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

by Taylor Rylan

  “August twentieth,” we all said in unison.

  “Do you have any plans or ideas for the bachelor party at all?” Collin asked us.

  “Not really, no,” I told him.

  “Then what about Vegas? I went there with my brothers and cousins for Travis’ twenty-first birthday and it was a total riot. There will definitely be lodging, and plenty of entertainment,” Collin suggested.

  I just stared at Collin. That was an amazing suggestion. I finally snapped out of my stupor. “Okay, why didn’t any of us think of Vegas?” I looked at Jasper and then my phone, as if Rhett could see me scowling through the receiver.

  I heard Rhett groan before replying. “I don’t know, but it’s perfect,”

  “I agree. There are so many things to do in Vegas. Rooms definitely won’t be an issue, either,” Jasper agreed.

  I picked up the planning conversation again. “Okay, so now that we have a location, we need to work out the entertainment.”

  Collin spoke up, again. “Well, if you want to go to a strip club, I could suggest Poles. It’s where we took Travis. It’s a gay strip club right off of the strip. By itself, it was definitely worth the trip.”

  Rhett interrupted. “Damn, Collin, you’re on a roll tonight. Guys, why didn’t we ask him to plan the bachelor party for us before now? Alright, I’ve got rooms booked at the Bellagio. I’m sending both of you links for the room confirmation as well as the one for Poles. My God.” He gasped. “You guys gotta see this lineup! Seriously, if these are the current dancers there, I’m going even if Sean and Simon don’t want to.”

  Jasper rolled his eyes. Apparently hearing his little brother talk about hot strippers was a bit too much for him. “Oh my God, Rhett. TMI, little brother. I didn’t need to know that,” Jasper complained into the phone. Collin chuckled and gave me a big smile while Jasper thumped his head down on the kitchen island.

  Rhett continued, defending his comment. “What? Not all of us are getting laid on a nightly basis like you and Liam. I haven’t even seen another naked man that wasn’t on video since last year!”

  Cringing even more, Jasper picked up the phone to reply to Rhett. “Alright. Seriously. Too much information. I don’t want to hear about your sex life. We’ll call you tomorrow, Rhett. I love you. Bye.” Then he hung up before Rhett or I could get a word in on the conversation.

  Collin and I completely lost it and both busted out laughing.

  Jasper looked like he was watching a confusing tennis match, moving his head from me to Collin and back again. “What?’

  I giggled and winked at Collin before answering him. “You’re something, Jasper. I can’t believe that, with as much as you like sex, you cringe when thinking about Rhett having it.”

  “He’s my little brother, Liam. Sometimes I have problems remembering he’s twenty-two and no longer eleven. I realize he’s an adult. That he’s had sex. That doesn’t mean that I have to like it or that I want to think about it.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet,” Collin said, picking on Jasper.

  “Are you saying you don’t feel that way about your younger brothers?”

  “Jasper, my brothers and I are each only a year apart. My parents got busy and popped us out one right after the other. The youngest in the family is Travis, but he’s got his brothers to worry about him. I’ve never really thought about or worried about my brothers having sex.”

  “Oh to be so lucky,” Jasper replied.

  “Anyway, I’m glad I could help with the bachelor party. Hopefully you guys find a bunch of things to do there. If not, it’s always fun to eat tons of food and hit the casinos. It’s a win-win no matter how you look at it,” Collin said right before walking out of the kitchen with a water bottle.

  Now that we had ideas for the bachelor party set, we sent off a group text to everyone that said they wanted to attend. It was going to be a fun weekend for sure.

  I was surprised when Rhett called the next day. We said we’d call him, but we usually called in the evening after Jasper got home.

  “Hey. Did you not want to talk to Jasper or something? He’s not home from work yet, he had a late afternoon meeting.”

  “No, I’ll call him back later. This isn’t about the party. I need your advice. Logan texted and said he’s going to Vegas but for me to not read too much into it. What the hell, Liam. Why would he say something like that? I just don’t get him. He runs hot and cold with me all the time. What did I do wrong?” Clearly, this text from Logan was really upsetting my best friend.

