Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Luke balanced a tower of goodie bags against his hip while wrestling with Megan’s back gate. He’d offered to help with setup, but mostly, he’d wanted to keep busy until Noah and Eli arrived. Noah had offered to pick up Luke from his place, but Luke wasn’t ready for the proclamation his family would see them riding together as. He was beginning to regret that decision.
“Need a hand?” Drew appeared from around the corner, already reaching for the bags. “Or are you trying to create a new Pinterest-worthy way to destroy presents?”
“Hilarious.” Luke surrendered half his load, following his brother-in-law into the backyard. “Your wife forgot these at the shop and asked me to swing by and grab them on my way over. Where’s the birthday girl?”
“Inside, ‘supervising’ cake decorating.” Drew’s air quotes said everything about how helpful that supervision probably was. “Fair warning—your mom’s in there too. She’s been asking questions about Noah and Eli all morning.”
Luke nearly dropped the remaining bags. They’d done so well keeping things under wraps for the past two months. He groaned, massaging his temples after carefully setting the bags on the table Megan had directed him to over the phone. “What kind of questions?”
“Interested grandmother-type questions.” Drew started hanging streamers from the pergola Luke had built last summer. “Like whether Eli has any food allergies she should know about for future family dinners. If Noah celebrates Christmas or if they do something else. You know, the usual ‘my son finally found someone worth bringing home’ stuff.”
“It’s not—” Luke stopped because what could he say? That they weren’t serious enough for family dinner planning? That he still sometimes woke in a cold sweat, terrified of how easily they’d slotted into his life? That every time Eli called him “Uncle Luke,” his chest got tight with want and fear?
“Not what?” Megan emerged from the house carrying stacks of paper plates. “Not serious? Because I’ve known you your whole life, little brother, and I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Can we not do this today?” Luke busied himself with the balloon arch, grateful for a distraction. “It’s Livy’s day. Let’s focus on that.”
“Oh, we are.” Megan’s smile was pure mischief. “Especially since a certain someone begged to help plan games that just happen to be Eli’s favorites.”
Before Luke could protest, car doors slammed in the driveway. His head snapped up automatically, hoping—but it was just Rachel and her husband arriving with more decorations. Pretty soon, it would look like a party store exploded in the backyard. Rachel handed him a bag of streamers and thumbtacks.
“Subtle,” Drew muttered, but his grin matched Megan’s. “They’ll be here soon. Noah texted they were picking up ice on their way.”
Luke’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
Just left the store. Eli’s practically vibrating with excitement.
Despite his siblings’ teasing, Luke smiled at the message. He could picture it perfectly—Eli bouncing in his booster seat, probably clutching Livy’s present and talking a mile a minute while Noah nodded along, pretending to follow every tangent.
“Earth to Luke.” Rachel waved a hand in front of his face. “The streamers go on the posts, not in your hair.”
Luke startled, realizing he’d been standing still, crepe paper trailing from his fingers. Heat crept up his neck as his sisters exchanged knowing looks.
“Lucas?” His mother’s voice carried from the patio. “Can you help your father with the tables?”
He tossed the streamer roll to his brother-in-law. Grateful for the escape, Luke joined his dad near the garage. Jim Garrett worked steadily despite his arthritis, arranging folding tables so they were perfectly aligned.
“Let me get that, Dad. You’re going to be feeling it all weekend if you keep it up.” He expected his dad to protest. The fact none came confirmed his warning had come too late, not that he’d admit it. His parents pushed themselves to make sure their grandkids had the best of everything.
“Your sisters giving you grief?” Jim asked mildly, directing Luke where to set up the next table.
“When aren’t they?” Luke made sure it was aligned with the tables around it and got to work setting up folding chairs. “But I guess I deserve it this time.”
“Because you’re happy?” Jim’s smile was gentle. “Son, that’s all we’ve ever wanted for you. Whether it’s with Noah and Eli or someone else—though I have to say, those two fit pretty well with this crazy family from what I’ve heard. Livy never stops talking about her best friend Eli.”
