Chance and Circumstance Part II ***NSFW***

Copyright 2013
Bailey Bradford

Chance and Circumstance Part II

Part II

Chance found himself thinking more and more about the age gap between him and Rory. It was hard not to get depressed, and he knew he needed to get his head out of his ass and stop focusing on what was going to happen in the future.

But Rory’s tear-streaked faced kept popping into his mind at the weirdest times. Chance would be shoveling shit—something as the ranch owner, he shouldn’t have to do, but he was desperate to keep from thinking--  and he’d see a phantom Rory, crying and mourning his death. At dinner he’d be sitting there talking with Rory, and that same visage would spring to life in his imagination.

It woke him up at night, kept chance from sleeping much at all.

God, he was downright maudlin, that was all there was to it, though he tried to cover it well.

Chance let Rory make him a check up appointment with a doctor in Austin. He’d do anything to keep Rory happy, to ease his mind.

The week leading up to the appointment was nerve-wracking for them both. Chance kept playing through every  worse-case scenario in existence, and he figured Rory might have been doing the same, judging by the tight-lipped expressions the man wore when he thought Chance wasn’t watching him.

Chance was watching him every opportunity he had. Rory was strung tighter than the state’s budget. Even sex wasn’t chasing the worry away, from either of them. They both pretended fairly well that it did. Chance debated bringing it up, getting their worries out in the open, but he honestly didn’t know if that would help or not. They might just swap new fears that the other hadn’t thought of yet if they laid it all out.

As it turned out, he was healthier than most men his age. The doctor suggested some dietary changes—less meat and more vegetables? Chance didn’t like that idea at all, but if it made Rory happy… And they had to wait for the results of a few tests, but overall, the doc thought Chance ought to live to be a horny old man.

Not that doc said it like that, but with Rory around, there wasn’t any other kind of old man Chance would be.

Chance should have been relieved. He was, sort of, especially since that tenseness had left Rory’s shoulders, and the honest, wide smile had returned to Rory’s lips. Damn, but he’d missed that. Rory being unhappy and worried, that was something Chance never wanted to happen again.

While he knew he couldn’t protect Rory from such things forever, he would do his best.

The idea came to him when he was watching Rory play with his nieces. The little girls were adorable, just barely two years old and into everything—and Rory lit up like a hundred watt bulb around them.

Chance’s heart did a kind of stumble and roll thing, where he had to put a hand to his chest because the idea that hit him was just… whoa. It felt so right, though, even if it did scare the holy shit out of him.

Another week of thinking about it, then a couple more, and Chance didn’t falter over it. He figured he was pretty sure about the idea, and he needed to go ahead and broach the subject with Rory.

****

It’d been a rough few months, but once they got the blood test results back and everything was clear in regards to Chance’s health, Rory had finally been able to relax. Chance wasn’t banging on Death’s door. Acting like he might be was just stupid.

Rory vowed to grab onto life and enjoy every second of it. He was going to love Chance so well the man just wouldn’t be able to leave him alone, ever.

To that end, he tracked Chance down to the barn. Why in the heck Chance had started shoveling out the stalls was beyond him, but not long after the whole health scare, Chance had grabbed a shovel and a wheelbarrow. Max had given him more than one argument over it, but Chance was stubborn and he was Max’s boss, so shoveling shit was Chance’s prerogative.

It did lend to some streamlining on Chance’s fine form, too. Rory had noticed the slight love handles had vanished and Chance’s abs, pecs and biceps had firmed up more. Since Rory already considered Chance a sexy stud before hand, he found his lover absolutely stunning now.

And sweaty from working? God, that just might be Rory’s favorite way to find Chance. There was just something about the sight of that slick tanned skin, the scent and salty tang of it…

By the time Rory locked the barn door, his dick was so hard he wouldn’t have been surprised if it’d have split through the denim of his Wranglers. Considering how often this kind of mood had hit him lately, Rory thought he probably should have had calluses on that particular part of his anatomy. He’d been randier than bull ever since Chance had gotten his results from the doctor.

