Our first damn weekend together in a month, and the first overnight we can have in weeks, and Bill has to pitch a fit and cock-block us.
Figures.
Worse, whatever this is impacts Lucas, and that makes me want to go kick Bill’s ass myself.
I hear the front door open and close again as I stir the noodles. Then, a pair of arms encircles my waist and a man kisses the back of my neck.
“Helloooo, sexy.”
I jump. “Crap!” I turn and spot Nolan’s frown.
“Not exactly the greeting I was expecting, babe.”
“I’m sorry!” I gently push him back and whisper, “Lucas is here.”
“What!” I shush him and he drops his voice. “What happened?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. Bill just dropped him off a few minutes ago, tossed bags of his things into the front yard, and screamed that he’s burning Lucas’ stuff if we don’t get the rest of it out of his house by tomorrow morning.”
Nolan looks ready to kill. “Bill Motherfucking Webb strikes again.” Then his expression turns sad. “No nakey Twister this weekend, huh?” A playful smile creases his handsome features. He can always make me and Arlo smile.
“I’m sorry.”
Arlo rounds the corner and walks into the kitchen. “She tell you?” he softly asks.
Nolan’s expression immediately turns angry again. “Yeah. You want to hold Bill down, or do I finally get the honors?”
Arlo laughs and gives him a long, strong hug before they kiss hello. “I think we’ll have to flip a coin,” Arlo says.
They break apart when we hear the bathroom door open down the hall.
“You want me to go?” Nolan asks.
I shake my head. “No! Absolutely not. We need you here more than ever tonight.”
“What about—”
“Dump your stuff in the guest room,” Arlo says. “Say they’re spraying your apartment for bugs.”
“I’d like to spray Bill with pesticide. From the inside out.”
Both men look ready to laugh when Lucas enters the kitchen. The men quickly school their expressions.
Lucas notices Nolan. “Hey. Didn’t know you were here.”
“Just arrived.” He clears his throat and glances at me. “They’re spraying my apartment this weekend. Zoey and Arlo offered to let me hang here with them.”
“Cool.” Lucas leans against the counter and looks at the floor. He always has liked Nolan. He’s known Nolan as long as he’s known Lucas. Like a bonus dad to him, in many ways.
I turn up the heat on the skillet, on the chicken and veggies, to finish them off. At least we’ll have enough for dinner for all of us.
“You ready to talk?” I ask my son.
Lucas takes a long time to build up the courage. I read it in his face, the way his jaw tenses and works. It surprises me when he looks at Nolan to deliver his announcement. “Dad can’t accept who I am.”
My eyebrows arch. “Honey, would you care to be a little more specific?”
The things Bill Webb cannot accept about other people covers a large enough swath of land it could be turned into a national park.
