Fire in the Hole

  Stepping over to the door, she greeted him with a good-morning kiss that did far more to wake her up than the coffee had. “Good morning.”

  He smiled. “Can I make you anything for breakfast?”

  “I’m okay. I’ll grab something later.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  She thought about it. He was offering. “Okay, sure. Whatever you feel like making.”

  His smile widened. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  She pulled him in for another kiss before he could leave. “Where are the boys?”

  “Over at Wylie’s. Mark’s teaching him how to use the front-end loader.”

  She snickered. “I know I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s funny.”

  “Yeah, Wylie’s trying so hard. He’s learned a lot, though.”

  They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. “Two weeks, huh?”

  “At least.”

  She leaned against the doorway. “Part of me says this is right, and give it a chance, and part of me is saying I fucked up with Steve, which is proof I need to be alone for a while longer.”

  “Which part is winning?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Which part do you want to win?”

  “Whichever part won’t screw up my future life.”

  * * * *

  By Sunday evening, Brad knew Lara was mostly unpacked. At least, she was mostly unpacked with the things she’d need immediately. Boxes of DVDs and books sat in the corner of the family room, and some of them had been unpacked onto shelves in the formal living room, where they’d put her bookcases.

  She still hadn’t asked him to hang the pictures for her, and he didn’t press the issue, knowing he needed to give her time and space.

  She had, he proudly noted, enjoyed the pancakes, eggs, and bacon he’d made her for breakfast. Maybe if he could spoil her in little ways, she’d swing hard toward the staying side of the pendulum.

  After dinner that evening, which she helped cook, Brad had to take Jacob home. She opted to stay behind, while Mark went with them. It was when they were alone on the way back that Mark spoke up.

  “What do we have to do to talk her into staying, Dad?”

  “Just be ourselves. If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

  “I really like her. Sorry we weren’t around when you had to leave yesterday.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “Do you think Mom will like her?”

  “I don’t know. I hope so, not that it matters to me if she does or not.”

  Mark went silent for a few minutes. “Do you think Mom’ll be okay when we break the news to her on Wednesday?”

  “I know she’s supportive of the LGBTQ community. And she’s got friends and co-workers who are—”

  “I meant when we tell her Lara’s living with us.”

  Fortunately, he’d hit a red light, so it gave him a moment to focus on Mark. “She’s just our roommate. Our…tenant.”

  Mark arched an eyebrow at him.

  “Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. For now,” Brad mumbled as the light turned green.

  Sometimes, he suspected his son was smarter than him.

  * * * *

  Lara barely had time to think from Monday to Wednesday, much less stress out over the upcoming dinner with Brad’s ex. And she hadn’t had further contact from Steve, either. Eve had confirmed that going after a restraining order likely wouldn’t succeed without more action on Steve’s part first, so Lara dropped that idea.

  Eve reported Steve had bonded out late Saturday evening and had a hearing date scheduled in three weeks. Based on Eve’s friend’s experience, and Steve’s lack of an arrest record, the SA would likely let him plead out to a lesser charge in the misdemeanor range and fine him, or probation, without further jail time.

  But it was a start. If Steve tried to mess with her again, they had a paper trail now, and future incidents wouldn’t be looked on as lightly.

  Lara headed straight to the restaurant—Mama Suarez’s—from work.

  Another pleasant irony, it was one of Brad and Mark’s favorite restaurants. Hence why they’d happened to show up there the previous Wednesday.

  That has to be a good sign, right?

  Brad, Mark, and Jacob were already there when Lara arrived, but Breanna wasn’t.

  “She got caught in traffic, Ma’am,” Brad explained when he stood to give her a hello kiss and pull her chair out for her. “She texted a few minutes ago. She’s about ten minutes out.”

  “Okay.” Jacob looked nervous. She reached over the table and patted his hands. “This’ll be okay. I feel it.”

  He nodded but didn’t reply.

  She suspected from the way Mark’s arm moved that he’d reached under the table to pat Jacob’s leg to comfort him.

  They were adorable together.

  The thought of them possibly one day getting caught up in violence, like what had happened at the Pulse nightclub, broke her heart.

  The thought that, in the past, all of the victims had also been adorable teens simply wanting to live their lives in peace and seeking happiness.

  “Everett said I need to look into getting a concealed carry permit,” Lara said to Brad. “Can you help me do that?”

  “Sure. I think he’s right, by the way.”

  “I know he is. That mess with Steve weirded me out. But I’m not sure I could carry a gun and shoot someone.”

  “Well, Florida’s permit allows people to carry non-lethal weapons, too.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Batons, stun-guns—”

  “Batons?”

  “Yeah. Like collapsible batons. You can fit one in your pocket, but they’re wicked.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Because that might be where I need to start until I can get a gun and become proficient with it. I have no problem hitting someone. Just ask Everett. We used to do SCA events together.”

  “There’s a gun show this weekend in Bradenton. They usually have concealed carry classes there. Want to go?”

  “I’m working Saturday morning. How about Sunday?”

