Chapter Twenty-Six

DAKOTA

The next day, Amy and her husband Andy arrived in a minivan with five hundred miles worth of road dirt on it and three kids and an old black Labrador inside of it. Since Lincoln, Nebraska was only seven hours away, they’d decided to drive. Amy said she liked to have a car available, just in case.

Amy jumped out of the van and leaped into Bryce’s arms. He caught her easily, spinning her around before putting her gently back down.

Dakota liked her right away. The shortest Lowery he had yet met, she had the same dark blue eyes and a kind face that slipped easily into a smile.

“We would have been here yesterday, but Ophelia’s soccer team had a make-up game.” She kept a hold of Bryce’s hand as the rest of the passengers got out.

“How’d it go, O?” Bryce asked.

“Pretty good. We won. I scored two goals and three assists.” Ophelia looked to be about twelve maybe? Dakota wasn’t a great guesser of kids’ ages. She wasn’t a little kid but wasn’t a teenager yet.

Bryce high-fived her as she walked passed him, dragging a wheeled suitcase.

“This is my friend, Dakota,” Bryce said.

Ophelia and the younger boy following her looked up at Dakota at the same time, gave him simultaneous ‘heys’ and raced each other up the stairs.

An airport shuttle van pulled up while Amy was helping her youngest son and the dog get out of the van.

A guy who looked like a younger and somehow even more buff version of Bryce got out. “Hola, mi familia!” he cried with open arms. He wore track pants and a t-shirt despite the chilly weather.

“Keith,” Bryce whispered to Dakota. “One of the twins.”

“He’s so…buff,” Dakota said in an awed whisper. Keith had Bryce’s dark eyelashes and wide smile. He was just an inch or two shorter than Dakota.

Bryce frowned, and Dakota could have sworn he looked worried as Keith bounded over to them.

“Hey,” he said, coming to stand in front of Bryce. “How’s things?” He pulled Bryce in for a one-armed, back-thumping bro hug. “How’s the knee? Gonna go running with me tomorrow morning?”

“We’ll see,” Bryce said. “Depends how early.”

Keith had already turned to Dakota, sticking out his hands. “You must be the famous Dakota. I expected, I don’t, a halo or something. A glow.”

“Nice to meet you.” Dakota shook his hand while giving Bryce a look. Bryce shrugged as if he had no idea what Keith was talking about. Dakota didn’t buy it for a second. Amy’s snort of laughter confirmed his suspicions.

Keith put his hands on hips and checked out the house. “Holy shit, dude. This place is amazing. Pictures don’t do it justice. Kind of big for just mom though.” He looked at Bryce out of the side of his eyes.

“I didn’t build it. Plus you’ll all be visiting a lot, right?”

Keith shrugged. “Sure. Still seems a waste.”

Kelly, the female half of the Lowery twins, arrived early Tuesday morning, said a weary hello to her family, waved silently to Dakota, petted all three dogs, and then dragged herself to the nearest bedroom and shut the door.

“Med school,” Keith explained, looking up from some complicated concoction he was mixing in the blender. “It’s kicking her ass.” He put his hand over the lid of the blender and pressed a button. “I keep trying to get her try this stuff,” he yelled over the whir of the blades, “but she won’t touch it.”

“That’s because it’s gross,” Joshua, Amy’s middle son, commented.

“That’s how you know it’s good for you,” Keith said, enthusiasm undaunted. Dakota was beginning to wonder if anything could daunt it.

“So what’s the plan?” Connie asked. All eyes turned to Dakota.

He froze with his third cup of coffee half-way to his lips. “Excuse me?”

“For tomorrow. It’s Pizza Prep day if I recall correctly? So this is prep-prep day. Do we need to make a shopping list? A schedule?”

Julie lifted her head from her laptop. “Schedule?”

“Not really.” Dakota wished Lori were here. “Lori’s going to start the bread dough tonight. I think we have everything we need in the root cellar and pantry. Matt’s bringing the turkeys this year.” Usually, Dakota provided the turkeys from the small flock he raised especially for the holiday.

Unfortunately, this year, unbeknownst to Dakota, Bryce had named all three of the turkeys before he’d realized their ultimate fate.

Dakota and Lori had been sitting on the steps of the big house, making plans to slaughter them when they heard Bryce gasp. “You’re gonna kill Jasper?”

“Who’s Jasper?” Lori asked.