  “Wow, I honestly don’t know, Rhett. About the only thing I know is he’s been super busy at the ranch. I know very little about Logan. He’s always been so quiet and kind of standoffish every time I’ve ever been around him. Have you thought about calling Simon and asking him about it?”

  Rhett, clearly upset, continued his end of the conversation. “No. I’m honestly thinking about just giving up all together. He’s so sweet when he calls and some days he even texts. Then he’s cold and distant others. I just don’t get it.”

  I didn’t really have a good answer for Rhett. Instead, I gave him a suggestion he might not like. “Well, okay, if you’re thinking about giving up, do you have anyone in mind? I mean, you and Travis seem cozy. What about him? He’s really close to my age so he’s only a year or two older than you.”

  “Ugh, no. Travis, although hot, is a total no. He has a thing for older guys. I’m younger than him. He creeped me out, actually. He said he'd gladly fuck me if in a threesome with Logan. I told him to get out and I haven’t seen him since.”

  Color me disgusted! “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. Can you believe it?” His voice raised half an octave. He was clearly unhappy “I just want out of Monterey. I love my dads. I really do. They’ve been great, and I’ve really needed them but help, Liam. They’re suffocating me!”

  “Have you thought any more about moving back to Seattle?”

  “You’re in Crooked Bend. Why would I go to Seattle?”

  “You went to Seattle alone before. Why not again?”

  “I don’t know. I’d have to find a new job and a new place to live and right now that’s more than I can handle.”

  “Okay, what about Crooked Bend?” Rhett had mentioned it for some reason. “We still need a bakery. The building is still empty, and still for sale. You could totally come here and open your own bakery.” Then I realized that we had our own single, attractive gay man right under our roof. “You could meet Collin. He’s hot. Like, seriously hot. Tall, blond hair, blue eyes. He’s a taller, hotter version of Travis. He’s super sweet. I’m sure he could definitely put you into orgasmic bliss.”

  “Who is it I’m giving multiple orgasms to?” Collin startled me when he came into the living room.

  “Oh shit,” I replied. “Rhett, I’ll talk to you after Jasper gets home, bye.” I quickly hung up the phone and stared up at a smiling Collin.

  “Do you really think that Jasper wants me to fuck his little brother? Are you sure I’m even a top?”

  “Are you telling me you’re a bottom?”

  “No, I go either way but that wasn’t the point. There were several points to talk about. You think I’m hot do you?”

  I hope I didn’t fuck up and send the wrong signals to Collin. I turned a nice shade of red. I knew I did because I could feel my face heating up. “Seriously, Collin? You’ve seen your family, right? The ones I’ve met have all been hot. You’re no different.”

  Collin winked at me. “Well, thanks for that. I still don’t think Jasper would approve of me sniffing around his little brother.”

  “He’s cute. He’s a few inches taller than me, but not much taller. He can cook like it’s cool. Bake. Oh my God can he ever bake.”

  “Yeah, but you’re forgetting something.”

  “What?”

  “From what I heard, he’s hung up on someone named Logan.”

  “Yeah, well, Logan has been giving him the run around since Christmas. I think he
’s tired of his emotions being yo-yoed back and forth.”

  “Still don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with my boss’ little brother. That just has disaster written all over it.”

  “Okay, fine. But if I get him to move here, you’d see just how cute and wonderful he is. He deserves someone that will love him unconditionally.”

  “I don’t doubt it, Liam. I’ll just stick to being single, for now. I came in to let you know that Jasper told me to tell you that he'd bring supper home after his meeting.”

  “Alright. I guess that means we get pizza and breadsticks tonight. There aren’t but the two places in Crooked Bend. You either have the pizza place or the diner and that’s it.”

  “Hey, pizza works for me. I’ll be in the office working on some plans if you need me.” Collin walked off toward the stairs. He was definitely hot. But Jasper was so much hotter.

  29 — Jasper

  Vegas. I’d only been there once before and I don’t remember much about it. I remember it was loud and busy and bright. If things went as planned, this time around it would be pretty much the same. Only this time, I had every intention of remembering the trip. I planned on having a good time with my brothers, but especially Liam.

