By the time I signaled the turn for Copper Kettle Brewing, the sun was hanging low in the sky, painting the mountains gold and purple against the deepening blue. Xavier pulled up beside me as I parked my bike.
“Better?” I asked.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward, not quite a smile but close enough. “Better,” he agreed as we dismounted and walked inside.
The Copper Kettle hit us with its familiar wall of noise the moment we stepped through the door—music competing with conversation, glasses clinking against wood, the steady hum of the industrial fans pushing around air that smelled of hops and grilled meat. Home. My mom waved to us, her small frame weaving through the crowded tables with the efficiency of someone who’d been navigating this space for decades. Her face lit up the way it always did when she saw me, but I noticed the extra warmth in her smile as it extended to Xavier—the stray she’d been trying to adopt since we were nine years old.
“My boys!” she exclaimed, reaching up to pat Xavier’s cheek before pulling me down for a kiss. “Perfect timing. I just had a booth open up in the back corner.”
She waved to one of her staff as she turned to lead us through the crowded restaurant, nodding at regulars as we passed. She was a waitress when my sister and I were little, cobbling together shifts around the hectic schedule of a single mom, but now she managed the whole damn place.
The corner booth was our favorite—isolated from the chaos, with a view of both the door and the copper brewing tanks that gave the place its name. We slid in, Xavier taking the side that put his back to the wall, an unconscious habit I’d long stopped commenting on.
“The usual?” Mom asked, hands on her hips. “Double bacon for X, mushroom and Swiss for Milo?”
“Sounds perfect,” I said. “Thanks, Mom. I have a check for Lil’s tuition—”
“Milo. How many times do I need to tell you? I’ve got that covered.” “I want to help.” “My boy, putting others before himself, huh?” she said, elbowing Xavier. He huffed. “It’s commendable, Milo. But I got a raise and a bonus. I’m good to cover Lillian’s expenses. You put that extra cash back into your big business.” “Ma—“ “What? It’s an investment in my future. If you get rich, I get to retire early.” She laughed at her own joke, messing up my hair. “Anyway, food’s on the house. And in exchange, you can tell me all about this girlfriend of yours. The engineer. June, right?”
Xavier’s head snapped up. “You told your mom about June?”
“She’s amazing,” I said, kicking Xavier under the table. “Why wouldn’t I tell Mom? Smart as hell. Beautiful. Funny in this unintentional way.”
Mom’s smile widened. “And she’s dating both of you?”
Xavier choked on his water. I reached over and thumped him on the back, trying to keep my expression neutral. “It’s... complicated.”
“I bet it is,” Mom said with a knowing look that made heat rise to my face. “Food’ll be right up. Don’t go anywhere—I need to check in with scheduling, then I want details.”
As she bustled away, Xavier turned to me, eyes wide. “How the fuck does she know about June?” “I mentioned her once or twice.”
Xavier groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “Great. Just great.”
Before I could offer any reassurance, a familiar voice cut through the background noise. “Well, if it isn’t the social media superstars!”
Red slid into the booth beside me without invitation, forcing me to scoot closer to the wall. Vince followed, pulling up a chair at the end of the table.
“Heard you guys are getting paid to ride fancy electric motorcycles now,” Vince said, stealing a fry from the basket another server had just dropped off. “Going corporate.”
Xavier’s jaw tightened, but he kept his expression neutral. “It’s a consulting gig. Testing prototypes.”
Red snorted. “Testing prototypes and getting domesticated by some nerdy engineer chick. Seen the videos, man. You’re practically wearing a collar.”
“Fuck off, Red,” I said, keeping my voice level despite the anger simmering in my gut. “You’re just jealous because Heleonix didn’t want your input.”
“Why would I want to waste my time on electric scooters?” Red scoffed. “Real bikes have engines, not batteries.”
Vince leaned forward, his tattooed forearms flexing as he braced against the table. “Question is, will we see you at the canyon race next weekend? Or has your little engineer girlfriend got you on a short leash these days?”
Xavier’s face hardened into that dangerous blankness I knew too well—the expression that meant he was about to do something stupid.
“We’ve got commitments. Heleonix stuff. Professional obligations,” I said.
“What happened to you two?” Vince asked, his tone shifting from teasing to something closer to genuine confusion. “Especially you, X. You used to be the craziest motherfucker on two wheels. Now you’re playing corporate consultant and boyfriend to some Heights princess?”
“She’s not a princess, and she’s not my girlfriend,” Xavier said.
“Could’ve fooled us,” Red snorted. “Way she was all over you in those videos.”
