20. Rafferty

I smirkto myself as Kadence's voice floats through from somewhere near the front of the house into the kitchen, where I'd been sipping coffee. I hadn't wanted to disturb him this morning, wanting him to come to me. He's been waiting for his Daddy, has he? That suits me just fine.

Except someone else replies to him. There's someone else in the house.

Someone I've known his whole life.

"What the ever-loving fuck are you doing in my home, Hughes?" Logan shrieks.

I'm not even sure if when I slam my coffee down on the counter that it stays upright. I'm too busy sprinting toward the sound of their voices. I skid to a halt in the entrance hall. It could have been comical if either of them had been looking my way instead of fixating on each other. However, Logan looks like he's going to punch the nearest wall, and Kadence is possibly going to pass out.

Which is a shame because he looks like an actual dream right now. A shimmering cloud of lilac and jewels but with just enough radiant skin showing it makes me want to throw him down to the floor and ravage him there and then.

"I-I—" Kadence stammers.

Logan notices me first, his surprise becoming fury. "What the hell is this little fag doing here, Dad? And why is he…why would he…" I see the moment the penny drops. Logan staggers back a couple of steps, clenching his fists. "Who's ‘Daddy'?" he croaks.

I take a breath, collecting my thoughts and looking at Kadence. His expression is wretched, and it takes everything I have not to run to him and gather him tightly in my arms. But I absolutely have to do some damage control first.

This timing couldn't be worse. The very morning that my boy and I need to have a thorough heart-to-heart about where our relationship stands, Logan shows up out of nowhere and throws himself right in the middle of everything.

Fuck.

"I wasn't expecting you, son," I say calmly, stepping closer and slipping my hands into my pockets. Kadence looks like a rabbit who's been caught in someone's high beams, and instead of running, he's frozen solid, just waiting to be crushed into the asphalt.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Logan exclaims, thrusting his hands out. His frantic gaze flicks between Kadence and me. "Someone needs to tell me what the fuck is going on right the fuck now. What is this little shit doing in my house? And why does he look like Stripper Barbie?"

"I think he looks beautiful," I say, throwing Kadence my warmest smile. It takes a second, but his eyes finally tear away from Logan to look at me. Like it's taken an extra ten seconds for him to process my words, he sags in relief, offering me a small smile.

I nod subtly his way. He does the same back.

When I turn my attention back to my son, I'm genuinely concerned that he might be having an aneurysm.

"I—you—him—what—FUCK!"

I raise my hands and inch closer, like I'm trying to soothe a wild animal that's so frightened it's becoming violent. I don't doubt that something truly appalling is going to make its way out of my son's mouth any minute now. I don't care if it's directed at me, only if he's going to try and hurt Kadence.

But then…my own penny drops.

Logan knows Kadence by his full name.

"Have you two met before?" I ask cautiously.

Logan's scoff tells me everything. "Yeah, we went to college together. That's not the million-dollar question here, Dad. Why is this cross-dressing little freak calling you ‘Daddy'? Why is he in our home?"

I shrug. "It's my home, son. You have your own place. We weren't expecting you."

"We?!" he shrieks. He runs his hand down his face, then shakes his head at me before scowling at Kadence. "One of my buddies heard on the grapevine that my old man was getting frisky at a party last night with some kind of he/she." He snaps his attention back to me. "I told them they were full of shit and came over to hear you tell me it wasn't true. And I find this? What is going on?!"

Fury surges through me. How dare he use that slur against my boy. Not to mention, those events are supposed to be confidential. Best believe I will be contacting the organizers as soon as possible to register my complaint and strongly suggest they vet their guest list better next time.

But what's done is done. The cat is out of the bag as much as I've been forced out of the closet. This is happening without Kadence and me getting the chance to even discuss how we're feeling.

Oh, well. I was always planning on leaving my heart on my sleeve and being honest about my intentions.

First, I deflect for a moment, needing more information. "I wasn't aware that you two knew each other."

I shoot a questioning look at Kadence, but he's staring at the floor, vibrating all over, his hands clenched together. I can't read him, so I move on. He doesn't have to say anything he doesn't want to in front of my son anyway.

There's no point in lying. We might not have openly discussed it, but I'm certain that Logan is fully aware that his mother and I see other people. He's not going to be the kind of child that weeps if Mommy and Daddy get divorced.

No. His horror has many layers, but that's not one of them.

"Kadence and I did meet at a party—a few weeks ago. We made a connection. He's very dear to me. I asked to spend more time with him, and he's been staying in the spare room."

Logan just frowns for a moment before wagging his finger at me. "But you are fucking him, correct?"

I raise my eyebrows in a warning. "There's no need to be vulgar to my guest."

Logan presses his fingers to his temples and sort of lurches around in a circle before addressing me again. "But you're straight."

I shrug nonchalantly. "Apparently not." Beauty is beauty, I think to myself.

"With him! Of all people. Dad! Wait…"

I narrow my eyes at my son. "What is that supposed to mean," I say, my voice dangerously low. What the hell does he have against Kadence? I don't like his tone at all. Jesus, did Logan bully him or something?

But I don't think he's listening to me. He's still wagging his finger my way, a frown on his forehead as he concentrates. "Wait…wait. Did you approach him…or did he approach you?"

"How is that any of your business?" I ask.

Logan's jaw drops, and he lets out a hollow laugh. Kadence has been conspicuously quiet this entire time. Even now, he looks like he just wants to disappear. Where's my feisty young man gone? If he and Logan do have a history, why isn't he fighting back? Out of respect for me? The urge to go to him is even stronger, but my feet are still rooted to the spot.

