The slamming of the front door jerked me out of a fierce battle between an alien queen and the last astronaut in space. Oh, joy. Brooke was in one of her moods. “You ok, Brooke?” I called from my office, not bothering to get up. I figured she’d be up to bitch at me in a moment. Muttering on the staircase told me I was right.

“Ok? Seriously, Mom?” Brooke stood in the doorway, hands on her hips as she tapped her toes at me. Brooke had gotten my looks more than her father’s, and I knew that irritated her. We looked more like sisters than mother and daughter with the same chocolate brown hair and green eyes, though a lot of that had to do with how young I had been when I had her.

“Rough day?” I spun my chair, being careful not to catch my leg on my desk again. I had already banged it decently earlier, and I really didn’t need another bruise.

“I just want this year to be over. I have one final in the morning, and then we’re allowed to leave early. Can I take the car, please?” Her lips were pursed as she crossed her arms, irritation clear on her face. I wasn’t thrilled with the attitude, but at least she had said please.

“I won’t need it tomorrow, so go ahead. Just be back here by four, all right? I want us all to have a family dinner together.” Before you go… I didn’t finish the sentence, but I didn’t need to. Brooke knew exactly what I meant and she threw her arms in the air.

“I still don’t see why I have to go to San Francisco for two months. Why can’t I go stay with my friends in Georgia? You know their parents would let me. It’s not like I get into trouble or anything like that. This is absolutely ridiculous. You pull me out of my school, make me finish my junior year where I don’t know anyone, and now I can’t even spend the summer before senior year with my friends!”

My head was pounding and I reached for the aspirin bottle on my desk, popping a few as I waited for her to finish her rant. It was the same argument we had been having for months now. No matter what form it took—railing, crying, screaming, blaming—it still hurt every time. “You know why we moved, Brooke. Just like you know why you have to go to your Dad’s. I’m sorry you feel it’s inconveniencing you. You planned on moving up here for college, though, right?”

She glared at me. “I meant to go to college alone. Why in the world did you have to move us to the exact same town as the college I wanted to go to? Now I either have to pick a different college, or deal with my mother in my backyard! I didn’t want my mom and my little brothers around. College is about finding yourself and having fun, not just walking down the street and having everything you do reported back home.”

“This isn’t that small of a town, Brooke.” I knew there was a small bite in my voice and I tried to calm it. “Now you’ll get in-state tuition if you choose to attend Oakview College. You don’t have to, you just always said you wanted to since it’s where Aunt Jenna went.” Brooke idolized her fun-loving aunt, and I couldn’t exactly blame her. Most people adored Jenna. “The college is in a completely separate area. I don’t know your professors or anyone in residence up there. If you wanted to come across town and have dinner with us sometimes, you know you’d be welcome. It’s not like I got a house right next to the campus, and I’m hardly ever on that side of town.” Too many people, not exactly my thing.

“You always have an excuse!” She fired the words at me. “For Dad leaving, for moving, everything!” Ouch. That hurt.

“Brooke, you know why Dad left.” It’s not exactly a secret, I thought with only a little bitterness. “Aren’t you glad he’s found someone and he’s happy now?”

She rolled her eyes. “Big whoop. He decided he was gay and had to re-think his life. How do you not know you’re gay?”

I pushed up from my chair, going toe-to-toe with her. I wouldn’t normally consider myself intimidating at five foot four, but between my weight—which I didn’t want to think about—and my anger, I felt intimidating then. If her expression was anything to go by, she thought so as well. “That is enough. You do not get to talk that way. It isn’t as if he did it to hurt you, or me, or your brothers. You know how Meemaw and Grandpa were.” Ian’s parents had not been the kindest people, nor the most forgiving. Extremely religious and conservative, they had raised their son in the same manner.

I doubted that it was a coincidence that he had waited to come to his realization about his sexuality until after his parents had both passed on. He knew that there was no way they would have accepted him or approved if he had told them and that all they would have done would have been pray for his soul.

