But then his eyes met Linc’s from across the room and Linc gave him a lopsided smile over the top of the baby’s head, and that was all Jacob needed to know deep in his bones that he’d keep taking whatever Linc wanted to give him as long as he possibly could. Fuck pride. He wasn’t letting Linc go, not yet.
* * *
“I’m gonna need photographic proof that you guys weren’t screwing around all weekend.” Garrick laughed, but Linc still almost choked on his coffee as he took a seat for the Monday morning briefing. There had been a fair bit of screwing, both the literal and the figurative kind, and he didn’t need Garrick catching on to the weekend having been anything other than a chore.
“Here.” Much calmer, Jacob passed over his phone, picture gallery already open. Curious, Linc looked over Garrick’s shoulder as he thumbed through, dread gathering in his stomach that Jacob hadn’t done anything stupid like get a picture of him sleeping. But so far, the pictures were just of the progress of the play structure, from collection of boxes to the finished structure with Junior and some of the other cousins playing on Sunday. Plenty of Linc working, but all clothed, thank God.
Still, the snapshots made his stomach weirdly wobbly, what they revealed. Him lifting timbers. Him smiling, something he thought he’d forgotten how to do. Him with Junior. Nothing goofy, but still...personal. And he wasn’t one for pictures. After his dad ruined most of his childhood mementos, he’d learned not to get sentimental about much. As an adult, he didn’t see much point in a collection of snapshots, but the pictures Jacob took of the weekend made him ache in an unexpected way, wanting to be back there in the memory, working side by side with Jacob, wanting to be the guy Jacob saw when he snapped the shutter.
“You guys should hire yourselves out.” Kelley too leaned in for a look. “Pretty impressive stuff. Still though, Jacob, you missed a heck of a party in Portland. Next time?”
Jacob made a noncommittal noise. “Maybe.”
All the warmth the pictures had inspired in Linc fled, replaced by a niggling reminder that this was temporary. Someday, probably soon, Jacob would be back to the party scene, back to screwing around, and there was nothing Linc could do about it. He certainly couldn’t go getting jealous of the Portland pretty boys waiting for Jacob’s attention. He had no hold on the guy, even now. Didn’t matter how primal and crazed he made Linc, all that possessiveness was as futile as trying to bottle up smoke. Waste of energy. And yet...
Don’t go. The growl vibrated in his throat, close to escaping, right as the meeting began, saving him from his stupid self yet again.
“We’re about to the halfway point of the training period, so it’s a good time to evaluate your pack-out test scores.” Sims paced at the front of the room. “If you fail the pack-out test, you’ll get another chance when we repeat it, but failure to pass at the end of training means you won’t be jumping with us this season.”
They were scheduled for more unseasonal warmth, which would make the test a miserable slog. Three miles seemed like twenty when loaded down with over a hundred pounds of gear, and each year, the pack-out test was Linc’s least favorite part of spring training.
The designated course was at least nominally level, but level at altitude was still hard work, and there were still some softer inclines and declines to navigate. Gearing up, Linc took time to make sure he was hydrated—he’d been at this enough years to know that was key. Figuring that Jacob would be in the lead pack as usual, Linc settled himself at the rear, appointing himself the human equivalent of Ray’s pace car. They’d probably let Ray slide into the spotter role even with a borderline score, but it was also a point of pride to pass.
“You’ve got this. Come on,” he huffed. They’d lost sight of the front group, but that was okay. They only needed to finish under the time limit. Stopping to suck down more water, he adjusted his gear. Somehow this was easier when it was out in the field, adrenaline pounding, time of the essence, crew counting on them to make it to the extraction point. Out here, sun beating down, no fire in sight, the urgency was in short supply.
But he forced himself to keep moving and to stay upbeat for Ray’s sake. At least there was a slight breeze, but still he was drenched in sweat by the halfway point. Finally, time ticking down, they entered the home stretch.
“Go ahead,” Ray panted. “Gotta get your time.”
“Nothing doing. We’re in this together. You can do it.” Linc adjusted his pace further, aware of the minutes passing, but trying to keep his focus on Ray and getting him to the finish.