Logan slaps his hand over his eyes and laughs again, louder and meaner. "Oh my fucking god. He approached you. He seduced you. He made you gay."

"No one can make anyone change their sexuality," Kadence hisses, finally piping up. "We're all born that way. Lady Gaga had a whole song about it. Or have you been so deep in the closet you didn't hear it?"

Ah. So Kadence knows Logan well enough to realize he's in desperate, toxic denial. I suppose he maybe didn't want to risk outing Logan against his will, so that's why we never discussed it. Still, I feel a little hurt. My son and I have been drifting apart for years, but I still love him. And Kadence…

Well, I certainly care for him a lot.

A lot.

The idea that they know each other is perturbing. But seeing the rage coming from Logan right now—not to mention the fear and hurt from Kadence—is far from ideal.

It's hard not to feel vindicated by Logan's reaction to Kadence's words about people not being able to choose their sexuality. He's clearly furious at me for my deception or betrayal or whatever he views it as. But I can't imagine how he's feeling about himself. His internalized homophobia is worse than I imagined, or so it seems.

I'm trying to be generous toward my soon-to-be ex-wife. But in that moment, a wave of furious anger crashes over me. This is her fault—hers and her whole prejudiced family. My son would never be this messed up if it wasn't for them.

But he might not be this bad if I'd fought harder for him as well. I suppose I just didn't think it would be much of an issue for him until it was obviously too late. He never should have been fed these damaging ideas, either way.

Logan doesn't seem to hear Kadence's words of wisdom, sadly. He's too busy laughing. It gets so loud it begins to feel like hysteria. Concerned, I reach out for him, but he shoots backward like my touch would burn him. When he looks at me, all mirth is gone.

"He picked you up on purpose to fuck with me, you know that, right?"

Coldness prickles my flesh, but I merely raise my eyebrows at him before glancing at Kadence.

My beautiful boy's perfect face has gone the color of day-old oatmeal.

"Oh?" I say.

Logan is pacing, shaking his head, pulling at his hair. "This is what you meant by revenge, Hughes? This is how you were going to get me back? By fucking my father? To what end? Did you think it would make me apologize to you? How were you going to…?" It's my son's face that loses its color now. "Holy shit. Do you have photos or videos or something? You sick fuck! What were you going to do? Tell me!"

I look at Kadence, realization dawning on me.

Oh…no…

"This was all a scheme?" I ask, not sure how I feel about the matter.

Kadence's lip trembles, and my heart comes close to imagining how it would feel if it broke. Not for anything he may or may not have done. Because he looks so utterly broken, and I can't stand it.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers.

"I knew it!" Logan gloats, punching the air. "You twisted little freak. You messed around with my dad to try and blackmail him to get to me! I am calling the police right now. You won't get away with this!"

He actually pulls his phone out of his pocket. However, I thrust my hand out with such force that he pauses.

"Kadence, talk to me," I say. I'm looking only at him now.

Twin tears spill down his face, and even then, he's still beautiful. "I wasn't going to hurt you, Rafferty," he rasps. "Not now. I…"

"But that was your plan, right?" Logan presses. "That's why you forced your way into my dad's life. So you could expose and ruin him, his company, our family, and me. Right?"

Kadence's chest is fluttering like a hummingbird as he tries to catch his breath. "Is that true?" I ask. I can't deny that my ego is bruised. I don't like being manipulated. But that's not what I see when I'm looking at my boy right now.

His face is etched with regret. "It was my plan, yes…" he utters. "But not…I wasn't going to…" He shakes his head, and his face crumples as he spins on his heel and races up the stairs, presumably toward his room. I want to chase after him more than anything, but I have to make sure that my idiot son doesn't do anything unforgivable first.

Or should I say…anything more unforgivable?

"Put your phone away," I snap, feeling a smug satisfaction as he does as he's told.

Christ, I've done him dirty. I let his mother mollycoddle him along with her parents, and all they've done is poison and weaken him. But it's not too late. I'm still his father, and I can still help him. Steer him right. Mend his ways.

"Why would Kadence need to exact revenge on you?" I ask calmly.

For just a second, terror flashes across his face, and I get all the information I need. "Dad, you're a victim here!" he cries. "He's…catfished you or something. Let me call the cops!"

I don't even try to stop myself from rolling my eyes. "Why do I think you don't even know the definition of catfishing? I ask again. Why would Kadence feel the need to get one back on you?"

Logan shakes his head and steps away. "You're crazy. I don't know what you're trying to imply, but?—"

I laugh humorously. "Look up the definition of gaslighting while you're at it," I murmur. "It's okay. It's really not hard to work it out. You two were involved. You hurt him—presumably in some way thanks to your tragic denial of who you really are—and Kadence thought he could ruin our family name by catching me in a compromising position. Close?"

Logan's mouth opens and closes a couple of times. "N-no. What? That's not…this right here has nothing to do with me!"

"Hmm," I say, already turning and making my way up the stairs after my boy. "Let yourself out, please. Next time, text before you intend on visiting. There's no telling what that traitorous little minx and I might be up to in ‘your' home."

"What?" he splutters from behind me. "Dad, you can't be serious. You're not that stupid!"

I pause and glance over my shoulder. "You're right. I'm not. Now get out. You've done enough damage already."

The moment stretches out so long as I climb another couple of steps that I think he might actually be doing as he's told. Then…

"Are you really picking him over me?" he asks in a pathetic voice.

But that's his fault if he's forgotten I'm an absolute bastard. He brought this on himself when he made my Kiki doll cry.

This time, I don't even look around.

"On this occasion? Yes."

I don't hang around to see if he goes or not.

My sweet boy needs his Daddy.

But when I get to his room, he's gone.