The big tub of Neapolitan ice cream that Luke had brought home two weeks ago was finally on its last legs. Freddie scooped a small cone for Reagan Ann, who took it out onto the back patio to enjoy in the sunshine, while he stuck a spoon in the rest and called it a day. There wasn’t even enough for a full bowl, and he’d been baking so much that he’d forgotten to eat. His hands were shaking, and he knew that if he didn’t address the issue soon, it would only get worse.

Sugar was the quick fix, so sugar was what he ate. He spooned vanilla — Reagan Ann’s least favorite ice cream flavor out of the three — from the tub and considered his next move. Eating actual food would be beneficial, but he wasn’t sure that he had time to get it started. He’d made a sandwich for Reagan Ann an hour or so ago, and it had cut more into his work time than he would have liked.

Money was still tight, bills were still stacking up, and he was still struggling to get done everything he needed to do in a day.

The back door opened and Reagan Ann came back in.

“Daddy?” she called. Freddie was filling a piping bag with buttercream.

“I’m in the kitchen, sweetheart.”

“Luke is here,” Reagan Ann announced. “I heard his car pull into the driveway.”

Freddie lifted his head and looked out the window. Sure enough, Luke’s car was in the driveway. There was a knock on the door a second later.

“I got it!” Reagan Ann cried. She ran from the door, a bundle of energy.

“Watch out for your ice cream,” Freddie said. He turned back to his cupcakes. “And watch out for Luke, too. Don’t drop your ice cream on him, or get his clothes dirty with it.”

“I won’t!” she promised. The lock clicked and the doorknob turned. Then, she greeted Luke every bit as enthusiastic as she had been all week. “Hi Luke!”

“Hi Reagan Ann. Is your dad home?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see him?”

“Hmm.” Reagan Ann held back a giggle. Freddie smiled. He finished filling his piping bag. “Well, maaaaybe. He’s working so you can’t make him too distracted, okay? You have to be quiet.”

“I can be quiet,” Luke promised. “Can I go see him?”

“Yes.”

The door closed. Freddie heard footsteps. Then, Luke wrapped his arms around him from behind and pressed a kiss against the back of his neck.

“Hello, Daddy,” he whispered. Freddie shivered. When Luke said it like that, it turned him on like nothing else. “I see you’re hard at work. I figured that I’d come over today and give you some company while you finish up your order.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“And a little selfish, too. I wanted to see you badly.”

Freddie smiled. “Well, it looks like we can be selfish together, then.”

Reagan Ann scrambled up onto one of the tall kitchen chairs Freddie had around the central island. She watched them curiously.

“Anything I can help you out with?” Luke asked. He let his hands brush by Freddie’s hips as he pulled away. “I’m not super artistic, but I’m sure you can put me to work doing something.”

“You want to watch and learn?” Freddie asked with a laugh. “I think you could do piping pretty well, but it takes a certain kind of touch. If you watch me do it a few times, you might start to pick up on it.”

“Sure.” Luke got out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. He held it pointed at Freddie. “Ready when you are.”

“What are you doing?” Freddie asked.

Luke shrugged. “Taking a video so I can study it later. I figure that the reminder will help, especially when I inevitably forget what you did, and then start freaking out about what the right technique was. This way, I’ll always have a reminder of exactly how it should be done.”

A memory jogged loose inside Freddie’s head. It sent a sudden, jarring thrill through his chest and tightened his stomach with excitement. He’d almost forgotten about what had happened that night in Kenton at Chris’ party. Chris had said he’d be a good fit for video-making, and that he should consider starting a channel. Freddie hadn’t thought much of it, but now that Luke was filming him, he had a little spark of inspiration he wasn’t sure he could snuff out.

If he could get someone to film him — maybe Luke, on his days off — then he could launch a channel while still filling orders for his startup. It wasn’t likely that he’d end up making money on it, but it was an avenue to explore, and it wouldn’t take all that much effort to talk and explain while he worked — he did it often enough for Reagan Ann that it was almost second nature.

“Do you have any better cameras?” Freddie asked. “I had a digital camera a while back that was decent, but it was lost in the fire. Do you have anything at all?”

“I have a decent camera,” Luke said. He scrunched his nose. “Mel got it for me for Christmas one year. I’m pretty sure she went dumpster diving for it and it was a floor model, but it seemed to work just fine, despite the torn packaging and the scuffs on the body.”

“Do you think you could film me with it sometime?”

Luke looked at Reagan Ann, who was watching them with eagerness, then looked back at Freddie. “Your daughter is sitting right there.”

Freddie rolled his eyes. “No, not like that... I mean in the kitchen, when I’m working. I’m thinking of starting a YouTube channel.”

“Like a cooking show?” Luke grinned. “Sexy chef? I can dig it. Sure. I’ll bring my camera tomorrow, and I’ll film whatever you want.”

“Can I be in your video?” Reagan Ann asked. “I’ll be really, really good!”

“When you’re older, sweetie,” Freddie said. “You’re still too little. The video could be seen by strangers, and you don’t want that, do you? What do we think about strangers?”

Reagan Ann frowned. “Strangers aren’t good unless you’re there with me.”

“Right.”

“But you would be!” she insisted. “You’d be in the video, too.”

