Winter Boys: Tommy
Tommy
The Winter Boys Book Two
Sean Michael
Contents
Winter Boys: Tommy
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
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Coming Soon — Troy
Coming Soon — Stress and the Modern Dad
About Sean Michael
Also by Sean Michael
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Winter Boys: Tommy
Copyright 2019 by Sean Michael
All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Sean Michael, 2515 Bank St., P.O. Box 40001, Ottawa, ON, K1V 0W8.
Cover by Morgan Tweed
Printed in Canada
ISBN: 978-1-77423-007-7
First electronic edition September 2019
Created with Vellum
Winter Boys: Tommy
Meet the Winter boys – Todd, Tommy and Troy. Can these triplets each find their happily ever after?
Tommy is a cop in Ottawa. He likes his job a lot because he enjoys helping people. It doesn’t leave him a lot of time to meet guys, though, as he often takes extra shifts to help out the officers on the job who have families. All that changes, though, when an old academy friend gives him a call and asks him to check in on the ex-husband of a famous actress.
Ian Fitzhugh loves his life. He married his best friend and they had three children together before she hit it big as an actress. They’re both now out and happy, and Ian has custody of the kids in Ottawa while Elaine lives the Hollywood life. Unfortunately, that life includes stalkers, and when Elaine’s discovers her ex and their kids in Ottawa, Ian isn’t ready for the ramifications of losing their quiet life.
Tommy and Ian feel an attraction immediately, but Elaine’s stalker isn’t going to give them time to gradually get to know each other. Instead, they’re thrown into a trial by fire. Can they find their way through the danger to each other?
1
Tommy Winter left his patrol car in the hospital parking lot and made his way to the cafeteria to meet his older sister Stephanie for a quick bite. Well, who knew what Steph would have, but he’d managed to skip lunch and, at this point, wanted more than just a cup of coffee, which he shared once or twice a week with Steph.
There was a bit of a skip in his step today. He’d just spoken with his triplets, and Todd was back together with the love of his life, Simon. It made Tommy happy, knowing how happy Todd was. He was the only one of the three of them who’d ever been serious about anyone, and he knew how much it had hurt Todd to lose Simon in the first place. It was crazy but great that they’d found each other again.
A quick scan of the cafeteria proved that Steph wasn’t waiting for him yet, so he went ahead and got in line, scanning the board for today’s specials. Butter chicken with rice and naan. Well, that would either be delicious or bland and not so great. He sniffed, trying to get a feel for it from its smell. Of course, he’d had butter chicken from his friend Doti’s mom’s kitchen, there was no way hospital cafeteria butter chicken would be even close to that.
“What do you want, love?” asked the lady in a hairnet behind the counter.
“I’ll just have a burger, please.”
“With the fries?”
“Yeah.” They went together, right?
“Okay, it’ll just be a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” He went and found himself a Coke and a massive cookie for dessert. At the last minute, he grabbed an apple, too, hoping that would stave off any lectures from Steph.
She could be so obsessive about food and her baby brothers.
He saw her coming from a mile away—bright pink scrubs, her hair up in pigtails with sparkly ribbons.
He laughed, and she caught his gaze, giving him a huge grin and then a warm hug once she’d reached him.
“Hey, Officer Buddy!” she teased. “How goes?”
“I’m not bad actually—did you hear the news about Todd?”
“His I’m-getting-laid news? I totally did.”
“It’s more than that!” Todd was in love and it made Tommy stupidly happy.
“You are a romantic.” Steph smiled at him. “Seriously. How has no one plucked you up yet?”
“Romantic? Me?” He snorted. “I’m a cynic.” But he wanted his brother to be happy.
“You are the sweetest cop in history.”
“Shut up.” He knocked their shoulders together. “Come on. My burger is going to be ready any minute—what do you want?”
“An orange juice and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
“Weirdo.” It sounded good, though. Too bad his burger was already done. He grabbed it from the counter. Oh damn, it smelled good. He changed his mind about the burger not being his first choice—he could have peanut butter and jelly at home.
They finally settled, and he got a chance to look at Steph. She seemed happy—tired, but happy.
“You’re looking good, Steph. Seriously. It’s like the sparkles come from the inside.” Oh God, that had been cheesy. Especially for him.
“Butthead.” She winked at him, but the blush was so pleased.
“I could have said it looked like a unicorn barfed on you,” he noted.
“It makes people smile, hmm?”
“I’m not ragging on you. I promise. And yeah, it does.” There were days he thought it would be fun to be able to do something like that in his job. Most of the time, he needed intimidating and/or authoritative, though, rather than amusing.
“Are you coming to supper Sunday night? The kids would love to see you.”
“And I’d love to see them. I’ll be there unless I get called in for overtime.” They found a seat, and he added ketchup to his burger but took out the tomato. “How is your better half doing?”
