Epilogue

Shawn

T hings shifted. Not in a bad way.

It took a couple of days for Daniel to feel up to coming back to work. He felt terrible about the panic attack and was embarrassed that someone might have seen him. No one even knew, but his absence was felt.

“This is so weird.”

I looked up from the bar as I set another order out for a customer. Chase was leaning over, looking between me and Daniel.

“What’s weird?”

“That you two haven’t fought once. If it weren’t for the fact I know you guys are banging—”

I held up my hand to cut him off, looking around to see how many people could hear.

Daniel’s arm draped over my shoulder, and I relaxed. “Wasn’t it getting old? Personally? I like coming to work and not having to worry about what kind of argument I’m going to get into today.”

Chase laughed. “It’s just different. That’s all I’m saying. Not to mention... you’re being all touchy. You hated it when he touched you.”

He had a point, but I liked how Daniel wasn’t afraid to show that we were together now. While we’d confessed to falling for each other, it all still felt very fast. The ‘L’ word had been used, but we’d both agreed that we’d hold off on using it more regularly until this had been established a little better.

“Shawn?”

Daniel’s arm dropped from my shoulders as my dad came around the corner. He was pretty relaxed with us, especially knowing what all Daniel had gone through, but we knew there were professional boundaries at work.

“Yeah? What can I do for you?”

Dad motioned for me to follow him to his office. My hands grew slick with sweat as my heart rate picked up. He couldn’t be mad. Could he?

The door clicked behind me and my unease didn’t lessen when my dad sat in the chair behind his desk. He looked a little too professional for this to be a casual talk. “Would you have a seat? We have something important to discuss.”

Yeah, that hadn’t made me feel any better about things. I sat in the chair across from him, fidgeting with the sleeves of my work shirt as he pulled sheet after sheet of paper out. He frowned a few times but then pulled out a pen box, one of those fancy ones where the pen inside is custom-made or some shit like that. He set the box in front of me before sliding over the paperwork.

“What’s this?”

“Just open the box, Shawn.”

My hands shook as I picked it up and opened the lid. The pen inside was a heavy dark metal with my name inscribed on the side Shawn Stevens - Synchronize - Owner

I swallowed thickly as I looked between the pen and the papers, which were now obviously contracts. “I—I don’t understand what’s happening here.”

Dad sighed. “Shawn, son. You’ve made it obvious that you don’t want Margaret’s. I still want you to have some skin in the game, and I know you always wanted something of your own. This seemed more your speed. It’s a new bar slash nightclub, and it’s yours if you want it.”

Holy fuck. My eyes burned. He expressed his disappointment that I wasn’t interested in taking over the restaurant, but I never anticipated that he would give in and assist me with my dream.

“This—this is almost too much. When you say it’s mine, I’m allowed to do with it what I want?”

Dad laughed. “Within reason. Yes. It needs to be legal. Can’t have you ruining our good name and all of that.”

Like I’d do anything... okay, he had a right to have some worries. I had a wild streak from time to time, and it wouldn’t be unlike me to open an underground casino or something. Nope, wouldn’t be doing something like that. This club would be my baby. “Thank you, this... it means a lot.”

The smile that spread across my father’s face had me relaxing for the first time since I’d entered his office. He pushed the contracts in front of me again. “Now, why don’t you sign these, and we can get some things rolling to get this place open in the next year, maybe?”

Daniel

The office was almost too quiet. The walls were painted white, and potted plants were interspersed between the brown leather seats.

I was out of place. Getting here had been hard work, but after working with Ms. Hutch and getting the temporary protective order in place, it was even more apparent that I needed to talk to someone. At least the phone calls had stopped, and I hadn’t had them hanging over my head.

As much as I’d wanted to tell Art off, to yell at him for ruining so much of my last year, we all agreed that it wouldn’t have helped my case to antagonize him.

“Mr. Morgan, we’re ready for you.”

I looked up as the woman held the door open for me. My heart was still beating a mile a minute, but this was a step in the right direction. Things had been going well with Shawn and I trusted him and his intentions a little more every day. But things with my parents were still a work in progress.

The woman sat in a chair and pulled out a notepad, motioning for me to sit across from her. This didn’t feel like everything I’d built it up to be in my head. There were the stereotypes. The woman with the glasses and pressed pantsuit who looked like she was ready to judge me. Or maybe it would be a man that was older than dirt with a full beard and the office would smell of cigar smoke.

Nope, this was none of those things.

Dr. Christina Turner wore skinny jeans with Converse and a flowy flowery blouse. Her blonde waves sat loosely at her shoulders and her smile was welcoming. There wasn’t a trace of judgment in sight. She barely even looked like someone I’d call a doctor.

“For all intents and purposes, I am a medical professional Mr. Morgan, but for the sake of comfort and because I want you to talk to me as if you’d talk to me as you would a friend, I will address you as Daniel and I’d like you to call me Christina. Is that okay with you?”

I nodded dumbly, taken aback by how casual she was. She grinned before setting the pad of paper in her lap and leaning closer to me.

“I’m going to take notes, but I want you to start off by telling me a little about yourself, your likes and dislikes. This only works if I know a little about you first.”

And just like that, all my worries about talking to a stranger melted away. She didn’t feel like someone I couldn’t trust. Then again, that had been her job.

“ H ow did it go?”

I dropped my jacket on the back of the couch and reached for the orange ball of fuzz that came barreling around the corner the second I entered Shawn’s apartment. I held Nacho to my chest and scratched under his chin while I faced my boyfriend. It still felt strange to call him that, but I was getting better at it.

“Not as bad as I thought. There’s all this stigma attached to mental health and people who need to talk to a therapist or a psychiatrist, and honestly... it’s all a bunch of bullshit. I feel stupid for putting it off.”

Shawn left his spot in the kitchen, bringing over two bottles of beer. He handed one off to me and I took it without question. We sat next to each other on the couch and sipped at our drinks.

“So it went well? You think you’ll keep going?”

I sighed. “I’d like to. Mom and Dad were able to pay for three visits. I’m not sure if it’ll be enough, but it’s a start.”

Shawn was quiet again for a long moment. “If you needed more, and I know you said you didn’t want my help, but please know that I’d be willing to help you...”

Instead of the panic the statement had set off in the past, it didn’t this time. Shawn had shared how others had used him in the past for his money and I had more than proved that I wasn’t in the relationship for that. He was a source of comfort. A protector.

My hand landed on his thigh, causing Nacho to wiggle out of my hold and take off to the other room. “I appreciate you. And we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Shawn’s grin lit me up inside, sending those little butterflies dancing all over again.

He’d been so happy since he’d come home the other day with the news that his father was giving him his own business, and one that he actually wanted. In his excitement, he’d asked if I’d stay. Make this a more permanent situation than the idea that I could leave and go back to my own place at any moment. The idea made me sick. I couldn’t leave him. I couldn’t leave the damn cat.

I’d gotten swept up in the moment. The ‘ yes ’ had fallen from my lips before I could stop it.

So much for not moving too quickly.

But it was okay. It felt right. Like I was right where I’d always meant to be.

Shawn had worked his way in, thawed my heart, and opened up new possibilities. We had a long way to go, but the adventure would be worth it.

THE END