Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Noah muttered, staring at the class list he’d just received. Three of his most disruptive students from last year had been placed in the same period this year. He wasn’t sure if having them all in the same class would minimize his stress or make him go fully gray prematurely. No, this was definitely a recipe for mayhem, and the rest of his students deserved better. He made a mental note to speak with Sarah about rearranging their schedules before school started.
His phone buzzed. The display read Anderson Homeworks . That was odd, but maybe it was just Finn calling to tell him there was yet another invoice for materials. Until now, all of that had been going through Luke, but since they weren’t exactly speaking, it made sense that the company’s office manager would call.
“Hello?”
“Noah.” Keaton’s usual gruff tone held an edge of concern that made Noah’s chest tight. “Look, I probably shouldn’t be calling you, but there’s been an accident at the site. Luke’s hurt.”
The world tilted sideways. Shit. That hadn’t even been a possibility in Noah’s mind. “What happened? Is he…?”
Noah couldn’t bring himself to finish the question. He’d seen too many stories on the news of construction workers falling to their deaths on job sites.
“He’ll be okay,” Keaton rushed to assure him. “Broken arm, maybe a couple of broken ribs, some bruising. He was taking a look at the old depot in the center of town to see if it could be saved. Part of the ceiling collapsed while Luke was trying to stabilize it. He’s on his way to County General now.”
Noah was already grabbing his keys, his mind racing. “I’m on my way.”
“Noah.” Keaton’s voice stopped him. “He was asking for you. Even if he won’t admit it.”
“Thanks.” Noah’s throat felt tight. “That means a lot.”
“Yeah, well.” Keaton’s laugh held no humor. “Sometimes it takes something like this to make us see what matters. Life’s too damned short to be stubborn, and you’re both too bullheaded for your own good at times.”
Noah ended the call, his hands shaking slightly as he pulled up Megan’s number. The clock on his desk showed one forty-seven—Eli would need to be picked up from camp in less than two hours.
“Noah?” Megan answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”
“Luke’s hurt.” The words came out in a rush. He probably shouldn’t be the one breaking this news to Luke’s sister, but it seemed they were starting a string of people who shouldn’t be doing just that. “He’s on his way to County General. I need… Can you pick up Eli? I know it’s a lot to ask, but?—”
“Of course.” Megan’s voice was warm, steady. “Go. Eli can stay with us as long as needed. Just keep me posted on Luke? Do I need to call Mom and Dad?”
“I honestly don’t know.” He grabbed his wallet and phone, barely remembering to lock the door behind him. “I would assume Keaton called them before he called me. If he didn’t, then that means it really isn’t as bad as my imagination is making it out to be. I’ll text you as soon as I know more. Eli might need to spend the night there if that’s okay.”
Megan chuckled. Not at all the reaction he’d expected. “If this means at least one of you is ready to get your head out of your ass, I’ll keep him as long as you need.”
The drive to the hospital felt endless, each mile stretching out as his mind raced with possibilities. Luke was hurt. Luke needed him. And he’d wasted so much time letting fear keep them apart.
The emergency room parking lot was busy when Noah arrived. He spotted Luke’s crew’s trucks clustered in one corner, Drew’s familiar pickup among them.
Inside, Noah followed the sound of Luke’s voice protesting something about being fine and not needing to stay for observation. The familiar stubbornness made Noah’s heart clench.
“I’m telling you, I just need some Advil and—” Luke’s words cut off as he spotted Noah in the doorway.
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Luke sat on an exam bed, his left arm already in a temporary cast. His bare chest was mottled with cuts and bruises, and a nasty bruise was forming along his jaw. But his eyes—those warm hazel eyes Noah had been dreaming about—held a mix of surprise and something that looked dangerously like hope.
“You’re here,” Luke said softly.
“Of course I’m here.” Noah moved closer, ignoring the knowing looks from the nurse and Keaton. “You’re hurt.”
Luke’s uninjured hand reached for him, then dropped. “Keaton shouldn’t have called you. I’m fine.”
