Chapter Nineteen | Ethan

I convinced Daniel to go back to my place after dinner at my parents'. I had plans that required us to be there and not at his house. I rushed through my door, excited by the prospect of blowing Daniel's mind. I drew him into the living room and pushed him to sit on the couch.

"Are you looking to be spanked again?" Daniel asked. "Because I cannot think of a single thing you did tonight that requires a correction."

"No, I have other ideas in mind. You'll like them." Not that I wouldn't love my ass warmed. But we could save that for later. "I'll be right back." I dashed from the living room.

In my second bedroom, I opened the closet door, revealing my many costumes. I had one in mind. I chose a short, black pleated skirt and sheer, black crop top. I removed my shorts and shirt and slipped everything on. I smoothed my skirt and did a quick peruse of my outfit in the mirror and my stomach did a little flip. I wasn't sure if Daniel was going to like it.

Then I remembered, he loved me.

I gathered my confidence and strutted back into the living room. I turned on my Bluetooth speaker, connected it with my phone, and selected a sultry tune.

"Jeezus, Ethan." Daniel gripped the arm of the couch. "I'm liking this already."

I started with a slow rocking of my hips and lifted my arms, bending at the elbows to drape them over my head. I increased the sultry sway, dancing to the music, turning and whimpering, looking over my shoulder, and lifting the back of my skirt so he could see my ass.

Daniel's hand went to his crotch, cupping and caressing his cock.

I spun back to face him and played with the bottom of my shirt, still dancing. Ever so slowly I lifted the sheer shirt, peeling it off over my head to expose what I was wearing beneath.

"Fuck," Daniel muttered. "What is that?"

"It's a bralette." I ran my fingers across my lace-covered nipples. "Do you like it?"

Daniel groaned. "How could I not?"

"Good because there's matching panties." I unzipped and using every seductive move in my arsenal to tease him, removed my skirt. I felt so incredibly sexy standing before him like this.

Cream coloured lace covering my pecs and the swell of my hard dick.

"Jeezus fuck." Daniel rose to his feet, grasped me around the waist, spun me roughly, and descended on me, kissing and gnawing the back of my neck, his breath heaving. He pressed his hard cock against the crease of my ass. "Please tell me you have lube out here."

"Jammed a bottle into the right end of the couch."

Daniel released my waist and went in search of it. Then he was back on my neck, ravaging my skin as one of his hands, his fingers frantic, hauled my manties off my hips.

Exhilaration built with the sound of his belt unlatching and the soft whoosh as his shorts dropped to the floor. I leaned forward on the coffee table and tipped my ass up.

"Take me," I demanded.

My cock was aching and tight, drooling precum onto the wood surface. I didn't want any prep. I wanted to feel the burn. Daniel knew me well enough to read my urgency .

Daniel popped the cap on the lube and made quick work of slicking himself up. His thick cockhead pressed against my tight hole. He grabbed one of my hips, his fingers digging in.

"Ready?"

"God, yes. Fuck me hard."

Daniel pressed into me in one slow steady motion. Fuck . Stars leapt behind my eyes, and I sucked in a breath as I adjusted. The searing pain felt so good.

Our bodies belonged together—joined.

I planted my hands on the table to brace myself. Daniel slipped back and slammed home, jostling me. Once . "Like that, baby? Is that what you want?"

I whimpered when he didn't move again. He wanted an answer.

"Yes. That ... please."

Daniel grunted, gripped my hips, and thrust into me again and again, pounding me until I couldn't keep quiet any longer. My throat opened, my voice filling the room.

"Yes! Yes! Fuck me, baby! That's it! Harder! Fuck me!"

"Louder."

That I could do. There was no doubt the neighbours would hear me. The knowledge gave me a secret thrill as I shouted Daniel's name and yelled for him to fuck me harder.

My orgasm hit hard, wetness spattering one wrist, and left white streaks on my coffee table. Daniel grabbed my upper arms, his fingers almost painful on my biceps, to give himself more leverage, pumping his hips fast, and roared as he emptied his fat furry balls into me.

