For the second time that night, Tucker sat in his car staring out of the window, debating if he’d done the right thing. After he’d gotten the call about work, he’d run out of the Hamiltons' home like a coward. The call was important, but his guys were handling the situation and were simply giving him an update; but Tucker used it as an excuse to leave. He needed time to process what he heard. He’d gone home and sat on his couch thinking over what Lucas had told him. He couldn’t believe that he was going to be a father again and that Zoi was calling him Papa.

He didn’t know how she’d gotten attached to him so quickly. He also never once doubted that Lucas was telling him the truth. Thanks to his job, he could tell when someone was lying to him. Also, he saw fear in Lucas’ eyes. He looked back at the house and noticed that the lights were off all over the house except for Lucas’ bedroom light.

You should go inside, a gentle voice encouraged in his ear.

“Yeah, I should go inside,” he agreed. “But what do I say? I’m sorry I’m such a fucking coward. Or should I say I’m glad we’re having a baby, but I don’t know what the hell I’m doing?”

Things were happening so quickly, and he was afraid if he took too long or too much time to think things through, life would continue to pass him by; he would always be alone. Tucker realized that he didn’t want to be alone anymore, not when he felt a strong connection whenever he was with Lucas. He also realized that he was acting like a fucking idiot sitting in the car staring at the house while the object of his affection was inside. Sighing, he opened the car door getting out before he could change his mind and jogged to the door, trying not to get too soaked in the rain. Brushing his hair back, he rang the doorbell and waited for Lucas to answer, hoping he didn’t wake Zoi up at the same time.

When the light came on, and the door opened, words failed him, and his body reacted seeing Lucas again, exactly like it did when he saw him earlier that day. He reached out and grabbed him by the back of his neck pulling Lucas flush against his body, ignoring that he was soaking wet. They stared at each other, their breaths ghosting against each other's cheeks. Lucas' hands slowly moved up his arms and circled his neck.

He brushed his lips teasingly against Lucas’ who whimpered in frustration and pressed their lips together. Tucker groaned, and when he finally got his first taste of Lucas after those long, aching weeks, he tasted the same as he remembered from their first kiss. Sweet with a dash of spice and all mine. He backed Lucas up, closed the door with one of his feet and leaned against it. Resting a hand on Lucas’ hip, he whimpered when Lucas pulled away.

“Is this your way of saying sorry for leaving?”

“For that and more,” he whispered as he peppered kisses down to his neck.

“I should be mad at you.” Tucker hummed and sucked up a mark on Lucas’ neck and pulled Lucas as close as he could, feeling their erections pressing against each other. “We need to talk.”

“After,” he said lifting his head and pressed his lips against Lucas’. “After, I promise.” Lucas moaned and nodded giving in easily. Tucker deepened their kiss, he felt like an addict and was finally getting his fix simply being in Lucas’ arms. 

* * *

Lucas moaned, then smirked as he pulled back from their kiss. Lying on his back, Tucker rolled on top of him pressing his forehead against his. They’d made their way to his bedroom stopping a few times with Tucker pushing him up against the wall and kissing the hell out of him. He was shocked when he opened the door and saw Tucker standing there, and although he understood they needed to talk, what they were doing now was so much better.

He gasped when Tucker’s cock went deeper inside of him. This time their lovemaking was slow and unhurried, their bodies seemed to meld together as if they were lovers who had only been separated for a short time. He felt the connection from their first night together strengthen the more they clung to each other.

“So good,” Tucker grunted.

He couldn’t agree more; Tucker felt so good inside of him. And for the second time, he enjoyed having Tucker’s weight on top of him. He glided his hand down his lover’s back loving the way his muscles felt under his fingertips. “So close.”

“Cum for me, let me feel you.”

Once again it was as if his body simply needed to hear the words from Tucker’s mouth. Lucas came whispering his lover’s name. Tucker stilled and grunted against his lips cumming inside of him. He moaned and pulled Lucas into a sloppy kiss. They continued to kiss even after Tucker’s cock softened as it slipped from his hole.

Tucker rolled over and lay on his back, and Lucas easily rolled over resting his head on his chest. He felt some of Tucker’s cum dripping out of his ass and, although he should feel disgusted, he felt owned and special. He had no idea he wanted to feel that way, he’d enjoyed being with women, caring for them and making love to them. But being with Tucker, Lucas felt that he wanted to explore his attraction for the man.