Luke’s throat felt tight. At every turn, it felt as though there was more pressure to not screw things up with Noah. The collateral damage wouldn’t be pretty if he did. “Dad?—”
But more cars were arriving, filling the street with minivans and SUVs. Luke recognized most of them from T-ball—the Godfreys, the Pattersons, even the Crowleys with their shiny new Range Rover. Soon, the backyard hummed with children’s voices and adult conversation, the comfortable chaos of small-town gatherings.
“Uncle Luke!” Livy’s voice carried across the yard. “Can you help us set up the games? Mom says we can’t start until everyone’s here, but we can practice, right?”
Luke let himself be dragged toward the activity stations they’d planned. He was halfway through explaining the rules of Pin the Cape on Captain America—Eli’s suggestion, naturally—when familiar footsteps approached.
Noah stood under the arch, looking unfairly attractive in casual clothes, Eli practically vibrating beside him. Their eyes met across the yard, and something warm unfurled in Luke’s chest.
“Mr. Luke!” Eli broke free, launching himself forward. Then, seeming to remember his manners, he corrected course. “Happy birthday, Livy!”
Luke caught Noah’s soft laugh, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners as he watched his son navigate social niceties. Around them, the party swirled with activity, but Luke found himself anchored to this moment.
“Lucas?” His mother appeared at his elbow, her smile knowing. “Aren’t you going to introduce us properly?”
“Mom…” He groaned. He debated pointing out she’d known Noah for nearly two decades. When she pursed her lips, he sighed. Fine. They’d do this her way. “You remember Noah. And that’s his son, Eli.”
“It’s great to see you again, Noah.” She pulled him into a warm hug. “Livy has nothing but good things to say about your son.”
“It’s good to see you too.”
And just like that, Luke realized he’d been standing there staring like a lovesick teenager. Heat crept up his neck as he made introductions, watching his mother pull Noah into conversation while Eli joined the growing group of kids.
“They fit,” his father said quietly, appearing beside him. “In case you were wondering.”
Luke watched Noah laugh at something his mother said, how he’d relaxed into the family gathering like he belonged there. Across the yard, Eli was already deep in consultation with Livy about optimal party game strategy, their heads bent together in concentration.
“Yeah,” Luke admitted, the word barely a whisper. “They really do.”
Luke passed another plate loaded with hot dogs and hamburgers to a waiting child, losing count of how many times he’d directed tiny hands toward napkins or reminded excited kids to walk, not run, with their food. Somewhere between refilling the cooler and making sure Tommy Crowley didn’t monopolize the bounce house, he realized he’d fallen into a natural rhythm with Noah—one taking plates while the other added condiments, seamlessly handling the chaos of feeding twenty sugar-hyped first graders. Megan looked more relaxed than usual, able to enjoy her daughter’s birthday rather than being the one running around to keep everything in order.
“You’re good at this,” Cathy Garrett said, appearing beside him with more paper plates. His mother’s knowing smile made him wonder how long she’d been watching. “Both of you.”
Before Luke could respond, Eli’s voice carried across the yard: “Uncle Luke! Can you help? The capes keep falling off Captain America!”
“Go,” Noah said softly, bumping Luke’s hip with his own. “I’ve got this covered.”
Luke found himself moving before he could overthink it, drawn by Eli’s expectant face and the way Noah’s touch lingered even after he stepped away. He was vaguely aware of his mother’s pleased expression, of Rachel nudging Megan and pointing, of the way the other parents had stopped giving their easy intimacy second glances.
“See?” Eli demonstrated his dilemma with the party game. “The tape’s not sticky enough.”
“We can fix that.” Luke crouched, examining the setup. “What if we try…?”
They worked together, Eli’s small hands surprisingly steady as they adjusted the adhesive. Around them, the party flowed in waves of laughter and conversation.
“There,” Luke said finally, testing the modified game. “Try it now.”
Eli’s triumphant grin was pure sunshine. “Thanks! You really can fix anything!”
