Tucker chuckled listening to Lucas talk about growing up with his brothers. They’d been at the restaurant for a couple of hours just talking. Raynebow had fallen asleep with her head on her uncle's lap, and Zoi had long since passed out, falling asleep in his arms. He was shocked when the little girl had reached out for him to hold her. It had been a while since he’d seen the little girl and Tucker had heard about how Zoi didn’t like to be held by just anyone.

Earlier, Tucker left the one-hour meeting that turned into two, feeling tired, hungry, and mentally frustrated. This was one of his favorite restaurants, he liked to eat here whenever he was in New York. There was nothing like an authentic New York pizza. Back in Providence when he ordered a large, it was more like a small compared to what he got here. It was a complete surprise to Tucker when he spotted Lucas and the girls in the booth as he was walking to the bar to wait for his seat.

He’d heard that Lucas became somewhat of a recluse since the death of his wife. Only going around the rest of the family, work, and taking care of his daughter. Tucker couldn’t blame the guy. He’d been doing the same thing since Rochelle died. If he didn’t have to be in New York for work, he would have been home doing what he did every night: thinking about what he had lost. Sitting and talking with Lucas was definitely a good change of pace from the norm.

“I’m so sorry about your shirt,” Lucas said for the fifteenth time that night.

“It’s fine, and it will wash out.” Tucker shrugged his shoulders.

He really didn’t mind that Zoi had gotten tomato sauce all over his shirt. After holding her in his arms, Tucker waited for the feeling of missing his daughter to wash over him. He mentally sighed in relief and gave himself a pat on the back for not acting like an idiot when nothing happened. Truthfully, he was reluctant to give her back to her father. His arms had felt empty, and he had to busy himself with fiddling with his water glass to not ask to hold her again.

“You have to let me pay for the dry-cleaning bill, at least,” Lucas told him. 

“Luc, stop worrying about it. Kids are messy eaters, especially at that age. It happens, so stop stressing,” Tucker told him. He also noticed for the second time that night he’d gone from calling him Lucas to Luc.

Their server came over and asked them if they needed anything else for the night because the kitchen was getting ready to close. Tucker looked around and noticed only a smattering of customers left in the restaurant. Apparently, what he thought was a couple of hours was more than that. They both told her no, and Tucker asked for the check. She nodded at them and walked away. 

Lucas sighed. “Shit, how am I going to get them into the car? I really don’t want to wake them,” he said looking down at the two sleeping girls. 

“I’ll help you get them settled,” Tucker told him. 

Lucas chuckled. “Thanks,” he said looking up at Tucker with a bright smile. Tucker noticed, far more than once that night, when Lucas smiled his dark jade eyes sparkled. It was a bit mesmerizing.

The server came back and handed the bill to Tucker who took it before Lucas could reach for it. He pulled out his wallet and grabbed one of his credit cards without even looking to see which one it was. Putting the card in the black case, he handed it to the server who was still standing there. She smiled in his direction as she took the case from him and walked away. 

“You know I can pay for the meal. After all, my kid did make a mess,” Lucas told him. 

Tucker waved him off. “It’s fine, and it’s not often I buy dinner for a friend.”

“Then, as a friend, you must, at least, let me take care of the dry-cleaning bill for your shirt.” 

“You’re not going to let it go, are you?” Tucker asked him. 

“Nope.” 

“Fine,” Tucker relented. He leaned back into the booth and waited for the server to come back with his credit card.

“Glad you're finally seeing things my way, if only others would do what I want,” Lucas said with a wink causing Tucker to chuckle. 

“I'm scared to think what could happen.”

The smile remained on Lucas’ face. “All good things, my friend. I promised my parents I wouldn’t take over the world until I have a fully thought-out plan.”

Tucker chuckled. “Why do I get the feeling you’re serious?”

“That’s because I am.”

Tucker shook his head smiling, and it felt good for a change.

