Page 75 of Resist

Before I had a chance to even blink, Tyler was launching himself into my arms. “Oh! Hi, Tyler.” I gave him a cuddle. “Do I get a high-five too?”

Tyler slammed his palm against mine then launched himself back at Lucas. He was like a monkey hopping trees.

“Hi, I’m Bec,” a tall blonde woman said. She leaned in to kiss my cheek. “That little terror you just hugged belongs to me.”

I smiled. “Hi, I’m Helena. And that little terror is adorable.”

“Would you like him? He’s currently free to a good home.”

Lucas playfully glared at Bec. “She’s a nasty mummy, isn’t she?”

Tyler just bounced in Lucas’s arms like a yo-yo then squirmed to get down.

“Have you got ants in your pants?” Lucas asked.

Tyler shook his head.

“I don’t know. I reckon you have. Let me check.” Lucas pulled the waistband of Tyler’s pants away from his body and proceeded to peer inside.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were yo—”

“Ugh, DUDE! That’s not ants.”

I cracked up laughing just as his second sister, who was slightly shorter than Bec, and with darker blonde hair — almost brunette — stepped up to Lucas. “Lookin’ good, baby bro.” She squeezed his biceps. “These are practically bigger than my thighs.”

He placed Tyler on the ground. “You can blame Helena for that, Sal. She’s a workhorse.”

“LUCAS! I am not.” My cheeks flushed with heat, a wave of nausea slamming into my body. I had no idea what he’d told his family about me — who I was, how old I was … that I had a son.

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I’m kidding. Josh is the workhorse.”

Lucas’s third sister stepped forward and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Tilly.” She kissed Lucas’s cheek then retook her seat at the breakfast bar, her knee bent and hugged to her body.

Tilly was visibly different from her siblings: shorter, sharper facial features, and where they were fair-haired and golden-skinned, she had dark hair and a darker complexion. I gathered she looked more like their father but had their mother’s height.

Lucas picked up a handful of nuts from a dish on the bench top and popped them into his mouth. “Where’s Fred?” he mumbled.

Tilly rolled her eyes. “Probably watching the footy.”

“FRED!” Mrs Malone hollered. “LUCAS AND HELENA ARE HERE.” She put on her oven mitts and winked at Lucas. “So how long are you in town?”

“Three days.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah, sorry, Mum. We have to move on to Cairns before flying to Darwin.”

“What a shame. Maybe the girls and I will come to one of your shows then,” she teased.

Lucas shrugged. “Go for it. I can get you the best seats in the house.”

I smiled at Lucas with pride. He wasn’t ashamed of what he did for a living, and he shouldn’t be. Those guys worked hard, both on and off the stage. They had to keep their bodies in peak physical condition, learn to dance, learn to seduce, act, and stay professional in an environment that was far from it at times. A male revue was so much more than the removal of clothing. It was a performance, and those guys had to nail every aspect of it.

“Book us in for tomorrow night then.” Lucas’s mother bent down and opened the oven, and once again the scent of roast lamb floated around us.

“Done deal.” Lucas grabbed another handful of nuts. “Front row?”

She glanced at his sisters and smiled. “Why not.”