“Like hell you are.” Noah closed the distance between them, catching Luke’s good hand in his. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t.” Luke’s fingers tightened around his. “Just a broken arm and some bruises. I’ve had worse.”
“That doesn’t make it better.” Noah’s voice cracked. “God, Luke. When Keaton called… I can’t lose you. I won’t.”
Luke’s breath caught. “Noah?—”
“No, let me finish.” Noah stepped closer, needing Luke to understand. “I’ve been so scared of something happening to Eli that I forgot what really matters. Having people who love us, who show up when we need them… That’s not weakness. That’s strength. And this is me showing up when you need me. Don’t be mad at Keaton. He did the right thing by calling to let me know.”
The nurse cleared her throat. “I’ll give you two a minute. Maybe you can convince him that whether he goes home tonight should be up to the doctor, not him.”
Noah barely noticed her and Keaton leaving. All he could focus on was Luke—alive, whole, looking at him like he held the answers to everything.
“I’m sorry,” Noah whispered. “I’ve been such an idiot. Pushing you away because I was scared only made things worse. For all of us.”
Noah was plagued by the thought he might have somehow caused this. If Luke had been distracted, he could have missed something that would have signaled it was a bad idea to stay in an unsafe building. But that was assuming Luke had been as torn up this past week as Noah had been.
“Hey.” Luke tugged him closer with his good hand. “I get it. Protecting Eli has to come first. But, Noah, don’t you see? I want to protect him too. Both of you.”
Noah’s eyes burned. “I know. God, I know. And I want that. Want you. Want us to be a family.”
Luke’s smile was soft, tender. “Pretty sure we have been for a while now. You were hurting and lashed out, and when that hurt me, I found excuses to avoid talking it out. I thought I was protecting myself, but I was really only hurting both of us.”
“We don’t need to rehash how we screwed up right now.” For the first time all week, Noah felt like things might be okay, like maybe he didn’t completely screw up the best thing that had come into his life since his son was born. And he wasn’t willing to spend another second away from Luke if he could help it. He pulled a chair next to the bed and rested his hand on top of Luke’s. “I won’t lie and say it won’t happen again, but we both need to learn how to face the scary things instead of shying away from them. But first, you need to do whatever the doctor says is best for you. It sounds like you had one hell of a time today.”
Luke winced when he chuckled. “Fuck, that hurts. Can’t say I want a ceiling joist crashing down on me again anytime soon. But really, I’ll be fine. The doctors are just being overly cautious. I want them to come in here and see that so they’ll let me go home.”
Noah laughed wetly, finally letting the tears fall. “Come home with me if they let you out? Please? Eli’s been asking about you, and I need you there. Need to take care of you while you heal.”
“Yeah?” Luke’s eyes were suspiciously bright. “You sure about that? I’ll be pretty useless with this arm for a while.”
“I’m sure about us.” Noah pressed his forehead to Luke’s. “More sure than I’ve ever been about anything. And if I’m all-in with us, which includes nursing you back to health. Besides, wouldn’t it be better to have help while you only have one good arm?”
“When you put it like that, how can I refuse?” Luke’s smile was brighter than the hospital fluorescents. “But I’m not spending the night here. I won’t get any damned sleep with people coming in and out, waking me up just to make sure I’m okay.”
“If the doctor says you can leave, we’ll bust you out of here,” Noah reassured him. “And I’ll see if Megan can keep Eli tonight so you’re not dealing with him wanting to be in your space.”
Luke shook his head. “No. If we’re really doing this, I want him home with us. I want my family under one roof tonight. But the treehouse might have to wait.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Dad! Uncle Luke!” Eli burst through the front door, his backpack falling forgotten as he spotted them on the couch. He skidded to a stop, eyes wide at Luke’s cast and bruises. “Whoa, what happened? Are you okay?”
“Careful, buddy,” Noah warned as Eli approached more slowly. “Luke had an accident at work. He’s going to be staying with us while he heals.”