“What are you thinking about?”

Lucas hummed. “I’m thinking how easy it is for me to fall into bed with you.”

“That’s because I’m irresistible,” he chuckled then tilting Lucas’ face for a kiss.

“I doubt it.” Lucas smiled against his lips and kissed him again. Pulling back, he stifled a yawn.

“Go to sleep. I’ll be here in the morning.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah.”

* * *

Lucas woke up when he felt the sun hit his face, he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head. He heard a chuckle and peeked over the covers seeing a shirtless Tucker leaning against the door with a cup of coffee in his hands.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’re not a morning person I take it?”

“Oh gods, please don’t tell me you’re one of those chipper morning people, because if you are it won’t work out between us.” He pulled the covers back over his head hiding from everything.

“Dumped for being a morning person, that’s a new one.” The bed dipped, and the covers lightly were pulled back. “What’s on your schedule for today?”

“I have meetings until twelve.” He reached out and took Tucker’s coffee from him and brought it to his nose, it smelled great but Lucas knew it wouldn’t help his stomach and gave the cup back. “What about you, are you going back to Providence?”

“I’m kind of . . . sort of still on vacation.”

“How is that working out for you?”

He set his coffee down then rested his elbows on his thighs. “Good, depending on how you look at it. I cleared out a few things that should have been done years ago.”

“Was it because of what happened between us?”

Tucker looked at him. “In part, that night made me realize I was holding onto a ghost for far too long.”

Lucas rolled over on his back and sighed as he covered his eyes with his arm. “You’re not the only one. I held onto Rebecca because she was the first person I’d ever fallen in love with. I still love her, but I’m finding that I can care for someone else.” He removed his arm and looked at Tucker. “I know you still love your wife, I can never be her. As you can tell, I don’t have lady parts,” he said with a smile and Tucker smirked. “As much as I hate to agree with my mother, I think both Rebecca and Rochelle would want us to move on. We could say our first time together was a drunken mistake, but then I would be lying to myself.”

“I would be too. I wanted you then, last night, and even more now.”

As they stared at each other, he could see the shock and truth in Tucker’s eyes at his confession.

“How are we going to do this? We live four hours away from each other.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Tucker said to him.

“I’m listening.”

“Until we decide on everything, how about we live in both places. I can move in here for a couple of months and work from the New York field office. I was going to be making trips back and forth anyway. Hopefully, you will be able to work from Providence for the other month.”

“That could work. I’ve been threatening to take a vacation for a while, and I’m sure that everyone will be happy to see me gone for a bit.” Lucas sat up in bed and looked at Tucker. “How do you feel about the whole baby thing?”

“Truthfully?” Lucas nodded, he wanted nothing but honesty between them. “I’m fucking scared as hell.”

“I’m still trying to figure out how the hell it happened.”

“And you’re sure?” he asked as his eyes went to Lucas’ stomach. “I don’t . . .”

“I asked myself the same question even after twelve tests and a second checkup, plus having my medical records looked at with a fine-toothed comb going back to the day I was born.” He looked away and out the window then back to Tucker. “I have this feeling as if I should be angry that it’s happened. Hell, you should be screaming at me at least since this wasn’t what you signed up for. But, I’m not scared, no make that terrified. I watched Ethan and Christen go through their pregnancies, and all I could think about was their bodies are changing in ways that they shouldn’t. Hell, I enjoyed teasing them because I knew it could never happen to me. But it did.”

Tucker moved to sit beside him, pulled him into his arms and kissed him on the side of his forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. We can do this together. And I’m not angry, how can I be, you’re having my baby.”

Lucas nodded and closed his eyes. Things were not perfect between him and Tucker, but at least they were talking and not evading the issue.

“You realize we are not going to be able to keep things a secret.”

Lucas raised his head and looked at Tucker. “Don’t say it, please don’t say it.”

“We’re going to have to tell our families.”

“You said it,” Lucas whined.

“I think the sooner we do it, the better it will be for us.”

“Fine, we can do it at the next family dinner.” He went to get up but was pulled back to bed and Tucker rolled on top of him.

“I get that you want to wait a couple of weeks before telling them, but I think we should do it sooner than that.”

