Chapter 32

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WARD

WARD STARED at the door after Skylar left, still trying to catch up with what happened.

He rubbed his eyes. What the heck? He'd been fast asleep, curled up around Skylar after spending a perfect, quiet evening together.

The only thing missing had been Charlie.

Ward had been more than ready to jump into his truck and drive out to the suburbs to pick up the boy, but Skylar was right. The suddenness of it would have been too much. Still, it hadn't stopped Ward from wanting it all evening.

And not even for the possibility of sex, which had been beyond anything he'd ever imagined. Being inside Skylar along with Charlie and watching them both come apart beneath him? Hearing them both moan? Touching their skin? If sex with Skylar had rocked his world, adding Charlie into the mix simply obliterated everything.

Ward wanted more of that.

But he would have gladly taken having Charlie there with them just to lie together in silence and watch a movie. It would have been so peaceful. One boy on either side of him, wrapped up tight in his arms. Ward had fallen asleep, imagining that. Picturing both boys there with him, safe and happy and warm.

But then he'd woken up, and Skylar had been halfway out of bed, staring at his phone as though he'd seen a ghost.

Shit . Was something wrong with Charlie?

Ward shook his head. No way . Skylar would have said something if that were the case.

He considered going after the boy, but Skylar had a head-start. Besides, Ward had only had a few hours of sleep. He didn't relish the idea of driving around an unfamiliar city, especially as tired as he was. And where would he even go? He had no idea where Skylar lived, assuming that was even where the boy went.

Ward let out a sigh and lay back down. He'd call Skylar tomorrow. After making his usual trip to Charlie's house, he'd call and ask what was going on.

Because it wasn't just whatever Skylar had found on his phone. The boy had been acting strangely all evening. It was subtle, but Ward noticed. Skylar had somehow been clingy and distant all at once. Ward had tried asking if anything was wrong, but Skylar insisted everything was fine.

Ward had felt some nagging memories of Kelly, of the subtle signs that he'd completely missed back then, leading up to the wedding. The tension. The distance. But he'd put those out of his mind. Ward hadn't wanted to think about all that while he had this beautiful boy in his arms.

But now he wondered if it was happening all over again.

Ward fell back asleep with that thought on his mind, then woke with a start when his phone began vibrating across the nightstand. He started to sit up with a groan. The phone kept vibrating, the sound loud and grating in the dark and silent room.

He picked it up, blinking sleepily at the screen.

Sky .

Ward sat bolt upright and answered. “Sky?”

A broken sob came over the line.

“Sky?” Ward repeated insistently, trying to hold back a sense of panic. Something was definitely wrong.

“ W-Ward? ”

“Yeah, baby,” Ward sighed, unable to fully keep the relief out of his voice. “I'm here.”

Skylar choked out a cry.

“Sky? Talk to me.” Ward threw back the covers and got up. When Skylar didn't immediately respond, he asked, “Sky? Are you hurt?”

“ N-No .”

“Are you in danger?”

“ No .”

Ward heaved a sigh of relief. “Okay. Talk to me, sweetheart. What's wrong?”

The line was silent for a moment other than the broken, heartbreaking sounds of crying. Then Ward heard Skylar suck in a rasping breath before the boy started babbling nonsense.

“Whoa, hey, Sky. Easy, kitten. Slow down. Take a deep breath for Daddy, okay?”

A loud, stuttering breath came over the line.

“Okay,” Ward murmured. “Now tell me again.”

Skylar sniffed. “ I went to check in with my boss because he texted me to make sure I was okay and he asked me to come over and that usually means spending the night and sleeping with him and I know that sounds gross and wrong but that's the arrangement I have with him, but when I got here and he reached for me, I thought I was gonna be sick and I realized I can't do this anymore but I only have three more months to get through to save up enough for my surgery but I'm not gonna make it because all I want right now is to die because I feel so dirty and worthless– ”

Ward winced. “Sky.”

“ But then I ran away and got into my car, but my car wouldn't start, so I gave up and went right back up to Uncle Zeke's apartment, except I knew what that would mean and I knew I couldn't handle it so I didn't even knock on the door but I have to get out of here for good except I have no idea what to do and I can't think straight and– ”

Ward flicked on a light, wincing at the sudden illumination, then grabbed his overnight bag, stuffing things into it. “Sky? Tell me exactly where you are.”

“ Why? ” he choked out.

“Because I'm coming to get you.”

Skylar wailed.

“Sky?” Ward rushed about the hotel room, snatching up his things while he listened to Skylar cry. “Baby? It's okay. Just tell me where you are. It's gonna be okay.”

“ No, it's not ,” Skylar choked out. “ Because my plan was always to run away once this was all over and start over somewhere else, somewhere nobody knew me, and that meant leaving everything and everyone behind so I could have a clean break with my life, but now I'm stuck because I have no way to leave and –”

Ward stopped moving just as Skylar broke off with a fresh sob. Geez . Skylar was going to simply drop everything and run? Ward sank onto the end of the bed, feeling that confession like a punch to the gut. Almost like Kelly's rejection all over again.

