Burn Zone (Hotshots 1)

So, yeah. He might have his doubts about whether Linc would change his mind, but his heart was all-in, had been for weeks now. And he wasn’t letting anyone, even his family, drive them apart. He almost turned the truck around when he saw Jon’s Tahoe, kids swarming all over the play set. Damn. It was going to be hard enough with just his mom and May. His other siblings were another layer of complication he didn’t really need.

For a change, his mother opened her own door.

“You came!” Her voice was bright but her smile was too wide, too toothy to be mistaken for her genuine one.

“Yeah. Linc helped me make his deviled egg recipe.” He handed her the small platter. It was supposed to be a dozen, but a few had suffered peeling mishaps. And then he’d made Linc keep two for himself. So it was a paltry offering, but his mom likely had enough food to feed the whole crew at the air base. The eggs weren’t the point.

“Thanks. You...uh...you’re staying over there?” Her cautious tone matched her carefully schooled expression.

“He had ACL surgery. Needs help keeping the weight off his leg. He shouldn’t have to deal with that alone.”

“No, he shouldn’t.” His mother worried her red lips with her teeth. She was still in her church clothes—a summery printed dress that almost seemed too cheery for this conversation. Under ordinary circumstances she would have been first on Linc’s porch with food and probably would have tried to insist he come here to recuperate. “I... Come eat? It’s sandwich fixings—too hot to really cook, but I made that potato salad you like.”

“Thanks.” Jacob had seldom felt less like eating, but he followed her to the kitchen, where she added his platter to the assortment of chips, salads, and heaping plates of cold cuts and cheese. The brothers-in-law and Jon had some sort of car race on the TV, and May and his sisters were outside with the kids. Same as a million other Sundays, but none of the usual cozy feeling. He dutifully went through the motions of grabbing a plate and added a tiny scoop of the potato salad and a roll to put some turkey on.

“Not hungry? Did they check you for an infection?”

“Broken wrist. Not a big infection risk.” He gave a tight laugh as he held up his cast. “Nah. Just a big breakfast.”

“Oh.” She flushed as if he’d made an off-color joke.

“Pancakes, Mom. Pancakes. We made them together when the dogs woke us up insanely early and Linc’s leg hurt too much for him to go back to sleep. I can’t flip them one-handed that well, but they were filling.”

“Oh.” Her shocked expression stayed firmly in place. Fuck. He didn’t want to have this conversation, but here they were, and his frustration leached into the force with which he ripped open his roll.

“I’m sorry. Am I supposed to pretend I’m not over there? That we’re not together? That we’re not sharing a bed?”

“Watch your mouth.” Jon came into the kitchen, face flushed and eyes narrowed.

“You too?” He groaned and set his plate aside. “The kids are all outside. I’m not allowed to say bed? Or is it the implication that I have sex? That not allowed now either? You’ve known for almost six years that I’m gay. Is that only okay if I’m not actually in a relationship?”

Jon’s mouth moved like he might be about to agree with that statement, but his mom spoke first. “Of course you can be in a relationship. I want you happy. I mean, I wouldn’t want to confuse the kids, but—”

Jacob cut her off even as Jon was nodding along with her. He made a frustrated noise at both of them. “Does it confuse the kids when Jon and his wife kiss under the mistletoe? When Joy and her husband sleep on the couch bed together when they visit? There’s nothing dirty or wrong about me having someone.”

“You’re right.” His mother sighed. “You’re right, of course. This is just all so new.”

“Six years,” he reminded her.

“I don’t mean that. I mean this.” She made a vague gesture with her hand. “Lincoln. You know. This. Whatever you think you’ve got going.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around how long he had me fooled...” Jon shook his head.

“Fooled? Fooled. Because he didn’t share something personal with you? Like you really think he was trying to trick you? Fu—”

“Boys.” His mother interjected in the same tone she’d used when they were younger. “This isn’t serving anything.”

“Exactly. It’s so pointless. Linc should be here. He’s part of this family too. And you’re punishing him, why? Because he dared to fall for me? Another adult, I’d add.”

“You were a kid when you first started hanging around him.” His mother twisted her silver bracelet. “It’s just not right. If he—”