Lucas was about to disagree but Tucker kissed him, shutting up anything he was about to say. He gave in easily because, seriously, the man was a great kisser. His body melted into a pile of goo and he was very disappointed when Tucker pulled back from their kiss. He knew the man was talking, but he had no idea what he was saying since he’d opened his eyes and got lost in Tucker’s lips. He wanted more of those mind-numbing, toe-curling kisses.

“I’m glad you agree with me," Tucker said and got off him and the bed.

“Huh?” Lucas asked coming back to his senses. “What the hell did I agree to?”

Tucker smirked and pulled on the shirt he had on the night before. “I hear Zoi stirring, and you need to get ready for work. I’m sure once you tell your mom you want to have dinner again this weekend, she will be happy to have the family over.” He walked out of the room leaving Lucas confused as to what he’d just agreed to.

Did he just trick me into agreeing to something?

* * *

Where the hell is Tucker? Damn him and his freaking kisses.

Once his mind cleared of the fogginess, he realized what Tucker had said to him. So, Lucas called his mother and asked her to call everyone in the family because he needed to get a few things off his chest. He could tell she wanted to ask him what it was all about but didn’t. As for him and Tucker, the idea for them to live together wasn’t going so great. Tucker had gone back to work and ended up working late every night and couldn’t make it back to New York. They knew things weren’t going to be perfect and issues would need to be worked out as time went on. Someone cleared their throat, and Lucas looked at the people sitting in his parents' living room staring at him waiting for him to say what was on his mind. Two family dinners in a month was enough.

“Okay, Son,” his mother said to him. “We’re all here, well, except for Richard and Tucker, we can fill them in later. So, tell us what you want to get off your chest.”

“Um . . .” He scratched the back of his neck, he hadn't rehearsed what he wanted to say, or how he was going to tell their families that he was pregnant, but Tucker was supposed to be there when he spoke with them.

“Are you sick?” Marilyn asked him. “I knew I should have been there to take care of you. What did the doctor say?”

“For crying out loud, Mom, let him say what he needs to say . . .”

“Yeah, Mom,” Christen said cutting off Tyler. “You always jump to the wrong assumption whenever we . . .”

“I’m pregnant,” Lucas said shutting Christen up, and the room went completely still, and everyone was looking at him. “There, I said it. I’m pregnant.” No one said a word for several minutes, and he had no idea who was going to speak first which was making him very nervous.

“But if you’re pregnant that means you slept with a guy, and you bottomed,” Christen said looking at him weirdly. “Wait, is that why you asked that question that day?”

“So what if I bottomed? Is it so hard to believe that I might be into guys too?” He was feeling a bit annoyed with Christen, and he didn’t know why.

“No, I’m just shocked, you don’t seem like the kind of guy to bottom.”

“And what does every guy that takes it up the ass look like? Short, thin, and pretty like a woman?” he snapped. “Out of everyone, I wouldn’t have thought you’d make such an assumption, Chris.”

“Ar . . . are you sure?” his father asked him, stopping the argument that was sure to happen between him and his little brother.

“Yeah, trust me. It was and still is a shock to me.”

“I don’t understand, we were told you couldn’t get pregnant,” his mother said to him.

“I know, I said the same thing. I even had a full physical—twice—and had the doctors review my records. From what they saw it shouldn’t have been possible, but it’s true, I am pregnant.”

“Who’s the father?” she asked him.

Before he could answer, the sound of the front door closing stopped him, and he hoped it was Tucker.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Richard said when he walked into the room. “What did I miss?”

All eyes went to Richard and then back to Lucas, and he could see what they were thinking.

“No, it’s not Richard,” Lucas said.

“It’s not Richard what?”

“They think the baby I’m carrying is yours,” Lucas told him.

“Whoa, hey, I like you and all, Lucas, but you’re not my type. No offense but you’re a bit too manly for my taste.”

“None taken. You’re not my type, either. I see you as a brother.”

“There is that.” Richard smiled.

“So, if Richard’s not the father then who is?” Christen asked.

“The baby is mine.” Lucas sighed when he heard Tucker speak up. He stepped beside Lucas, and wrapped his arms around his waist, then kissed him on the side of his head. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Papa!” Zoi yelled and hopped off her grandfather’s lap and ran over to Tucker who kneeled and scooped her up in his arms. Her tiny hands touched his cheeks as he kissed her.