Once his body stilled, he collapsed to sit on the couch.

He clapped his hands on his lap, calling me to him. I untangled the manties from around my ankles and straddled his thighs. Fascinated, he brushed his fingers across the bralette .

"I like that you were wearing this all night while we were at your parents'."

"It upped my confidence."

Daniel used his fingernail to tease my nipple through the lace. "Made you feel good?"

I smiled down at him. " So good."

He gazed into my eyes. "I love everything about you."

"The skirt wasn't too much?"

"That skirt should be illegal. The way your panty-covered ass peeked out from beneath it …." He groaned and shifted. "Like I said … illegal."

"Maybe you can help me remove the lace—piece by piece."

"Mm … where to start."

I climbed off his lap and held out my hand to him. "If you're good, I'll let you undress me with your teeth." I grinned when he growled and leapt to his feet.

It was going to be a long night.

One of so many more to come.

Derek and Michael had a nice home. From the outside. We hadn't gone in yet. Daniel was letting me catch my breath before he knocked on the door. I shook out my hands to relieve the tension.

It's just drinks.

"You'll be fine," Daniel said. "They're going to love you."

I sighed. "Not looking forward to seeing Sarah again."

"I'm surprised she agreed to come to this."

"Probably going to shout at me again."

"You and me both, but she's going to have to suck it up." Daniel wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me. "I love you and she needs to understand you aren't going anywhere."

"You and me against the world. "

"Exactly."

"Okay." I swallowed. "I'm ready. You can knock."

A handsome man with Daniel's green eyes answered the door. Behind him, two young girls were trying to see past him. They bounded around his side and into Daniel's arms.

"Grandad!"

"Girls," Derek scolded, "let the poor man into the house before you attack him."

"It's all right, Derek," Daniel replied, laughing as he gathered them into a hug. He'd known the girls less than a year, but they'd taken to him. I liked the sound of them calling him grandad .

Derek stuck out his hand to me. "You must be Ethan."

I cleared my throat. "That would be me."

After we shook hands, Derek cleared the girls away from the door and ushered us inside. The front foyer was icy cool. The air conditioning a nice change from the heat outside.

A stunning blond man joined us. Derek stroked the man's arm. "This is Michael."

I shook his hand. "Pleasure."

The girls took off screaming before I had a chance to meet them. I hoped I'd have a few moments with them before it was time for them to go to bed. It was already past seven.

"We're sitting on the patio," Derek said. "Michael is taking drink orders tonight."

Michael smirked. "Lost the coin toss."

Derek laughed. "Oh, we were much more inventive than that."

I jumped in feet first. "We love a good game." I nudged Daniel. "Don't we, Daddy." I thought Daniel was going to choke on his tongue after he turned a glorious shade of crimson.

Michael pointed at me, grinning. "Liking him already."

Derek laughed "Dad told us you weren't shy. "

"Shy is something I have never been accused of."

Daniel smacked my ass. "Behave."

"What would you like to drink?" Michael asked us, chuckling.

"A couple of IPAs if you have them," I replied.

"Head on outside, find a seat, and I'll bring them out to you."

We stepped through an open sliding door onto a pergola covered patio. It looked to be wisteria growing up the provider of shade. I liked the look of the abundant greenery.

At the far end sat the woman who had practically accosted me at my coffee shop. Sarah's eyes flicked up as we approached. She gave us a forced smile.

"Dad … Ethan."

Daniel sat beside her. I sat on his far side. We held hands.

"Derek tells me you're in love with Ethan," she said, her arms crossed.

" We're in love, so no matter how much you argue with me, I won't be abandoning him. My future is with Ethan. You'll have to accept that."

Sarah tipped her head up, studying Daniel's face.

"You're serious."

"He makes me incredibly happy, Sarah."

Sarah sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Then I'm happy for you, Dad. I'm going to trust your judgement in bringing Ethan into your life … and ours. Not sure how Mom and Mark will react."

