It was nearly time for them to get up or risk scarring the babysitter for life when a familiar recorded car engine revved, perking Kate up. She loved that sound because it meant one thing... “The Hot Rods are calling.”

“Better cover up some before answering in case they have Quinn, Tom or Ms. Brown with them,” Mike cautioned.

Everyone scrambled for their discarded clothes, or at least a blanket to dive under.

Dave glanced around the room, making sure nothing crucial was hanging out, before he connected the incoming video chat, broadcasting it through the living room TV as they had gotten used to doing. Too bad Middletown, along with both the Hot Rods and Hot Rides empires, was a few states away. It would be amazing to spend more time with Joe’s relatives.

The gang had become family to them all. Literally, when Kayla’s brother Gavyn had married Amber Brown, and figuratively since the Hot Rods were their naughty polyamorous protégés.

Instead of the group of people Kate expected to see greeting them, a single not-so-scrawny-anymore kid sat on the edge of his bed. It was difficult to make Quinn out given the dim interior of his room and how he was sitting, hands planted on either side of his hips, arms straight, hanging his head, but he was the only teen who’d be calling them from the Hot Rods’ number.

Regular broody teenager stuff or something worse?

She had a feeling they were about to find out.

“Hey.” Quinn lifted one hand and waved, his fingers still partially curled, lacking his usual enthusiasm. His trademark smile fell short of lighting up his eyes. He hadn’t been this subdued and unsure since he’d first gone to live with his older brother, Roman, and the rest of the mechanics.

That had been nearly two years ago now. Despite how grown-up he sometimes seemed, Kate reminded herself that he was still a seventeen-year old boy inside his rapidly developing body.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Morgan asked, beating her to it.

“That’s how I know you’re a good mom.” He shook his head. “I didn’t even say anything and you could tell.”

“You’re not very subtle.” Joe put his arm around his wife’s waist. None of them liked seeing their friends upset, Quinn especially. He was special to all of them. Considering how he’d fought to survive his horrific childhood, they tried to make his life as easy and fun as possible now.

“Not shockingly, my own mother never could read me like that.” He shrugged one shoulder. They all knew Missy Daily wasn’t exactly a maternal paragon, which was putting it lightly considering her penchant for physical abuse.

Still, that’s all he’d known for most of his life.

“Well, I guarantee you Ms. Brown and Tom will be able to. So why don’t you tell us what’s bugging you before they pry it out of you?” Mike asked Quinn. “I’m guessing this might be something you’d rather keep private or you wouldn’t have called us solo, would you?”

James and Devon exchanged a quick glance. If nothing else, relationships—families—like theirs, and the Hot Rods’, required intense communication. It wasn’t like Quinn, or any of them really, to be uncomfortable sharing, especially given the close connection he had with his big brother. Why was he afraid of telling Roman whatever had happened? He’d been given reason to be cautious in his short life, but Barracuda would never hurt Quinn.

“It’s a girl,” he blurted.

“It’s always a girl.” Dave’s laughter boomed off the exposed wooden beams of the cabin. “Your brother told us you were dating someone in your class. Took her to homecoming last week, right? Ms. Brown sent us a picture. You looked great.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Quinn cleared his throat. “And when I brought her home, her brother had something to say about it.”

“Oh shit, because you live with your brother and he’s part of an alternative partnership? Did you kick his ass?” James wondered. “Sure, that’ll be awkward, but maybe if you tell her what happened she’ll forgive you—”

“It would have been hard to land a punch considering how far down my throat he stuffed his tongue.” Quinn buried his face in his fingers, muffling the end of his admission. “I guess he had a crush on me and was pissed I asked his sister to be my date instead of him.”

Kate noticed how huge his hands were. She didn’t remember them being so…grown…even a few months ago. He was like a giant clumsy puppy, right on the cusp of becoming part of a powerful pack.

“So you let him down gently, right?” Kayla asked. Considering Quinn’s older brother was gay, she didn’t think he’d be upset over being hit on by a guy. That wasn’t part of whatever was eating the kid up.

