Chapter 25

TWENTY-FIVE

WAYLON

Even though six weeks had passed since my roundup accident, I couldn't help thinking back on it as the night that things had seemed to change with Silas. Maybe my injuries had awoken a fiercely protective instinct in him.

In the beginning, when I was still bruised and sore, I'd needed his help a lot . But it seemed like he'd meant it when he said he'd be there if I wanted him because he'd barely left my side, always ready to pitch in and do whatever needed doing while being careful not to step on my toes.

With tourist season in full swing, my days at the mayor's office had been flat-out. Silas had taken over much of the communication with the AdventureSmash team while I'd continued to support the business owners and municipal teams dealing with the increased traffic in town.

It felt like a true partnership, like what I imagined a true marriage might feel like. We worked well together during the day, then fell into each other's arms and bodies at night, and once I'd tried bottoming for Silas, I didn't want to stop. The only thing that slowed me down was having to get in the saddle the next day to run fence checks.

The physical progression was nothing compared to the closeness I felt with him now. In bed or out of it, he'd become the one I relied on, the one I went to for comfort, the one I thought of night and day.

So often in the past few weeks, I'd been tempted to talk to Silas about my feelings, to at least feel him out about the possibility of us trying this relationship for real. But it never seemed to be the right time. Interruptions were like ranch chores; they seemed to multiply every time I thought I'd seen the last of them. We went from one thing to the next to the next… and suddenly, it was July.

And I was trying my hardest not to think about what came after that.

Thanks to Silas and his assistant, we'd scored several additional sponsors for the exhibition, which would bring in more money but also required more support work. Bernice had put together a small team of locals to help, and ZuZu had volunteered to head it up, even though it meant closing her pottery shop for a few hours each day during her busiest sales season.

She, like the rest of us, knew just how much was riding on the exhibition running smoothly. If the athletes and fans had a positive experience and fell in love with Majestic, the company couldn't help but sign us for one of the big races next year. While I was optimistic about our success, I also knew how quickly and easily things could go wrong.

With one day to go until the exhibition, I walked into the Love Muffin, which was plastered in red, white, and blue bunting and star-spangled Fourth of July streamers. Thankfully, the place was air-conditioned because it was already blisteringly hot outside, despite the early hour.

"Morning, Way," Sheridan called, glancing over. "Scrambled egg sandwich?"

"Fried eggs and toast, actually. And a cinnamon roll. I'm meeting Foster here in a little while to go over last-minute crowd-control concerns, but first?—"

Sheridan grinned. "But first, you wanted to get Silas breakfast 'cause you're the most besotted husband in all Wyoming?"

I was. I really was.

"He deserves it," I said. "The poor man's got a long day of work today at his real job before he sets it aside for a few days for the exhibition. I want him to know I appreciate his sacrifice."

The bell over the cafe door jangled just as I paid my sister and took the to-go bag, and Silas himself walked in.

If his face lit up, I told myself it had to have been due to the bag in my hand rather than seeing me… but I took a moment to appreciate it nonetheless.

"I brought you this," I said stupidly, holding out the bag.

His eyes softened. "For me? I was coming to get you something. I know you have a busy day."

My stomach flipped happily. "No, I'm having breakfast with Foster, remember?"

Silas's cheeks flushed. "Oh. Right. You mentioned that before you…"

Swallowed my cock , I finished silently.

Now, both of us were blushing as we remembered the quick sixty-nine in the warm, rumpled sheets before bolting out of bed.

"Left," I said, clearing my throat. "Yeah."

"Jesus," Sheridan muttered. " Next ?" She leaned dramatically from side to side to see if there was anyone in line behind Silas. With a huff, she returned to the kitchen.

"Sorry," I said for no reason. Suddenly, I felt awkward. Things between us had progressed so that now it almost felt like we were married for real when we were behind closed doors, but when we were in public… we were still only pretend married. And it felt… strange and obvious.

I leaned in and kissed him—a chaste peck on the cheek. "Have a good day." My voice sounded pitchy and nervous, like this was the first time in my life I'd ever wished someone a good day.

Silas studied me for a beat before he leaned in and clasped the back of my head in one large hand, hauling me in for another kiss. This one was real. It took complete ownership of me and left me panting in its absence.

"Right," he grunted. "Now it'll be a good day."

He turned to leave but then stopped and spun back around. "Can we… can we talk about…?" He stopped and cleared his throat before lowering his voice. "I have some papers…"

"Papers?" My stomach twisted. Was Silas implying he wanted to talk about the divorce? Get the paperwork started? Was he really bringing that up here ? Now ? After that kiss?

He shook his head. "It's not important. It can keep till after the exhibition. See you later."