“Really?” Eli’s face lit up despite his concern. “For how long?”
Luke caught Noah’s eye, a soft smile playing at his lips. “I’m not sure yet, but I think it’ll be a while.”
“Be careful with the hugs,” Megan called from the doorway, carrying Eli’s overnight bag. Noah was grateful she had a key to the house and had stopped by to grab stuff for him in case he’d needed to stay the night at her place. “Remember what we talked about in the car?”
Eli nodded solemnly, approaching Luke’s uninjured side. “Does it hurt a lot?”
“Not too bad.” Luke wrapped his good arm around Eli, drawing him close. Noah didn’t point out that was due to the pain meds they’d given him before he was discharged, along with a prescription they’d picked up on the way home. “Nothing some cuddles and maybe ice cream won’t fix. I bet your dad will even let us watch a movie together since I’m not supposed to be doing anything except resting.”
Noah’s chest tightened, watching them together. How had he ever thought pushing this away was the answer? The way Eli fit against Luke’s side, the natural affection between them—it was everything he’d ever wanted for his son.
“I can help!” Eli bounced on his toes. “I can get you things and be really quiet when you’re resting, and I’ll help Dad make dinner and do chores.”
“Sounds perfect, buddy.” Luke’s voice was rough with emotion. “But first, think you could grab my phone from the kitchen? I left it on the counter.”
“I got it!” Eli darted away, eager to help.
Megan caught Noah’s eye, her smile knowing. “I’ll leave you three to settle in. Call if you need anything?”
“Thanks, Meg.” Luke’s good hand found Noah’s, squeezing gently. “For everything.”
After Megan left, they fell into a rhythm that felt both familiar and new. Noah ordered pizza while Eli showed Luke his superhero artwork, carefully explaining each figure. Luke listened intently, wincing only slightly when he tried to gesture with his injured arm.
“And see?” Eli pointed to the figure he’d drawn of Luke. “I made you extra tall because you can reach higher than Dad.”
“Hey now.” Noah settled beside them with paper plates and napkins. “I’m not that short.”
Luke’s laugh turned into a groan. “Don’t make me laugh. Ribs hurt like a—they hurt a lot.”
“Sorry.” Noah’s hand found Luke’s knee, steadying him. “Need more pain meds?”
“After food.” Luke leaned into him slightly. “Doctor’s orders, remember?”
The doorbell rang, and Eli jumped up. “Pizza’s here! Can I carry it?”
“How about you let me get it?” Noah suggested, already moving. “You can pour Luke a glass of lemonade.”
Watching Eli guide Luke to the kitchen, offering his shoulder for support despite being roughly waist-height, made Noah’s heart swell. His son’s natural instinct to care for others, to help without being asked—it was everything he’d hoped to instill in him.
Dinner was a careful dance of helping Luke manage one-handed while trying not to hover too much. Eli appointed himself official napkin-getter and straw-inserter, taking his responsibilities very seriously. The normalcy of it all—sharing a meal, laughing at Eli’s stories about camp, planning weekend activities—felt like coming home.
“Dad?” Eli asked as they cleared the table. “Is Uncle Luke sleeping in your room again? That way, if he needs help at night, you’ll be right there.”
Noah caught Luke’s surprised laugh, grateful his son had provided the perfect opening for that conversation. “That’s very thoughtful, buddy. What do you think, Luke?”
“Well”—Luke pretended to consider it carefully—“that does make the most sense. As long as your dad doesn’t mind sharing.”
“He doesn’t mind.” Eli’s certainty made them both smile. “He sleeps better when you’re here anyway. He doesn’t walk around at night so much.”
Heat crept up Noah’s neck at his son’s observation. “All right, bath time for you. Then we’ll watch a movie. Something quiet and calm?”
“Can I pick?” Eli was already heading for the stairs. “Nothing scary though. Uncle Luke needs happy movies to feel better.”