Daniel smiled. "Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah leaned forward so she could see me. "I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have come at you like that. I was worried about my dad. I can be a bit overprotective."

"Apology accepted." It felt good to know Sarah wouldn't be arguing with Daniel anymore. It would take me a while to warm to her, though. We had a road of trust to embark on .

An older woman approached, followed by a man who was remaining a few paces back from her. She had sandy hair, lightened by blonde streaks to hide possible grey strands.

She looked back and forth between us. Her brows were pinched.

"Delores, this is Ethan," Daniel said.

"My gosh, you look younger than I thought you would."

Daniel strangled my hand in his. "Delores … stop."

"I'm sorry. I'm just surprised."

Daniel grunted.

Not sure what I was supposed to say to Delores. I went with, "It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Ethan. Daniel tells me you own a coffee shop."

"I do. In Cook Street Village. We do well down there."

"I suppose you don't get much time off."

I squeezed Daniel's hand. I'd come to a decision recently. Daniel was going to be retiring in a matter of months. I needed to make some changes so I could spend more time with him.

I directed my answer at Daniel. "I'm going to hire a part-time pastry chef, so I don't have to be there every morning. And I'm going to hire a second manager to take some of the heat off."

Daniel lifted our hands and kissed mine. Tears rimmed his eyes.

"I want to spend more time painting and instructing equestrian riders." I stroked Daniel's face. "And I want to spend more time with you doing crossword puzzles and snuggling."

"What about your passion for baking?" Daniel asked.

"Planning on putting a few pounds on you by baking at home. I like a soft round belly."

Daniel laughed. "Not going to argue with that. "

"Sounds like you're going to make it work," Delores said and smiled. "I was afraid Daniel was going to be sitting at home alone if he was in a relationship with you."

"Did I hear you correctly?" Michael, who'd been hovering, interrupted, sneaking into the conversation. "Did you say you give horseback riding lessons, Ethan?"

"Been riding since I could walk. I gave lessons for many years."

"Western?"

"Can do, but I prefer English. Show jumping. Dressage. Stuff like that."

Michael set our drinks down and clapped his hands together. "Perfect. Do you have room for two more students? The girls would love to learn to ride. They both love horses."

"I haven't worked out a schedule yet, but I'll put them down for once a week if you give me what evenings or weekend times you're free. You're the first, so I can work around you. We can increase the lessons to twice a week if they really take to it and want to start jumping."

Daniel rubbed my back, grinning at me as I took a sip of my beer.

"So proud of you."

I leaned against him, wanting to climb into his lap.

I could do that later. Climb into his embrace, tuck my face against his neck, inhale the essence of him, and practically purr as he held me, and I covered his throat in kisses.

"I've got you when we get home," Daniel whispered to me.

The man I loved could read me perfectly.

Delores left us and the girls tumbled out the door and across the patio, a young boy chasing after them. He must be Sarah's son, Damian. Maybe he'd like to take riding lessons too .

"Lucy, Cara … Damian," Daniel called toward them. "Come here for a second."

They were slow but they eventually arrived.

"I want you all to meet Ethan. He's my boyfriend."

The girls giggled and Damian's mouth dropped open.

"You can do that?" he said.

"What?"

"Be a boy and have a boyfriend."

Daniel looked at Sarah. She shrugged. "It hasn't come up yet."

The girls lost interest and took off. Daniel kept his attention on Damian. "Yes, you can love anyone you want. You just need to follow your heart."

Damian looked at me then back at his grandad. "You love him?"

"I do."

The precocious little man frowned. "I think I might love Brandon."

"And that would be a wonderful thing," Sarah interjected. "Brandon is a lovely boy."

Damian nodded his head and sighed, then took off running across the patio and into the backyard toward the girls in the playground area.

Daniel nudged me.

"He's lucky," he said. "I was afraid of my feelings at that age."

I laughed. "I was a huge flirt with the boys. Noah and Liam might have officially come out first, but I don't think any of the guys thought I was straight."