He should probably think on that, work out what was driving him—later. Right now he needed Chance something fierce.

The sound of shit and hay hitting the wheelbarrow made it easy to find Chance. The smell of manure was pungent, made more so than usual by the heat. Rory ignored the odor—hell he’d smelled it all of his life. It was just one of the parts of being a rancher.

What he didn’t ignore was the way Chance’s ass looked when the man bent to fork up more of the mess on the ground.

From this angle, no one would have guessed Chance’s age. His ass was high and tight, framed by worn, faded jeans that just showcased his body. With a narrow waist and long, lean legs, Chance was just too sexy to resist. As if Rory was even going to try.

Chance rose up and flung the mess into the wheelbarrow. When he did, he froze mid twist, fortunately after sending the shit sailing in the right direction. He looked at Rory out of the corner of one eye.

Rory stood and watched him back, transfixed by a bead of sweat that slowly made it’s way down from the outer edge of Chance’s eyebrow. It left a trail along the hinge of his jaw and kept going through the day’s stubble, down his neck to wet the collar of the white tee he wore under his usual denim shirt.

When that liquid was absorbed into the material, Rory’s reserve snapped. He jerked his gaze up to Chance’s. “Drop the pitch fork.”

Chance swallowed and licked his lips. He didn’t look away as he set the pitchfork against the stall wall. Then, slowly, he turned until he was facing Rory completely.

Chance’s mouth twitched, like he was about to speak, and something flickered over his expression before need took over.

Rory could almost hear Chance’s control breaking. There was an electric sizzle of want in the air between them. Rory took a step back then crooked a finger at Chance. This was looking to be one of those times when words didn’t have a place.

Chance put his hands on his belt buckle. He narrowed his eyes slightly then began unfastening his belt as he sauntered forward. He unzipped his pants and slid a hand down into his blue briefs. Rory’s gaze settled there as his mouth went dry.

The wet spot where Chance’s dick was leaking precum—Rory wanted to lick that spot. A few more steps back and he was beside the hay bails waiting to go out to pasture for the cattle. Rory didn’t have the time nor inclination to look for a blanket so he quickly took his own denim shirt off, then his tee, all the while keeping his eyes on Chance. Only when he was ready to spread the shirts out did he look away.

Once he had the hay cushioned as best as he could, Rory sat down and waited. Not for long, not at all. Chance walked right up and pulled his shaft free from his underwear.

Rory did him one better, pushing down Chance’s pants and briefs so that he could get to the man’s heavy balls. Chance hissed and rocked his hips when Rory palmed his sac. At the same time, Rory leaned in and licked at the leaking slit.

Chance took Rory’s hat off and set it down. That was fine with Rory. He liked it when Chance buried his fingers in his hair. Chance did so then, gripping Rory’s head lightly, holding him but not controlling his movements.

Rory rolled Chance’s balls and sucked in the crown of his cock. He kept tonguing that slit, wanting every bit of Chance’s flavor as he could get. The slightly bitter taste was familiar and one that Rory craved. He moaned and let his eyelids drop as he took more of Chance’s length in.

Horses nickered in the background as Rory sank his mouth down until his nose was buried in Chance’s pubes. He felt it then, Chance shuddering just once. Rory pushed his balls up a little, loving the weight of them in his hand. He had to come back up, get a decent breath, then he was sliding back down, licking, working his tongue, sucking til his jaws ached. At the base, he swallowed and gave Chance’s nuts a gentle squeeze.

Chance grunted and his fingers clenched and unclenched in Rory’s hair. Up and down Rory worked Chance’s cock, loving on that thick length he knew so well. When Chance’s breathing turned to unsteady panting, and his thighs began to quiver, Rory increased his speed. He used his tongue to lap and lick, finding that one vein that always pulsed the hardest.

When he took Chance into his throat right after, Chance gasped and shook. Rory pulled back as the cock in his mouth swelled, then cum spurted onto his tongue. Oh God, it was everything he’d wanted from Chance, at least at that moment.