Later, they settled on the couch with Eli between them, some animated film about dragons playing quietly. Luke draped his good arm across the back of the couch, his fingers occasionally brushing Noah’s shoulder. The casual intimacy of it, the way Eli curled into both of them, felt right in a way Noah couldn’t quite explain.
“Love you,” Eli mumbled, already half-asleep against Luke’s side. “M’glad you’re home.”
Luke’s breath caught. Noah reached across, linking their fingers together, offering silent support. Because that’s what this was—home. Not just the physical space, but the three of them together, building something stronger than fear could break.
“Think we should get him to bed?” Luke asked softly, his thumb tracing patterns on Noah’s hand.
“Probably.” Noah studied his son’s peaceful face. “Though I hate to move him when he’s so comfortable.”
“I can carry him.” Luke started to shift, then winced. “Or maybe not.”
“I’ve got him.” Noah gathered Eli carefully, smiling at his sleepy protests. “Come on, buddy. Bedtime.”
Luke followed them upstairs, hovering in Eli’s doorway as Noah tucked him in. The sight of him there, bruised but present, made something settle in Noah’s chest. This was what he’d been afraid of losing—not just Luke’s love, but the way they fit together as a family.
“Night, buddy,” Luke whispered as Noah kissed Eli’s forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
They lingered in the doorway, watching Eli’s breathing even out. Luke’s good arm slipped around Noah’s waist, drawing him close.
“Thank you,” Luke murmured against his hair. “I hated being away from both of you this week.”
“I’m so sorry,” Noah apologized. He rested his hand on the small of Luke’s back, guiding him to their bedroom.
His steps faltered when he realized that was what he wanted. Not at some abstract point in the future, but now. It was way too soon and impulsive in a way that went against his natural tendencies, but he wanted the security of knowing Luke would be here at the end of the day, that they’d put Eli to bed before retiring to their room.
But he’d lost that right the second he told Luke he needed to make Eli his priority, implying Luke never could be.
“You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden,” Luke observed as he struggled to get out of his shirt. Noah slid his hands under the fabric, very gently running them over Luke’s bruised torso. He hissed and winced in pain, but when Noah tried removing his hands, Luke held him in place. “Everything hurts right now, but I don’t want you to stop.”
“I should get your meds and bring them up here.” Taking care of Luke’s physical pain was easier than dealing with the emotional wounds he’d caused.
“I’ve still got about thirty minutes before I can take more. Talk to me.” Luke ducked his head so Noah could slide the shirt over his head and casted arm.
He eased himself onto the mattress and fumbled with his pants. Noah hated watching him struggle to do simple tasks. There was nothing sexual in the way he reached for the closure on his jeans. “We probably should have done this while you were still standing.”
“Probably,” Luke agreed as Noah offered him a hand. He held perfectly still as Noah pushed the fabric down his legs, resting his hand on Noah’s shoulder as he stepped out of them. “Don’t think you’re going to keep distracting me. It’s obvious something’s still bugging you.”
So many things. But Noah didn’t say that. They still hadn’t had a meaningful discussion about what had happened because it would have been unfair to put that on Luke when he was in the hospital.
“If this is about the lake, it’s in the past,” he said as he shuffled up the mattress. Noah stacked a couple of extra pillows behind him.
“It’s not that easy,” Noah admitted as he began removing his clothes. “I hurt you. I hurt all of us. We should talk about that.”
“And I’m sure we will at some point, but it doesn’t need to be this big production. You freaked the hell out, said shit, I reacted, and now we’re going to focus on what really matters. The end.”
Noah sat on the other side of the bed, reaching for Luke’s hand. For someone who swore he wasn’t a relationship guy, Luke seemed pretty decent at it. Noah did feel a bit better after hearing his rationale. “Aren’t you worried I’ll do something like that again?”
“No, I’m not.” Noah wished he had Luke’s confidence in them. “I know this isn’t going to be the last time you have to reconcile being a parent and a partner, but from now on, we will work through those fears together. And if you push, I’ll push back. I’m not sure what else I can do to prove to you that I’m all-in here.”