"You were free to express yourself," Sarah said. "You were fortunate."

"I took that and ran with it."

Damian laughed. "And you're still running with it. "

I snorted and shoved him playfully. Daniel was right. I had an adventurous mind. And my lover had never turned me down. Those strands of our souls that had been seeking to mesh earlier in our relationship now held strong, creating what amounted to a Kevlar vest.

"I'm going to bow out of this conversation," Sarah said and rose, her glass of wine in hand. Meeting her again had worked out better than I imagined.

"We're close to Dallas Road here," Daniel said. "We can't be in James Bay without taking a walk along the seawall." He gripped my hand tightly. "There's something I want to ask you."

My heart thumped around.

"Any clues?"

"I want to be able to take you home."

I furrowed my brow. "You've lost me."

Daniel stood and hauled me to my feet. "Let's go for that walk."

We shared our plan with Derek and Michael and promised to return. Daniel was right. We were only five blocks from the sea. The air coming off the water was cool, and the waves were lapping softly against the rocks three feet down from the walkway. The tide was in.

Ahead, two massive cruise ships were docked in port, their engines running. One of them appeared to be having a party on the main deck. The music was loud, and the hooting and hollering was disruptive to the serenity of the scenery of snow-capped mountains across the water.

"I'd hate to live down here." Daniel read my thoughts.

"Too noisy." I looked toward the end of the seawall. "Let's head out to the lighthouse."

We followed a path past a sundial and a restaurant until we were on more pavement, a walkway that extended into the water one mile out and back in a park called Ogden Point .

When we arrived at the lighthouse at the far end, Daniel stopped and leaned against the railing, looking out at the picturesque one-eighty-degree view of dark water and American mountain range. I joined him and pressed my shoulder against his.

"What is it you want to ask me?"

"I love you … and I adore making breakfast with you and holding you while you sleep."

I hummed and kissed his shoulder. "I love that too."

"I want to do that with you every day."

"What are you asking me?" I knew exactly where he was going with this, but I wanted to hear him say it. I didn't want any misunderstanding. In my mind I was already packing.

Daniel sighed. "Maybe it's too soon."

I pushed a little. "I can't imagine another night without you."

"Me neither." Daniel turned to me and held my face in one hand. He brushed his fingers across my cheeks and into my hair. I tipped my head toward his gentle hand and whimpered.

"God, I love that sound you make."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Daniel stepped closer, his lips nearly on mine. "I want to take you home with me—permanently. I never want to spend another night away from you."

I breathed across his lips. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"It would be a dream come true."

I slung my arms around his neck and closed the distance between us, caressing his lips with mine. This was a new level of commitment. And I was so ready for it.

We parted, my heart thundering. "I want to make your dream come true. "

Daniel wrapped his arms around my waist, laughing, and spun me. I squealed, grinning until he set me down, gripped my face in both hands, and enveloped my mouth.

We were moving away from being boyfriends to being partners.

I felt light-headed.

In a good way.

This was it … the moment we were starting our life together.

I clung to him as we made a spectacle of ourselves. I didn't care. The rest of the world fell away. All there was … was Daniel. We were in love. We were moving in together.

I let the euphoria sweep me up.

Daniel signed the visitor book, and I followed him through a locked door. He had told me it was a toss up as to what we should expect from his mom. She had bad days and worse days.

I'd been reluctant to agree when Daniel asked me to come visit her with him. This was the woman who had allowed Daniel's dad to beat him. He felt obligated to go occasionally. There had been a period when their relationship was healthy. Loving and supportive.

He wanted her to meet me. He was proud of us and wanted to share his joy.

I couldn't deny him that.

I clung to his arm as we rode the elevator.

A care aide guided a resident away from the door when it slid open. I stayed close to Daniel. He tapped on a door with an office printed, faded picture of an elderly woman.

"Mom, it's me."

