"I just got confirmation that your flowers were delivered," Vivian said, leaning around the door as Luke shoved the last of his files into his briefcase .

He grinned at her, grabbing his jacket with hands that wanted to shake with excitement. "Thanks. Is Henderson still out ?"

"Molly said that his wife called screaming earlier. I think he's going to be gone all day." The elevator dinged, and she straightened up, pulling her notepad closer and scribbling like her life depended on it .

Luke winced, waiting for the small crowd of interns to shuffle past like a herd of Blackberry-laden zombies. "She didn't find out about his mistress, did she ?"

"Which one?" she asked, smirking at him .

It had been meant as a bad joke, assigning her as his secretary when he made junior partner. She had only been with the company for a week, and her previous jobs had included data entry and reception. They'd worked together so well, though, that she'd stayed with him despite numerous better offers, and he was eternally grateful .

"Good point. If you see Grant, tell him that the appeal extension was filed, but we won't hear back about it for another week because Judge Fowler is on another golfing trip. Otherwise, have a good evening." Peeking around the corner, he scanned the hallway before dashing to the elevator .

"Happy Anniversary," she called after him, laughing into her hand at his antics .

He waved as the elevator closed, but his shoulders stayed tight until he stepped out into the cold silence of the utterly empty parking garage. Sighing in relief, he loosened his tie and tossed his briefcase into the back of his car .

His hand froze on the seat belt buckle when his phone shrieked. Slumping, he slowly pulled it out of his jacket pocket and thumbed it on. "Luke Carter ."

"Who the hell do you think you are ?"

Relief spread across his skin in a wave of goosebumps, and he laughed. "Hi, Cody ."

"I had to hear from someone else that you're bailing on us again?" The sound of boots on concrete echoed across the line. "You said you had the time off ."

"Does your team leader know that you're using your call time to harass me?" Luke asked, leaning back in the seat .

"I am the team leader, asshole," the omega growled .

"You're doing that thing with your biceps that makes Nikolai swoon, aren't you?" He grinned, thinking of the big Russian alpha who'd been chasing Cody ever since college .

"Quit changing the subject ."

Luke stuck his tongue out at his reflection in the rearview mirror. "It's my anniversary, Cody. I've got two tickets to Ireland in my briefcase ."

There was a long pause, the shouting in the background that was always present when Cody was on base fading slightly. "You're taking him to Ireland ."

"He's talked about going as long as I've known him," Luke said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "He even saved up a couple thousand dollars from his paintings toward the trip after his last show ."

Cody groaned. "Well, now I look like an asshole. No, Luke. You can't go on this totally romantic trip with your boyfriend because you have to come to New York and have dinner with your frat brothers ."

"To be fair," Luke said, "you always look like an asshole ."

"Oh, shut up. Fine. I'll give you a pass just this once. Tell Liam I said hi." There was a commotion in the background, and Cody cursed. "No, you can't steal the damned phone. Give it back, Nikolai ."

"You are needing to stop," Nikolai said, his accent heavy the way it was when he was trying to rile Cody up. "Is making the rest of us look bad." He was doing a remarkable job of ignoring the increasingly creative curses that the omega was slinging at him .

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke said. "So you drew the short straw and had to kidnap Cody for the dinner, huh ?"

"I volunteer," the Russian said proudly. "Pretty omega boy comes with Nikolai. Only curses a little ."

Listening to Cody wish pain and suffering on sensitive parts of Nikolai's anatomy, Luke hummed skeptically. "Right. Better you than me, man ."

"I will tell everyone you are saying hello. Have wonderful trip. Maybe next year you can go to Russia. I will tell you all good bars in Moscow." Nikolai grunted, and the phone clattered against something hard .

"Give me the damned phone, you overgrown octopus." Cody was out of breath as he came back on the line. "Kristoff says you owe him a million chocolate chip cookies for missing dinner again ."

Luke smiled. "I'll bring him a whole box for himself next time I see him ."

"I don't know. He's learning to count. You might have to bring him two. Get off me, dammit." Cody's voice faded out with a squeak .

"I am requesting two boxes of caramel cookies for myself," Nikolai said faintly. A loud crash made the line pop and then it went dead .

Luke stared at the phone for a minute, shaking his head. Most of his frat brothers had calmed down some over the years, but not those two .

It was unfortunate that he had to miss another dinner, though. His frat brothers were a close knit group, and he missed all of them, even Nikolai. Brendan was the oldest, a sports doctor for his husband Greg’s ballet troupe in New York. Their sons, Nate and Kris, were everyone’s favorites and completely spoiled. Teddy had a thriving architectural career, and their former president, Marcus, was a senior accountant for a Fortune 500 company. Kurt, their treasurer, was just as obsessed with stocks as ever. Cody travelled all over the world with his military response team. Only Nikolai, Greg’s best friend and honorary Sigma Alpha Omega member, seemed to know what he was up to half the time .

And then there was Luke, the youngest partner at his firm. He snorted. They were all a bunch of overachieving trust fund babies .