The words hit Luke somewhere beneath his ribs, warm and terrifying. Because Eli said it with such certainty, such faith. Like Luke’s ability to solve problems was as fundamental as gravity.
“Uncle Luke?” Livy appeared beside them, clutching her new Captain America lunchbox. “Can we do presents soon? Please?”
“That’s up to your mom, princess.” Luke ruffled her hair, earning a dramatic eye roll that was pure Megan. “But maybe we should do cake first?”
“Yes!” Both kids bounced with renewed energy. “Cake!”
Luke watched them dart off to lobby Megan for sugar, something tight and warm building in his chest. He’d been to countless birthday parties here, watched his nieces and nephews grow up in this backyard, but something about today felt different. More.
“Quite the fan club you’ve got there.” Noah’s voice was soft as he joined Luke under the pergola. He handed Luke a fresh beer, their fingers brushing. “Thanks for helping with the game. I know Eli can be…”
“Perfect,” Luke finished without thinking. Heat crept up his neck as Noah’s eyes widened slightly. “I mean, he’s a great kid. You’ve done an amazing job with him.”
“He definitely has.” His father’s voice made them both jump. Jim settled into a nearby chair, gesturing at where Eli was helping Livy organize her gifts. “And it’s interesting how that boy fits in with the family like he’s supposed to be a part of them.”
Luke choked on his beer. Noah’s hand found the small of his back, steadying him, and the casual intimacy of it nearly undid him. Around them, the party continued—kids shouting and playing, adults mingling with easy familiarity. But all Luke could focus on was the warmth of Noah’s touch, the way his father smiled knowingly, the simple rightness of this moment.
“Cake time!” Megan called, and the backyard erupted in excited squeals.
Luke hurried over to help. While it wasn’t an expectation, Megan was going to need all hands on deck for this. He caught Noah’s eye across the crowd of amped-up children, sharing a smile that felt like a secret. Like a promise for later. The entire crowd joined in for one of the worst renditions of “Happy Birthday to You” Luke had ever heard.
“Make a wish!” the kids chorused as Livy bent over her candles.
Luke watched his niece scrunch her face in concentration, somehow knowing exactly what she’d wish for. She and Eli had been scheming all afternoon, their whispered conversations punctuated by glances at the adults around them.
Sure enough, after the candles were blown out and the cake was passed around, Livy announced, “I wished for more cousins to play with! Like Eli! And maybe Aunt Rachel and Uncle Archer can have a baby.”
“Honey,” Megan started, but Livy was on a roll.
“Eli’s sort of family already, right? Since Uncle Luke is gonna marry his dad?”
Luke’s heart hammered against his ribs as he felt every adult eye turn toward them. Noah had frozen mid-bite, his fork halfway to his mouth.
“He is?” Eli looked at his dad, his face scrunched up in confusion. Luke’s heart sank when Eli glared at him, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “I don’t think you’re right about that. Boys don’t get married.”
“My Uncle Ryan married a boy,” Livy pointed out. “And my mom said Uncle Luke is gonna find a boy to marry too. And now he and your dad can get married.”
The two of them had the attention of everyone in the backyard at that point. The parents murmured among themselves, and the kids seemed like they were trying to figure out what in the world was going on.
“Hey, no one’s getting married, buddy,” Noah assured him as he crouched behind the kids. He glanced up at Luke, who was clueless as to how to handle this situation. “Livy’s just excited that Luke and I are spending time together, which means the two of you get to see each other more since Luke is Ms. Megan’s brother.”
“You promise?” Eli looked like he was on the verge of tears. This definitely wasn’t how Luke expected him to take the news that he and Noah were interested in each other as more than friends. Luke wasn’t an idiot. If Eli wasn’t on board with them as a couple, that was the end of things.
“I promise.”
“Can Livy have another wish? It’s not fair that her birthday wish won’t come true.”
Luke tipped his head back and stared up at the sky. As long as he lived, he wasn’t sure he’d ever understand how kids’ minds worked or how they could flip from one emotion to another in a split second.
