Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

in time, though."
    "High school kids are mostly assholes. There's a guy at my college like that. I broke his nose last week."
    "Gasp! Lukas Blake, falling in love and getting in fights? Mom's right. You have lost your mind."
    "For six years she's been telling me to stop and smell the roses and all, and now she complains when I do?"
    "She said roses, not— whatever flower smells like a locker room."
    I chuckled. "Alan never smells like a locker room."
    "Don't wanna know, dude."
    "So you're not upset?"
    Will shrugged again and checked his mirrors. "Why-can't-you-be-more-like Lukas is gay. It's kind of a hoot. Oughtta get her off my ass for a while."
    "You know she gets on you because she loves you. You shouldn't—"
    "Don't lecture me, Lukas. I'm not the one who made her cry for three days. Not this week anyway."
    Damn.
    "I'm not gay, so you know. I'm bi." I grinned. "My boyfriend's gay." I could use “boyfriend,” I figured, seeing how we'd spent the weekend.
    "Hurray for him. So does he wear a frilly apron and bake cookies?"
    "Actually, he likes rock-climbing. Do you know how long Mom is planning on staying? I'm off school this week and I know some good climbers. Maybe I could scare up a fourth and we could head out to Two-Face."
    His hands shifted on the wheel. "Tell me about Two-Face."
    We drove out of the rain as I told him about the routes, and the times I'd been up it. When it was getting dark we came on a detour because of a washed out bridge, but Will slowed appropriately and followed the signs, so I kept an eye on Mom and kept talking, telling him about the traverse I'd made to secure Brad's rope, with Alan hanging off the cliff face to belay me.
    "Watch that deer," I interrupted myself to say. "And be aware he probably has friends."
    "I got it. So what did this idiot do, set his pro too light?"
    "He had a cam walk out, but other things failed too. I never asked how he screwed up that badly, but I think maybe they were hurrying to beat us to the top. Janelle had— taken a dislike to Alan."
    "So he's pretty?" Will asked. "Chicks love gay dudes unless they're too pretty."
    I snickered and glanced back at Mom just as the deer tried it. Mom's car plowed into three hundred pounds of live animal at forty miles per hour.
    "Shit! Pull over!"
    "What?" Will looked in his mirror and his jaw tightened. He pulled over onto the shoulder. I grabbed my first aid kit and handed him my phone.
    "You're communications," I said, and ran for my mom's car.
    Mom was shaken but she seemed okay. I made her stay put until an ambulance came, but they checked her out and said she was all right and also that her car was built like a tank and left us. The police officer took a report and walked back to his car to write it up, the tow-truck driver dragged Mom's car up onto his truck, and we were left in the dark on the side of the road. I'd given my jacket to my mom, but she was still shivering. I wrapped an arm around her and led her to my truck and helped her in. When I tried to get in on the passenger side, though, Mom balked.
    "You drive, Lukas. I have had more than enough trauma today."
    Over the cab of the truck I looked at Will. He rolled his eyes and we changed places. Once we were back on the road Mom laid her head on my shoulder. "It came out of nowhere," she said for about the twentieth time. "I had no chance to avoid it!"
    "I know, Mom," I said. I gave Will a look and he again refrained from saying that we'd seen it.
    "I've never hit a deer before. I haven't had an accident in twenty years!"
    "It's not your fault deer are dumb, Mom. The insurance guy knows you're a good driver. He said not to worry."
    When Mom had calmed down a bit I had Will call Lilia and tell her we'd been delayed. A few minutes after that, Mom fell asleep on my shoulder. Under a stoplight I saw Will look at her and roll his eyes. He saw me seeing.
    "I'm not Lukas," he said softly, "but I'm not chopped liver either."
    "Habit," I said. "She's been leaning on me a long time."
    "That, and she knows she can always trust you. Lukas doesn't need a turn at freaking out." He grinned. "Until now."
    "I didn't 'freak out,' I fell in love. And it's starting to really piss me off that if I'd just fallen in love with someone named 'Alana,' everyone would be delighted."
    "Not me, bro." Will pried Mom off me and tucked her against his chest. "I'm loving this."
    Mom woke up when Will carried her into the house, of course. Then we had to tell Lilia everything and there was