Tossing his phone into the back seat with his briefcase, he pulled out of the parking garage. He hadn't told anyone about the trip except Vivian, and talking about it made his skin prickle with anticipation. Two whole weeks of sightseeing and exploring Liam's Irish heritage. No phone calls during dinner. No late nights coming home to find Liam already in bed. No Saturday arguments about Luke going to work .

The highway was jammed, as always, but the spring day was bright and beautiful enough to make the wait pleasant. In the distance, a line of sparkling blue peeked through the buildings of downtown and made him long for a day lounging about listening to the waves .

Liam was going to be so surprised. It had been Liam's interest in Ireland that had drawn them together. They'd met briefly at a party held by one of Luke's clients, but he'd been so exhausted that he'd barely noticed the little redheaded omega. He'd spent most of the night staring at a painting in the living room, the geometric patches of blue and gray not to his usual tastes, but haunting. He'd been so taken by it that he'd asked the client about it at their last meeting a few weeks later .

They had been happy to give him Liam's information, and over drinks, the artist had explained that the painting was based on a story his papa had told him about Ireland. There had been such longing in his beautiful eyes that Luke hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. They'd started dating a month later .

Pulling off the highway, Luke tapped the steering wheel anxiously. The traffic in their neighborhood had gotten worse over the three years since he'd bought the house in the suburbs on a whim. His ex had just left him for an unemployed singer, and he'd driven into the quiet development by accident. Things had changed since then. He tried not to complain much since it also meant that the property value had skyrocketed, but today, he just couldn't stand the delay .

Until Liam had moved in, the house had been an inconvenience, rooms echoing with furniture that never got used. The omega really had gone out of his way to make it a home for them both, laughing at the state of his 'bachelor pad .'

Pulling into the driveway, Luke left his phone and briefcase behind. He didn't need this moment interrupted .

"Liam? I'm home." He threw the door open wide, grinning at the flower arrangement sitting on the hall table. "Did you like the flowers? I know lilies are your favorite, but the colors in this one remind me of your Mardi Gras painting ."

The house was empty and silent, and Luke shook his head, an affectionate smile curving his lips. Grabbing the mail stacked neatly on the table next to the flowers, he headed for the backyard. One of the reasons he'd chosen this particular property was that it had been a show house and office for the developer, the last building in four surrounding neighborhoods to be sold. Because of that, it had a huge corner lot with a professionally landscaped garden .

The garden shed at the back of the property had been his gift to Liam the day he'd agreed to move in. It was more than big enough to serve as a studio, full of light no matter what time of day. The builder had even run power, so it had been easy to hook up an air conditioner for the hottest California summers .

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," he called, opening the shed door just a crack. He hated to startle Liam when he was concentrating .

The shed was empty. Not just of Liam, but of everything. The paints and paintings that usually crammed every corner, the easel and the chair that Liam perched on, they were all gone. The only sign that they had ever been there was the concrete floor blotched and stained with layer upon layer of color .

Frowning, Luke tried to remember if there had been a show coming up that he had forgotten. He should have grabbed his phone. Maybe he should have texted Liam on the way home. He could have headed to whatever gallery was hosting Liam's work this time .

Flipping through the mail, he found a thick envelope with his name scrawled across it in Liam's broad print. Affection pushed his concern aside as he tore it open. It wasn't a card, just a stack of paper folded haphazardly. That was so very Liam, perfectionist to the core in his art, but everything else done with half a mind .

"Dear Luke, I'm sorry .”

Shock slithered up his spine like a poisonous snake, and his hands went numb. The pages tumbled to the ground, but the words were still burned into his eyes .

"Dear Luke, I'm sorry. I thought that the love I have for you was enough to make our lives together work, but it isn't. I can't sit at home wondering if I'm going to see you at all this week, or if our relationship is only going to be in texts and missed phone calls. I can't be with someone who loves their job and their ironclad routine more than they love me. I need spontaneity and creativity and laughter, and I can't live without that anymore. I'm so sorry to do this to you on our anniversary, but I've had an offer from a gallery in Taos. I love you, and I probably always will. Take care of yourself. Liam ."

Luke left the papers on the floor of the empty shed, rushing back into the house. The throw blanket was folded neatly on the couch, no longer keeping company with a ratty old quilt. The kitchen was empty of the ugly, mismatched dishes that he'd always teased Liam about, and the bathroom didn't overflow with half-empty bottles when he peeked in .

He didn't realize where he was going until he was standing in front of Liam's closet, two dress shirts that he'd stolen from Luke hanging alone in the corner along with dozens of empty hangers. The bed was soft as he collapsed onto it, the plush comforter releasing a puff of Liam's cologne into the air. It burned his eyes and made his chest clench tight until he wondered if he should call 911. Except his phone was in the car because he hadn't wanted any interruptions .

The first giggle that escaped didn't sound like him at all, high and horrified. He pressed his hand to his mouth and felt his lips jump as another followed. There was nothing to laugh about, but he couldn't stop. He fell backward onto the bed, the familiar smells making him laugh harder until tears were pouring down his face and his abs screamed louder than his heart .

This was irony. Or was it poetic justice? How did the song go? The thought set him off again, and his laughter rang through the empty house .