The door swung open. "Oh, thank God." A short round woman turned and went back to the main area of her room. She opened a drawer of her dresser. "It's not right. "

Daniel followed her and looked in the drawer. "What isn't?"

"These." She took out a pair of underwear, unfolded them, and smoothed them out on the top of the dresser. "Here … this. They do it. Then … you know."

"No, I really don't. Who are we talking about?"

She glared at him. "You're useless."

"Thanks, Mom." Daniel pointed at a reclining chair. "Have a seat, Ethan." He sat on the edge of her bed. "Sit down, Mom. We're here for a visit."

"I'm dead."

"Not yet." Daniel set his hand on my knee. "Mom, this is the man I told you about. His name is Ethan. He's my partner." He tapped my knee. "My mom's name is Samantha."

"Sam," she grumbled.

"She prefers Sam."

"It's nice to meet you, Sam."

His mom stared at me. "Who are you?"

"My partner, Ethan, Mom. I just told you."

"Is he your son?"

Daniel exhaled long and hard. "No, Mom."

"They never come to visit."

"Who? My kids? Do you blame them? They don't even know you."

Daniel had told me his mom had nothing to do with his kids as they grew up, despite being only twenty minutes away. Now, they felt uncomfortable around her.

"Everyone wants me dead."

Daniel groaned. "No one wants you dead."

"You don't love me. You want me gone."

"Why do you think I don't love you? I've never said that."

"Those." She pointed at the closet, changing the subject. "Everything is gone." Her mind appeared to scatter at random, not able to hold onto a thought for long .

Daniel looked over his shoulder to where she was pointing. "You have lots of clothes there. They probably took some to the laundry. They should be back with them soon."

"I knew it." His mom shook her finger at Daniel. "You want to kill me."

Daniel sighed. "I thought you were already dead."

She clenched her jaw and her eyes changed. It was the freakiest thing I'd ever seen. Her gaze turned to pure evil. A death stare. "It's no wonder your dad beat you. You deserved it."

Daniel flinched but didn't stand. I sensed he was frozen in place.

"You're a nasty little boy who needs to be strapped." She turned her attention on me. "And you. You're just like your dad. You need to be punished for what you do to each other."

My dad?

Was she talking about Daniel?

A sorrowful whimper travelled the short distance from Daniel to me.

I launched myself toward him. He gripped the edge of the bed so hard his knuckles turned white, and he started shaking. I stood between him and his mom to block his view of her.

I need to get him out of here.

He looked up at me, his gaze pleading, tears in his eyes. I took his hands in mine and lifted him to his feet. "It's okay … I've got you. Come on. We're going home."

"That's it, I'm dead," his mom shouted. "He killed me!"

I glared at her. "No one killed you. Especially this wonderful man." I knew it was pointless to argue with her. Her mind had been destroyed by dementia. Those were the only words I had for her. This was why Daniel didn't visit often. He was still traumatized by his childhood, and she knew how to claw it back up. I led Daniel into the hallway and motioned for a care aide .

His mom was hanging off the back of my shirt, yanking at me, and screaming.

The care aide came running.

"Sam, dear, let them go," the care aide encouraged. "Your son will be back."

Not so sure about that .

Why did Daniel put himself through this?

The care aide managed to peel his mom off me, and we escaped into the elevator. As it descended, Daniel turned and nearly collapsed against me, clinging to me and trembling. I supported him all the way to the car and stuck him in the passenger seat.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"About what?"

"About dragging you in there. You didn't need to hear that."

I held his hand. "Neither did you. Does she put you through that every time."

Daniel shook his head. "Sometimes she just calls me the asshole ."

"You know none of what she said is true, right? You did not deserve to be beat."

"I know." Daniel sighed and leaned his head back against the headrest. "Hurts that somewhere deep inside, she agreed with him doing it. I almost got killed trying to protect her."

"I wouldn't think less of you if you didn't want to go back."

Daniel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need a break, that's all."

"You're a better man than me."

