Page 56 of Approved

CHARLIE’S PLACE

I blinked, still unsure what I was looking at, until West handed me a folder. Inside was a proposal for a foundation that helps with legislation around conversion therapy and helps those who are victims. Since they often fall under church rules, they got away with crimes they shouldn’t, and it needed to stop. The paperwork covered information about being a sanctuary for teens who had been sent, more like kidnapped, into these camps. Charlie’s place would give them the mental health care needed after the abuse these ‘camps’ inflicted. There were many pages of resources that would support teens who needed a place to stay, which included a couple of small rooms at Charlie’s place. There was a long list of doctors who had volunteered for office hours when we opened, meaning mental health professionals would be on site.

“You started a foundation to help teens that …” I couldn’t find words. Sinking to my knees, I couldn’t hold back the sobs. I wondered how things would have differed had I had a place that would guide me to resources and help me with my trauma. It didn’t matter because we would help as many kids as possible, and change the laws so these places would be shut down.

Strong arms wrapped around me, and I cried harder while Yogi whined, his foot on my thigh, clearly unsure of what to do with my current emotional state. That paw told me to calm my thoughts—he was right, but Yogi had to learn the difference between how I smelled and reacted to positive versus negative stimuli. This was so much, and my brain tried telling me this was a trick. I knew I had to let go of the past insecurities and embrace the future.

When we stood back up, I looked at my partner, the love of my life, and smiled. “Thank you.” They were simple words, but theywere hard for me to say. However, once I said those words, the burden I always carried when someone was nice slipped away. He did this out of love, not because he was trying to convince me everything was okay when it wasn’t.

“Anything for you, baby.” I could see in his smile that he knew how hard it was for me to accept this gift from him, and then I looked at the sign again, which was named after our cat. He took my hand and led me inside the building. There was still a lot of work to be done, but the drywall had been started. It was framed so he could show me where our office was. There were three therapists’ or private meeting rooms, a conference room, a common area, a reception, three small bedrooms with private bathrooms, and a small shared kitchenette. Then there was a large open office where legislation would be handled. It was a fantastic setup, and I knew we couldn’t help all the kids who were abused, but we could make changes in our community and our state. And offer a safe place and resources for some of them.

“This is amazing, West.” I wrapped my hand around his waist and pulled him close to me.

“I had to do something, the thought that other kids would go through what you did haunts me. We can only try our best.”

I curled myself into my boyfriend, whom I loved more than anything. Yogi barked and wagged his tail, which was acceptable since he didn’t have his work vest on. His help was beyond anything I had ever hoped for. I thumbed through the paperwork again and noticed the list of trustees. It included me, West, Jamie, East, Spark, Angus, and my therapist. All these people wanted to help save these kids who were abused—it was overwhelming in the best possible way.

At the front door, he handed me a set of keys. I looked at them and smiled. There were keys to Charlie’s Place and to our home. “Let’s go home.” He said while smiling.

“I think that’s a great idea.” The three of us walked back to the limo. It felt good to step forward with my life and not think about it as a lie. This was the life I deserved, and I planned to embrace it with my best friend, who was also my partner.

Chapter twenty-three

Epilogue

Eighteen months or so later…

TYLER

“Earl no. Weren’t you supposed to be on your leash? Did your other Daddy believe that you were going to behave yourself?” I picked up the cupcake, then Earl and I headed to the staff room with Yogi at my heels. I set Earl on the table and let him finish his stolen confection.

West rushed around the corner. “Have you seen? There he is. I was with the Senator discussing a speech on Capitol Hill covering the laws we are trying to pass. Allison was supposed to sit on the sofa with Earl on his leash. Well, you know, how that turned out.”

He petted the dragon. “Got yourself a cupcake, did ya?” Earl looked up at him, his face covered in frosting. Without any comment, West got a towel and wiped Earl clean, like he had done hundreds of times before. It didn’t matter. Today, we had an open house where we would feed some donors fancy finger foods. I then hoped people would pay too much for some donated goods and go home with less money than they arrived with.

Charlie’s Place had helped forty-three teens so far, twelve of them stayed in our rooms for a few days, having run away from a camp with nothing. We had shelves with clothes, toiletries, and other necessities to set up for kids who needed them. Many kids were there for a few hours until safe places were found for them. We had a few dozen households that had been vetted, where they could stay until they were adults, or if they were already over eighteen, they could get out on their own. We had job resources and a small fund, which allowed us to give them enough to survive for a few months. Charlie’s place was making a difference in people’s lives.

All of the teens who passed through our doors heard my story and went to therapy. As far as I was aware, they all continued to care for themselves by coming back to our therapists or going to one of the ones on our list. I hoped they would reach out in a few years and let me know how their lives were going.

“You’ve got Earl under control?” I asked West while he put his leash back on.

“Yeah, I do.” He pulled me against him and gave me a deep, toe-curling kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Let me go rub elbows for a while longer. That trip to DC will be expensive, so we need to get some extra funds.” I couldn’t believe he was being asked to talk on Capitol Hill, which was huge for the cause. I was so proud of him.

When we got home several hours later, we headed to bed, where we found Larry and Charlie asleep in the middle. Yogi had been taken off duty in the car, so he trudged up behind us and went to his bed, spinning around until he settled with a loud sigh. “I hear you, buddy, it’s been a long day.”

The day-to-day of the foundation was out of our hands. A wonderful group managed most of the things that kept it running. Flower Power was incredibly popular, and was something I loved doing. We still did foot traffic, but weddings and parties were scheduled every weekend. I had to hire two more full-time people to keep up with our orders, and I promoted Jamie officially to manager.

West climbed into bed beside me, and I snuggled against his chest. As I lay there, I realized that had he not insisted I get the help I needed, we would probably not be here. He loved me enough then to push; I was lucky. Leaning up, I kissed him deeply. Every time his tongue touched mine, an electric spark would travel along my body, and a lot of it pooled in my groin. I always wanted and needed him, and tonight wasn’t different.

WEST

I loved it when I could feel Tyler’s desire as he kissed me; it was electric and felt like my entire body was charged. Tonight wasn’t any different. We had a few bumps at the beginning of our relationship, but we found our rhythm, and I couldn’t be happier. Everything I needed in life, I had, which amazed me since I didn’t even think I would meet someone who could put up with me.

While we kissed, I could feel him rubbing his solid shaft against my thigh. It seems like the longer we are together the hornier for each other we got, after nearly two and a half years we still couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I thought about the times I would head to work with a sore ass from the pounding he gave me, or covered in hickeys that were impossible to hide. The sex was amazing. Even if we didn’t have that, I would think Tyler was perfect for me. He brought out all my best parts and made me a better man.

I let my tongue tangle with his, soaking in the heat as we battled for dominance. I pulled back. “I won’t go to Washington, DC for at least eight months.”

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