“The head turkey guy,” Bryce explained as if it were obvious.

Lori and Dakota exchanged glances. Lori looked confused, but Dakota was working hard to hold back a smile. Pulling out his phone, he tapped on the screen and handed it to Lori.

When she saw the series of pictures of Bryce carrying the red hen he had named Clarice, she rolled her eyes. “Lord, save me from city boys.”

“What do you think we do them?” Dakota asked.

“E-e-ggs?” Bryce said uncertainly. He looked stricken.

Dakota hadn’t been able to hold back the laughter. Ultimately, Jasper and his harem were saved when Matt offered to provide the backup turkeys.

“Root cellar?” Connie asked.

After that, there was nothing to do but give everyone a tour of the root cellar and the pantry. Which led to a tour of the apple orchard, and the farm.

Amy let Dakota give the kids rides on the ATV. Even Atticus, her timid six-year-old loved it, screeching excitedly when Dakota pushed the old 4-wheeler up to a fast jog.

Later that night, David and Connie whipped up some dinner for everyone. Afterwards, Bryce said he had some business to take care of with Dakota, and he was going to walk him home.

Dakota felt the eyes on them as he said goodnight.

It was warm for the end of November, the air almost spring soft on their skin as they walked down the drive. Beezy and Lu trotted ahead of them.

You never knew what you were going to get this time of year. As a kid, Dakota had gone trick-or-treating in snow storms and spent Christmases in shirt sleeves.

“So that went well,” Bryce said.

“I really like your family.” Dakota bumped his shoulder into Bryce’s.

He smiled wide. “I’m glad. I can tell they like you, too.”

“Great.” He came to a stop in the middle of the driveway. “Look,” he said pointing up.

It was a cloudless, moonless night, and the sky was ablaze with stars. The river of the Milky Way stretched above the trees.

Dakota pointed to the first constellation he’d ever learned. “Orion. The mighty hunter.”

Bryce put his arms around Dakota from behind. “Show me more,” he said, nuzzling the top of Dakota’s ear and sliding his hand underneath Dakota’s shirt. He tugged Dakota over to a cottonwood tree on the side of the path.

“You’re not even looking,” Dakota laughed.

“Tell me anyway. I like your voice.” Bryce leaned his back against the tree and pulled Dakota tightly against him. “Where’s the big dipper?”

Dakota’s answer trailed off into a grunt as Bryce unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper down. Bryce had closed over Dakota’s cock, and he stroked fast and hard.

The race was on. Dakota stammered out the names of constellations as Bryce attacked the back of his neck with his mouth and pushed Dakota closer and closer to orgasm.

“Cassio - fuck,” Dakota cursed as Bryce ran his palm over the head of Dakota’s cock. “Cassiopeia,” he said triumphantly, then groaned long and deep as Bryce wrapped his hand tightly around Dakota’s cock and dragged the orgasm out of him.

Bryce kissed the back of Dakota’s neck as he shuddered and tried to get his breath back. “Good lesson. I really learned a lot.” His hard cock pressed against Dakota’s back.

“Yeah?” Dakota turned in his arms. “Then you deserve a reward.” He dropped to his knees, hands already working on the button of Bryce’s pants.

Bryce’s fingers tangled through Dakota’s curls, dragging his head up and down his cock. Dakota relaxed his jaw and let Bryce set the pace as he thrust fast and hard into Dakota’s mouth.

Bryce panted and cursed quietly above Dakota, the tightening of his fingers the only warning Dakota got before Bryce came down his throat.

The dogs watched as Bryce and Dakota silently pulled themselves back together. The light from Dakota’s house glowed softly from between the trees.

“I think I can make it by myself from here,” Dakota joked.

Bryce kissed him gently. “You sure? Not afraid of bears?”

Dakota kissed back, a soft press of lips. “The dogs will keep me safe.” Lu barked once in agreement. “See?”

“You’ll save him from the bears, Lu-dog?” Bryce asked. She leaned against his leg, and he gave her a scratch behind the ears. He leaned in for one more kiss. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Dakota said, holding Bryce against him for just a second longer. Tomorrow, Bryce’s family would meet the people who were, for all intents and purposes, Dakota’s family.

He hoped it would go smoothly. Despite his goodbye, Bryce watched Dakota until he reached his door. “Goodnight,” Dakota called again.

“Goodnight,” Bryce said, then turned and walked away.