Chapter Twenty-Five

DYLAN LOOKEDup from the book in his lap, his eyes darting toward the sound of the key turning in the lock. He wasn’t expecting to see Ryan until later, and his heart leaped with anticipation at an unexpected visit.

The moment Stephanie and his parents stepped inside, his anticipation turned to alarm. He jumped up, his book slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor.

Seeing his parents in person for the first time in over ten years jolted him. The same fear Dylan had experienced the last time he saw them swept over him. His father retained his former linebacker physique. Even with shoulders that had become slightly stooped, he was still an imposing figure. The brown skin on his face was unlined, gray hair at his temples the only evidence of his age. In her navy slacks and white blouse with a Peter Pan collar, his mother had kept the same youthful look from her cheerleading days. Her neatly cut blond bob was a clever disguise, concealing her gray hair. It was hard to tell if the frown lines around her mouth were from age or disgust when she glared at him with blue eyes that were more faded than he remembered.

“Does Ryan know you’re here?” Dylan asked warily.

“No, and he’s not going to.” Stephanie came forward. She set down the designer tote bag in her hand, pulled out a white envelope the size of a sheet of paper, and held it out to him.

Dylan took it from her, glancing at his parents again. There had been no hello, only looks of disappointment. He opened the envelope while Stephanie stood by with a smug smile. His jaw clenched when the contents registered.

“You can’t do this,” he said in a shaky whisper, looking at the court documents.

“We can and we will. Take the money,” his mother said in the same bitter tone she’d used the last time they spoke.

He looked at Stephanie. “How could you do this to your brother?”

“You didn’t leave me any choice after what you’ve done.”

Dylan’s father shook his head. “Maybe we shouldn’t have sent you away. I should have spent more time with you. I could have toughened you up and made a man out of you. I gave up too easily. You needed a father figure.”

“None of this is your fault, sweetheart.” Dylan’s mother patted his father’s arm.

“I have a father figure. His name is Kevin.”

“And you ruined his life the same way you’re going to ruin Ryan’s,” his father said.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t ruin Kevin’s life. He saved mine.”

“Sure, he kept you from ending up on the streets, but he sacrificed his career to do it. Did you really believe that he didn’t pay a price for taking you in? I made sure he lost his job at the high school and couldn’t get a job anywhere else in this state. Who wants a teacher who would groom kids?”

His father’s cruelty shouldn’t have surprised him, but it still had him shaking with anger. “You’re a hateful man.”

His father lifted his chin. “I’m a Christian. It was the right thing to do. And now I’m going to make sure to do what I have to do to protect my grandson.”

Dylan’s stomach twisted in disgust. He fisted his hands at his sides, anticipating what his parents considered the right thing for Leo.

“I’ve spent most of my life trying to keep Ryan from getting into trouble. I knew the minute you arrived that you’d be a problem,” Stephanie spat out.

Dylan forced himself to speak calmly. “And it looks like you’ve decided you need to do something about it.”

“No, you’re going to clean up the mess you made. You’ll go back to LA tonight. You won’t come back to Seattle, and you will never contact Ryan or Leo again.”

When he shook his head, his father said, “If you aren’t on a plane by midnight, we will file for custody of Leo tomorrow. We’ll do it in Tennessee. You’ll remember we’re very close friends with Judge Adkins.”

“You won’t win.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but we will get temporary custody while it drags on through the courts.”

Stephanie pointed to the sheaf of paper Dylan was holding. “We have a lawyer ready to file the paperwork.”

“That should be enough for you to disappear and never come back again,” his mother said.

“You hate me that much? Ten million dollars. That’s how much you hate me?”

“Oh son, I don’t hate you. I’m disappointed in you, and I’m so sad that your immortal soul will burn in hell,” his mother said in a sympathetic tone tinged with malice.

“You’re sick.”

“No, you are.”

“Get out,” he shouted.

“Leave the keys on the table when you go,” Stephanie said.

They filed out like soldiers, determined expressions, heads held high.

Dylan dropped the paper and sank down on the end of the bed with his head in his hands. He took a few shaky breaths and reached for his phone.

“Dad.”

“Dylan, what’s the matter?”

“You, you went to work every day after you took me in.” He drew in a deep shuddering breath. “Where did you go?”

After a long pause, and with a tremor in his voice, he finally answered. “I found a job doing data entry for an insurance company.”

“You loved being a teacher.”

“I loved you more.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed.

“Oh, sweetheart, your dad and I aren’t. We love you so much. Carl and I never planned on having children. You were a gift. Taking you in gave us the opportunity to be parents, and it’s been one of the greatest joys of our lives. You filled a hole in our lives we didn’t know was there. Never be sorry for how happy and proud you made us.”

Dylan was too wracked with tears to answer.