“Not exactly. It felt too good.” Quinn peeked through his fingers. “Things sort of got out of control.”

“Are you saying you slept with your girlfriend’s brother?” Neil, never one to have much of a filter between his mind and his mouth, asked what they were all thinking.

“Yep. And I liked it. I’m going to hell, right?” Quinn dropped his hands to his lap, his brow wrinkled as he looked to them for judgment or absolution, Kate wasn’t sure which. Either way, he wasn’t going to get it from them.

“First of all, did you use protection?” Devon asked, point blank. If he was mature enough to be sexually active, he could answer her question.

“Of course. I mean, I’m an idiot—obviously—but I’m not that stupid.” He did grin then, reminding her so much of his older brother it was uncanny. The kid could easily break another million hearts after this one, even without trying.

Kate watched Morgan’s shoulders relax then. They’d talked often about their relationships and how they might unintentionally influence their own children. Promiscuity and safe sex were major concerns. A child couldn’t possibly understand how blessed they had been to find each other. It could leave them open to being taken advantage of, or assuming that all relationships were based on trust and respect like theirs. Quinn might have an equally skewed view of the world after being immersed in the Hot Rods’ culture of open love and sexual sharing in contrast to the dysfunction of his mother’s house.

“Good, that’s great.” Mike cleared his throat. “Now, if you think you’re man enough to take on a relationship like that, you’re going to have to handle all the emotional aspects of caring for your partner that come along with getting off. That part is quick and easy, the rest is a lot more difficult to figure out. So I’ll help you out. You did fuck up. Big time.”

Quinn groaned as if one of his heroes had punched him in the gut. “I know. How do I fix it?”

“You might not be able to,” Devon said quietly, clearly pained, though not angry. “What would be your ideal outcome?”

“I’m not sure. I guess it’s too much to hope they’ll both want to date me, right?”

“Um, yep.” Dave nodded. “Neither one is likely to stick around after being betrayed, and think what it would do to their family if you came between them. If you really care for them, you’ll do the right thing here and cut them loose before trying again, the right way, with someone—or someones—else.”

“Damn it. I thought I’d be fine dating just a guy or just a girl, whoever turns me on, you know?” Quinn tipped his head then whispered, “What if I want both? That is okay, right?”

“Tell me it’s not.” Devon propped one hand on her hip where she stood flanked by her two husbands.

Quinn held up his hands, palms out. “I know. Sally, Alanso, and Eli too. But how do you make it work without messing with the people you’re really into? Amy’s not going to believe that I ever cared for her after this.”

“Unfortunately, that’s probably true.” Mike nodded brusquely. He thought too much of Quinn to lie. They all did. “Because you weren’t upfront with them. And…well, it’s probably not a good idea to fall for two people who are related if you want to sleep with them both at the same time. Imagine what kind of position you’d be putting them in.”

“Yeah. Boner killer for sure.” Quinn wrinkled his nose. “It’s bad enough when Carver and Roman make out while I’m around. I damn sure don’t want to watch them getting it on.”

Kate would have no problem doing that for him. After all, she’d watched the two fuck many times and enjoyed every second of their passionate displays. Roman loved showing off his boyfriend, especially when they were in the middle of a BDSM scene. But…his little brother probably didn’t need to know that. Definitely wouldn’t appreciate it like she had.

She blinked a few times to clear her dirty thoughts and focus on the conversation.

“Amber says the same thing.” Quinn smiled then. “There are plenty of times I stay over at her and Gavyn’s place after working at Hot Rides. The three of us end up watching movies to avoid seeing and hearing too much at the garage. I get passed around. Between Tom and Ms. Brown, the Hot Rods, and Amber and Gavyn, it’s a landmine of who’s doing who around here.”

Kate made a mental note to talk to the guys and Tom about finding a place Quinn could really make his own. He only had another six months before he’d graduate high school and maybe move on if he felt like he didn’t truly belong anywhere or, worse, was some kind of imposition.