Foster passed him in the doorway and turned to call out a greeting as Silas left. When Silas only responded with a wave of his hand over his shoulder, Foster turned and frowned at me. "What's going on with him?"

I shrugged and tried not to worry about Silas's strange mood and the allusion to papers. "Dunno. Busy, I guess. He has a lot to do with his real job back home."

Foster's eyes narrowed at me in warning before he furtively looked around. "Back home at your house ," he said loudly.

I realized my slipup. "Yeah, 'course. Anyway, come sit and let's eat. The AdventureSmash team is meeting me at the office at ten."

As Foster went over last-minute details, I had a hard time concentrating. Now that the exhibition weekend was here, it meant the end of Silas's time in Majestic as well. He'd promised to stay until after the three-day event, which meant we had four more days together.

Four days in which I would be running flat out, without a spare minute to spend with him.

"Are you even listening?"

Foster's words snapped me back into the moment. "Shit, sorry. Yeah. Whatever you think is best."

His forehead creased. "You okay?" He looked back toward the door, even though Silas had been gone for a while now. "Something going on with the husband?"

Foster knew me too well to believe a lie, so I shrugged.

His frown deepened. "What's the problem?"

I gritted my teeth and tested the words out loud. "I'm in love with him."

"Yes. And?"

My best friend was an insufferable ass. Had he been able to tell? And did that mean everyone could tell? "And that wasn't part of the deal," I hissed, low enough not to be overheard. "He's leaving, and then what? I'm supposed to just… get over it?" My voice wobbled on the last part as my fear made itself known.

"Or," he drawled. "Or you could talk to him. Ask him if there's any chance of a real future there."

"Don't be ridiculous. He would no more want to settle here in Majestic than… than…" I tried to think of something Silas absolutely detested. "Buy a billionaire a ticket to space, or… eat strawberry ice cream, or… pet a cat backwards, or?—"

Foster held up a hand. "I get it. But I think that's up to him to decide, don't you? Why not at least tell him how you feel? What if he felt the same way but decided not to tell you because he assumed you'd never leave Majestic?"

His words caught me by surprise. "Oh."

"Mph. Anyway, have the conversation. Work through it together. But maybe wait until after the exhibition. Right now, you need to stay focused on this weekend."

I nodded. "I know. Of course. It's just that… I've been so excited for it ever since AdventureSmash selected us for it, and now… I'm practically dreading it. As soon as it's over, I might lose?—"

"Waylon, can I talk to you?"

I glanced over to see Eden approaching from behind me. "Uh, sure?"

Foster tossed a twenty on the table and stood up before clamping a hand on my shoulder and meeting my eye. "I was wrong, then. Do it today. Maybe then you can enjoy yourself this weekend."

I dipped my head in acknowledgment, even though I wasn't sure if he was right or not. Foster said his farewells to everyone around us and headed out the door, the equipment on his duty belt catching the morning sun as he turned toward his vehicle.

Eden slid into the seat he'd vacated. "I've been worried about you," she said in a soft voice.

I glanced across the table at her. "Me? Why?"

She reached out and placed a hand over mine. "I've seen you around with Silas. It's… strange. And I've been wanting to talk to you about it."

"About me being with a guy?"

"Well, yeah, kind of. That's part of it. But also, it was really fast. I mean, you have to admit it seems weird. How could you have possibly met and married someone in the same weekend? Is it… I hate to ask, but is this some kind of joke? Is it real?"

"It's not a joke," I said, wishing like hell I could also say, Of course it's real .

"I just don't understand, Way. I've been waiting for you to come talk to me. To confess the truth. How long are you going to keep this up?"

I pulled my hand out from under hers and crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Eden, I'm going to keep this up as long as the man will have me." And that was the god's honest truth.

She huffed out a laugh. "Be honest. There has to be an explanation. You don't go from proposing to me Saturday morning to marrying him Saturday night. Something happened. Did he put you up to this?"

Her voice had gotten louder as she'd spoken, but I didn't realize it until I noticed the people around us staring. Aunt Blake stepped over from a nearby table. "Eden, let it go. Those two boys are in love. I know what love looks like, and Silas Concannon is one hundred percent in love with my nephew. If you've seen them together, you can't help but realize it."

I tried to beg her with my expression to stop, to end this humiliating show in front of half the town, even though it was kind of her to step up. I hated knowing Aunt Blake was defending me today but might possibly learn the truth in a matter of days. I didn't want to lie to her. I didn't want her to regret going to bat for me.

"It's nobody's business," I said, feeling the sweat trickle down my back. "I'm sorry if you are upset by it, but my relationship, my m-marriage, is between me and Silas."