He looked at me. "Babe, stop … you'd never turn your back on family. "

He was right. I wouldn't. Now Daniel was part of my family and he needed me. "I'll drive us home." I'd started calling Daniel's house home even though I hadn't moved in yet.

I hadn't spent a single night back at my apartment since we decided to move forward.

Daniel was my home now.

And my home needed me.

I wasn't sure what the noise was at first. I opened my eyes and looked at Daniel. Whatever it was, it hadn't woken him. I rolled away from him as the interruption to my sleep continued.

My phone. I lifted it. It wasn't a number I recognized.

I cleared my throat. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ethan."

I sat up. "Liam? Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I guess." He took a second. There was a lot of noise in the background. "I'm at the police station. I was wondering … can you pick me up? I don't have my wallet to catch a cab."

"What are you doing there? Why don't you have your wallet?"

"Lost it and my phone somewhere."

"Were you arrested?"

Liam sighed. "Can you come get me? I didn't want to phone Noah and worry him."

"But you don't mind worrying me?"

"Don't bust my balls about this … please."

"Fine." I sat on the edge of the bed. "Downtown?"

"Yeah. I appreciate it."

"Be there in fifteen." I closed the call. I ran my hand through my hair. His speech had been slurred. He was obviously drunk. It wasn't like Liam to drink enough to be obvious.

"What's going on?" Daniel's rough voice .

"I have to pick up Liam from the police station."

"Is he all right?"

"Just a bit drunk."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I went in search of his hand and gripped it. "No, I've got this, but thank you."

Daniel mumbled something and went back to sleep. I was wide awake. What the hell had Liam got himself into? It took me less than fifteen minutes to get downtown.

A very tired, inebriated Liam was sitting waiting for me, swaying and gripping his seat. I was surprised they hadn't forced him to sleep it off in the drunk tank.

After a bit of weaving on his part, I got him into my car.

He slumped in the passenger seat as I slid behind the steering wheel.

God, he reeks of alcohol.

"What did you get arrested for?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

"I'm not starting this car until you tell me."

Liam glared at me. "Then I'll walk."

"Don't be ridiculous. Just tell me."

He rolled his eyes and scrubbed his mouth with his hand. "Public intoxication and indecency."

What the fuck?

"You were drunk and naked in public?"

"Partially naked." He looked away. "The bottom half."

"What were you thinking? That's not like you."

"I was thinking the guy was hot."

"Nothing new there. But hooking up in public? What got into you tonight? Was it because you drank too much? Which I don't get. You're not a heavy drinker, Liam."

I saw his jaw clench. "Maybe I am now."

"Enough to let some guy suck you off in public. Seriously, Liam. "

Liam crossed his arms. "Maybe I should have called Owen."

"He'd be saying all the same things."

"Can you just take me home? I have court in the morning."

"We're going to talk about this at some point."

"Not tonight." He fixed his gaze on mine. "Please don't tell the guys."

"I won't … but it will be a discussion during our next meeting. That's how it works. We tell each other stuff. No one will judge … no matter what you did."

"Noah worries enough already."

"Liam." I grabbed his arm. "It's not up for debate."

"Fine." He curled his legs up on the seat and turned from me. "I need to sleep."

"You and me both." My alarm would be going off in half an hour. It was going to be a long day. Made longer by wondering why Liam had found himself in the situation he had. It really wasn't like him. He was careful. Didn't drink too much and made sure his hookups were sane.

I looked at him, the light and shadow of the streetlights flickering over him. I hadn't checked his social media in days. Something had sent him on a collision course with himself.

I sighed and paid attention to the road.

If one of us was hurting—all of us were hurting.

The days were getting shorter. It was pitch black as I unlocked the backdoor of the coffee shop and went into the kitchen. I started with the croissants and had them in the oven when Claire arrived to start her day. She was trying a new lemon loaf with citrus icing on it.

"Good morning." Claire hung up her sweater on a hook inside the door.

I grinned. "I've almost finished packing. "

"You're not having second thoughts?"

"Absolutely not."