“So yeah, you’re going to need to apologize sincerely and break things off. With them both.” Joe sighed. “Sorry, buddy. That sucks.”

Quinn absently tapped his fingers on his knee as he considered their advice.

“It’s going to hurt to let go. Especially now that you’ve had a taste of what it could be like. But you’ve got to man up and do it right. It could take a lifetime to find one perfect partner, never mind two, but if that’s really what you want...it is possible.” Neil reached out and clasped one of his husband’s hands and then one of his wife’s as well.

“You’re going to have to be even tougher than you have been until now,” Mike said solemnly. “You’ll have to be strong enough to care for yourself and the people you love even if that means sacrificing sometimes. What they give you in return will make it worth it a million times over, but it’s still not always easy.”

Quinn swallowed hard. “I think I kind of knew that, but I was hoping you knew something I didn’t.”

“There’s no shortcut to love.” Kayla smiled softly at him. “But you should try to enjoy the journey on the way to your destination, wherever that might end up being.”

“Oh, it was more fun than taking one of the Hot Rides bikes for a joy ride.” Quinn smirked.

“Right until you crashed and burned, dumbass.” Dave chuckled, shaking his head. No one knew better than him the lasting impact a moment could have on someone’s life.

“Good point. Okay, I guess I better go. I assume I need to fess up to Roman soon or you’ll do it for me?” His smile faded as he thought of how disappointed his brother would be in him.

“We’ll give you time to handle it before ratting you out. Two days should be enough time.” Mike crossed his arms, making it obvious that there was no other option, not that Quinn seemed ready to argue.

Quinn nodded. “Thanks for listening.”

“We’re always here for you,” Morgan promised.

He reached forward as if he was about to sever the connection.

“Hey, Quinn?” Joe called out. He proved again that the crew practically shared one brain when he said, “You’re ready for the next stage in your life. With this stuff and more. Tell Gavyn you want more responsibility at Hot Rides. I think you’re ready for it. And I’m sure he’ll agree.”

Especially because the Powertools would text Gavyn immediately and let him know that he should. Maybe they’d been treating him too much like a kid, trying to protect him when they should have been encouraging him to grow.

“If not, come on out here and we’ll give you a job,” Mike offered.

“Really?” Quinn perked up. It was amazing what a little confidence could do for a guy. Kate kissed her husband on the cheek.

“Of course, but be prepared. Building houses is a hell of a lot harder than tinkering with a puny motorcycle engine.”

“Ohhhhh, burn.” Quinn snorted. “I’d give you the finger, but I’m not sure if I’d get in trouble.”

“You’re allowed. I give you permission.” Joe laughed, then sobered. “You’re in an awkward place right now, Quinn. Not a kid, but not fully grown either. Don’t rush it. Enjoy what’s left of your childhood. Too much was taken from you not to savor the rest. There’s plenty of time to be an adult.”

“Yeah, I’m not ready to be that boring yet.” He smiled. There was the Quinn they’d come to know and love.

“Hey, we’re probably some of the least boring people in the world.” Kayla crossed her arms, drawing Quinn’s stare to her plump, tattooed breasts. Yep, definitely part man-child. Good thing he had no idea what they’d been up to shortly before he’d called.

“I know. Just teasing.” He shrugged one shoulder, then stared straight into his laptop’s camera when he said, “I hope I’m like you, and the Hot Rods, when I’m older.”

“You’re going to be even better than us when you find your people,” James swore.

“But first, you better go make this right.” Mike pointed at the door behind Quinn. “And then tell your brother what happened. He’s never going to turn his back on you. Neither will we. Got that?”

“Okay, fine.” Quinn rolled his eyes. Despite everything, he was still a typical teenager. “Later. Uh, thanks—”

He mumbled as he disconnected.

“The world is going to be in trouble with that one,” Morgan sighed.

“He’s going to make a couple of people really happy one day,” Kayla added. “I hope they do the same for him. He deserves it.”