Page 20 of Kylan

Marek put a gentle hand to his cheek. “How could we not?”

Then Kylan let out a teary laugh and threw his arms around both our necks and hugged us. “Thank you, thank you. I promise I’ll be the best boy you could ever want. I’ll make you happy, I promise.”

I rubbed his back. “You already do make us happy.”

He leaned back, his bony arse on my thigh bone. I picked him up and repositioned him. “Oh, sorry,” he said with an awkward smile. But then he looked up at me with big adoring eyes and my heart melted all over again for him. “Thank you, daddy. For explaining what I couldn’t. And you too, daddy,” he said, looking at Marek. “For coming to get me. I’m sorry if I made you worry.”

“Do you feel better now, princess?” Marek asked him.

Kylan nodded. “Yes. You always make me feel better. Sometimes I get all up in my head and normally I’m okay, but today I couldn’t shake it. Fitch was right. I needed you both, and you both came to get me. I’m sorry if you were busy or at work. I don’t even know what time it is.”

“It’s dinner time,” I said. “How about we cook you something and you can tell us about the video you made?”

He blushed. “Oh. Okay.”

Marek ran his thumb over Kylan’s heated cheek. He loved the way Kylan flushed. “Did you want to go havea shower? Dinner will be done by the time you come out, then we can eat and go to bed.”

Kylan looked surprised. “I didn’t think I was staying. It’s not one of my two nights?—”

I put my finger to his lips. “Did you want to stay, boy? It can be an additional night this week if you need it.”

He nodded eagerly. “Yes, daddy. You don’t need to pay me extra. Just being here is enough. And I can walk home from here in the morning, you don’t need to drive me anywhere. I won’t be any trouble, I promise.”

“You’re never any trouble,” I said, helping him off my lap. “Now, go be a good boy and have a shower before dinner.”

He nodded again and I watched him as he skittered out of the room before I turned to Marek. He was looking at me, as I knew he would be.

“We need to talk,” I whispered.

Marek nodded. “We do.” He sighed. “That poor sweet boy. How can we reassure him any more than we already have? I thought he felt secure with us, but clearly not.”

The truth was, I thought we had reassured him enough as well, but something was lacking somewhere.

“His fear of abandonment doesn’t stem from us,” I said gently. “But we need to work harder at reminding him we’re not going anywhere. You’re still one hundred percent happy with this arrangement?”

Marek nodded. “Very happy, darling.”

“Same,” I admitted.

“I saw how worried you were,” Marek said fondly. “You care about him, deeply.”

I sighed. “I do. And I know you do too.” I brushed my thumb along Marek’s jaw. “I thought someone had hurt him and I was about to rain down an unholy firestorm...”

Marek leaned in and kissed me softly. “You are such a sweet man. A good man. But someone somewhere along that poor boy’s life did hurt him, and we need to tread very carefully.”

I nodded. “Agreed.”

“Everything you said to him was spot on. He was feeling unsafe and uncertain. He’s afraid of change and he’s petrified of being abandoned.”

“Again.”

Marek’s smile was sad. “But he has us now, and we have no plans to terminate our contract with him, do we?”

“No. None. If you’re happy to continue, then I am as well.”

“Oh, I’m very happy to continue.”

“As am I.”

---