They already thought Jenna was a “heathen” for her lifestyle—not being married at 38 and having a rotating series of girlfriends, boyfriends, or multiple lovers. Jenna was her own person though and wasn’t willing to hide it for anyone. “Nor is it as if being gay is a bad thing. Is that really what you think?” I stared into my daughter’s eyes and she looked down in shame.

“You know I don’t.” Her words were quiet. “It’s just, when the news broke in Atlanta, some of my friends stopped talking to me. They thought it was so gross that my dad was gay.” Her eyes were pleading when they met mine. “I love Dad, and I am glad he’s happy, but it’s hard when everyone teases me about it. Even here, even though no one actually knows him, I don’t want people knowing about how he’s living because they’re just going to make fun of it.”

“Brooke…” I trailed off, trying to find the right words. “I get that the other kids can be cruel. But that doesn’t mean you need to mimic them. Your dad is finally happy. I can hear it when he calls. I know he misses you guys—” I hastily added the words in as I could see the sheen of tears start pooling in her eyes. “—but just think about it. You’re going away to college. Jake and Cal are getting older, they’re doing their own things or they’re with their friends, just like you are. Did you want him to keep living a lie? Or me to keep living a lie?”

Her eyes were still wet as she turned and walked away, my question a hollow echo in the empty air. I really hoped that her answer was a no, but she was only seventeen. The world at that age still revolved around what everyone thought of you and your life. I knew all of this was going to be difficult for her, and for all of them. I glanced at my computer, debating jumping back in, but my head just wasn’t in the right place. I figured I might as well begin dinner even though it was a bit early.

Car doors slamming grabbed my attention as I poked through the fridge, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I couldn’t resist looking out my window, hoping for another glance at Alex in his tightly tailored suit. That man really was smoking hot. Maybe I could find a way to write him into one of my books… I let the thought percolate as I studied him standing next to the car, chatting into his cell phone where he leaned against the hood. He reached up to pull the knot on his tie, letting it dangle loosely around his neck, and I all but felt myself panting for him. That had no right to be as sexy as it was. His small smile turned into an all-out grin, his whole face lighting up as another car pulled up behind him. Holy triple hotness.

Two men stepped from the car, nearly opposites in their coloring but both just as hot as Alex. The first wore a scowl, despite the bright grins on the other two faces. His hair was a lighter brown than Alex’s, almost the same chocolate brown as my own. I couldn’t see his eyes around the dark shades he wore, but his face was all planes and angles, sexily sculpted and framing a sulky mouth. He was tall, slightly taller than Alex, and completely ripped. The polo shirt he wore highlighted the heavily sculpted muscles in his arms and chest, and his pants clung to hard thighs.

The second man was lighter, his hair golden in the sunlight. His eyes seemed a softer color from here, maybe a baby blue or a pale green, it was hard to tell from this distance. His grin was everything wicked and laugh lines were etched into his face as he pounded the sulking man on the back. The three headed inside and I wished that I could follow. I made a face as the timer on my cell went off, breaking me out of a very wicked fantasy involving what could have happened if I had followed—and if three sexy, built, gods of men were into curvy, size 18 women with brown hair, pale skin, and stretch marks. Ha, yeah right.

I turned off the alarm that reminded me the boys would be getting off the bus soon and focused back on my task of completing dinner. I would get lost in my own head frequently if it weren’t for the alarms I set for basic tasks and reminders—one of the problems with being a writer. I’d daydream about the three of them later tonight once everyone was asleep. It seemed like it may be just the heat I needed.

I pulled pans from the cupboard, deciding on a taco casserole. It was easy and filling and I could eat the leftovers for my lunch tomorrow and send the rest in the boys' bags. I was going to have to do something very special for dinner tomorrow night, but I wasn’t quite sure yet what it would be. I figured if I put it to a vote the answer would be pizza, but I thought maybe they’d want one last home-cooked meal before they went.