Walking to Lucas’ car, Tucker held Zoi in his arms while Lucas carried Raynebow. They were both silent, and it wasn’t uncomfortable, nor did he feel the need to start up a conversation. Once they got the girls settled, Tucker stood, holding the door open, waiting for Lucas to put his key in the ignition.

“Hey, you said you would be around for a couple more days, right?” 

“Yeah, I’m here through the weekend, then I need to head back to Providence on Tuesday,” Tucker answered. 

“Why don’t you come over to my house tomorrow after you get done with your meeting or whatever?” Lucas asked. “I could throw a couple of steaks on the grill, and we could watch the game or something.” 

Tucker didn’t need to think about it before he answered. He’d had fun, and it was a stark difference from what he usually did. “Sure, send me your address, and I’ll let you know when I get done with my meeting.” 

“Cool,” Lucas said and reached for the door. Tucker stepped back letting him close it. Lucas waved as he drove off. Tucker stood watching until Lucas’ car was out of sight before he walked over to his car and got in, headed in the opposite direction to his hotel. 

Not a bad way to spend the night and the rest of the weekend.

* * *

“Coming,” Lucas yelled as he walked toward his front door to open it.

He knew it would be Tucker since he’d received a text from him about an hour earlier. Tucker let Lucas know he was done with his meeting and needed to stop by his hotel to change. Lucas thought the timing was perfect since the steaks needed to marinate a bit longer and he wanted to put Zoi down for her nap. Lucas had no idea what had possessed him to ask Tucker over. It wasn’t like him in the slightest, but it'd felt good talking with someone that wasn’t his brother or Zoi. He also realized that he didn’t want the night to end.

Lucas enjoyed Tucker’s easy-going attitude, and that he was willing to listen to him babble all night about nothing in particular. He’d liked the man since the first time they’d met seven years earlier. They weren’t close because Tucker tended to stay away. It was great getting to know Tucker the night earlier. Lucas looked down at what he was wearing. He'd figured jeans and a T-shirt was perfect for a night home and a ball game with a friend. Opening the door with a smile on his face, he greeted Tucker who had his phone to his ear speaking his someone. He held up a finger, telling Lucas one second. Nodding, Lucas stepped aside and tilted his head to the side, indicating for Tucker to enter.

Tucker walked in, and Lucas pointed to the room on the right next to the foyer. He stepped around Tucker’s imposing figure and held out his hand. Tucker raised an eyebrow at Lucas never breaking from his conversation.

“Your jacket,” Lucas whispered.

Tucker nodded and took off his jacket then handed it to Lucas.

Holy shit! Tattoos covered both of Tucker’s arms all the way down to his wrists. Lucas wasn’t sure why that surprised him. But, in all honesty, Tucker didn’t seem the type to be covered in tattoos. In all the time he’d seen Tucker, he was always immaculately dressed with not one strand of hair out of place. The same way he looked now. Lucas’ eyes trailed up Tucker’s arms and made him wonder where else on the man’s muscular body was covered in ink.

What the fuck? Gasping at his thoughts, he shook his head and hung up Tucker’s jacket. Why should I care where or what Tucker has on his body?

Sighing, he left the other man to his conversation and went into the kitchen. He was in desperate need of a beer. He walked over to the fridge and grabbed two longnecks, resting one on the counter and opened the other.

“Sorry about that,” Tucker said walking into the kitchen.

“It’s cool.” Lucas turned around handing him the beer he’d just opened. 

“Thanks.” He took a long swig of the cold liquid. “Fuck, I needed that,” he said appreciatively licking his lips. “What are we watching?” 

Lucas was about to answer when he heard rustling coming from the baby monitor. He pulled out his phone and watched as Zoi stirred in her crib. He wondered if she was about to wake up, she hadn’t been sleeping for very long. When she settled back down, Lucas put his phone back in his pocket. 

“How quiet do we need to be?” Tucker asked him. 

“You make it sound like we’re about to do something naughty,” Lucas joked.

“Smart-ass, I just want to make sure I don’t wake her,” Tucker told him taking another swig of his beer.

“Nah, it's fine. She’s had a pretty full day,” he told Tucker walking out of the kitchen. “Come on, and I think the games are starting.” 