Chance pumped his hips in tiny rocking movements until his cock began to soften. Rory left of sucking, knowing Chance’s prick was very sensitive just then. But Rory’s own cock was so hard he couldn’t stand it for much longer. Not that he had to.

Chance nudged his shoulder. Rory got up and Chance went down, kneeling over the bale of hay and presenting his firm, fuzzy ass. As much as Rory loved fucking it, that wasn’t what he wanted just then. Instead he spread Chance open and spat right before unzipping and getting his dick out. He slicked Chance’s crease as much as he could, then he spat and slicked his own shaft.

“Ahh,” he sighed as he settled his cock in Chance’s crack. He bent over Chance, the man lifting his torso enough so that Rory could get his arms around him. Rory didn’t start off slow and sweet, his need was too great. He rutted like a wild animal, lust swamping him and all but stealing his breath.

Chance clenched his ass every few seconds and Rory drove harder and harder against him. He found a sweaty patch of skin at Chance’s nape and laved the spot before nipping it. Rory slammed his hips against Chance’s ass and clenched his teeth around the salty skin. His climax made his eyes roll back, his entire body throb as he streaked Chance’s crack with cum.

It took him several minutes to get to where he could even open his eyes. Rory finally managed it and realized he’d drooled on the back of Chance’s neck. He chuckled and licked at the spot. There was a sweet hickey left behind, with the faint impression of Rory’s teeth here and there.

“Marked ya,” he muttered as he sat back. A glance down at his cock told him he was going to have a sticky mess on his clothes.

Chance grunted and reached behind him to feel his ass. “D’you have a bandana? Mine’s outside somewhere. Dropped it I guess.”

Rory rolled his eyes at himself. Well, sex with Chance always left Rory fucked-stupid for a bit afterwards. He took the bandana from his own back pocket, looked at it, then grinned.

“I got ya covered.” That was all the warning he gave Chance before leaning forward again and licking up his own cum from that pale skin.

“Rory!” Chance yelped, but he arched and spread himself open. They were both too sated for another round just then, but Rory enjoyed the hell out of cleaning his man up. Once he had Chance all quivery and licked clean, Rory maneuvered himself to sit beside Chance. Then he began trying to clean up his own mess.

“Here. Let me get it wet,” Chance said after a minute. “If my damn legs will hold me up. Think you melted my knees or something.”

Rory snickered and winked at his man. “If it wasn’t so hot and we were in our house, I’d melt all of you. Got to be about time for the hands to be coming in, though.”

“Yeah, about,” Chance agreed. “Shit. I didn’t finish—“

“Someone else can this time,” Rory said, cutting him off gently. “Seriously, Chance.  Take a break from mucking the stalls. Come inside with me, and let’s just talk, or watch some TV. Just be together, you know.”

Chance stood up and gave a nod. “Yeah. Yeah, that’d be good. I want to talk to you about something anyway. Been wanting to, just didn’t know how to broach the subject.”

Rory cocked his head and handed over his bandana when Chance gestured for it. “Now, that’s got me all kinds of curious.”

Chance looked nervous, unsure, two things Rory almost never ever seen in the man. He nodded again and went to we the bandana down. Rory’s curiosity was scratching at him and he hurriedly cleaned himself off. He tucked his cock away, keeping an eye on Chance, trying to figure out what was going on in that brilliant head of his.

Once Rory was proper again, Chance held out a hand. Rory took it and they walked to the barn doors. Rory unlocked them and opened them only to find Max and Bo waiting for them on the other side. Max was blushing and Bo was smirking.

“Not a word from you,” Chance said in a low voice, pointing at Bo.

Bo pretended to lock his lips, but the devilish glint in his eyes was warning enough that he would be teasing them both for days to come.

“Max, maybe you and Bo can finish the stalls,” Rory said.

Max made a strangled sound and Bo burst out laughing.

“What?” Rory asked, “Like y’all didn’t know we have sex—“

“Coulda at least put your shirts back on,” Bo said and Rory felt his own face heat with a blush. “Guess maybe they were too dirty or something.”