My heart squeezed and I had to pause for a minute. I had never spent more than a day or two away from my kids, and usually, that involved one of them being at a friend’s home and I still had two others underfoot. A part of me was looking forward to the silence, but a larger part of me ached at the thought of going eight weeks without my crazy, sweet, beautiful children. I shook myself from the thoughts, focusing on my task before I burned myself. Browning hamburger was not for the klutzy, let me assure you.

I had the casserole built and into the oven when the front door slammed again. I couldn’t help but grin as I heard Cal chattering at his brother about his day at school. “Mrs. Connors was yelling and yelling! I can’t believe that he didn’t get sent home for bringing a snake into the classroom. I mean, it was just a garter snake, but still, it was so cool. I don’t know why she was so upset about it.” He popped into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around my waist for a hug. Jake tossed his bag on the floor and headed straight for the refrigerator. My boys were always hungry.

“Keep the snack small, Jake,” I warned, returning Cal’s hug with gusto. “I’ve got a casserole in the oven.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The words were a mutter as he dug through the fridge, and I snatched the pop from his hands with a raised brow. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a bottle of water instead, tossing a bag of grapes at his brother who caught them with ease. Sometimes it amazed me that apparently none of my children had received my klutz gene, although I was grateful for it. My parents had made frequent visits with me to the emergency room growing up, and I was glad I had only ended up with a few small visits for minor sports injuries for all three of my kids so far.

“Mom, you wouldn’t have been afraid of a little snake, would you?” Cal asked the question as he tossed grape after grape into his mouth. I grabbed the bag away from him, filling a bowl instead as I smiled, rinsing the grapes in the sink.

“I doubt I would have wanted to hold it,” I admitted, to his scornful sniff. “Not everyone likes snakes, Cal. Or bugs.” I shuddered as I remembered his plea for a tarantula. I adored my kids, but that just wasn’t going to happen. With my luck, I’d wake up with that thing on my face.

“Girls.” The word was said with adamant disgust as he snagged the grapes out of my hands, tossing some at his brother to catch in his mouth. I ignored their antics, shooing them from the kitchen.

“I assume neither of you has homework?” I hoped no teacher had been cruel enough to supply homework on the last school night of the year. Both shook their heads in affirmation and I breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that was one less fight to have tonight. “Good. The casserole still needs about half an hour. Why don’t—”

“Can we play video games?” Cal’s excited words cut me off. I considered for a moment. I needed them to work on packing their bags for California, although I would need to double check them and make sure they were appropriate. However, time with their game systems would hopefully outweigh the tantrum that was about to ensue when I gave them that chore.

“Fine.” My words were met by a resounding cheer as the boys tore off to get their games. “You can play until dinner!” I called after them, already forgotten as they pulled their systems from the closet and hunkered down on the couch. The sounds of video game characters fighting echoed down the hall at me, and I couldn’t help but smile. I glanced at the ceiling, debating checking on Brooke in her room, but I figured she was still on her phone. That had been her habit since our move—get up, complain, go to school, complain, then call her friends in Georgia and complain to them until bed. Not exactly productive, and I had already taken her electronics away twice when I feared her grades were slipping because of it. With only this last night, however, I was just going to let her be.

I pulled out plates and silverware, setting the small table in the kitchen as I hummed to myself. So what if I was tone deaf if no one was around to hear me? The doorbell ringing had me doing a quick calculation. I didn’t think I was expecting any packages, but I wasn’t exactly the best at keeping track of those kinds of things. I nearly swallowed my tongue at the sight of Alex on my doorstep, his fancy suit traded out for khaki shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

His grin was slightly sheepish as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Hi, neighbor.”

“Alex. Can I help you with something?” If it included helping him out of those clothes, I was most definitely down for it. Note to self, end dry spell before I started speaking some of these thoughts out loud. I was turning into Jenna at this rate.

“Well, I was wondering if you may have any beers? Or sodas? Anything along those lines?” He shrugged as I considered him in confusion. “I brought some friends over only to realize that the fridge I stuck all my drinks in in the garage has decided to stop working. I’ve got some in the fridge, but it’ll still take a bit to chill.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face.