“Busy. Happy. She seems to be fine.”
“She seems to be fine?” He gave her a look; was there trouble in paradise? “Don’t you know?”
“We’re always busy, huh? All of us.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand. “You need a holiday.” Nobody worked harder than his older sister, no one. Not even Troy who was a workaholic.
“We both do, but that’s not happening yet.”
“I meant both of you. I meant together, eh?” Not that he was a guru of relationships or anything, but he counted on Steph and Carrie’s relationship being kind of a touchstone, just like Mom and Dad’s.
“Soon, I hope. Maybe for a long weekend…”
“Labor Day weekend is coming up soon enough,” he noted. He would be working it because he didn’t have family—well, family that included kids of his own. There would be a million and one disturbing-the-peace calls the entire weekend as people celebrated the end of summer with parties that involved lots and lots of drinking.
“Maybe…. You think Mom would watch the kids?”
“Wouldn’t hurt to ask. She loves those kids more than she ever loved us.” He gave Steph a wink.
“Tell me about it. They’re the best grandparents ever.” She patted his hand. “I’m going to call Mom and book a hotel.”
“There you go.” Now if only all of life’s problems were so easy to solve. br />
“I know. I know. We’re…crazy with the kids.”
“Then it’ll be great to have a weekend to yourselves, eh?” He patted her hand just like she had his, and grinned before she could bitch at him about being younger and that was her move.
“Yes. Room service, a massage.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh my God, a long bath all by myself.”
Tommy chuckled. “That’s the big goal? A bath by yourself?”
“God yes. I haven’t gone to the bathroom alone in years.”
“Seriously?” That seemed so weird. “You’re not just pulling my leg?”
She laughed. “Nope. Not in the least.”
“Well, I supposed Uncle Tommy could help you out on his day off. I mean, if I can’t take the kids for an hour or two so you can pee in private, what kind of brother would I be?”
“You’re amazing.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You’d make an exceptional father.”
“Me?” He shrugged. “I don’t know about that.” He liked kids well enough—Steph’s were awesome. But then he didn’t have to deal with the can’t-pee-alone thing. He liked being an uncle.
“You don’t think you’ll find a nice guy and adopt babies?”
He snorted. “Has Mom recruited you?”
“Are you kidding? Of course she has.”
Rolling his eyes, Tommy pushed away from the table. “I think that’s my cue to go.” He didn’t really mean it—he hadn’t even eaten his burger yet.
“Eat your damn food, butthead.”
“Yes, Mom.” He grinned, grabbed his burger, and chowed down on it.
“Good boy.” Steph rolled her eyes at him, grabbing her drink.
It made him laugh; he did love her.
The burger tasted great, though he suspected it was more the company than the actual burger itself. Family. He was the middle triplet, the one that was around the most, and—
His phone went off, his partner’s name coming up.
“I have to take this.” He answered the phone. “Hey, Lane, what’s up?”
“Hey, buddy. Someone called the precinct here looking for you. Says it’s important.”
“Okay, you got their number?” He grabbed his pad out of his pocket and opened it up to a new page.
She rattled it out. “Says his name is Steve Johnson, that you knew him at the academy.”
He frowned. “Yeah, yeah, I remember Steve.” The guy had been good, but he’d left the force after a couple of years.
“Everything okay?” Steph whispered.
“He sounded hot. Is he hot?” Lane asked.
“Not as hot as me,” he teased.
“Butthead.”
He snorted—Lane was the second woman in five minutes to call him that.
“I’ll call him before my break is over. Talk to you later.”
“Ciao.”
“So you don’t have to run?” Steph asked. She was used to him running off.
“No, an old academy classmate is asking for me to get in touch. We can finish our lunch date before I call him.” Because if it was an emergency, the guy would have called 911.
“Oh, that’s cool. I get together with the girls from school once a month.” She was relaxing, chatting with him. Someone felt better.
They ate and talked, catching up and enjoying each other’s company, and before he knew it, it was time for both of them to go back on shift. He gave her a hug and she went back into the hospital while he headed out to his car to give Steve a call.
“Tom? Tom Winter?”
The urge to go duh was huge. He managed not to, though. He’d been an officer long enough to have learned how to hold his tongue on his initial reactions to a multitude of things. He’d developed an amazing poker face.
“Yeah. Been a few years. How’s it going?” Go him. He’d even managed a spot of small talk.
“Busy. You know of Elaine Lester?”
“The actress?”
“That’s the one.”
“Of course I know. She’s a local girl made good. Still comes back home on occasion, too, if I’m not mistaken. She lives in the States now, though, doesn’t she?”
“LA. That’s where I am. I’m with her. I’m head of her security team, and I’m calling to ask a favor.”
Oh, interesting.
