Feel the Fire (Hotshots 3)

With good reason. Tucker sputtered around his next bite of food. “My... I don’t have...”

“Seriously?” Tilting his head, Wade gave him a long look. “You never lie to me. Ever.”

Well, he had Tucker there. Damn it. “Okay, maybe I do have...a personal life, but not one I’m discussing with you.”

“Trust me, I’m not asking for details.” He held up his spoon.

“And yet here you are, offering me condoms and giving safe sex advice.”

“Because I want you to have fun.” Wade patted him on the shoulder before returning to his breakfast.

“I have plenty of fun.” Like last night. All of it—the scrimmage, the food, the sex, the cuddling afterward and the goodnight kisses—had been the most fun he’d had in years. Not that he was confessing that to Wade, and not that he’d admit that Wade might have a point about the other 99 percent of his life.

“No, you don’t. And soon we’re going to be gone and you’re going to be all alone—”

“Trying not to think about that, thanks.” Appetite way less now, he turned to his coffee instead of the cornflakes. All alone. No Luis, no kids, no fun...

Wade looked away from him, gazing out at Tucker’s little backyard oasis, recently watered plants glistening in the morning sunshine. Drawing in a deep breath, Wade rolled his shoulders back and Tucker instinctively braced for whatever was coming next.

“There was a scout from a college in Idaho there last night. He was mainly there to see Mitch, but we talked a little too. My chances of going to a Division One program are pretty slim, even if I get my grades up, but at a good smaller school, I could see a lot of playing time.”

“That’s...that’s good.” Idaho might as well be the moon for how quickly Tucker’s stomach sank at this news. But Wade didn’t need him shooting down his new prospect just because Tucker wasn’t ready for any of this. “We’ll find the right program for you, wherever that ends up being.”

“Thanks. And in the meantime, you should have some fun. Then maybe I won’t feel so bad about leaving you and Walker and everyone else.”

Ah. It made sense now. Wade wanted Luis to fill a gap, but unfortunately Tucker had to admit the truth to him. “I get that, but Luis isn’t staying around. So even if there was something going on there, it’s not going to last.”

“It could.” Wade clapped him on the shoulder, tone encouraging. “You never know. And it could be the start of your grand dating adventure. Lots of...people.”

“I’m demisexual. Remember?” Explaining ace spectrum identities to the kids had been a challenge, right up there with coming out, but it had been important to him. “We talked about what that means. I’m not looking to sleep around.”

“Then don’t.” Wade’s tone said that Tucker was making this harder than he needed to. And maybe he was. “But you can have fun regardless of whether you’re having sex.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It could be.” Wade’s chin took on a familiar stubborn tilt, the same kid who refused to accept defeat at board games and family arguments.

“Wade...” He started stern, then gentled his tone because the kid did mean well even if his objectives were less than realistic. “Maybe lay off the matchmaking, okay? I don’t think Walker likes it either.”

“Don’t think Walker likes what?” Walker clomped down the stairs and into the kitchen, heading straight for the cereal Wade had left out.

“Dad’s not thrilled with our condom present.” Rolling his eyes, Wade made a dismissive gesture.

“Oh that.” Walker didn’t even look up from pouring himself some of the coffee.

“You were in on this?” He expected this sort of stunt from Wade, but Walker was a different matter altogether. Not to mention, he was still under the impression that Walker wasn’t the keenest on Luis.

However, Walker merely shrugged. “I wasn’t out on it. You bought some for me.”

“Well. Thanks. Both of you.” Blinking hard, Tucker struggled for a response. “But I can handle my own social life.”

“Not very well,” Wade muttered into his cereal, but Tucker decided to ignore him and get to his real plan for the day.

“But speaking of social, who wants to tackle the Cline Butte trail with me this morning before it gets super hot?”

Groaning, Wade made a show of stretching. “I’m out. Still sore from the game. But that’s Walker’s favorite. You should go, bro.”

“Will we be back by lunch?” Eyes conflicted, Walker pursed his mouth.

“Absolutely.” With any luck it wouldn’t take that long for Luis’s plan to work.

While the boys finished up breakfast, Tucker collected water bottles, sunscreen, and hiking snacks. The drive to the trailhead was quiet with him trying to give Walker the sort of space that might induce him into opening up. The first part of the trail was steep with a number of switchbacks, but even after the trail leveled out some, Walker stayed quiet. Even the increasingly epic view of the rock formations wasn’t enough to perk him up.