Lucas guided Tucker to the game room, a room filled with things for both adults and kids. When he and Rebecca had bought the house, he told her that she could do whatever she wanted to all the other rooms except for one, the basement. Lucas wanted one room for himself and he turned it into his fun room.

“This is nice.” Tucker was looking around the room. “I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.” Lucas puffed out his chest proudly. He’d put a lot of work into his fun room—from the vintage Ping-Pong and Pac-Man machines, and his prized possession, the pool table, in the center of the room.

“I’m learning something new about you,” Tucker said.

“Yeah, and what are you learning?”

“That you’re a big kid at heart.”

“Guilty as charged,” Lucas chuckled. “We can play a few rounds while we listen to the game in the background?” He sounded and felt nervous.

Fuck, why the hell am I nervous, it’s just Tucker?

Tucker shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

Lucas walked over to the couch and picked up the remote, turning on the television he was happy that he didn’t have to channel search for the game, since it was already on. Tucker was already setting up the balls for their game.

“So how was the meeting?” Tucker scowled looking up at him, and Lucas chuckled. “That bad.”

“Let me just say this, I was in a room with a bunch of people who were trying to prove whose dick is bigger.”

“I guess you showed them yours is much bigger?” The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Damn right I did,” Tucker said as he took his first shot.

Lucas' eyes fell to Tucker’s crotch when he stood up and looked up quickly before he dwelled too long on what the hell he was doing. “Why do men feel the need to prove how strong they are?”

“It’s not just men. Women feel they have something to prove as well."

“True,” Lucas agreed. He saw it in his company every day. “So other than dick wagging, how are things shaping up?”

“I think it’s going to be a pretty good training session. My guys are always in training mode, there’s nothing wrong with learning new things.”

Lucas stood behind Tucker who was bent over ready to take his next shot. Tucker’s eyes were glued to the table and didn’t notice that he was being checked out. Lucas' eyes trailed over the other man’s muscled arms to his wide back and down to his waist, stopping at his ass. His eyes stayed there for a few seconds before he realized what the hell he was doing. Lucas looked up worriedly and hoped that Tucker didn’t see what he was doing.

Holy shit, what the fuck?

“Your turn.”

“Huh?” Lucas snapped out of his thoughts.

“I said that it’s your turn.” Tucker was staring at him as if he’d lost his mind.

Maybe I did.

“Right.” He looked at the table figuring out the best way to take his shot. “Eight ball, left corner pocket.”

Tucker put his beer down and looked at the table and then at Lucas. “Not seeing how you’re going to make that shot, Hamilton.”

“Are you doubting my skills, Stevens?”

“Hell yeah, I am.”

Lucas smiled loving the small challenge. It would be impossible for a novice. The balls left on the table were all spread out and nowhere near the eight. It would seem like a trick shot, but Lucas was an expert when it came to trick shots.

“Watch and learn,” he said leaning over setting up the shot. Tucker had moved from standing on the other side where he could see him, to standing behind Lucas. Taking a deep breath, he hit the nearest ball and smiled when it hit the first ball that bounced off the corner of the table. He stood up and turned to look at Tucker who seemed to be staring at him intently.

Tucker cleared his throat. “Not going to watch?”

“Nope, I’m confident in my skills.”

They stared at each other in silence. The only noise was the game on the television and the sounds of the balls hitting each other. When it all stopped, Lucas looked over at the table quickly then back at Tucker.

“You were saying?”

Tucker smiled and stepped closer to him looking over his shoulder. They were so close Lucas could smell the other man’s cologne and fuck if it wasn't doing something to his brain.

“You conned me, didn’t you,” Tucker said stepping back, putting some space between them.

“Will you still be my friend if I said I did?” He hoped it didn’t show that he was affected by Tucker being so close to him. He couldn’t explain what was going on with the other man or himself.

“That depends,” Tucker said to him.

“On what?”

“If you teach me how to play like that,” Tucker said to him. “How did you learn to play like that, anyway?”

