Spencer gives me a sardonic grin. “See? I’ve trained him well.”
“We’re getting off topic,” O’Connor states after he’s finished eating his stolen sandwich. “Lieutenant. Bowen. My man LT, why the fuck are you keeping secrets from us?”
“I’m not,” I say automatically.
“Uhh, yes, you are. Because unless I’m the one who has been hijacked by aliens?—”
“I think you meanpossessed. Hijacked isn’t the right word,” Spencer corrects.
O’Connor whirls toward him. “Can you stop interrupting me, or I’ll be sending you to fucking space.” He turns his attentionback to me. “As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by Captain Dickhead over here, you have failed to tell us you have a new beau.”
Still holding his plate and now sporting a wicked grin, Spencer leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. It feels like I’m about to be interrogated.
“And your point?” I ask blankly.
“My point? My point, he says. After failing to tell us he is dating a fucking NHL player, he asks me what is my point?” O’Connor waves his hands around as if the answer will magically appear in thin air. “That, my friend,isthe whole point. You didn’t tell us. Why? Did we do something to hurt you? Are we no longer buds? Sure, I stole your shirt that one time to wipe up something from the floor, but it was only the once. Nothing to warrant the secrecy.”
I hold back my laughter and manage to remain seeming unbothered. “Youcleaned the floor with my shirt?”
He waves me off. “It’s irrelevant. When were you going to tell us about Elliot?”
It’s not that I’ve purposefully been keeping him a secret, but similar to that morning in Walt’s kitchen, there’s this fierce protectiveness I have over Elliot. I see his sensitive heart. His vulnerability. The way he mentioned people take advantage of him because of his job.
Even more so now with the way I royally fucked up the other night by assuming he already knew he was on the spectrum.
Fuck. I’m so lucky he wasn’t upset or mad with the way I put my foot in it.
“How did you find out about Elliot?” I ask.
“I bumped into your uncle at the grocery store the other day, and he was over the moon with the news his grumpy-ass nephew finally found someone who makes him happy again.”
I can’t help but smile because Walt has been incredibly happy since I told him the news about me and Elliot. He’s desperate to meet him, but with Elliot being on the road for a week, we haven’t found the right time. But when I see Elliot tonight, I’m going to ask if he would be up for having dinner with us one night when he doesn’t have a game.
“I didn’t tell you because I knew you would be a bunch of weirdos about it. Like you were when you found out Lucas’s boyfriend works with guys who are married to two of the players.”
O’Connor feigns shock. “I wouldnever.”
I give him a droll look.
“Okay, so maybe I would be a little bit weird, but only because I’m happy for you.”
Spencer gives a thumbs-up and nods in agreement. “What he said.”
“And maybe I would only ask for tickets like once,” O’Connor adds with a shrug. “You can’t fault a guy for trying when they’re a couple hundred bucks each.”
“What these two jugheads are trying to say is, we’re happy to hear you’ve found someone who fills your cup. There’s been a lightness about you recently that hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Lucas says, appearing from behind, and hands me a coffee.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
And I do. We tease each other like brothers here at Engine 3, and while I may have kept it quiet, I still appreciate their support.
Before I can take a sip of my coffee, the alarm blares throughout the firehouse. We all jump to our feet, listening to the dispatcher as it reads out the call.
“Engine 3. Truck 43. Ambulance 61. Multi vehicle collision.Possible mass casualty alert.Roosevelt and Lake Shore. Special extraction equipment needed.”
“Ah, man, this is going to be shit,” Charlie groans as we climb into the rig.
Yep, it is, but I don’t voice my agreement. I quickly glance over my shoulder, making sure everyone is in before I give him a clipped nod, letting him know we’re all set. The wheels screech against the floor as he pulls out of the station, switching on the sirens and lights.
