“Oh, look who’s here!”

For the first time in his life, Tyler couldn’t quite make eye contact with his brothers—or even Alec. He waved, glancing around at the sea of familiar faces before jerking his chin toward the bar. “I’m getting drinks. Anyone?”

A couple of them needed refills, so he counted them up on his fingers and then nodded. “Back in a minute.”

Alec stayed at the table with them, which Tyler was glad to see. At least he felt comfortable enough with them now to do that.

“Hey, Tom. Four beers, please,” Tyler greeted the bartender, but his mind was elsewhere.

“The whole gang’s here again? I think you guys need a loyalty card,” Tom joked as he pried caps off bottles.

“Hell, we need to buy a table,” Tyler chuckled.

Tom pushed the bottles over the counter and took his bills, opening the register. He glanced over it for a moment as if unsure, catching Tyler’s attention. Then, he plunged ahead. “I saw your interview. Before that race.”

“Oh.” Tyler wasn’t used to being recognized while he was out with his friends. Normally people here were good about pretending they were all just nobodies. He fumbled to adopt his professional attitude. “Uh, thanks. It was a pleasure to get back to racing.”

“That race beat the crap out of you. Did they really wheel you off? Major respect, man.”

Tyler internally winced. Exactly what he didn’t want to think about—and what he owed a few people apologies for. Still, he managed to keep his expression neutral. “Thanks,” he said lightly. “Yeah, they did.”

“You good for next week? We’ve been thinking about getting a TV so we can support our hometown boy.”

Tyler cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m racing next week. It won’t be pretty, but I’m not missing another race, God help me.”

He didn’t want to say that they’d chosen this bar originally because it was a bit of a dive. It wasn’t a sports bar, and it wasn’t a preppy place with music video screens everywhere. No fancy shit, just solid tables and booths, cheap beer, and good service.

“Here ya go.” Tom handed back his change.

“Thanks.” Tyler left a few bills on the counter, saluting with one bottle as he picked them up between his fingers. He tried not to hurry back to the table—not that he could walk fast. Despite himself, he had to limp to keep his leg from going out from under him.

Once again, all eyes turned to him, and Alec half-rose as if to help before settling back down.

Tyler slid one across the table to Alec and the other two to Roman and Nico.

It was surprising that all of them had made it tonight: Oscar had managed to wiggle out of some kind of choreography rehearsal, and Leo had finished up a photo shoot early. Tyler felt even shittier because of it.

“Look who’s all fancy.”

Tyler tugged at his tie, loosening it. “Gotta dress up to go to the opera.”

“Oh, that was tonight!” Deen grinned and looked over at Alec. “Did our learned friend enjoy himself?”

“Hard to tell,” Alec admitted, grinning. “He kept giving me confused looks, but he didn’t applaud in the middle of an act like a rookie.”

Tyler laughed. “I’ve been to Oscar’s shows. I know my shit now. No applauding just ’cause everyone else is doing it, no heckling…”

In truth, he’d felt completely out of place among the older crowd. It seemed like everyone around him understood Italian, or did a good job pretending. He could kind of get the gist of the action from body language, but there was a lot of stopping and singing that just confused him. At least musicals were in English.

“I think it’s sweet he went anyway,” Roman grinned wickedly. “Our little lovebird.”

Tyler flipped off Roman, but he put his arm around Alec’s shoulder. He could feel Alec beaming without even looking at him. The sheer unadulterated joy was unmistakable, and so sweet he couldn’t resist sneaking a glance.

Crap. Now he was blushing.

“Oh, that’s a nice color,” Josh grinned and elbowed him. Tyler smacked him back, and Josh reached out to tussle before pulling back. “Ah, yeah. I’ll go easy on you.”

“Fuck off,” Tyler grumbled.

That brought the conversation back to his injuries—all of which had worsened again, Doc Gordon had confirmed.

“It’s your own damn fault,” Blane added, eyeing him. “He was at least walking last week, wasn’t he?”

His brothers nodded, and Tyler sighed. No sense beating around the bush. “So, uh… sorry I was a dumbass.” He raised his beer slightly toward Josh and Alec in particular. “I kinda snuck off.”