“My dad. Word to the wise, never play against him. He’s a fucking shark. When I was a kid, I lost my allowance every week playing him.”

“Your family scares me,” Tucker said to him. “I’m serious. A mother who’s hell-bent on adopting everyone. A father who is a silent killer and a pool shark. And I won’t even talk about you and your brothers.”

“Never be afraid of us, Tuck. Just do everything we tell you to do, and all will be right with the world.”

“See, that right there is why I’m scared. It’s a wonder none of you ran for president.”

“How did you know that was in my plan to take over the world?” Lucas kept a straight face, but it was killing him not to laugh out loud.

“Please, tell me you’re kidding?”

The squeak of Tucker’s voice was adorable. They stared at each other and Lucas couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst out into laughter holding his stomach. “You should see your face, right now.”

“Shit, I really thought you were serious.”

Lucas stood and dabbed at his eyes. “Dude, seriously, me as president, I would have to give up the work I’m doing with Hamilton Enterprise.”

“Thank goodness. I kept thinking how was I going to keep you safe. You have a way with words, not a compliment by the way.”

“Hey, I’m a nice guy,” Lucas defended.

“Not to people who know you.”

“So, now you think you know me?” Lucas smiled, not offended by Tucker’s words in the least.

“Yeah, I’m learning,” Tucker said with a smile.

They were staring at each other with silly smiles on their faces. Clearing his throat, Lucas looked away. “Want to play again? I can show you all my moves.”

Maybe it was his imagination, but Tucker’s eyes looked up and down his body and licked his lips. “Moves huh, so you have more bags of tricks up your sleeves that you want to show me?”

“Now I’m not so sure if I want to show you all of my tricks. You might not be able to handle them.”

“I can handle anything you throw at me, Hamilton.”

“We’ll see, Stevens, we’ll see.”

“You’re such a fucking smart-ass.”

“You better believe it.” Lucas smiled. “So are we playing another game or what?”

“I know I’m going to lose, but why not.”

Lucas was enjoying their playful banter. He’d never seen this side of Tucker before. Maybe they could do this again, he thought as he went about setting up for another game.

Lucas wasn’t sure how many games they played, but he was suddenly aware of Tucker. Aware of how he smelled, how he looked when he was concentrating, and aware of his gorgeous smile. He had used getting a beer as an excuse to try to figure out what the hell was going on with him. But he couldn’t answer his own question.

They’d moved from playing pool to actually watching the game. Lucas was having fun, despite his confusion with his thoughts. It had been a while since he’d been able to relax like he was now.

He’d spent time with his brothers and father playing a game or two, but it usually ended up with them annoying him by asking when was he going to start dating. Lucas was glad Tucker never once asked why he hadn’t started dating yet. Maybe one day he would be ready. Back in the day, Lucas was carefree and careless with his life. He’d used being part of Seekers to be careless with his life.

There was nothing wrong with saving people's lives. It was certainly not something to scoff at. It was one part of the job he had enjoyed greatly. But thinking about it, Lucas cared more about the glory and the romanticism of the job than anything else.

He was like a kid that needed to grow up. Lucas was the oldest of three boys, and although his parents instilled a sense of responsibility in him and his brothers and gave them all the freedom they needed to grow, Lucas still felt as if he needed to live life more freely and did what came naturally to him.

When Asher, his father, brought up the prospect of working with the Seekers organization to him and his twin brother, Tyler, Lucas remembered that he’d jumped at the chance before Tyler gave his answer. He didn’t even take time to think about it. He’d always gone with his gut whenever something sounded good to him. Lucas also knew that Tyler only agreed to work with Seekers to watch his back. At times, Lucas would act before thinking of the consequences.

Lucas took to the training better than Tyler and was given his first mission before he had even completed his training. He could count the many broken bones or scars he had on his body from all the fights he’d gotten into on his missions. Usually because of something stupid he’d done or said to annoy the people he was after. Lucas wasn’t above trying to prove what a badass he could be. He’d brought down some of the worst criminals that the public didn't know existed.