Except Sky had called him. The boy could have simply disappeared without a word. Skylar wasn't helpless. He could have found a way. Instead, he'd called.

Ward wasn't sure if he was setting himself up for heartbreak, but there was no way he could simply abandon the boy. He had a feeling his life was about to radically change.

And he'd take it.

“Sky?” Ward murmured, standing back up and putting all the authority into his voice that he could muster. “Tell me where you are. Give me an address.”

“ Um .” Skylar sniffed and hesitated for a long moment, then finally rattled off a street and an apartment number.

Ward snatched up a pen and quickly scribbled it all down. He could map it once he was off the phone. “Okay. Sky? I'm coming to get you.”

“ Ward– ”

“No arguing. Stay right where you are, and I'll be there. You hear me?”

Skylar sniffed, then fell silent for an achingly long moment. “ Okay .”

“Okay. Good. Hang on, baby. Daddy's coming.”

Ward ended the call and raced through getting dressed and brushing his teeth. He gave the room a quick glance, making sure he hadn't missed anything, then hurried downstairs. Ward checked out of the room, got into his truck, and mapped the address Skylar had given him.

It wasn't too far. And it was in a nice part of town. Ward found a place to park just as the sun crested the horizon beyond the towering buildings that surrounded him. He saw the address he needed and stepped inside the lobby, feeling just as wholly out-of-place as he had the first night he'd come to this city.

But none of that mattered. He had to get to Sky.

Ward rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor, then paused to look around. He started down the hallway in one direction, but the apartment numbers were all wrong. Ward turned around and retraced his steps.

Around a corner, Ward spotted a figure huddled on the floor.

Sky!

Ward rushed down the hallway. Skylar sat against the wall with his knees hugged tight to his chest. The door beside him was open, and a man crouched there. Ward's entire body tensed. This must be Skylar's boss. He started picturing some grizzled, sleazy, stereotypical pimp in a purple coat and a fedora just as the man reached for Skylar.

The boy flinched.

Ward inwardly cursed. Sky looked so broken.

“Come on, princess,” the strange man murmured. “Just come inside so you can get some sleep, okay? Nothing else has to happen. We can talk about it tonight.”

Skylar hesitated noticeably before he shook his head.

“Sky?” Ward called.

The boy gasped. He slowly looked up, his eyes wide with surprise, like he hadn't actually expected Ward to come. “W-Ward?”

Ward hurried the last few steps and crouched down in front of Skylar. “I'm here. It's okay.”

“Ward?” the other man asked. “As in your client?”

“Not anymore,” Ward growled through his teeth, then turned to look at the man as they both rose to their feet, instinctively bracing for a standoff. What he saw was not at all what he'd imagined. The man looked so utterly normal . Not much older than Ward himself. He could have been anything from a blue-collar average Joe to a mid-level businessman or anything in between. Not a sleazy, stereotypical pimp at all.

And, if Ward wasn't completely mistaken, the guy actually looked genuinely concerned.

Still, Ward straightened to his full height, having at least a few inches on him. He'd use whatever advantage he could get.

The man took a step back. “What's going on here, kid?” he asked Skylar.

Before Skylar could answer, Ward said, “He's leaving.”

“Leaving?”

Ward turned away from the man and crouched down in front of Skylar again. “Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Come on. Let's get you out of here.”

Skylar choked out a sob. “Y-You came.”

“Of course I did. Come on. Let's go.” Ward took Skylar's hands and helped the boy to his feet. He slipped an arm around Skylar's shoulders and felt something loosen in his chest when Skylar relaxed against him.

They were halfway down the hall when Skylar's boss called out, “You'll be back.”

Ward looked over his shoulder.

The man shrugged. “They always come back eventually.”

Ward scowled at him and turned away.

He guided Skylar to the elevators, then out to his truck. Skylar was unsteady on his feet, so Ward had to help him into the seat and then pull on his belt for him. Once the boy was settled, Ward rushed around to the driver's side and got in, eyeing Skylar as he shoved the key into the ignition and cranked it over.

“Ward–”

“It's gonna be okay, baby. Everything's gonna be okay.”

Skylar shook his head, his chest heaving with desperate breaths. “I have to leave. I have to get out of here.”

“And we'll get you out,” Ward promised. “It's over, Sky. Let's go get some of your things, and then we'll go, okay?”

Skylar winced. “But I have to get my car fixed and I need to pack and–”

“Sky,” Ward interrupted him. He turned in the seat and grabbed Skylar gently by the chin. “Look at me.” He waited until Skylar looked up at him from under his eyelashes while fresh tears ran down his cheeks. “You let me worry about the car. And we're going to go pack your things. Tell me where you live, and we'll get it all taken care of. Okay? And then we'll go.”

Skylar swallowed hard. “Go where?”

Ward opened his mouth to answer, realizing he'd made the decision the moment he'd answered Skylar's call that morning.

“You're coming home with me.”