“Okay, guys, pay up,” Stephen said with his hands stretched out.

Lucas watched as Mark, Julian, Jaxson, and Brenden reached into their pockets and pulled out some money. “What the hell?”

“Daddy say hell,” Zoi repeated and then covered her mouth smiling behind her hand.

“That he did, Zoi, and that’s a bad word, isn’t it?” Tucker asked.

“Ah-huh, bad words, Daddy,” Zoi scolded, pointing her finger at him.

Lucas rolled his eyes and saw the proud expression on Tucker’s face. “Your papa can spank me later. I want to know what the hel . . . heck is going on.” He never corrected Zoi that Tucker wasn’t her father; it was a subject they never brought up, since they were still feeling their way through the minefield that was their relationship.

“What’s going on is we,” Stephen said pointing to his conspirators, “kind of figured that something was going on between you two.”

“How? We just started seeing each other?” Tucker asked.

“But I saw the signs a few months back at Nick’s last soccer game. I doubt you guys knew what the score was or who was there the way you two were so wrapped up in each other,” Stephen said.

Lucas' brows creased together as the day came back to him. He was sitting in the back of the bleachers closer to the end in case Zoi decided she’d rather run around than pay attention to the game. Tucker had shown up a little after the game started.

“What’s the score?” Tucker asked walking over to him.

“Hey, Tuck, I’m glad you could make it. You didn’t miss much. The game just started.”

“I’d never miss one of Nick’s games. Are you kidding me? Stephen wouldn’t let me live it down. Not to mention Nick would give me the silent treatment for life.”

“You’re just a big softy, aren’t you?”

Tucker smiled. “Guilty as charged.”

They stared at each other and Lucas felt his pulse speed up, and for the life of him, he couldn’t say why.

“So how are things with you?” Tucker asked him.

“Same as always, doing the single father thing, and trying not to mess it up.”

“It can’t be easy,” Tucker said to him.

“No, it’s not. But you know, everyone is helping me out . . .”

“When you let them,” Tucker finished for him.

“Yeah.”

Tucker reached up and pulled something from his hair, and he felt something course down his spine, but he ignored it and continued talking with his friend he hadn’t seen in a while.

Lucas felt a smile grace his lips; they’d talked to each other the entire game, catching up with each other. He remembered Tucker made him laugh a few times, he’d even try to get Zoi’s attention but back then she wanted nothing to do with him. Stephen was right, he didn’t remember the score, he only knew that Nick’s team won the game because afterward, they’d gone to Stephen and Brenden’s to celebrate.

“I have to admit, I thought something was happening then,” Jaxson said with a shrug.

“Not to mention Tuck started acting differently a few weeks ago,” Brenden said. Both Stephen and Jaxson nodded in agreement.

“I don’t remember acting any different,” Tucker defended.

“Dude, you smiled more, everyone knows you never smile,” Brenden added.

“And then last Sunday you guys couldn’t take your eyes off each other. It was killing me not to ask you if you guys were together,” Julian added.

“Did all of you think that?” Lucas asked looking at the five men and they all nodded.

“How did we miss the signs?” Christen asked then turned to his husband. “And why didn’t you mention what you were thinking to me?”

Jaxson shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, I didn’t think you would believe that something was going on between them. Remember how you acted a few minutes ago. Listen, gray eyes, I know how much you love your brother, but you might have confronted Lucas on his feelings whether he knew about them or not, and unintentionally messed things up for them.”

Christen sighed. “You’re right; I wouldn’t have believed you until I actually saw them together. And like Jaxson said in my need to help, I could have screwed things up for you guys.” He turned and looked at Lucas. “Hey, I’m sorry for being a douche earlier, it just came out of left field."

“I know, and I get it. How do you think I feel? My attraction for Tucker surprised me too.”

Christen walked over to him and hugged both him and Tucker. “Congratulations,” he said pulling back with a smile on his face. “Oh my gods, I can’t wait to tease you the way you teased me when you found out I was pregnant.”

“Shut up,” Lucas chuckled and lightly smacked his brother on the back of his head as he backed up.

“So, you guys are together now?” Julian asked.

“Yeah,” Tucker answered his brother and Lucas looked on along with everyone else as they stared at each other far longer than he liked.