Josh eyed him. “Yeah, I thought you were up to something. Wasn’t until Alec showed up asking where you’d been all week that I put two and two together.”

“Yeah.” Tyler grimaced. “I was going out of my mind not doing anything… you know that.”

“You can’t sit still for three minutes anyway,” Nico said with a laugh. “I’m just surprised it wasn’t sooner.”

“Yeah,” Tyler nodded, then cleared his throat and straightened up. “But it was a big risk. I only realized that… well, after the race. It took everything I had.”

“But you’re still going back,” Deen murmured. “When you find your passion, it’s like that.”

Nico glanced at Deen, then back at Tyler. He sighed. “I just wish his weren’t so…”

“Risky?” Tyler suggested. “Yeah. More so when there’s a maniac on the loose.”

Alec nudged him. “Have you heard more?”

“The whole team’s been disqualified. They might get pulled from the whole season—investigators are working on it now. It’s a big scandal. And weirdly, it seems to have overshadowed… my whole big coming out thing.”

“Which isn’t that big, it turns out,” Dustin said. “I was looking up the threads the other day.”

“How do you find these threads? Do you just Google me?” Tyler squinted. “Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know.” He heard enough in the whispers and side-glances in real life. He didn’t need people’s thoughts, too. “I just thought I should say sorry. It’s my own neck on the line, but… you guys worry, too. That can’t be easy.”

Alec squeezed his thigh tightly and leaned into him. Tyler could tell Alec was proud of him for saying the words.

“You’re happy, though,” Josh spoke up, glancing at the others as they nodded. “It’s great to see you less touchy about everything. That might be from getting laid, though.”

Tyler laughed. “Probably. But yeah, I was kind of a jerk.”

“Don’t do it again,” Josh said with a shrug. “And if you’re gonna do something stupid, at least let me drive you there so you can save your energy. Christ.”

Tyler saw Alec glance at him meaningfully, and his cheeks burned. “Yeah. Uh. If I do stupid shit, I’ll tell you guys about it.” Honestly, if he had to tell people he was doing something dumb before he did it, it might stop him from doing it so much.

Which was good all around, really.

The silence that settled was much less awkward, but Tyler’s chest felt tight.

He had a bunch of guys—even a boyfriend—who weren’t demanding he stop doing what made him feel most alive. They just wanted to be there and support him when he did.

How fucking lucky was he?”

“So, wedding planning,” Deen announced, while Nico looked sheepish but pleased with himself.

“No shit,” Tyler exclaimed. “I thought you guys were just gonna be engaged for a while.”

“I thought about it,” Deen said, then grinned and looked at Nico. “I mean, we thought about it.”

Nico snorted. “No, he means he thought about it and told me the wedding’s this year.” He gave Deen a good-natured grin.

Tyler knew Nico. He was a lot more sentimental than he let on. If Deen wanted something, Nico would do his damnedest to make sure he got it.

Not unlike himself and Alec. They might be new, but Tyler saw a road ahead, and a reason to make it work. He was ready to do what it took to see that kind of smile on Alec’s face.

It was clear as daylight. Fuck. Drugged-up words aside, this was love.

He didn’t have a clue how they’d make it work yet, but just getting to tuck Alec against his side out here in public? Worth all their back-and-forth and uncertainty, and the tough conversations coming up.

Knowing that Alec was here for him every bit as much as his brothers, but with that quiet, cool confidence of a man who was certain in his desire for Tyler…

It was hot and incredible and made him feel like he’d won the lottery. He didn’t have words. He just had a visual—the two of them on a road trip through life. A full tank of gas, hand in hand, an open road ahead.

There was no need to put the pedal to the metal now. They had all the time and space in the world.

Tyler nodded along with everyone else as Deen explained the wedding. Alec was listening—he’d ask him for the details later. For now, he had some very important daydreaming.

* * *

“I don’t even like this place anymore,” Tyler admitted, laughing. He was a little drunk, and that helped soothe the ache.

Alec steered him in, finding the living room and making sure he plopped on the couch. “And no wonder. At the top of those fucking stairs.”