“I bet her mom and dad will have another cake for her on her real birthday.” It might not have been his place to jump into the conversation, but he feared if he didn’t, Eli might think Luke was avoiding him. “That means she automatically gets another wish, okay?”
“But if she always gets two, she should get a redo,” Eli insisted.
Now that Eli had his mind made up that her wish wouldn’t come true, he wasn’t going to drop this until she got another wish. Luke reached across the table for one of the candles Megan had pulled out of the cake. Drew appeared next to him with the lighter. “Here, we’ll put this in her piece of cake, and she can make another wish. But, Livy, remember, you’re not supposed to tell people your wish if you want it to come true.”
She closed her eyes and blew out the candle. As she did, Luke offered up his own wish for her to keep her well-meaning trap shut about her redo wish. Eli seemed satisfied once the candle was blown out and Livy started eating her cake and ice cream. Luckily, the rest of the afternoon went off without any other drama.
As the party wound down, Livy said goodbye and thank you to her friends before running off to play with Eli on the other side of the backyard. Luke and Noah gathered dirty plates and deflated balloons. With that done, Noah wandered off to help Drew load the folding tables into the back of his truck to take back to the church, leaving Luke with nothing better to do than think about how seamlessly Noah fit in with the craziness of his family.
“Penny for your thoughts?” His mother appeared beside him, dumping half-full cups of lemonade into a pitcher and stacking the cups. “You’ve been rather quiet since the cake incident.”
Luke tried to form words around the warmth in his chest. “I’m scared shitless, Mom. It feels like they’re supposed to be here.”
“That’s because they are.” Cathy’s smile was soft. “And whether you realize it or not, you’ve changed. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see you finally settling down.”
The protest that they weren’t serious died on the tip of Luke’s tongue. That ship had sailed the first time Noah worked up the courage to kiss him. “Don’t start wedding planning just yet, Mom. He’s not out to anyone, and even if he was, he wouldn’t rush into anything. His first priority is Eli.”
“As it should be. But maybe you should tell him that if he’s not ready for everyone to know he’s head over heels for you, he needs to tone down the pining.” Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
He loved how she’d never batted an eye when he came out to them. And even though her matchmaking attempts annoyed the crap out of him, he could appreciate that her meddling came from a place of love. “And they’re both lucky to have you. I know you worry about being a good partner, but that’s foolishness. You have a big heart and so much love to give.”
Before Luke could respond, Eli’s voice carried across the yard. “Dad! Can Mr. Luke come over tonight? I want to show him my new science kit!”
Luke caught Noah’s questioning glance. They hadn’t discussed plans, but something in Luke’s chest settled at the casual way Eli included him in their evening routine. Noah smiled the soft smile that did dangerous things to Luke’s insides.
“Actually,” Megan cut in, “we were hoping Luke could stay and help clean up.” But her wink told Luke she was giving him an out if he needed space after the emotional roller coaster of the afternoon.
“I can do both.” The words came easily, naturally. “Help here, then head over? If that’s okay?”
Noah nodded. “We’ll order pizza. Give you time to decompress after wrangling sugar-high first graders all afternoon.”
“You coming?” Drew called from near the garage. Luke had forgotten he’d agreed to help Drew lug the tables and chairs to the church’s basement. He wasn’t thrilled about leaving Noah on his own to face his mom and sisters since they’d managed to come out as a couple without saying a single word to anyone. “Or are you too busy making heart eyes at your guy?”
Heat crept up Luke’s neck, but for once, he didn’t feel the need to deflect. Because Noah was his guy, wasn’t he? And Eli was…something more than just Noah’s son. They were becoming his family, as naturally as breathing.
“You know,” his father said, stopping Luke as he walked across the yard to jump in Drew’s truck, “sometimes the best things in life are the ones that surprise us. The ones we weren’t looking for.”
Luke thought about Noah’s quiet strength, about Eli’s boundless enthusiasm, about how seamlessly they’d merged with his loud, loving family. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I’m starting to figure that out.”