Lucas knew his brother and father had worried about him a lot, but kept their mouths shut. It’s a wonder his mother didn’t find out about all the shit he was up to. On the outside he seemed as if he got his shit together, but he didn’t . . . he was a complete fuckup. Lucas supposed he could have come completely unhinged and gone back to work for the government after Rebecca died, taking anything that would have put him in harm's way. Fortunately, he had Zoi to ground him and remind him that he had someone to live for.

He also suspected that was the reason his family stuck close to him. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t miss the action every once in a while. Not ducking and dodging from bullets, but the thrill of chasing after the bad guy and pretending that he was saving the world even if it was for a short time. 

“Hey,” Tucker said getting his attention. Lucas looked up and noticed that the other man was staring at him. “Are you all right?” 

“Yeah,” Lucas answered. “I was just wondering if you enjoy working for the FBI?” 

Tucker's brows furrowed. “What brought that on?” 

“I don’t know.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I was just thinking about something, and it had me wondering.”

“Yes, I suppose I do,” Tucker told him reaching for his beer. “I knew I always wanted to go into law enforcement, working for the bureau was just a bonus in my book.” He smiled and looked back at Lucas. “I didn’t think I would get as far as I did, though.” 

“You’re one of the first to become an assistant director at a young age, right?” Lucas asked him. 

“Yeah, I am,” Tucker answered with a smile. “When I got the promotion, I honestly almost pissed my pants. I kept thinking what the hell did I do that was so great to get my own department.” 

“Your job,” Lucas told him. “Were your parents supportive of your choice of career?”

“I supposed they were. We never really talked about it.”

“How come?” Lucas asked.

Realizing that Tucker might not want to talk about it. He noticed since he’d met both Julian and Tucker they never really talked about their parents. But he was curious.

“Please tell me to butt out if I’m asking about something you don’t want to talk about.”

Tucker chuckled. “Nope, you're good.” He leaned forward and picked up his beer, taking another swig. Lucas' eyes landed on his throat. The image of Tucker swallowing something other than beer—like his cock—popped into his mind. He coughed dispelling the thought. Fuck, what the hell? he asked himself again for the hundredth time that day.

“I’m not sure how to explain my parents. They are not as welcoming as Asher and Marilyn.”

“They are alive?” Lucas wondered if Tucker could hear the surprise in his tone.

Tucker chuckled. “Yeah, they are, but dead to Julian and me.”

“Why?” Lucas couldn’t understand any parent who would not want to be a part of their kids' lives. “What happened?”

“Religion,” Tucker said. “They found religion and start spouting their beliefs about how wrong Julian and Samaria's lives were. They were going to hell and all that shit. You should have seen them on my wedding day. They completely ignored Julian, Nick, and Samaria.”

“They do realize there is no one God, right?”

“They do, but to them, their God is the one true God. All the others don’t count.

“I hated that I had to choose sides, but I’d choose Julian and Samaria all over again. Especially, since my parents never showed up for Samaria's funeral. It was like they didn’t care that she died.”

“Gods, I’m sorry.”

Tucker looked at him and smiled. “Don’t be. I have a lot of great memories with Samaria. I love Julian for who he is and not for who he loves. I was happy for him and Nick. And doubly excited when he and Mark got married. Not many people get a second chance at love.”

“So true,” Lucas agreed.

Tucker looked down at the bottle in his hand scraping at the paper with the nail of his thumb. “I wished Nick could have been there when I got promoted,” he said with a smile. “He would have given me shit, but he would have been happy for me, you know,” he said looking up at Lucas who was nodding. Tucker cleared his throat. “What about you, did you always want to work for your dad’s company?” 

“Believe it or not, yeah, I did,” Lucas answered.

“Really?”

“Yup, it had nothing to do with me being the oldest. I always found going to the office with my dad somewhat comforting. Crazy, right? I mean Tyler and I have a few businesses together as well as our own personal projects. But Hamilton Enterprise is my baby other than Zoi.”

“Crazy? No,” Tucker answered. “Weird, maybe.” 

