Stars & Stripes Read Online Free PDF Page A

foot drop. And any of Dad’s tools that are sharp enough to impale you are in the other shed.”
    “You’re a ray of sunshine and optimism, you know that?”
    Deuce mimicked Ty’s actions, testing the roof with one foot. They made their way out onto the tin, taking great care to stay on the line of nails that indicated the supporting beams below. “Speaking of optimism, how are things going with you and Zane?”
    “Too good to be true,” Ty said as he edged along the narrow line of safety.
    “Did you bring him with you for a reason?”
    “Stop psychoanalyzing me,” Ty said, sing-song, as he glanced up and then back down at the roof.
    “That’s a yes,” Deuce replied in the same tone.
    “Maybe it is, but as soon as I stepped through the door, I changed my mind.” Ty continued toward the edge of the building, being less careful than he should have been. “Dad was right, I’m a coward.”
    “Bullshit, Ty. You’ll get there.”
    Ty glanced at his brother and nodded.
    When he reached the edge, he knelt down and smiled crookedly at Zane, giving him a quick wink. Zane returned his smile. Ty almost got lost in it, but he was distracted by his father giving them orders.
    “We’re gonna tear the whole thing up and replace anything that’s rotted,” Earl said as he handed Ty a crowbar.
    Ty and Deuce both groaned, but they followed with a matching, “Yes, sir.” And then they got to work, yanking up the old tin roof and tossing the pieces down to the ground.
    The faster they finished this disaster waiting to happen, the faster Ty could get down there to Zane and work himself up into confessing the truth to his family.
     

     
    It wasn’t until they were washing up for dinner that Zane was able to get Ty alone, cornering him in the tiny bathroom upstairs. The first thing Zane did was pull Ty to him and kiss him, long and hard, letting Ty’s scent and the feel of him wipe away all the tension he’d built up in the past few days. He pulled Ty close, appreciating every ounce of him, letting himself be turned on by the smell of sweat and damp earth clinging to Ty’s body.
    When they parted, Zane’s heart was pounding and Ty was trying to catch his breath.
    “I’ve been thinking,” Ty said as he pressed his nose to Zane’s cheek.
    “Not your strong suit.”
    “Oh, look who’s funny,” Ty said, though he was smiling against Zane’s skin. He pulled back a step to meet Zane’s eyes. “I’m serious. What would you think of telling my parents about us?”
    Zane’s heart leapt into his throat. “You want to come out to your mom and dad?”
    Ty licked his lips and nodded. “I want you to be part of the family. You deserve that. We deserve it.”
    Zane began to smile.
    “I just . . . I don’t know how. I don’t know if I have the guts to do it.”
    “Baby, I think deciding you want to is a pretty big step. We’ll figure it out.” He kissed Ty languidly, breathless and distracted by the heat growing between them that wouldn’t be addressed soon enough. “Thank you.”
    “What for?”
    “I know what a big deal that is. I know what you’ve been through. Thank you for thinking I’m worth it.”
    Ty stared at him for a long moment, then kissed him again, harder. They lingered over it, taking their time, letting themselves enjoy the brief moment.
    “You better get cleaned up,” Zane finally said as he pushed Ty away and headed for the door. He didn’t look back. If he did, he and Ty would end up screwing in the shower, and that would be so very hard to explain.
    He headed for the landing, meeting Deuce at the top of the stairs with a knowing grin and following him down to the kitchen. Ty wasn’t far behind them. It was a glimpse into what it might have been like to grow up here, to have a family that was so close, a mother who hugged at every opportunity, a brother who was more like an accomplice than a sibling. It made Zane’s stomach cramp to think of all the ways life could have been