By the time they got back from the church, Noah and Eli were nowhere to be found. Luke hated that they’d left without saying goodbye, but that was stupid since he’d be heading to their place as soon as he was done helping here.
“Damn, you’ve got it bad,” Drew teased. “You keep this shit up, and I’m going to owe your sister twenty bucks. You realize she’s going to be insufferable, right?”
“Did you seriously bet on my love life?” Luke scoffed. Still, he reached into his back pocket and pulled a bill out of his wallet, pressing it to Drew’s chest. “I’d have bet against this shit too. So here, take it. I’ll cover your loss.”
“Does that mean you’re serious about him?” Drew had never been the type to sit around and talk about feelings. He was stoic and closed off with everyone but Megan and the kids. Drew grabbed two sodas out of the cooler, handing one to Luke. “A single dad is a lot to take on.”
“You think I don’t know that?” The fucked-up part was Luke wasn’t sure he missed his old life. His days were consumed with finishing the Tillerman project, and the rest of his waking hours revolved around Noah and Eli. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gone to Brew & Barrel other than Thursday nights with Keaton, much less Murphy’s. No, that was a lie. The last time he drove up to Afton to hook up was the weekend before Rachel blasted in, begging him to help her old friend fix his house.
Fucking wild.
Luke perched himself on top of the picnic table at the edge of the deck. He stared out over the backyard, unsure what had come over him but knowing he needed to get this out. And Drew was the safest choice. “I’m scared shitless, man. None of this is what I wanted my life to look like. I was happy being the one-night-stand guy. I was always safe, and it was easy.”
“But were you happy? Really?” Leave it to Drew to call him out. If he were honest, something had always been missing even though he wasn’t risking anything. It was nice having someone to come home to, even if it wasn’t his home. “I’m not saying you should rush into living together and some sort of fairytale ending, but be open to whatever happens.”
His phone buzzed.
Pizza’s ordered. Eli’s itching to open his science kit. No rush, but we’re looking forward to some time without an audience.
Drew laughed at the goofy-ass smile Luke couldn’t hide. “Go,” he said, giving him a playful shove. “We’ve got this covered.”
“I told you I’d help clean up,” Luke protested. He looked around and realized the work was pretty much done. The only remaining signs of the afternoon’s celebration were streamer scraps on the ground and Livy’s balloons.
“Lucas.” His mother’s voice held fond exasperation. “Get out of here before your sister asks you to fix something. We’ll see you Sunday for dinner?” The question held weight—she was asking if he’d bring them, make it official.
“Yeah.” Luke’s smile felt permanent. “We’ll be there as long as Noah doesn’t have plans.”
The drive to Noah’s felt different somehow. Like he was heading home rather than to a job site or a casual hookup. The house came into view. Noah sat on the front porch, watching as Luke pulled into the driveway rather than parking on the street the way he had when he was nothing more than the contractor. “Perfect timing. Pizza should be here in a few minutes.”
“Thank my mom and Drew for that.” Luke offered Noah a hand, pulling him out of his chair. He slipped an arm around Noah’s waist, needing to feel him. Before leaning in for a kiss, he said, “I’ve been dying to do this all day.”
Noah hummed softly. “I’m pretty sure you could have kissed me in front of everyone, and it wouldn’t have surprised anyone.”
“Yeah, but I meant it when I said I won’t push you out of your comfort zone.” He leaned back, still holding Noah. “I’m sorry my family basically outed us to half the town.”
“I think the only thing today will change is people won’t be assuming you’re more than a friend. If I’m honest, it’s a relief to not feel like we’re hiding in plain sight. But I am going to have to talk to Eli to see how he feels about things.”
Luke swallowed around the lump in his throat. That would be the real test, and based on today’s outburst, he wasn’t sure how Eli would react to the news that his dad was dating a man. Part of him wanted to be there when they talked, but that wasn’t his place. That conversation needed to be between Noah and Eli.
But tonight, he wouldn’t borrow trouble. He was going to spend time with the people who’d become his whole world and leave the rest for another time.