“Good, it’s about time,” Julian said breaking the silence with a blinding smile. “I’m glad you found someone.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, you certainly know how to surprise us,” his father said to him.

“I have to agree,” his mother added.

“Why don’t I get the feeling that you two aren’t happy about this?”

“Of course, we are, dear, why wouldn’t we be?” Marilyn said to him as she stood up and walked over to him. “I’m just worried.”

“Why?” he asked when she pulled back. “I’m healthy. If you’re worried about the fact the Tucker and I aren’t married . . .”

“That’s not it at all,” Asher said to him.

“Then what is it?” he snapped, feeling angry. He hadn’t thought his family members would react this way. “It can’t be that I slept with a man? Hell, you gush over Christen and Ethan. So, what could you be worried about? Is it because I’m the one child you wanted to remain straight?”

“You being with a man has nothing to do with it. I’m worried because you could die,” his mother yelled shutting up his rant.

“Wh . . . what do you mean I could die?”

Marilyn stepped back, and Asher was there to stop her from falling. “We never thought we would have to tell you this,” Asher said to him. “You might want to sit down, and I need something strong to drink.”

“I’d rather stand, thank you.”

Asher nodded. “Fine, have it your way. A few weeks after you were born, and we brought you and Tyler home, you kept throwing up everything after you ate. Your mother and I thought it was normal baby things. Tyler did too, to some degree, if you guys ate too much or were jostled right after eating. We used to call you the throw-up twins. But then things started happening to you that weren't happening to Tyler, like you would constantly cry even if you were just changed or fed. Then we saw the blood in your throw up and you were getting pale. Gods, we thought we were going to lose you. We took you to the doctor, and after running some tests and X-rays, they found out that you had large holes in your stomach lining.”

He looked at his mother who was crying, and he was starting to feel horrible for his assumptions and the way he blew up at them.

She dabbed at the corner of her eyes with the handkerchief his father handed to her. Marilyn walked over to him and cupped his cheeks, tears and sorrow filled her eyes. “They wanted to operate to fix the holes but warned that if you tried to get pregnant later in life, the holes could open up again and it could endanger you and the baby. So, we told the doctor to tie your tubes, taking away the risk of you getting pregnant.”

Lucas felt Tucker’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him close. He was hurt and shocked that his parents never told him. That they lied to him for years that it had something to do with his genes. But it was never the truth, and all this time they knew the real reason.

He touched his stomach feeling the scar from when he’d been shot, it had covered another. The one he had since he was a kid. “The scar, the one I had since I was a kid . . .”

“We told you that you fell and got injured,” his mother finished for him.

“All these years you’ve been lying to me. How come the doctors didn’t mention this to me when I went for all those physicals?”

“I had it removed from your record,” his father told him as he wrapped his arms around his mother, pulling her close to him, giving her the support that she needed.

That shocked him in more ways than one. “What? Why . . . why would you do that?”

“We never thought this would happen because you never showed an interest in men . . .”

“And you thought everything would remain a secret,” Lucas snapped. “Why would you do that? Didn’t you think this was something I should have known about?” He felt betrayed by his parents; something he never thought would have happened. They should have told me.

“We are so sorry, Lucas,” Marilyn said to him. She went to hug him, and Lucas stepped back, out of her reach. The hurt that he saw in her eyes nearly broke him, but he couldn’t forgive his parents. “We thought we were doing the right thing. Son, we never meant to lie to you.”

He looked at Tucker holding onto his hand. “Let’s get out of here. I can’t be here right now.”

“Lucas, come on, don’t leave like that,” Tyler said following behind and stopping him before he reached the door. “They . . .”

“No!” he yelled surprising himself and Zoi who started crying. “You don’t get to do that. Think of how I feel. All this time they kept a secret from me about my health, and if I hadn’t told you guys I was pregnant, I would never have known about it.”

Tyler went to say more but Lucas shut him up by putting a hand up. “You’re my best friend, Ty, and right now I need you to keep quiet before I say something I could never take back.” He walked over to Tucker who had quieted Zoi down. They walked out of the house and to his car in silence. After putting Zoi in her car seat, Tucker wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into his arms where he broke down releasing his anger and hurt. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he overreacted to the entire situation and all his parents did was save his life when he was only a baby.

* * *