“Not to mention Tuck started acting differently a few weeks ago,” Brenden said. Both Stephen and Jaxson nodded in agreement.
“I don’t remember acting any different,” Tucker defended.
“Dude, you smiled more, everyone knows you never smile,” Brenden added.
“And then last Sunday you guys couldn’t take your eyes off each other. It was killing me not to ask you if you guys were together,” Julian added.
“Did all of you think that?” Lucas asked looking at the five men and they all nodded.
“How did we miss the signs?” Christen asked then turned to his husband. “And why didn’t you mention what you were thinking to me?”
Jaxson shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly, I didn’t think you would believe that something was going on between them. Remember how you acted a few minutes ago. Listen, gray eyes, I know how much you love your brother, but you might have confronted Lucas on his feelings whether he knew about them or not, and unintentionally messed things up for them.”
Christen sighed. “You’re right; I wouldn’t have believed you until I actually saw them together. And like Jaxson said in my need to help, I could have screwed things up for you guys.” He turned and looked at Lucas. “Hey, I’m sorry for being a douche earlier, it just came out of left field."
“I know, and I get it. How do you think I feel? My attraction for Tucker surprised me too.”
Christen walked over to him and hugged both him and Tucker. “Congratulations,” he said pulling back with a smile on his face. “Oh my gods, I can’t wait to tease you the way you teased me when you found out I was pregnant.”
“Shut up,” Lucas chuckled and lightly smacked his brother on the back of his head as he backed up.
“So, you guys are together now?” Julian asked.
“Yeah,” Tucker answered his brother and Lucas looked on along with everyone else as they stared at each other far longer than he liked.
“Good, it’s about time,” Julian said breaking the silence with a blinding smile. “I’m glad you found someone.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, you certainly know how to surprise us,” his father said to him.
“I have to agree,” his mother added.
“Why don’t I get the feeling that you two aren’t happy about this?”
“Of course, we are, dear, why wouldn’t we be?” Marilyn said to him as she stood up and walked over to him. “I’m just worried.”
“Why?” he asked when she pulled back. “I’m healthy. If you’re worried about the fact the Tucker and I aren’t married . . .”
“That’s not it at all,” Asher said to him.
“Then what is it?” he snapped, feeling angry. He hadn’t thought his family members would react this way. “It can’t be that I slept with a man? Hell, you gush over Christen and Ethan. So, what could you be worried about? Is it because I’m the one child you wanted to remain straight?”
“You being with a man has nothing to do with it. I’m worried because you could die,” his mother yelled shutting up his rant.
“Wh . . . what do you mean I could die?”
Marilyn stepped back, and Asher was there to stop her from falling. “We never thought we would have to tell you this,” Asher said to him. “You might want to sit down, and I need something strong to drink.”
“I’d rather stand, thank you.”
Asher nodded. “Fine, have it your way. A few weeks after you were born, and we brought you and Tyler home, you kept throwing up everything after you ate. Your mother and I thought it was normal baby things. Tyler did too, to some degree, if you guys ate too much or were jostled right after eating. We used to call you the throw-up twins. But then things started happening to you that weren't happening to Tyler, like you would constantly cry even if you were just changed or fed. Then we saw the blood in your throw up and you were getting pale. Gods, we thought we were going to lose you. We took you to the doctor, and after running some tests and X-rays, they found out that you had large holes in your stomach lining.”
He looked at his mother who was crying, and he was starting to feel horrible for his assumptions and the way he blew up at them.
She dabbed at the corner of her eyes with the handkerchief his father handed to her. Marilyn walked over to him and cupped his cheeks, tears and sorrow filled her eyes. “They wanted to operate to fix the holes but warned that if you tried to get pregnant later in life, the holes could open up again and it could endanger you and the baby. So, we told the doctor to tie your tubes, taking away the risk of you getting pregnant.”
Lucas felt Tucker’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him close. He was hurt and shocked that his parents never told him. That they lied to him for years that it had something to do with his genes. But it was never the truth, and all this time they knew the real reason.