“Sure. If I can help.” He wasn’t sure what a cop from Ottawa could do for a famous actress in LA, but he was ready to listen.
“Her children live with their father. He has full custody—there in Ottawa. She has been having trouble with a stalker, and there’s evidence he’s found the kids. No one is listening to me, though….”
Tommy winced. Stalkers were hard. Dangerous, but usually the authorities couldn’t do anything until most of the damage was done. “You want me to swing by and talk to the dad? See if they’ve had any problems?”
“Please. The kids are young—a set of four-year-old twins and an eighteen-month-old. The father’s name is Ian Fitzhugh. Good guy, but not a bit security conscious.”
“I imagine he doesn’t usually have to be.” He certainly hadn’t known Elaine Lester had a family. He was probably like a good portion of the general public—well aware of her orientation and her advocacy for the LGBT community, but not much else aside from that she was originally from Ottawa.
“No. They married out of high school, and they’re exceptional friends, but her career keeps her running and they decided to divorce when she was pregnant with the littlest. He’s a great dad, but I wish he was a little less…scattered.”
“Scattered.” It was an interesting choice of words and could mean a lot. “Don’t worry. I’ll take their address and stop in, make sure things are okay.”
“Thank you. Seriously, man. I owe you.”
“And one day I’ll collect. You want me to report back?”
“Please. Let me know, so I can let Elaine know.”
“All right. I’ll go now unless I get a call. Take care, Steve.”
“I’ll text you the deets.”
“Perfect. Talk to you later.” He disconnected the call, and when the address came in, he ran it. It came up clean, as expected, and he plugged it into his GPS and headed off.
The house was in Island Park, the part with the big old houses. Nice.
There was a huge black SUV sitting outside the gates, just sitting there, and he frowned as, when he pulled up, it drove up. That was suspicious.
He got out of the car and pushed the button on the intercom, then scanned the street as he waited for an answer.
“Hello? Daddy’s in the potty!”
Oh, lord. Tommy bit back his laughter. “Hi there. Can you let me in?” Hopefully she said no, but they’d see.
“Do we know you?”
“Who is it, Amy?”
“A visitor.”
“Daddy’s in the potty.”
“I’m Officer Tommy. I want to speak to your daddy. Will you let me in?”
“Officer…. Annie, you have to.”
“But…”
“He’s a police man and he will put you in jail, sister!”
“I don’t want to!” He heard tears and then he was buzzed in.
Damn it, he hadn’t meant to cause drama and upset. He got back into the car and drove through the now open gates, feeling like an ass.
He pulled up in front of the house, got out of the car, and took the front stairs two at a time.
Two beautiful little dark-haired girls stood at the front door—one in tears, one with fists at the ready, which was completely at odds with the glitter and fairy wings they both wore.
He hated that he’d upset them, but it was a good test of their security—which was thin at best if a four-year-old could just let anyone in. “Hey there. I’m Officer Winter. Nobody is in trouble, but is your father home?”
“Uh-huh. Brother is getting him.” Miss Fists stared at him. This must be Amy.
“Good deal. I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I
’m Amy Fitzhugh. This is Annie. We’re nice.”
“Girls! Girls, what did I tell you? Never never open the gate without me!” A stunning man with hair the color of a crow’s wing and bright, light blue eyes came rushing up, a little blond boy in his arms. “Can I help you?”
“Hi there. I’m Tommy Winter. Steve Anderson called me and asked me to drop by and check out your situation. You know who Steve Johnson is?” He sure hoped so.
“Yes, he’s my wife’s head of security. He texted and said you’d be by. He sent a picture. You look different.”
“Well, I’m guessing the picture is from our academy days and that was some time ago.” He pulled out his wallet and handed over his ID. So far this guy was about as security conscious as he expected anyone to be. He had told the kids not to open the gate without him and he was being cautious now.
“Come on in. Annie, love, stop crying. Amy, fists down. We don’t threaten our guests.”
“I didn’t mean to upset them. I’ve just come to make sure you guys are all doing okay. Can I come in? I’ve got a few questions…”
“Of course. Please, come in. Would you like a drink? We have tea, coffee, milk, orange juice…”
“No, I’m fine, sir, thank you.” He followed Mr. Fitzhugh into the house. It was nice. Old but big, the foyer opening onto a large hall with a living room to the right, a kitchen straight ahead and a lovely wooden staircase with an ornate banister. Someone had put some loving care into the place. Also, Mr. Fitzhugh had a great ass, but he wasn’t supposed to be noticing things like that.
The parlor was filled with comfortable couches, toys, and a little table with art supplies. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” He glanced at the kids. “Steve asked me to check on you guys, see how your security is. So I have a few questions. Did you want me to ask in front of the kids?” He didn’t know if such questions would scare the kids or not.