“How did you find out?” Kevin asked.

Dylan sniffed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “My par—” They weren’t his parents anymore. He’d never call them that again. “Arlene and Clay showed up. They….” He swallowed the bile in his throat. “I have to leave. They’ll take Leo from Ryan if I don’t.”

“Ryan won’t allow that to happen.”

“I don’t know. I can’t take the risk.”

“Son, take a breath. Have you talked to Ryan? What did he say?”

“I don’t—I haven’t talked to him.” But at that moment the door opened again, and Ryan walked in. “Ryan’s here. I’ve got to go.”

“Tell him, Dylan. Loving someone means you trust them with the good and the bad.”

“I… I’ll call you later.”

Dylan ended the call. He pressed his hand to his stomach, the weight of his emotions overwhelming him, and forced himself to take a deep breath, but another sob escaped. Ryan rushed over and tightly gripped his shoulders, his face filled with concern.

“What haven’t you talked to me about?” Ryan asked.

“Your sister was here with my parents. Ryan, I have to go. If I stay, you’ll lose Leo. I can’t—” His voice broke. Dylan turned his head away, shut his eyes, and pressed his hands over his heart, trying to keep it from shattering.

Ryan took Dylan’s face in his hands and gently turned it back. “Open your eyes, sweetheart, and tell me everything.”

He opened his mouth and a sob came out. Ryan held him close as he cried, spilling out incoherent details of his parents’ visit. When he’d cried himself out, Ryan led him over to the sofa and sat Dylan down while he got him a glass of water and made him a cup of tea. After he made sure Dylan was calm, he went over and took the envelope Dylan had thrown on the bed.

Ryan sat down next to Dylan and pulled out the contents. Dylan watched, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach as Ryan’s body went rigid upon seeing the court documents. Ryan’s face became mottled with fury, holding the cashier’s check in his hand.

When he’d gone through everything, he put the papers down and shifted to face Dylan. Dylan steeled himself, knowing this was the end and Ryan would tell him he had to go.

“Dylan, look at me,” Ryan said, his voice steady and unexpectedly composed.

Dylan took a shaky breath and looked at Ryan.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“But they’ll take Leo from you.”

Ryan shook his head. “No, they won’t. We need to make it look like you’ve left town for a few days while I take care of this, but you’re not leaving.” He took Dylan’s hands in his and held them tightly. “You’re mine, Dylan, and I’m not letting you go.”

Dylan’s lips trembled. “I thought you were going to say I had to leave.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I-I wouldn’t expect you to risk your family for me.”

Ryan cupped his cheek and pulled him in for a gentle kiss. “Sweetheart, you are my family. You, Leo, and me—we’re a family. You’re all I need in this world.”

Dylan’s heart raced, thumping against his rib cage. It was everything he’d been longing for, filling him with hope and fear at the same time.

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life kissing all of the fears and doubts I can from your eyes,” Ryan said, brushing away a tear that hovered at the corner of Dylan’s eye and keeping any more from falling with more gentle kisses.

“I’m so fucking scared,” Dylan confessed.

Ryan nodded and pressed his forehead against his. “I’m scared too. But I’m not afraid of your parents or my sister. I’m afraid of what my life would look like without you in it.”

After a few tender kisses, Ryan pulled away with a heavy sigh. “There are calls I need to make.”

“What can I do?”

Ryan kissed his temple. “Stay right here by my side.”

That’s exactly what Dylan did while Ryan made calls to his assistant and his friends Jason and Joy.

Ryan helped Dylan pack up his things. Dylan’s bank had branches in Seattle, and they stopped to deposit the cashier’s check into his account. It disgusted him to do it. Ryan stood by his side, his hand on Dylan’s lower back as Dylan endorsed the check. The cashier looked at him with wide eyes when she looked at the check. She eyed him warily and took the check to the bank manager before depositing it. Depositing the check was the first part of Ryan’s plan. As much as Dylan disliked doing it, he believed in Ryan. Once they finished at the bank, they headed over to Jason and Joy’s, who welcomed them with warm hugs and unwavering support.

Joy came over, sat next to Dylan, and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

Dylan took a shaky breath, watching Ryan and Jason talking quietly in the kitchen. Both their faces were masks of grim determination. “I know.”

Despite the fear that made him numb, Dylan did believe deep in his bones that somehow everything would be all right. Knowing he’d have Ryan by his side to fight life’s battles, little ones or big ones, he felt strong.

“Thanks for letting me stay with you,” he said to Joy.

“Of course. I’m glad Ryan knew he could reach out to us.” Joy peered at him with a curious smile. “So does this mean you’ll be staying in Seattle permanently?”

“I guess so. I’ll miss my friends and students in LA, but I would miss Leo and Ryan more. I can’t imagine my life without them. It’s big, scary, and overwhelming, but it will be worth it.”