  Sean was excited about having the bachelor party in Vegas. He wanted to surprise Simon at the party. He made arrangements with the owner of the club so that he would be the one to give Simon a lap dance after they were called up onto the stage. But, unfortunately, he felt nervous about how he’d perform. Like the good twin that I was, I offered to help.

  Collin found us comical when he walked in on us in the office one day. Sean was sitting in a chair and I was doing my best to try to show him what he needed to do. In the end, Collin was a better teacher than I was. The guy definitely had some moves.

  After a few preliminary lessons, we suggested several videos for Sean to watch and learn from. Poor Simon, or lucky Simon? He wasn’t going to know what hit him.

  Sean had always been the quieter, calmer twin, so hearing what he planned took me aback, but I was happy for him and I knew that he'd do just fine. Even knowing he wasn’t professional level, I knew that Simon would love it! Simon was as crazy about Sean as I was about Liam. Who could have predicted that both of us would find love in a tiny town in Wyoming? Neither one of us thought there would be many prospects and weren’t looking for love. Sean, though, knew he wanted someone to love. I thought I wanted to stay as far away from love as possible but Liam changed that. There was no way I could ever imagine my life without him.

  The end of July wasn’t the best time to go to Las Vegas. It was hot in Wyoming in the mountains. In the desert in Vegas? Ugh. I was about to ask whose idea it was to come to the desert at the end of July when I remembered that it was mine. It was Collin who suggested Vegas, but Rhett, Liam, and I readily agreed. There really was nobody to blame but myself.

  When we arrived, it was like heaven when we stepped inside the Bellagio to check in. Not only were the casino and hotel beautiful, the environment was also blessedly cool! Liam had been texting Rhett since we deplaned. Apparently my little brother was already here and already checked in. We flew on the same flight as Tyler and Isaac. Simon, Sean, Graham, and Logan were all booked on a later flight. That was Rhett and Liam’s doing. There was something going on between the two, and I decided to go with it.

  I’d only met Tyler once or twice before. He seemed like a nice guy, but somehow a little sad, too. Maybe a weekend away in Las Vegas would help cheer him up.

  Hell, since Sean started seeing Simon, I had a whole new respect for cowboys and what all they did. Ranching was hard work. With animals that outweighed you, often with stubborn attitudes, the men who managed them deserved a lot more respect than they ever got. A weekend away was definitely earned as far as I was concerned.

  Not two minutes after arriving at our room, Rhett was knocking on the door. I knew it was Rhett because Liam was expecting him. Besides, who else could it have been? After I got a quick hug from my brother, those two went to the bedroom of our suite to chat. God only knew when I'd see them again. I was happy to see Rhett smiling again. He had come a long way since he was kidnapped and I was so thankful for that.

  Deciding to find out what those two were up to, I took a chance and went to the bedroom to join them. I found them both sprawled on our bed, talking. It didn’t take long to figure out they were talking about Logan and what was going on between him and Rhett.

  “I just don’t know what to think anymore, Liam. He still calls me every other day. It’s great, sometimes. The calls can be warm and personal; those make me feel good. Other times it’s almost like I’m talking to a different person, I’m left feeling cold. I feel like I’m talking to two different people.” Rhett sighed heavily while venting to Liam who just looked at me with a lost look on his face.

  “I don’t think he’s two different people, Rhett, I just think he’s working through some issues,” I told Rhett after deciding to interject my two cents’ worth. “Do you want me to ask him? I’d totally go all big brother on him. Even though he is about four inches taller than me and he’s impressively ripped from hefting hay bales and grain bags around, I’ll totally rip him a new one if you want me to. Just say the word and it’s done.”

  Liam and Rhett both laughed at me. That was exactly what I intended. I was serious though. I’d already decided I was going to have a chat with Logan no matter what, but I’d definitely feel a lot better about butting in if Rhett gave his approval.

