Page 42 of The Prodigal Son

I lie down on my bed and prop the phone up on the pillow next to me. Then I turn toward Jensen as if he’s lying on the bed with me.

“It’s been so long. What if I feel like an outsider? What if they’ve all moved on, and it doesn’t feel like my home anymore?”

“Then fuck them,” he says, which makes me smile. Jensen doesn’t often curse, but when he does, it’s that much more enjoyable. “Listen, Theo. They are your family. But if they don’t have your back and love you unconditionally, then you have every right to distance yourself. You will find people out there who will be there for you without question.”

“Why the hell are you so wise?” I ask with a yawn. “I still feel like such a kid sometimes.”

“You’re not a kid,” he says. “And you don’t give yourself enough credit. But have you thought that maybe running away at seventeen might have impacted the way you grew up? That might be why you still feel so naive. Because you didn’t get a chance to mature.”

Jensen lies down on his couch, propping his phone up on his coffee table so it’s like we’re both lying together.

“That’s a really good point,” I say.

“If you want, I could go with you,” he replies.

Immediately, I tense. I’ve never taken a boyfriend home, ever. If that’s what he is. My boyfriend.

“You don’t look too excited about that,” he says with a chuckle.

“No, I am,” I lie. “I mean…I want to be. That offer is amazing. And I think I’d like that very much…”

“But it’s moving too quickly,” he says, finishing my sentence. “I understand.”

“I’ve just never brought home a guy before.”

“Neither have I.”

“Except for a boyfriend I had in high school, I guess,” I add, thinking about Dean. “But he started as my best friend, and no one really knew we were messing around.”

Jensen growls low in his chest and it causes a flash of heat to gather in my cock.

“I don’t like hearing about your past boyfriends,” he says with a serious tone.

“I think I like you possessive.”

He growls again, and it makes me smirk.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, that guy is now sort of married to my brother.”

Jensen’s eyes widen. “What do you mean…sort of married?”

I haven’t seen Dean or Caleb’s wife, Briar, in over a decade, but I find their story too fascinating not to share.

“Well, my brother is married to a woman. But then…they sort of brought this other guy into their marriage.”

“Your ex,” Jensen says to clarify.

“Yep.”

“Wow… Is that weird for you?” he asks.

I shrug. “I used to worry about Dean. But now, he seems happy. I mean…who am I to judge how people live their lives?”

“None of us should,” he replies.

I yawn again.

“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll see you in two days.”

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