Eden tried reaching for my hand again, but I refused to uncross my arms. "Babe, I'm concerned about you because I care. I don't want to see you hurt."

For the first time in weeks, I remembered when Silas had first met Eden at Three Daughters. Silas had told me that day that Eden might still say yes to marrying me… if I wanted her to. Fool that I was, I'd actually told the man that I didn't know if I was in love with her or not.

Even then, I'd known the truth, though I hadn't been ready to admit it to myself. What I'd felt for Eden was a decade of friendship and familiarity, weighed down by the town's expectations. I'd expected we'd end up together, so when she'd taken that option off the table back in Vegas, I'd been disappointed. Maybe even a little bit… lost.

I saw those same feelings mirrored on her face now.

But that quick sting of disappointment was nothing compared to the blind panic that gripped me when I thought of Silas turning me down and walking out of my life, possibly for good.

So while I sympathized with Eden a little bit…

"Not sure accusing Way of a sham marriage in front of the whole town is the proper way to show someone you care." My aunt made a huffing noise.

At least Eden had the decency to look regretful. "I'm sorry, Way. I didn't mean?—"

I shoved my chair back and dropped some cash on the table to go with Foster's. "I gotta go."

Leaving without making sure everyone was okay was hard as hell, but I did it anyway. I needed to meet with the AdventureSmash team and check on a few details at Lake Sports, but then I needed to talk to Silas. And I didn't just want to talk to him to tell him about my feelings. I wanted to… make it special. Make sure he knew that despite the exhibition, despite everything that needed to be done over the next few days, he was my top priority.

I wanted to tell him I appreciated him, that I was grateful to know him and incredibly lucky to have had his help. But more than that, I needed him to know I was in love with him and wanted to find out if there was any chance at a real future between the two of us.

The walk back to the office took forever since the sidewalks were full of people, locals and tourists alike. Thankfully, Bernice had the day well organized, and we jumped right into it, approving last-minute permits, payments, and other requests before the ten o'clock meeting.

The meeting ran better than I expected. The AdventureSmash team was thrilled with our resourcefulness and commitment to the event's success.

"This is looking really good, man," Robbie said with a grin. His teeth were bright white against his suntanned skin. "I was out at Three Daughters and saw a shit ton of climbing routes I'd love to explore for future races, and our socials have been insane with requests in the area. Trail runs, too. You've got a gem here. If only you had an airport with commercial flights, you'd be overrun half the year."

Several of his teammates chuckled and nodded, and they began talking about future events here in Majestic and the sponsorship opportunities they would pitch for them like it was a foregone conclusion, which went a long way to allaying some of my stress.

Things were as ready as they could be going into tomorrow's event.

Once the meeting broke up, I texted Silas.

Me

You at home?

Silas

Yeah. I have a surprise for you, actually. You heading this way?

My heart took a little leap.

Me

On my way after a quick stop at Lake Sports. Need me to bring lunch?

Silas

No. Just yourself.

I headed out of the office and told Bernice to catch me on the radio if she needed me back in town in the next few hours. My imagination went a little wild as I drove to visit Lake and Jackson. If my conversation with Silas went well, maybe we could spend some time celebrating in bed. Or maybe he'd agree to take a short trail ride with me to oversee preparation on the river by the kayaking crew.

When I got to Lake Sports, the place was buzzing with customers, athletes, and employees helping fix bicycles and load kayaks on roof racks. Two event tents were set up in the parking lot to provide additional areas to help customers, and music was blasting from speakers set up under one of them.

Cody and Clayton Spilling were manning a table in front of a smoker where a sign advertised their special pulled pork sandwiches for sale.

This was the Majestic summer we all dreamed of, and I couldn't help but feel proud as I saw it happening. The sun shone down from a deep blue sky, and a breeze blew gently enough not to worry me about incoming weather. It was one of those days that made the winter ones worth it.

"Way!" Jackson beamed when he spotted me come through the open front doors. "How's everything going?"

I nodded and returned his grin. "So far, so good. I came to ask you the same, but it looks like I already have my answer. You need anything before I head out to the ranch for a bit?"

He shook his head. "Nope. All good, thanks to you. This event has already been the best thing that's happened for our business. We can't thank you enough for convincing them to pick us for the exhibition. I can't imagine what it'll be like if we land a full race on their schedule next year."

We spoke for a few more minutes before a T-shirt caught my eye on a rack behind him. It was from their rock climbing collection and had an outline of the triple jagged peaks of Three Daughters with a script font below.

Majestic Rocks .

I grabbed it in Silas's size, but before I could pay for it, Jackson insisted I take it on the house. "You sure?" I asked.

His only answer was a smile and an eye roll.

