Feel the Fire (Hotshots 3)

Chapter Sixteen

Despite being told by the higher-ups to come in late that morning after the nonstop action of the prior few days, Luis still woke up early, before Tucker even. The sun was peeking through the blinds in Tucker’s bedroom, slats of light dancing across the carpet and walls, adding to the peaceful, homey vibe. The walls were a mossy green, a few shades darker than the bathroom, and they contrasted nicely with the light linens and framed nature prints. It was a grown-up, adult space, nothing like Tucker’s superhero-and-hand-me-down-laden childhood bedroom, but it fit him just the same. Woodsy without being cliché, and a sort of understated sexy, the sort of room Luis could see spending a lot of time in. If only...

Trying not to wake Tucker, he carefully stretched, testing his back muscles. Fucking when he’d already been fighting a flare-up was probably ill-advised, but damn had it been worth it. Tucker in bed was everything Luis had ever imagined and so much more. In fact, the effect on his already rattled emotions was almost more than that on his muscles. He’d tried to mitigate the effect on his back with the position and some pillows behind his shoulders, as well as the second shower, but he was still feeling stiff enough to know he wasn’t going to fall back to sleep. Creeping from the bed, he retrieved pants and his anti-inflammatory meds from his bag. Tucker snoozed on, but Luis knew from experience that he shouldn’t do the pills on an empty stomach.

Maybe he could surprise Tucker with breakfast. It was the sort of small gesture he used to do all the time with Mike, but he hadn’t had the urge or opportunity since then. And Tucker had a nice kitchen that put Luis’s cramped galley kitchen to shame, having the sort of open arrangement that practically begged him to whip up a big meal. The fridge and pantry didn’t disappoint either—plenty of eggs and milk and other staples.

He was in the middle of preparing a potato frittata and some bacon when he heard the door.

“Hey, Dad! Just grabbing a notebook—Oh.” One of the twins strode into the living area opposite the kitchen. “Not Dad.”

“Nope. Sorry.” Keeping his tone matter-of-fact, Luis figured that there wasn’t much he could do to alleviate the awkwardness of finding a shirtless stranger in his dad’s house, but he slid the plate of bacon across the breakfast bar. “He’s still asleep. Bacon?”

“I...uh...didn’t mean to interrupt. Just need...” The kid—who Luis was reasonably sure was Walker—had gone bright red and his voice came in little sputters.

“It’s okay, Walker.” Luis held up a hand. “It’s your house, too. I’m the one who should probably apologize for startling you.”

“How do you know I’m Walker?” Eyes narrowing, his head tilted, his expression dared Luis to screw this up.

“Easy. You haven’t cracked a joke yet and you’re here for a notebook, not sports gear. Also, there hasn’t been a single mention of football.”

“There is that.” His mouth curved like he was thinking of smiling, then straightened again. But he did step closer and swipe a piece of bacon from the plate. “Most people can’t tell us apart even after years. Wade’s always trying to get me to fool teachers, especially newbie ones.”

“Too bad the SAT is going to require separate identification for each of you. No trying to take his for him, right?” Luis joked.

“Ha. He should take mine. He keeps beating me on practice scores.” Exhaling hard, Walker slipped around the island to get a cup of coffee that was mainly milk and sugar, same as Tucker used to do. “Test is this weekend and I’m starting to freak out, but maybe it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“What do you mean?” He’d resumed his cooking, but he kept one eye on Walker, trying to encourage him to keep talking.

“The local university doesn’t care about scores as much. And my grades are okay enough. Dad didn’t tell you about me dropping marine biology? Figured he’d have been dying to complain to someone about me wanting to stay with Mary Anne.” Walker made a sour face.

“He mentioned you were wrestling with some big choices, but honestly, we were a little busy with the forest fire for him to vent, and even then, I don’t think he’d betray your trust.”

“Yeah. You’re right. It’s... I haven’t even told Mom yet. She’s going to freak too, same as he did. Everyone thinks we’re too young to know what we want.”

Oh, how Luis remembered those years. Add in the secrecy, and he knew exactly Walker’s frustration. Young and in love with no good choices sucked. “And what do you think?”

“I think she’s the one. I mean how many chances do people get, really?” Walker leaned against the counter.

Tucker and Mike’s images leaped to the front of Luis’s brain. How many chances indeed? One? Two? Three? Could he really expect more from the universe if he left Tucker behind here? He might not agree with Walker that people only got a single soul mate for their whole lives but there also weren’t infinite chances out there either.