No, they weren’t. Rory just hadn’t even thought—he’d been in a borderline euphoric state at first, then he’d been completely absorbed in trying to figure out what Chance wanted to talk about.

“Maybe y’all left them in there for us to use as—“

“No!” Max and Chance both hollered, well, Max kind of yelped it like a pup getting it’s tail stepped on.

Rory just sighed and let go of Chance’s hand. “Sure as hell wouldn’t want to tempt you.” He jogged back into the barn and grabbed his clothes. He didn’t bother putting them on. It was hot, and he was already shirtless. No need to fix that last one now.

He and Chance waved and made their way to the house. Chance reached over and pinched Rory’s right nipple then jogged up the steps to the porch as Rory laughed. They made it inside, both of them damn near giggling like fools. Rory could have floated on a happy cloud at that point.

Then Chance had to scare the shit out of him.

“We really need to talk.”

****

Oh shit, that probably wasn’t the right thing to say. Rory’s tanned face went kind of pale. Chance kissed him, hard and fast, then slower, sweeter. “I didn’t mean anything bad,” he said against Rory’s lips. “Just an idea I wanted to talk to you about. That’s all.”

“Scared the shit out of me,” Rory groused, then he sighed and blinked slowly, like he was centering himself. “Yeah, okay. So nothing bad?”

“No, not at all.” Chance stroked Rory’s cheek, his nape, his shoulder. God, he loved the man so much it made him ache clear to his bones sometimes, but it was the good ache, the one that meant he was so happy he couldn’t contain it.

“Come on, let’s sit down first.” Chance stepped back and took Rory’s hand again. He didn’t want to sit in the kitchen; he wanted to hold Rory in his arms, so they went into the living room. Chance dropped down onto the couch, pulling Rory with him. They squirmed until he got Rory’s back against his chest. Chance wished he’d taken off his shirts so he could feel Rory’s bare skin on his, but it was probably better for his concentration that he hadn’t.

“You gonna keep me in suspense for much longer?” Rory asked, craning his neck and looking at Chance.

Chance felt oddly shy about sharing his thoughts, which was definitely unusual for him. He dropped a kiss onto Rory’s cheek and told himself to just spit it out already. So he did.

“I was thinking maybe we could have a couple of kids.”

Rory went still for a split second before springing up and damn near nutting Chance. “What? What—“ Rory sputtered and flapped his hands and arms like he was trying to pump more words out.

Chance watched him, both amused and embarrassed. He should have had a little more finesse than that. “What I mean is, if you want to. I—we never talked about it, and I just think you’d be a great daddy. Every time I watch you with Annabelle’s little girls—“ Chance shook his head, smiling because he loved those girls, too. “You just light up, Rory. Plumb light up, all the way to your eyes.”

Rory didn’t look so lit up know. He actually looked flummoxed, then he looked panicked. “I can’t be a daddy. We can’t—I mean, this is Texas. There ain’t anyone here that’d help us adopt or…”

Once Rory stopped Chance stood up. “ Hang on. Just wait here.” He went into the office and grabbed the papers he’d printed out. Once he was back in the living room, he separated them into thin stacks on the coffee table as Rory watched him anxiously.

“This here, it’s places that work with LGBTQ couples to help them adopt.” Chance touched the first pile. “This second one, it’s out of country places that’ll supposedly let us adopt, and agencies there we’d have to talk to.” He moved his finger. “Third is lawyers. Even in Texas, there’s lawyers that help people like us have families. This last one…” Chance’s heart thudded at the vision he imagined, two cute little babies with curly blond hair and deep dimples. “This one has a list of names of women who will be surrogates. I only have three names here, because there’s a lot of scammers out there, and some folks change their minds. Ain’t none of these women in Texas, though.” Chance looked at Rory. “But God, I’d love to see a couple of babies with your eyes.”

Rory had been looking more on the mad and stunned side up until then. At Chance’s last sentence, Rory’s eye welled and he sniffed as he rubbed at them.

