Which meant by the time he headed up the stairs to Luke’s house, there was a healthy collection of trucks outside. Luke would get a kick out of having all his friends there to celebrate his birthday, and Tucker was damn glad he got to join in this year.
It was the one thing about having a birthday in the winter he'd grown to really dislike. All the kids who had summertime birthdays complained because they never got to have their school friends around. Having a summertime birthday would have meant Tucker celebrating with the Stones.
Truth came in many forms. Him being here in Silver Stone now was nearly the best almost-birthday present he could have asked for.
He took a deep breath of the crisp wintery air in satisfaction.
One step into the house, and happiness struck even harder as he breathed in the savory scent on the air, and the sound of laughter echoing through the room filled his ears.
“Finally.” Luke came forward with a hand outstretched to welcome him in. He called over his shoulder into the kitchen. “Pull the food out. Tucker's here.”
“You shouldn't have waited for me,” Tucker scolded. But he pulled Luke into an embrace and patted him firmly on the back. “Happy birthday, old man.”
“You're such a jerk,” Luke muttered. “Old man, my ass.”
Tucker let him go and handed him a wrapped package. “I hear old people start to lose their eyesight. All that squinting into the sun. Maybe this will help.”
Walker stepped forward, greeting Tucker and laughing softly. “I always heard it was something else that made guys lose their eyesight.”
“Not as much of that needed these days, for any of us,” Luke quipped before groaning dramatically as he smacked a palm against his forehead. “Dear God, I just made a sex joke to the man involved with my sister.”
“I told you, you have issues.” Ginny’s voice carried across the room along with a whole lot of feminine laughter.
Luke ignored her and unwrapped his present, whistling softly when he discovered a set of compact binoculars. “Very nice. Thanks.”
“Leave them in your saddlebag. Then you won’t have to keep asking me to identify our animals when we're more than twenty paces away,” Tucker suggested with a drawl.
Luke patted him on the shoulder, then turned him into the crowded room.
There were a lot of familiar faces. People Tucker had gotten to know over the past months, including Tamara’s three brothers-in-law.
Ginny came and tucked herself under his arm. “Glad you made it.”
“No way on earth was I going to miss this.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and spoke softly, for her ears only. “This is a milestone. Getting to be here, I mean.”
She gave him a squeeze then pushed him toward the kitchen where everyone loaded up plates. It seemed the first order of the evening was to eat as much pizza, chicken wings, and other teenage menu items as possible. Dessert was individual-sized dirt cakes—chocolate pudding mixed with rich cake, with gummy worms and candy insects scattered on the surface of each cup.
It was only after they were sated that the rest of the presents came out.
Tucker paid barely any attention as Luke unwrapped his gifts, more interested in watching Ginny. She sat in his lap, speaking quietly to Tamara’s youngest sister, Julia.
Tucker was warm and relaxed, belly full of food that could only be considered high calorie treats. His woman leaned against his side as she chatted. Comfortable, as Tucker trailed his fingers up and down her thigh in a teasing caress.
Every time he stroked a little higher, until he slid his fingertips over her ass on every pass. Her cheeks slowly brightened with heat.
Oh, yeah, this was fun.
“Hey, Tucker.”
Tucker glanced away from Ginny’s flushed face to find Luke rolling his eyes. Annoying Luke was a bonus if anything. “Yeah?”
His friend thrust forward a package. “This one's got your name on it.”
What? “Really?”
“Really.” Luke shook it slightly, rising to close the distance between them. “Here. It's your name, see? Tucker. Plain as day.”
Tucker eyed the box with confusion. “Yes, I understand it’s got my name on it. But why?”
“Hell if I know, but I’m not opening it.” Luke shoved the thing against Tucker’s chest then let go, forcing him to grab it or let the box fall.
A small sound escaped Ginny.
Tucker glanced at her, suspicion rising. “What did you do?”
She pressed a hand to her chest, jaw dropping slightly to an O position. “Moi?”
“Yes, toi. Malicieux.”
“Me, mischievous?” Ginny laughed out loud, scrambling off his lap and settling on the coffee table in front of him. “Well, maybe. Now open it.”
Everyone had stopped what they were doing to come watch. Tucker shrugged and unwrapped the box.
Inside was a face mask with green light panels and a water pistol that was too heavy and shiny to be for water. “Oh my God, really?”
Luke clapped his hands and used an announcer voice to be heard over the chatting. “I challenge all of you, but especially Tucker, to the ultimate laser-tag birthday throw down.”
“May the best birthday boy win,” Ginny added.
“Or at least die with their boots on,” Caleb offered.
Chaos reigned for the next few minutes as Luke explained the rules—three lives, hits would register on the gun or facemask, masks on at all times—then everyone who wanted a try with the laser guns reached into a bag to pull out a number with the order for play.
Julia’s husband, Zach, did something to the TV, and suddenly there was a split screen showing three different views of a strangely lit place that looked vaguely familiar.
“Is that your basement?” Tucker asked.
Luke nodded, slipping head gear onto his forehead and pointing toward the stairs. “We stapled cardboard to the bare wall studs, so it’s more of a maze than a basement right now. But don’t lean too hard on anything or you’ll break through, and that’s not going to be pretty.”
Tucker shook his head in disbelief. He had wanted to play laser tag forever. So damn awesome.
“You are going down,” he said conversationally to Luke. “Just so you know.”
Luke threw back his head and yowled evilly before offering Tucker a death stare. “Bring it.”
Tucker raised one brow.
His friend snickered. “Okay, everyone not playing this round, sit and enjoy the show.”
Round one began. In addition to Tucker and Luke, there were four more players—Dustin, Josiah, Karen Coleman and Tansy Fields.
At the bottom of the stairs, Tucker paused to admire the amount of work that had gone into the set up. Three different sized openings led into the basement proper. Music rose around them to a hard, pounding beat that would cover any noises. On a microphone so he was clearly audible, Zach’s voice carried on the air. “Team one—Karen, Tucker, Josiah. Face masks in place, then enter the maze now.”
The three of them saluted each other, then slipped into the semi-darkness.
Tucker’s heart pounded, and he was pretty damn sure his cheeks were going to hurt from grinning so hard. His laser gun had three bright green stripes along the barrel, and a green glow shone from his head.