  “You know what, Jasper? I'd love it if you could talk to him. Maybe you can get some answers. I know I can’t. All I know is that he goes back and forth about being with me. Sometimes he says he wants to, then he seems to be hesitant. I know he’s struggling with the fact that I’m so much younger than him. I’m twenty-two and he’s thirty-six. Fourteen years is a difference, but hell, it’s not like I act immature. I’m not, you know that.”

  “Is this why you two scheduled us for different flights?” I asked on a chuckle.

  “No, honestly, there wasn’t enough room available on the early morning flight for all of us so I decided to send Logan with Simon and Sean. Tyler said he didn’t want to fly on the same plane as Graham so I added him to the early flight.”

  “Wonder what’s going on with that? I get it that Graham is his boss, technically, but still. I thought they all got along.”

  “Oh. My. God. Did you not know?” Rhett directed his eyes to Liam. “How could he not know?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rhett. I’m just as clueless as Jasper is,” Liam replied.

  “Sean didn’t tell you? What the hell happened to you two? You and Sean used to tell each other everything!” Rhett shouted.

  “Well, things changed in college. I guess when we moved to Wyoming we matured and started our own lives. We just aren’t as close as we used to be. You know I’ve kept things from him, it’s only reasonable to assume that he’s done the same. What are you talking about?”

  “Okay, but you can’t say anything!” I looked at Rhett. I didn’t want him spilling any secrets, but I also wanted to know what was going on. He continued telling the story. “Sean told me after Simon told him. Anyway. I was told that Graham and Tyler were sleeping together. Like, they were getting it on. Simon was completely shocked because he could've sworn that Graham was straight!”

  “Seriously? How does Simon know?”

  “I guess he caught them. Well, kind of. He called one morning or something and woke them up. Instead of Graham answering his phone, it was Tyler. It was quite obvious that his call woke them up.”

  “Damn. I didn’t see that one coming. I'll have to agree with Simon. I could've sworn that Graham was straight. Seriously? Graham and Tyler? Are they still a thing?” I asked Rhett hoping he knew.

  “I don’t know. Sean hasn’t mentioned anything about them since. Neither of them really denied it nor fessed up.”

  “Wow. I just don’t. Nope, still not seei
ng that one. Do you think that something happened and that’s why Ty didn’t want to be on the same plane as Graham? Wait a minute! Didn’t we see Graham out with what’s-her-name a few days ago in Jackson when we went out to dinner with Collin?” I asked Liam, remembering our trip to one of the restaurants in Jackson. We saw Graham with a lady friend. They seemed quite cozy.

  “I remember that. I didn’t think anything of it. I always thought he was straight. Maybe he is? I don’t know. I guess we could watch the two of them closely and see if we notice anything,” Liam replied, while getting off of the bed to go to his bag.

  Liam pulled two shirts out of his bag. They were black with the word Groom on the front, and I’m his on the back. Arrows pointed in opposite directions under the words. “Okay, anyway, we need to make sure that we take these shirts for Simon and Sean to wear tonight.” We definitely needed to make sure we get pictures of the grooms in their shirts.

  “When do you think we should expect the grooms and the rest of our party?” I asked looking at my watch. We had a tentative schedule to keep. There were reservations tonight at the club and I wanted to make sure we kept them.

  “They should've checked in by now. Why don’t you text Sean and see?” Rhett looked at his own phone.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen my little brother wear a watch. Liam didn’t either. Honestly, the only reason why I did was because I needed to be able to tell the time during meetings and it wasn’t professional to whip out my phone to check the time. I wore a watch, and over the years it has become a habit to glance at my wrist to check the time instead of checking on my phone.

  Rhett’s phone dinging meant that he at least got a response. “Alright, they’re here. Let’s go. I just sent a group text to the rest of the party. Let’s go have fun and see some sexy guys taking it off and strutting it for us! Damn, I really think I need to get laid or something.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Liam asked what I couldn’t.

  Rhett’s expression flashed to a little fear but he straightened it out quickly. He shrugged before answering. “I honestly don’t know. I think so. I’ve come a long way thanks to my therapist. I’m never going to find out if I don’t try, you know?”