“Not yet, buddy.” Luke’s chest felt tight at Eli’s easy inclusion of him in their nightly ritual. “But we’re working on your room tonight. Making sure everything’s perfect for when you come home.”
“Can we paint it Captain America colors?” Eli’s eyes widened with possibility. “Tommy’s bathroom has sharks on the walls!”
Noah laughed. He was still stressed about the repairs draining his savings, but talking about the work they were doing no longer sent him into a tailspin, which Luke took as a win. “We’ll talk about it when you’re home. For now, isn’t it almost time for you to eat dinner?”
After making promises about bedroom decorating discussions and treasure-hunting expeditions, Noah ended the call.Something in his expression had shifted, a melancholy that hadn’t been there before.
“He misses you,” Luke said quietly. “Even with all the fun he’s having with Jenna.”
“Yeah.” Noah set his phone down carefully. “I miss him too. It’s just…everything’s changing so fast, you know? The house, us, how quickly he’s growing up…”
Luke’s pulse jumped at the casual mention of “us.” They hadn’t really discussed what they were doing, content to let attraction and need guide them. But watching Noah with Eli, seeing how naturally they included him in their lives…
“Is that bad?” Luke asked, voice barely above a whisper. “The changes?”
Noah met his gaze steadily. “No. Just…complicated. Eli’s at an age where he notices everything, forms attachments easily. I have to be careful about who I let into his life.”
The weight of implication settled between them. This wasn’t about attraction or convenience anymore. This was about a little boy who already looked at Luke like he hung the moon, who trusted him to fix everything from leaky pipes to monster noises in the walls.
“Noah—” Luke started, but Noah shook his head.
“We should get to work,” he said softly. “The bedroom won’t fix itself.”
Heaviness settled in Luke’s stomach. Just as he was lowering his own defenses, it seemed Noah was constructing his own. He wished he could make Noah see that nothing had to change between them as far as Eli was concerned. They had beenbecoming friends even before Eli left, and it wasn’t like they were incapable of keeping their hands off one another. Luke also understood Noah’s concerns about Eli growing close to Luke if something happened, but now that Noah had let him in, Luke would do everything in his power to not hurt either of them.
They cleared dinner debris in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. As they headed upstairs, Luke couldn’t help noticing how naturally they moved together, anticipating each other’s needs without words. Noah handed him tools before he asked, steadied the ladder without being told, existed in his space like he belonged there.
It was terrifying how right it felt.
“Can you grab me some screws?” Luke asked, needing to focus on something concrete. But when Noah stepped close, pressing against his back to give him the box of drywall screws, all Luke could think about was how easily they fit together. How Noah’s presence had become as essential as breathing.
He was in over his head.
This wasn’t just about incredible sex or convenient companionship anymore. This was about how Noah’s reading glasses left marks on his nose, how his voice softened when he talked to Eli, how he remembered Luke’s coffee order and anticipated his needs.
This was about falling, fast and hard, for someone who had to think about more than just himself.
“Luke?” Noah’s voice pulled him back. “You okay? You zoned out there.”
“Yeah.” Luke forced a smile, turning back to the wall that needed his attention. “Just thinking about the best way to tackle this.”
But he wasn’t thinking about sheetrock at all. He was thinking about how easily he could imagine more nights like this—sharing dinner, talking to Eli, working side by side in comfortable silence. How naturally they’d fallen into a rhythm that felt like…family.
They worked until the muscles in Luke’s shoulders burned, replacing damaged drywall and checking for any signs of lingering moisture. The room slowly transformed from a disaster zone to a livable space, though it would need paint and finishing touches once Keaton helped him finish the ceiling repairs. Luke found himself imagining Eli’s face when he saw it—maybe they could add some built-in shelving for his growing collection of books and action figures…
He caught himself mid-thought. This wasn’t his room to plan. This wasn’t his kid to spoil. This wasn’t his family to?—
Aw, hell. This is bad.Luke couldn’t let himself even think about falling in love with NoahandEli or wanting to be the one who took care of them.
“Beer?” Noah’s voice interrupted his spiral. Oblivious to Luke’s freakout, Noah continued straightening up since they were done working for the night. “We could sit out back and enjoy the evening air.”
Luke nodded, grateful for the distraction. They’d been dancing around something all night, ever since Eli’s call. The weight of unspoken words pressed against Luke’s chest as they made their way downstairs and out to the backyard.
The night air carried the scent of blossoming flowers and freshly mown grass, crisp and clean after the recent storms. There was only a slight breeze, and it was warmer than average for this time of year, making it the perfect night to light a fire on the patio and relax. Luke imagined what this space could look like once they renovated it. Wondered if he’d still be part of Noah’s life and able to enjoy quiet nights together. They settled on the back steps, shoulders brushing. Above them, stars peeked through breaks in the clouds, and somewhere in the distance, crickets provided nature’s symphony.
“Stay tonight?” Noah’s voice was soft, uncertain. “I know we said we wouldn’t once Eli comes home, but…”
But they could have tonight. They could pretend the chemistry between them wasn’t complicated. Tonight they could ignore the growing feelings neither was ready to name.