“But I couldn’t control who sees it,” Freddie said softly. “When you’re older, maybe you can make an appearance. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Reagan Ann was too young to understand the dangers of the internet. Freddie wanted to limit her exposure. In all likelihood, his videos would fail, and no one would see them, but if he was onto something, he didn’t want it ruining her life.

“Okay, Daddy,” she said with an exasperated sigh. Then, in a huff, she crossed her arms and sank down onto the kitchen island. Freddie let her sulk. She couldn’t always get her way.

“So, am I still good to film you for today?” Luke asked. “Because I really would like to take some video so that I can review it later. I want to be able to help you.”

“Sure.” Freddie nodded. “We’ll consider this our test run. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great.” Luke pointed at his camera. “You’re live, by the way. Let’s see what you can do.”

* * *

Luke didn’t go home that night. Once Reagan Ann was in bed, and they’d finally gotten their fill of each other’s bodies, he rolled over so he was on his back and snorted with laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Freddie asked. He lay on top of the sheets, too hot to be beneath them. “Was it something I did?”

“No. I mean, yes, but not just now. I was thinking about our recording session today.” Luke snorted again. “You’re funny, you know that? Naturally funny, not tragically funny, or cringeworthy, or anything like that.”

“You think so?”

“Yup.” Luke cuddled close and pressed a kiss to Freddie’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure that if you upload a video like that, people are going to fall in love with you. I’ll have to beat them off with a stick. I mean, what’s going to keep you anchored to a small town firefighter in a middle-of-nowhere town? Nothing, I presume.”

“What about the fact that I love you?” Freddie asked. “That’s kind of a big factor.”

“Psh. Like you couldn’t fall in love with some chiseled Hollywood star with power and money.” Luke spoke in a teasing tone, but Freddie thought he detected an undercurrent of worry in his voice.

Freddie rolled over. He draped an arm over Luke’s waist. “That’s not going to happen.”

Luke said nothing. It was hard to tell what his facial expression was through the dark, but Freddie got the feeling he was starting to doubt himself.

“You’re worth more to me than your looks,” Freddie said. “... Not that I’m complaining. You’re gorgeous. But you’re also smart, and funny, and you’re wonderful with Reagan Ann. You’re the kind of man I don’t want to let go of. I mean it.”

“You’re going to regret those words one day, because I don’t want to let go of you, either.” Luke chuckled. It sounded like he was gearing down for sleep, but Freddie knew better. He was trying to psyche Freddie out so that he’d drop the topic of conversation. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Freddie said, making sure Luke knew it. “I think the feelings you have are valid, but I want to reassure you there’s nothing going on with this YouTube thing other than another potential stream of income. I’m trying my best to support my family... and to make more time for you. If I diversify my income streams, I may be able to take some more time off. We could do something together. A weekend trip, or a hike, or... something other than being stuck here, working.”

“I know. I’m just being insecure.” Luke kissed him. It was short and sweet. “I think, after what happened with my family, I’m skittish. I don’t actually believe that your love is conditional, but I’ve been through a lot lately, and I guess I’m subconsciously afraid that it’s the case.”

“I wish I could help prove to you that it isn’t.” Freddie frowned. “If this is too much for you to handle, I don’t mind dropping the project. Chris, the guy who threw the party you picked me up from, suggested that I start a channel. He said I had the face for it, and he could hook me up with some people he knew, maybe even collaborate with me.”

“Who is Chris?” Luke asked, mystified.

“I don’t know.” Freddie hummed, thinking about it. “I’m under the impression that he’s some big YouTuber. I think he owns his own house — the one you picked me up from. He only just turned twenty-one.”

“Shit.”

“Right?” Freddie knew it was a stretch, but he wasn’t hopeless. “If I treat it like a business and produce like it’s a business, then maybe I can get things from the group. With the connections I’m assuming he has, I think it’s worth the time sink... not that it’s going to be all that much of a production, anyway. I think with an introduction and a conclusion, I can pretty much do what I’ve been doing while chatting with the audience in an educational way. I’ve been doing that all along with Reagan Ann.”

“Shit.” This time, Luke sounded excited. “You really think this can work?”

“I do.” Freddie couldn’t help it — he smiled. He felt too good to keep it buried inside. “And if it fails, so what? I didn’t lose anything. I’ll still be filling out my orders, I’ll still be doing everything I usually would have done, and as a bonus, you’ll have videos to reference for when you’re helping me in the future.”

“Then we really do have nothing to lose.”

“So you’re in this?” Freddie asked. His smile grew. “You’ll help me out?”

“Of course I will.”

Freddie rolled on top of him, straddling his hips. He kissed Luke hard. “I love you. Thank you for being there for me.”

“When I get rewarded like this, I’ll pretty much do anything you ask.” He chuckled. “Do you want to go again before we go to sleep? I don’t think Reagan Ann woke up before. We’re probably in the clear.”

“Yeah, I do,” Freddie uttered. He pushed his hips down against Luke. The excitement of a new financial endeavor had left him energized, and he intended to work it out the best way he knew how. “I’m still wet from before. Why don’t you slip on in?”

Luke did.

It was one of the best nights of Freddie’s life.