Chapter Two
Silver peeked around the corner watching as Layland, if that was his real name, got in his car and drove off. Leaning back against the wall, he closed his eyes, hoping to stop his tears from falling.
That was so embarrassing. He couldn't keep living like this.
Once he was sure everyone who witnessed his embarrassment was gone, he stepped out of his hiding spot and started the thirty-minute walk home. Three weeks ago, Silver had to sell his car to pay for his mother's new medication and past and present hospital visits. A little over a year ago his mom, Avery, was diagnosed with stage three Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Avery had always been a vibrant, healthy woman. She liked walking to work every day, ate organic, and did everything right. But like every human being, she had her one vice: smoking. Her illness started out slow and the doctors diagnosed and treated Avery for asthma since she had shortness of breath, chest pains, and wheezing. For some time, she was unable to do the things she loved. Everyone thought Avery was managing her symptoms and was getting back to normal until one day at work she had to be rushed to the hospital because of a severe attack. Nothing the doctors did seemed to be working until Silver told on Avery for being a smoker. Silver wasn't sure how she did it, but his mom hid her cigarette habit from her doctors.
Things got pretty bad after the official diagnosis. Silver thought about how easy and carefree his life was a year or so ago. His only worry was trying to get into medical school; Silver was working on his bachelor's in science and working part-time. He wasn't born into a wealthy family and started working when he was able to. Before Avery got sick, she worked at the supermarket where he experienced his embarrassing situation earlier. Silver worked at fast food joints until he started college. Even with student loans and working part-time, he didn't have enough to pay for classes and food afterward. That's when he found out about 'Perfect Dates' escort services from a friend.
Chapter One
Layland walked down the supermarket aisle trying to figure out what to buy. He was going to Tucker and Lucas's home for dinner.
Since they got married three years earlier, Tucker and Lucas have been trying to get everyone in their world hitched and saddled with kids. It was as if they were working their way through the FBI. First, it was Erich Meadows who got married to Lucas's former assistant, Mathew Shaw, then Terry Anderson, who married one of their co-workers, Micheal Zong. The list was getting longer as the years went by and Layland appeared to be the odd man out, the one they were still having a hard time finding a match for.
Layland was not going to rush the process, but he was of the mindset that if and when it happened, he wouldn't fight fate. If he met someone he connected with, he wouldn't hesitate to pursue a relationship with them.
Walking over to the bakery, Layland picked up cookies for the twins Ryan and Wyatt, and cupcakes for his favorite girl, Zoinida, making a mental note to stop by the wine shop to get something strong for the adults. Layland was happy for Tucker and Lucas after everything they had been through. He couldn't imagine going through the pain Tucker went through and honestly did not want to. Tucker had lost his wife and child in a car accident, not to mention Lucas lost his wife to cancer. Both men lost women they loved but in the end, found love and comfort in each other as well as building a wonderful family that most would be jealous of.
Layland and Tucker were the same age, but he'd always viewed the other man as an older brother, even though, in the beginning, they did not get along. Tucker thought he was an ass-kisser and Layland thought Tucker had a stick permanently lodged up his ass. Not only that, it always seemed as if they were in competition with each other since their time as training agents. Looking back, it was more of a friendly rivalry than anything else.