The sky was burning with sunset by the time he pulled himself together. Dragging his feet as he stumbled down the stairs, he didn't bother looking around again. There was nothing left .

"Noble Fine Furniture ."

Luke stared at the phone for a moment, trying to remember why he'd dialed. "Robert Noble, please. Tell him it's Luke." His voice was hoarse but calm. Not the voice of a man who was curled up in the front seat of his car, barefoot and shaking .

"Luke? What's up? You don't usually call the office." The concern in his voice loosened the iron bands around Luke's control, and he stuffed his knuckle into his mouth to keep from sobbing out loud. "Is something wrong? I can be there in twenty minutes. Just say the word ."

The sound he made was less laugh than pure animal agony, and it opened the floodgates. His breathing shattered even as his eyes burned, swollen and dry. He wanted to ask if someone had invented a teleporter while he wasn't looking, but the firm determination in that familiar voice warmed him to the core. "Uncle Robert," he gasped between shaking breaths, "I need a favor ."

"Anything," he said. Luke forced back a sob as relief swamped him. This man, more his father than the man whose blood he shared, had never let him down. How he'd ended up best friends with Luke’s father was anyone's guess .

"I'm going on vacation for a few days, and I need someone to clear out our... my house while I'm gone." His voice cracked as he corrected himself, and he scrubbed a hand across his face. There were no tears, but everything was blurry, the hard edges of reality going soft .

"Of course," Robert said after a moment, his voice too gentle. "I know that place was a great investment, but the suburbs?" he teased. "Really ?"

"You still have a condo downtown, right? Can I rent it from you till I find something?" Luke struggled to keep the whine out of his voice. He hadn't felt like this in years, calling his uncle and praying that he could make all the bad things go away .

"Definitely not," Robert said. "I'm not going to charge my favorite nephew rent. Keep it. I'll send the title over tomorrow. And before you argue, I own six condos in that building ."

"Why six?" Luke asked, his breathing slowly steadying. There was a gaping hole in his chest, but he could ignore it for now .

"Why not? It was a good investment." Luke could hear people rushing around in the background, orders being given in a velvet and steel voice. She wasn't his favorite person in the world, but Robert's niece and head of design was a force to be reckoned with. "Do you want to come stay with me until your stuff is moved over ?"

It was tempting, sleeping in the big guest bedroom with the sound of the waves from the private beach washing in his ears. He would have the run of the gourmet kitchen, could pour his heartache into cookies and brownies and entirely too much food. On the other hand, he'd have to deal with loving concern and gentle questions .

"No thank you, Uncle. The guys are meeting tomorrow, and I was on my way to the airport. I can get a flight to New York if I hurry." Even as he said the words, he realized that was exactly what he was going to do .

"That's great. Those boys are always good for you." He was muffled for a moment as the phone shifted. "You call if you need anything at all, okay? I'll let you know when the condo is ready for you ."

"Thank you," Luke said again, his eyes burning. "I..." He gripped the wheel and stared at the house he'd always hated that had been home for two brief years. "I was going to take him to Ireland ."

The silence stretched, and he could hear someone arguing over timetables. "I'm sorry, kiddo," Robert said, his voice rough .

Luke sat there as the sky faded to purple and then black. "Is it me? Am I just not good enough ?"

"No, it's not you at all." He sounded exhausted all of a sudden. "I wish I could tell you why your dad is the way he is, or blame it all on Meredith. I don't have any more idea than you why he’s never there for you. And as far as this guy of yours—what was his name? Lee? Leo? He's too dumb to see a good thing when he has it." He paused thoughtfully. "That could apply to your dad, too, now that I think about it ."

"I should get to the airport," Luke said, staring at the stars. The world was getting sharp again, the edges slicing into him. "And you should get home ."

"To what? A glass of scotch and reruns on TV. You're more important." There was a burst of static as he spoke to someone else. "No, no. Get rid of it. Pull some pieces out of the new line. You know the ones I'm talking about ."

"I'm okay now." Luke was surprised to find he meant it. Liam was gone. Maybe he'd been gone for a lot longer than they both realized. "I'll call you when I land in New York ."

"You'd better," Robert said immediately. "Do you want me to tell your dad about the new address ?"

Luke snorted. "Why? So he can send me a birthday card? He thinks I still live in Connecticut." Robert sighed, and something in him snapped. "Fine. Tell him if you want, but I guarantee he's not going to care ."

"He cares. He's your dad. He's just really bad at that whole ‘being present’ thing ."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Luke bit his tongue, guilt hot in his chest even as the words echoed against the windshield. "Look, I don't want to fight with anyone tonight. I really need to get to the airport. If Dad asks, my address isn't a secret. It never has been ."

"Have a good flight, kiddo," he said, his voice heavy enough to press Luke's shoulders against the leather seat. "Don't you worry about a thing, okay ?"

Luke let the call end and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel. One more thing and he could get on with his life. Ten minutes and sixteen versions later, he pressed send and headed for the airport .

"I wish I could say that I understand, but I don't. I wish you had told me, that we had worked on this together. I'm sorry that you thought my work came first. I love you. Taos isn't going to know what hit it. — Luke "