something other than just work.”

  “Think back, Jasper. Did you devote everything to your and Sean’s architectural firm?”

  “No, I didn’t. But I didn’t have to. I had Sean to help. We went into it equally and never had to do it all on our own.”

  “Yeah, but Rhett doesn’t have anyone to help. It’s just him. Sure, he’s found some part-time employees, but he doesn’t have a business partner like you do. It’s all on him.”

  “What exactly are you getting at?”

  “Just that he doesn’t have any choice but to put everything into the bakery. It’s just him. That’s all.”

  “I guess you’re right. I wish he’d accept more help from us though. Sean and I have both offered him any help he could need but he keeps turning us down.”

  “I imagine he wants to do it on his own. Maybe if Logan finds out he’s here, he’ll decide to accept a little more help or something. I don’t know. If you think about it, Logan will probably complicate things for him,” Liam told me.

  “How do you figure?”

  “I would imagine that Logan would be a distraction. Remember when we first got together? You didn’t want to be at work all the time anymore. You wanted to be here with me. I would think that Rhett would feel the same way about Logan. That he would want to be with him. He’s lucky that he can set his own hours, but think about it. Bakeries are usually open really early. Logan’s day starts equally early from what I understand.”

  “How is that a problem? If they end up together, then they can get up early together. Rhett can feed Logan some sort of fresh-baked pastry and coffee before he sends him on his way to the ranch. How is that a distraction?”

  “Do you honestly think it’ll work out that way, Jasper?”

  “Truthfully, I think it’ll work out exactly how it’s supposed to. If they are meant to be together, then I believe that they will be.”

  “I hope you’re right. I really do. Rhett needs Logan more than I think he realizes.”

  ~The End~

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  nce: Men Of Crooked Bend Book 2