“Move in with us,” Noah blurted before he even realized what he was saying. But now that the words were out there, he didn’t want to take them back. “I know it’s probably way too soon, and we’re not back on steady ground yet, but I don’t want to spend another night away from you.”
Luke groaned as he turned to his side as much as his battered body would allow. He brushed the backs of his fingers over Noah’s cheek. “If this is you being scared that I’ll run away, don’t be. I want to be here with you and Eli more than just about anything, but that doesn’t mean we need to make a huge step like that.”
“It’s not about being scared.” That might have been a small part, but it had so much more to do with moments like this. Being able to look to his right and see Luke next to him. Watching as Luke kissed his son goodnight. “Thinking I lost you did scare me because I realized I don’t ever want to be without you. I was miserable, and Eli didn’t understand why you weren’t here. Am I still worried something could happen? Sure. But I’m not going to let that dictate my life anymore. If this is what’s going to make all three of us happy, I don’t see a reason to wait some arbitrary length of time before asking you. You’re it for me.”
When he finally looked up, Luke had tears in his eyes. Noah swiped them away. He leaned in to give Luke a chaste kiss. “The real question is if you can trust me enough to do something others might see as impulsive and reckless.”
Luke’s fingers dug into the back of Noah’s neck. He pressed their foreheads together. “Fuck other people.”
“I’m pretty sure the whole point here is to not do that,” Noah teased. “Does that mean you’re in?”
“Already told you I am. For better or worse, I’m pretty sure you’re stuck with me.” The kiss he planted on Noah was anything but sweet. It was hard and demanding, his tongue delving into Noah’s mouth as soon as his lips parted.
His hand drifted to Noah’s cock. He knew he needed to stop him, but it was so good to feel Luke touching him. He grabbed Luke’s wrist. “Babe, we can’t tonight.”
“This hand isn’t broken,” Luke protested. “And as impressive as your dick is, I’m pretty sure I can take care of you without the other one.”
Noah laughed. He loved this about Luke. They had fun together. The sex didn’t feel perfunctory. He wasn’t going through the motions, hoping he stayed hard until it was over. “I’m not saying we won’t do anything until the cast comes off, but you were in the hospital just a few hours ago. Let’s wait until you can move without flinching, okay?”
“That sounds like a horrible idea.” The pout he gave was so uncharacteristically Luke that Noah chuckled.
“No.” Noah had to hold strong. If he let Luke give him a hand job, he’d push for more. “And the more you beg me, the longer I might make you wait.”
He wasn’t into orgasm denial or edging, but he needed to get through to Luke that they weren’t going to fool around right now. Make-up sex would be great, but not if it risked putting him in more pain.
“You’re no fun.” He balled his fist around the blankets, pulling them to his chest. “I know you’re right, but it’s been too damned long.”
“And when you’re healthy, we’ll make up for lost time,” Noah reassured him. He realized Luke hadn’t actually given him an answer to his question. “Now, the only question is if we’ll be able to be a bit more spontaneous when the urge strikes. Will you move in?”
“Hmm, let me think about it.” He dragged his thumb over his bottom lip, staring into the distance as if deep in thought. “Your mattress is way better than mine, so yeah, I suppose I could bring some of my stuff over here.”
When Noah’s expression fell, Luke busted out laughing. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. As long as we stay on the same page and promise to talk to one another when something’s bugging us, I think we’ll be just fine.”
“Agreed.” As comfortable as he was, Noah still needed to run downstairs. He sighed as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “Do you need anything else while I’m grabbing your meds?”
“Just you to hurry back.” Luke wiggled his way lower on the bed, rolling cautiously to his side. “Fuck. Everything hurts.”
“And that’s exactly why we’re not fooling around tonight.” Noah paused on the other side of the bed, bending to kiss Luke. The reminder was as much for himself as his partner. “We’ve got plenty of time once you’re feeling better.”
“The rest of our lives,” Luke murmured, already fighting sleep.
Noah chalked the comment up to Luke’s pain but he liked the sound of a potential forever with him.