“I felt the same way when I fell in love with Jason,” Joy said with a knowing smile. “I wasn’t expecting it, and bam, here I was, risking my heart, and I was so scared I kind of ran away. Thank goodness I had friends who helped me realize I’d lose more if I didn’t trust… us. Both of us—Jason and me together—were better.”

Ryan came over and held his hand out for Dylan. “Take a walk with me?”

It would always be the easiest thing in the world to put his hand in Ryan’s. They exited out of a set of french doors that led to the backyard and followed a path to a dock on the lake.

“Same lake, and yet so different from the other side,” Dylan said.

“It seems calmer over here,” Ryan said.

“Maybe that’s because all our problems are over there,” Dylan said, pointing to the lights from Ryan’s house across the water. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He rested his head on Ryan’s shoulder. “I know how it feels to lose your family, even one who doesn’t love you, and it still hurts. I don’t want that for you.”

Ryan wrapped his arm around Dylan’s waist and pulled him close to his side. “I’ve lived with that fear. Thinking I couldn’t make it on my own, that I needed the support of my family. Now I know what I thought was support, them loving me, wasn’t that at all. You can’t love someone by trying to control them. I’ll hope that my sister and my parents will change, but I won’t put my life on hold waiting for it, and I won’t risk Leo’s either.” Ryan sighed. “I’m sorry about your parents. I wish I could say I have the same hope for them, but I can’t. After this, I’ll make sure none of them ever gets the chance to see Leo again.”

“I’m glad. When the time is right, I’d like Kevin and Carl to meet Leo. Maybe… maybe they could be Leo’s grandparents.”

“They’ll be wonderful grandparents, and I can’t wait to meet them. As soon as I’ve taken care of everything, I’ll fly them out.”

“We.” Dylan turned in Ryan’s arms, pressing his hands against Ryan’s chest. “We’ll take care of everything together. We’re a team, right?”

Ryan nodded and took a deep breath. “And that’s why I love you. You’re the partner I always dreamed of having, someone who didn’t dictate but really talked to me, listened, and offered suggestions. I feel stronger knowing I can support you and you’ll do the same for me. You didn’t run away today, Dylan. You stayed.”

Dylan dropped his head to Ryan’s shoulder and shuddered. “I love you too. But I thought about running away. I was so scared, and I-I panicked and didn’t know what to do. If you hadn’t walked in when you did, I don’t know what I would have done. I know I’ve let you down and—”

“Dylan, stop.” Ryan held Dylan’s face in his hands. “You didn’t let me down. You panicked. I did too when I saw the court documents”—his voice shook—“when I saw what our families were capable of. Then I thought of how much I love you, how much I love Leo, and I’m ready to fight to hold on to what we have.”

“I love you so much.” Dylan wrapped his hands around Ryan’s wrists and leaned in, fusing their mouths. It was a long, slow, languid kiss that cemented their love. In Ryan, Dylan found his home, a family to call his own, and the love he’d always wanted but never believed in his heart he’d find.

LEAVING DYLANbehind at Jason and Joy’s was agony. It helped to have Dylan with friends instead of alone in some hotel room like they’d originally discussed. What helped ease Ryan’s anxiety the most was knowing Dylan loved him. Knowing that gave Ryan the strength to do what he needed.

In the time it took to get Dylan settled with Jason and Joy, the sun set in a blaze of orange-and-pink hues. The same private investigator Ryan had used to get information about Dylan was already sending detailed reports. It was obvious Stephanie and his parents didn’t think anyone would ever look into their business activities. They were careless and hadn’t done much to cover their tracks. He’d trusted them, and they’d used that trust to their advantage. Ryan directed most of his anger toward himself for passively taking part in his own life.

He got in touch with Lisa on the way back.

“Ryan, is everything okay?” she asked when she answered his call.

The surprise in her voice wasn’t unexpected. He rarely reached out outside office hours, wanting to be respectful of her time.

“No,” he said in a clipped voice. “I’m going to ask you a question. Have you been working with my sister behind my back?”

“Absolutely not.” Lisa’s answer came swift and firm.

Ryan exhaled. “Deep down I knew that, but I had to ask. I’m sorry.”

“What happened that you felt you needed to ask?”

Ryan gave Lisa a brief, emotionless summary.

Lisa muttered an oath before she asked, “What do you need me to do?”

“For now, pretend everything is normal. I hope you don’t mind putting in some overtime. I have forty-eight hours to make sure Dylan and my son are safe.” He told her about the discrepancy he’d found earlier.

“Let me do some digging, and I’ll get back to you.”

Ryan thanked Lisa and hung up. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth as he prepared to return home, where he’d have to face people he would never trust again and pretend everything was okay.