“Falcon once—he once lived in a top floor place. Like, two or three flights of stairs. So that’s why his best friend, Oscar… you know, the dancer?”

“I know who Oscar is,” Alec assured him, looking like he was trying not to laugh.

“Falcon was staying with—I mean, Oscar was staying with Falcon. On the top floor. Which was why he had to stay with Roman when he got hurt and quit dancing. And that’s how they met. Whew, my tolerance has gone down,” Tyler lamented. “Not enough parties.”

Alec came back into the room, carrying a couple glasses of water. “Aspirin?”

“Bathroom cabinet.”

When Alec handed over the pills, Tyler swallowed them and grinned at him. “Thanks, baby.”

Alec made a tsch noise and wrapped his arm around Tyler’s shoulders. “You have to be on the road again tomorrow, don’t you? You don’t want a hangover. Drink up.”

Tyler just gazed at Alec for a few moments. He’d missed the important part of that story. “So I think you know how they all met now. And when they did, one by one… it felt like…”

Alec was quiet now, gazing at him.

Tyler swallowed hard and plunged ahead. “I thought I couldn’t find someone that fit me. They’re all great guys. They—shh,” he patted Alec’s hand when Alec tried to interrupt, no doubt to bolster his confidence. “I know I’m awesome. But they have… they have stable lives.”

“And I already told you I don’t care,” Alec murmured, rubbing his shoulder gently. Then, he grinned. “I like that you know you’re awesome.”

Tyler grinned back. “Sure I am. But being cool to hang out with isn’t like… being… someone you could marry.”

Oh, crap. He hadn’t meant to go there quite so soon. He knew he was blushing. Hopefully the alcohol flush that had come over him would hide it.

Alec chuckled, slipping his hand into Tyler’s. “I dunno. I think we should live together first. Meet your family.”

“Not yours?”

Alec hesitated, then shook his head. “I’ll tell you later. What I mean is, you’re only back in town for like, a day every week at best, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Until the season’s over in November. I get January and February off.”

Alec nodded. “So, move in with me.”

Tyler blinked a few times, then stared at Alec, trying to read him. Alec wasn’t joking, though. “Really? I mean, my lease is up in August. That’s only a couple months away.”

“Good. Let’s plunge in.”

Tyler beamed so widely his cheeks hurt. “Alec Lands. I do believe I’ve been making you a little more reckless.” Alec’s blush was totally worth it. Tyler cackled and added, “Next thing I know, you’ll be doing handbrake turns in the Walmart parking lot.”

“Oh, shut up,” Alec laughed. “It’s a good thing you’re…” He trailed off.

Tyler hesitated, almost afraid to breathe. He wasn’t sure what Alec was about to say.

Hot? Yeah, he’d picked up plenty of guys who thought he was. Rich? Same deal. Smart? Alec seemed to think so, even if Tyler disagreed.

Alec smiled gently at him and squeezed his hand. “You.”

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. Then, Tyler closed his eyes and pulled Alec into him for the tightest hug his fucked-up arm could manage.

“I meant it when I said I love you. I thought racing was everything to me, but… I’m ready to learn about the power of love.”

Alec snorted. “Really? Air Supply?”

Tyler grinned. “Come on. You’re my baby, and I’m your man.”

“Oh, stop deflecting,” Alec sighed, rubbing his back. “I love you for you. Death-defying stunts included. You’re trouble for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Britney? Now who’s deflecting?” Tyler laughed and rested his head on Alec’s shoulder. Just for a few moments, while he thought about all the things he wanted to do with Alec.

It was almost enough to make him want to take all the time off he could. Hell, he could skip the afterparties and get a little more time with this man…

“C’mon,” Alec murmured after silence had fallen for a minute. “You’re dozing off.”

“Doc Gordon would prefer I did that in bed,” Tyler mumbled. His joints were stiff. Had he actually been napping?

Alec chuckled, pulling him to his feet slowly, a hand on his hip. “And so would I.”

Tyler was too sleepy to manage a smartass response, so he just smiled and followed Alec to his bed.

He couldn’t wait to get rid of his bed and move into their bed. Together, for whatever precious time they could carve out of their lives.

Yeah. This felt right.