  “Sounds great.” He smiled, and she realized how much she loved seeing him smile.

  Breanna arrived a few minutes later. The woman wore her long, blonde hair pulled back in a professional ponytail at the base of her neck. She also wore a business suit with a skirt, and flats. Her makeup was tasteful, but restrained.

  “Hey, everyone. Sorry I’m late.” She swooped in to hug Mark, then Jacob, shaking with Brad.

  She focused on Lara and held out her hand. “Hi, Breanna Stoltemyer. Mark’s mom.” Her smile didn’t look forced, either.

  “Nice to meet you. Lara Cannon.”

  Breanna immediately took the seat on Mark’s other side, which happened to be at the end of the table between Mark and Brad, who sat on Lara’s left.

  As she sat, she giggled, looking around. In a deep voice, she said, “I’ve gathered you all together here today…” which made Mark and Brad start laughing. Lara and Jacob smiled, and when the boy looked across the table to Lara, she sent him a wink.

  Obviously, this was an old family joke the two of them weren’t in on.

  Breanna picked up her menu and let out a sigh. “So what’s the special tonight, guys? I’m starving.”

  “First,” Brad said, “we need to get something out of the way.”

  A frown flitted across her features. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, for starters,” Brad said, “Lara’s living with us for now. Don’t know if it’ll be permanent or not, or if it’ll develop into more between us, but I wanted full transparency. We’ve always agreed not to hide it from each other if we’re dating, because of Mark.”

  Breanna laid down her menu and offered Lara a warm smile. “Congratulations. I swear he’s not a serial killer. But did he warn you he and Mark are annoying morning people?”

  Lara couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I got that me
mo.”

  “You said for starters.” Breanna clasped her hands and rested them on the table in front of her. “What’s the second topic of discussion?”

  Brad sent Mark a glance, and it took Mark a moment to finally point back to his father.

  Meanwhile, Lara could tell the boys were holding hands under the table, much the way they had Friday night during the reveal.

  Brad reached over and found Lara’s hand under the table. “Well, I’m not going to drag it out. Mark’s gay. Jacob is his boyfriend.”

  Breanna looked confused. “Okaaay. And?”

  Lara fought the urge to bust out laughing and managed to conceal it.

  “That’s it,” Brad said.

  Breana focused on the boys. “You’d better be using condoms—”

  “Ahem.” Brad raised an eyebrow at her. “I’ve asked them to…wait a while before doing anything that requires their use.”

  “Or, for crying out loud, we were teenagers.” But she didn’t sound angry.

  “I know, but I’ve already sat them down and explained STIs in graphic detail to them, and the importance of knowing someone’s medical history and insisting on test results.”

  Breanna snorted and leaned in conspiratorially toward Mark. “How uncomfortable was that?”

  Mark nodded, going pink in the face.

  She patted his shoulder. “In all seriousness, okay, maybe your dad’s right. Don’t rush things if that horse isn’t out of the barn already.” She scowled. “Or is it cows out of the barn?”

  “Horse,” Mark and Brad both said.

  “Ah. Okay. I love you, and literally, so what if you’re gay? I went through seventeen painful hours of labor to bring you into this world, and if you think something like that will make me stop loving you, think again.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Her tone turned serious once more. “I am worried about your safety. Both of you. Please, promise me you’ll be careful. There are plenty of jerks out there.”

  The boys nodded.

  She leaned in to kiss Mark’s cheek. “Now, is that the full agenda of tonight’s meeting? Or can we get some salsa and chips, because I’m starving.”

  * * * *

  Breanna was going to drop Jacob off at home before Mark went home with her for the night. She’d take Mark to his summer school classes in the morning.

  As Brad drove them home, Lara left her hand resting on his thigh, his hand covering hers.

  “I’m glad Breanna took that so well,” Lara said.

  “Me, too. I thought she probably would. I know Mark thinks she’s kind of flighty sometimes, but she’s not a bad mom.”

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  He shrugged. “It’s the truth. I refuse to put my son in the middle of things like a chew toy. He loves her. It’s not like she was a horrible person or cheated on me or anything. We simply grew apart.”

  “She seems like a nice person.”

  “She is.” He glanced her way. “I hope you don’t mind we sometimes have her over for dinner, or she comes over for holidays.”

  “No, that won’t bother me.”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  “So much for our chaperone tonight.”

  He lightly squeezed her hand. “I was literally just thinking that.”

  “Good thing we both have to be up early for work in the morning.”

  “I’m up now,” he muttered.

  She perked up. “Reeeaally?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Well, maybe tonight someone can sit on the floor and give me a really nice foot rub.”

  She wasn’t sure the noise he made wasn’t a whimper. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Did that just get you up a little more?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  She grinned. “Good. Glad to know I’m not the only one with blue balls.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The gun show went well. Brad sat in on the class with Lara and she received her certificate of completion. Now all she’d have to do was get the rest of the requirements taken care of and submit everything. Filling out the form, getting her fingerprints taken, and then a passport picture.