Lucas smiled. “I used to watch my dad in meetings and marveled at how the people who worked for him would listen to what he had to say and his opinions and how commanding he was. I told myself that I wanted to be just like my dad when I grew up.” 

“It’s good that you admire your dad so much,” Tucker told him. 

“I do, he’s a good role model for me and my brothers. Where Christen is close to my mom and Tyler is in the middle. I’m closer to my dad.” 

“That’s good,” Tucker said. “I like your parents; they remind me of mine in some ways.” 

“They are good folks. But my brothers and I gave them a lot of shit growing up. The story I told you the other night didn’t even scratch the surface on some of the crap we pulled.” Lucas chuckled. 

“Did you and Tyler ever do the twin thing growing up?” 

“Twin thing?” Lucas asked a bit confused.

“You know, trick your parents or teachers into thinking you were Tyler, and he was you,” Tucker clarified. 

 Realization dawned on Lucas, and he smiled thinking of one instance where he and his twin tried to play a trick on their math and history teachers. “Yeah, we tried it, but it didn’t work out so well.” 

“This I gotta hear,” Tucker said leaning back and placing one of his arms on the back of the sofa getting a bit more comfortable. 

“You have to promise not to laugh,” Lucas told him.

“I can’t promise that,” Tucker told him. 

“Shit, well anyway, freshman year of high school, I was terrible at history and when I say terrible I mean it. I would study for hours and come test day my mind would go fucking blank. But where I suck at history, I was fucking awesome when it came to math.” 

“Let me guess, Tyler was brilliant at history and took a test for you,” Tucker said to him. 

“Let me get to that part first,” Lucas told him. 

Tucker chuckled. “Okay, then carry on.” 

“So, I had this test coming up for history, and I studied, I mean really studied. When I realized I wasn’t going to get not even a passing grade, I begged and pleaded with Tyler to take the test for me. I mean we knew some of the teachers couldn’t tell us apart, even though my eyes are a bit darker than his, and we have different mannerisms. Anyway, after he bribed me out of a hundred bucks, he agreed. We went to school as normal, and before he went to take my test, we switched shirts so that no one would figure out that it was Tyler and not me. It was sheer luck that he had math in the same class period that I had history. Tyler walked into class and sat in the back waiting for the teacher to start class. I knew he was nervous as hell, and I was too. When the teacher walked into the classroom to start the test, Tyler didn’t think he noticed that he was me. That was until the teacher announced he had a parent who wanted to help proctor the test and in walked Marilyn Hamilton.” 

“Holy shit,” Tucker said chuckling. 

“Yup,” Lucas chuckled.

“She knew?” 

“Not only did she know, but she also heard me begging Tyler to take the test for me.” 

“What did he do?” Lucas asked.

“He ran out of the classroom and opened the door to my class and yelled, 'smother alert.' That was all he needed to say and I got what he meant. I got my shit and met him at the door just as our mother rounded the corner. I swear to you I heard the theme song from Jaws the closer she got to us.” Tucker burst out in laughter. “Smother grounded us for three fucking months.” 

“You guys got caught even before you tried to cheat. Terrible, that’s just terrible,” Tucker teased. 

“It was, wasn’t it,” Lucas said. “And that was the last time we tried to do that. I passed history with a 'C,' and that was all that mattered to me.” 

“’Smother,’ that still gets me. I can’t believe you guys call your mother that,” he said. 

“That was Christen’s word whenever he got mad at her, and it caught on,” Lucas said with a shoulder shrug. 

“It’s nice how close you all are,” Tucker commented. 

 “We are, they have my back all the time,” Lucas said with a happy smile. “But you and Julian are pretty close as well.” 

“We are,” he answered with a nod. “He calls me overprotective, but family should always be close.” 

“I agree,” Lucas said. They smiled at each other and Tucker seemed as if he was going to say something but was interrupted by the sound of a little girl asking for her daddy’s attention. “Let me go get her.” Tucker nodded just as Lucas got up and went to get Zoi.

* * *