I drove home with a nervous churning in my gut and a dangerously fast heart rate. What if he laughed at me? What if he cared about me but not enough to want to consider a life in Wyoming? Would I move for him? Who would take care of the ranch? Who would take charge of Majestic's municipal interests?

By the time I drove past the ranch house and barn, I'd started second-guessing whether the timing was right for my confession. What if he rejected me? What if he truly did have divorce papers for me to sign? Would I be able to play town host for our big weekend while secretly bleeding out from the heartbreak?

Fuck .

When I pulled up to the little house, two cars I didn't recognize were parked in a cluster around Silas's rental, and a group of men stood and sat around the tiny porch talking and laughing.

They were all beautiful, as if a modeling convention had suddenly magicked itself to my home.

"Uh… hello?" I asked after hopping out of the truck. "May I help you?"

Silas stepped out of the front door and handed a few bottles of water out. "There he is. Guys, this is Waylon. Way, these are my friends." He began pointing at each man in turn. "Sebastian Dayne—we call him Bash—Landry's the one with long hair, Zane over there, and of course, you already know Dev. Oh, and that's Kenji with his face in his phone."

I hadn't noticed Dev, but as soon as Silas pointed out his friend Zane, I realized why. I'd been staring at the man he introduced as Zane. "You're Zee Barlo." I may have mostly been a country music fan, but everyone knew this guy's recent climb to fame as a talented musician.

The man blushed. "Yeah."

Landry rolled his eyes. "He's only shy when he's not onstage."

"Anyway," Silas said, "they came to help. Put them to work however you want."

"Nice to meet all of you," I said, trying to hide my disappointment at the unexpected visitors. At least their presence had made my decision easier. There was no way I'd get Silas alone to have such an important conversation now. "Welcome to Majestic."

Landry flicked his hair over his shoulder. "So… you're the husband, huh? Mm. And this place is yours?"

From the look on his face, he was less than impressed.

"It is."

Silas frowned. "The ranch has been in Waylon's family for generations. He built this house himself."

Landry sniffed and looked around. "Where'd you put poor Dev? Is there an outhouse, or…?"

His rudeness surprised me, but more than that, it tweaked every insecurity I'd always had about our money troubles. Heat flooded my face, and I felt my heart pound in humiliation.

Silas stepped forward as if he was going to get in his friend's personal space. "What the fuck are you?—"

Dev lightly shoved Landry's shoulder. "I'm staying in an apartment over the main barn. Stop being an ass."

Landry shrugged. "I just think it's awfully convenient that this guy happened to marry our strong, well-connected friend right when he needed free labor and a few good sponsorships, that's all."

Silas's annoyance ratcheted mine up by a factor of ten. "What exactly are you implying?" I snapped as Bash moved Silas away from Landry.

Kenji barely looked up from his phone. "Ignore him. He's trying to bait you."

Landry's lips widened in a lazy grin. "Doesn't take much with these country boys, does it? Gotta hand it to you, though. This whole Vegas marriage sham sure was an elegant way of using someone without making it seem like you're?—"

Silas strained against the arm Bash was using to hold him back. "What the fuck, Landry?"

"I'm not using anyone," I barked, balling my hands into fists to keep from shoving him in the chest. How dare he show up here and upset Silas? I didn't care what he said about me, but I sure as shit didn't want him insulting Silas or causing him to doubt me. "I would never use someone like that. I didn't set out to do anything other than have a drink at a fucking bar. We started talking, and then… and then… things happened. I didn't plan it, and I'm not using him! I could never do that."

"Anyone could do it if they were desperate enough," he said.

"Not me." My back teeth hurt from where they clenched tightly against the words I truly wanted to hurl at him. My patience was a wash-worn hole in ancient denim. One little flick of a fingernail and the entire thing would unravel.

"Why not?" Landry asked, cool as the river water snaking through the distance.

I threw my hands up in the air. "Because I fucking love him, okay? Jesus fucking Christ. You don't know me. You don't know shit about me at all. I love him. He's hardworking and generous. Kind and loving. Funny as hell. And even if I didn't love him, I would never use?—"

"You love me?"

I turned to see Silas's shocked face. His friends stood around him, witnessing my humiliation. Landry looked smug, like my admission was exactly the prize he'd hoped to win.

I'd come home to tell Silas about my feelings, but it had spiraled out of my control. I'd never meant to blurt it out like this to a manipulative jackass who'd provoked me rather than to the man who deserved to hear it directly from me first.

Foster had been right. I should have waited until after the exhibition. This stress was too much on top of all the shit I had to do for the event this weekend.

"I'm sorry," I croaked. "I… I need to go."

I didn't wait for Silas's reaction. I jumped back in my truck and drove off, leaving him standing there with his jaw open and his friends staring.