Chance was over and reaching for Rory immediately. “Hey, I didn’t mean—I’m sorry if I fucked up.”

“You didn’t,” Rory said in a strained voice. “Jesus, you just surprised the hell out of me. You haven’t ever said anything about kids. Neither have I. I don’t know, Chance. I never thought—“

“But did you ever want kids, honey?” Chance whispered, wondering is he’d ever had that paternal need before. But this was about Rory. “Don’t you ever look at Annabelle’s babies and wish, just a little, that they were yours?”

“Sometimes,” Rory admitted, “But you just sprung this all on me. Not just a discussion, but you’ve done research. How long have you been thinking about this?” Rory pushed back and stared into his eyes.

Chance wasn’t going to lie. “Since the day I got so sick. It scared me, Rory. I know it scared you, too, and I realized, you should have more than just me.” He couldn’t bring himself to add the rest, that when he died, he didn’t want Rory to be alone. Even if the kids were grown up and moved out, Rory would have someone else to love, even if it wasn’t the same kinda love.

Rory canted his head and considered him. “And what about you, Chance? Do you want kids?”

“I asked first,” Chance said, reverting to the age of six.

Rory nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay. Yeah, I think that’s the thing that hit me the hardest when I realized I was gay. I wanted kids, a lot of them. I wanted to love them and take care of them, not be my old man.” He took another half-step back. “I don’t know about this, with you bringing up kids, though. Is it…I can’t replace you, Chance. Not ever.”

And that sent a wave of love soaring through Chance, but he didn’t say anything since Rory was talking still.

“What I feel for you, there’s never going to be another man in my life, and if you…” Rory gulped but pressed on, his eyes welling again. “If you die before I do, I surely won’t be far behind.”

“Rory—“ Chance began, but Rory shook his head.

“No, you don’t get to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do or feel. I love you, Chance.” Rory came back to him, putting a hand on Chance’s chest. He looked at Chance with such love it had to have saved Chance’s soul, if it were lost. “I love you, and that’s the best thing about me, the best thing in my world. Would I love to have children? Yes, I would, but I want to think about that some. You’ve had time, obviously, to think on it. I need some time, too. But you gotta know, even if we have kids somehow, losing you would break me. Now tell me, do you want kids, or are you just trying to find me companionship? ‘Cause if that’s the case, I’d rather have a dog.”

“You’d rather have a dog than kids?” Chance asked, confused and scowling. What kind of shit was that?

Rory snorted and looked more amused than anything else. “I meant, if you don’t want kids for the right reasons—to have and love, to be a family with—then I’d rather have a dog. I know you like dogs just fine.”

Chance hadn’t thought out his part in the whole deal, not really, but he thought that as long as Rory was happy, that would work for him. He loved his nieces, Annabelle’s babies, so he’d be all right with more kids.

“It’ll be way different having kids of our own than it is having Annabelle bring hers over,” Rory warned. “Especially if they’re babies, and need diaper changes and feeding in the middle of the night. Are you going to help with all that? Because it’s together in this or I wouldn’t even consider it. You have to want this for you, too.”

Did he want that for himself? Chance wasn’t sure. His whole focus was Rory, his priority since they’d fallen in love had been Rory. It was hard, if not impossible, to set himself apart from that.

Rory hummed quietly and pressed his head to Chance’s shoulder. “Think about it, let me know. We can talk it over, talk it out. Give me some time to wrap my head around the idea, and you some time to decide if it’s what you want, too.”

“Okay.” Chance wanted Rory to be happy, and he wanted to see those blond babies, or babies with Rory’s eyes even if their hair was some other color. He didn’t think he’d make nearly as pretty babies as Rory would.

But as the days passed, he and Rory talked, sometimes until they were hoarse. And the more they talked, the more Chance was sure he’d had the right idea. That alone made him able to be honest and tell Rory that having a family together was what he wanted, too.

Seventeen months later, with the help of a great—but expensive as hell—lawyer and a surrogate, they were about to do just that.