  As they looked around the show floor, Brad showed her different guns he thought would be a good fit for her, and explained why. While she was purchasing a collapsible baton from one vendor, Brad was looking over a handgun at a table across the aisle. By the time she’d finished her purchase and turned, he was digging his wallet out of the back of his pants and producing a credit card, his driver’s license, and another ID she realized was his concealed carry permit.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m buying myself another gun, Ma’am.”

  “Uh, why?”

  “Because I want to.” He smirked. “You can use it to practice until you decide what you want to carry and buy one for yourself. Also, Mark will enjoy shooting it at the range.”

  She silently fumed, suspecting he’d just purchased her a gun.

  Before they’d left, he’d also purchased a couple of different holsters for it, a storage case, ammo, extra magazines, and had instructed her on what ear muffs and safety glasses to get for her practice time.

  They were finally returning to the truck when she confronted him. “They literally covered in class that it’s illegal to buy a gun for someone who isn’t qualified to have one. What’s it called…straw man purchase?”

  He smirked. “I bought myself a gun. I have a concealed carry permit. I am qualified. The nine millimeter I carry isn’t always practical. This is a .380. It’s lighter.”

  “And you’ll basically give it to me to use.”

  “There’s nothing illegal about that, either. It’s not illegal to own a handgun without a concealed carry permit, and it’s not illegal to shoot one, either. It’s not even illegal to transport one or have it loaded in your home.”

  His sexy, playful smirk melted her panties as much as it annoyed her. He leaned in close to kiss her. “Ma’am, if we’re together long-term like I hope, my guns will be your guns, too. Community property.” He opened the passenger door for her, waiting for her to climb in.

  Aaand that’s when she realized her guy might be submissive to her, but he damn sure was an Alpha.

  And, she realized, she liked it.

  * * * *

  Everett walked over later that afternoon to invite them to have dinner with them.

  “And what are you doing next Saturday?”

  “Nothing, I don’t think. Why?”

  “We’re having our collaring at a friend’s house. You’re welcomed to come.”

  Mark wasn’t back from his weekend at his mom’s house yet, so they could talk openly. “Is that the kinky stuff we were talking about?”

  “It’s an unofficial wedding of sorts,” Ev confirmed. “Like a commitment ceremony. Don’t worry, it’s not a play party. It’s just dinner.”

  “I’d like to go, Ma’am,” Brad chimed in from where he was currently sitting on the floor and rubbing her feet.

  God, she could barely think when he did that. It felt so damn good. “Okay. Just let us know where and what time.”

  “Oh, can you guys drive me? I kind of want to surprise Wylie with what I’ll be wearing. He’ll drive himself, and we’ll ride home together later.”

  “Oooh, so I’m sort of helping give you away?” She grinned.

  “Kind of, but not exactly.”

  “Sure.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m really happy for you two. So when’s the wedding-wedding?”

  “Eh, we want to give that a few more months. We haven’t been living together very long.”

  After he left, she patted the couch for Brad to sit next to her. Once he did, she laid her head in his lap and stared up at him. “Will Mark be here that night?”

  “No, he’s supposed to be at Breanna’s. I needed to switch weekends with her. She’s got a business trip coming up.” He laced fingers with her. “So, here’s a question.”

/>   “Shoot.”

  “In the past, if I have to go out of town, she usually stays here with him, so he can take care of the stock and his chores and stuff. Should I have her do that, or would you be okay being here with Mark?”

  She thought about it. “I’m okay with either option. But some Saturdays, I have to work.”

  “That’s okay, I’m not worried about during the day. Another year or so, and I won’t mind him being alone for a weekend. Especially with Wylie and Everett across the road.”

  “I don’t mind. I mean, if she suddenly turned bitchy or something, that’d be a problem.”

  “No, she’s not like that.”

  She stared up into his eyes. “Next Saturday marks two weeks.”

  His brown gaze met hers, steady, strong. “I know, Ma’am,” he said.

  “Honestly? I don’t want to wait that long.” In fact, the more time she spent with Brad, and Mark, the more convinced she was that this was the right call.

  What she had with Brad felt totally different than her relationship with Steve, and so similar in the good ways to what she’d had with Everett.

  Minus the husband being secretly gay part.

  “I know, Ma’am. Me, either.” He raised her hand to his mouth and feathered his lips over it. “But I’m a man of my word. And just think about how eager I’ll be for you by waiting another week.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

  * * * *

  Lara didn’t know why she felt so nervous. It wasn’t like it was their first date, technically.

  Although, other than the normal stress from the move, the last two weeks had been the best of her life.

  Tonight they took her car—at Brad’s suggestion, not hers—to drive Everett to the collaring ceremony.

  She would have been just as happy in Brad’s truck, but Brad had made a valid point that the Cadi would make a better impression for the men’s big day.

  But she let Brad drive, and Everett opted to ride in the back seat despite her offering shotgun to him.

  “So these are the people you said have dinner every week at Sigalo’s?” she asked.

  “There, and the once-a-month munch. That moves around.”