“Yeah, come on in.” I held the door open, stepping back to allow him through. “I’m not sure about beer, but I know there are sodas in there as I just grabbed one from Jake. I’m pretty sure there’s vodka or tequila in the freezer.” He followed me into the kitchen as I indicated for him to check the fridge. I leaned down to check my casserole, hoping that I hadn’t burned it this time. I was usually a good cook, but distractions could be detrimental to the process. I heard a crack and saw Alex rubbing his head. “Geez, you’re as klutzy as me.” I pulled an ice pack from the freezer, deftly wrapping it in a kitchen towel. He pressed it to his head as color rose in his cheeks.

“Not usually. Guess I’m just not used to the height of your fridge.”

I studied the fridge for a moment, considering. I hadn’t thought it was an odd model, but admittedly appliances weren’t exactly my forte, so I simply shrugged. “Find the soda?”

“Yeah.” He grabbed a few cans from the fridge juggling them slightly. “Too bad on the beers.”

I reached around him, enjoying the heat radiating from him as I pulled open the freezer, grabbing my bottle of Grey Goose from the door. “Not beer, but it should do the job.” I grabbed a towel for it before handing the icy bottle to him as well. “Sure you don’t need help carrying that?”

“No, thanks, I’ve got it.” He handed me back the ice pack and headed towards the door, and I wondered for a moment if I stunk. He sure was booking it out of here quickly.

“Try dampening a paper towel and wrapping it around the beer cans.” I offered as I showed him out. “It’ll get cold much quicker that way.” He paused for a moment and considered me.

“Really? I’ll give it a try.”

“Alex!” Cal’s excited voice called as he nearly knocked me over in an attempt to see our neighbor. “Did you come to play ball again?” Alex had won Cal’s heart the day that we had moved in. Depressed and nervous in the new environment, Cal had hung around out front while I had unloaded our moving van. Alex had called him over and offered to play catch after seeing the ball he had been tossing into the air for himself. Cal had adored him ever since, taking every chance he could to play with him.

“Sorry, kiddo, not right now.” Cal’s face fell at Alex’s words, and Alex hurried to explain. “I’ve got some friends over. Another time?”

“I’ve got to go to stupid California tomorrow though.” He muttered the words, his eyes huge and sad as they studied Alex, who now seemed torn on his decision.

“Cal, that’s enough, and don’t say stupid.” I indicated for Alex to leave. “I’ll play catch with you after dinner, how about that?” Cal immediately brightened.

“Yeah! Think I can hit for a bit?” He wanted to play baseball next year so badly and was trying to practice as much as he could.

“Sure.” I figured I could always pack while they were at school tomorrow. I was going to take every chance I could to play with him while I still could. “We’ll bat a few balls once we’ve got dinner in us. Get nice and dirty before your bath.” I tickled his belly and shoved him slightly back towards the living room to give Alex a chance to escape.

“Sorry about that.” Alex seemed concerned as he studied Cal’s retreating back, his voice low. “I hadn’t thought I would upset him coming by.”

“You didn’t.” I hurried to reassure him. “He just wants to hang out, that’s all. You’re so good with him, and with Jake.” He really was good with kids, and from what I’d ascertained he definitely didn’t have any of his own, so it seemed to be a minor miracle.

“I just like baseball.” His grin was quick and bright, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Who doesn’t like baseball?”

“Seriously, though, they’re good kids. If the guys leave early I may duck over and try to hit a few balls with them.” I could tell he was feeling guilty. Cal really did have the puppy dog look down pat.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, honestly. He’ll have forgotten all about it once he’s got his video game back in his hands.” I risked a glance at the kitchen. I didn’t want to shove tall, dark, and sexy out the door but I knew the casserole would burn if I didn’t grab it soon. “I’ve got to grab the food from the oven, so…” I let the word trail off.

“Of course. Thanks for the drinks—and the tip. I’ll give it a shot.” He waved his elbow awkwardly due to his full hands, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I closed the door behind him. He really was adorable. I rushed to rescue the casserole, my mind still full of him.