Claire measured and dumped ingredients into one of the mixers. "Next you'll be getting a dog together." She flicked the power switch to on. The machine started a slow blend.

"Maybe. I like dogs." I retrieved some whipped cream out of the fridge and the choux pastry shells I had baked yesterday. The long ones I'd fill with cream and cover in chocolate. The round ones would only be filled. My cream puffs were in high demand. I had a lot of them to make.

Claire finished the last of a bag of flour and shoved it into an overflowing garbage can. My new manager had forgotten to take out the garbage last night. Claire grumbled and hauled the garbage bag out and tied it. "That's the second time she's forgotten to deal with the garbage."

"I'll talk to her."

The door banged shut as Claire left into the back alley.

It immediately flew open, and Claire raced in. "Phone 911!" She shoved me aside and frantically dug around on a shelf above the sink.

I pulled out my phone. "What am I calling about?"

I chased after her as she went back outside. I recognized the black case in her hand.

It was one of our Narcan kits.

Fuck.

"911. Fire. Police. Or ambulance."

"Ambulance. We have something overdosing in our back alley." I gave her the address and stayed on the line with her. I dropped onto my knees beside Claire. She had the kit open.

Jeezus.

It was Lucas. Lying there, slumped over, lifeless. I felt for a pulse. It was faint. I moved out of the way as Claire injected the Narcan. She checked the time on her phone, and we waited for what seemed like forever. The emergency operator kept talking to me. I told her we had started a three-minute countdown. Just past two minutes, Lucas gasped to life.

"It's okay." I put my hand on his shoulder to encourage him to lie down. He struggled and then relaxed. "I'm here, Lucas. Try to lie still. The ambulance is coming."

"What happened?"

"You overdosed," Claire said then looked at me. "You know him?"

"Yeah, from the homeless shelter." I gripped Lucas' shoulder. "What are you doing out here?"

"Wanted to see you. I got into treatment."

"So, you came all the way here and used outside my shop?"

"One last ride."

I gripped his arm. "Jeezus, Lucas. You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were dead."

He gave me a yellow smile. "Nah. Overdosed plenty of times. I'm hard to kill."

I heard the ambulance in the distance. When it pulled up, I was disconnected from the emergency operator. The attendants were efficient. They must have to do this multiple times a week. Needing him, I phoned Daniel as they set Lucas up with oxygen in the ambulance.

I never phoned Daniel this early in the morning.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"Lucas overdosed … right outside my backdoor by the dumpster."

"Is he all right?"

"Claire gave him Narcan. Brought him out of it. The ambulance is here."

"Are you going to the hospital with him?"

"I'd like to. Do you mind meeting me there? I'm freaking out. It was too close."

"Royal Jubilee? "

"I'll text you if not."

"Stay strong, okay. Maybe phone your friend Vincent at Our Place . Let him know."

"Good idea."

"Babe, I love you."

"Love you too."

"He's going to be all right. He's in good hands now. He was lucky you two were there."

"He was here to see me, Daniel. Probably walked all the way from downtown to tell me he's been accepted into a drug treatment facility."

"You're important to him. You've always been kind to him."

I sighed. "I feel like crying."

Claire was talking to an ambulance attendant and pointing at me. He shook his head. I was going to have to drive myself to the hospital. I needed to calm down.

Adrenaline was flying around my body.

"I'll meet you at the hospital," Daniel said. "You can do this."

We exchanged more words of love, and then ended the call. I needed to be strong for Lucas. I could do that for him. He needed to know someone cared for him.

Daniel met me at the hospital. After waiting for over an hour, they let us into the back of the emergency room to see Lucas. He was shocked to see us, then shed a wash of tears, swearing that this time, he was going to stay off drugs. Even if he didn't, we'd be keeping an eye out for him.

I held tightly to Daniel's hand.

He'd embraced every aspect of my life.

My joys and passions—good and bad.

My moods. My crazy friends and family. All of me in my entirety.

The light and dark.

I loved him … my forever guy.