beside me, stretching out his long legs in front of him.
“I feel like I should give you the if-you-hurt-him-I-will-kill-you speech.”
Colin grunted. “Trust me, little dove. I am too old for that shit. I’m ready to settle down. I need it.”
I nodded, understanding completely. “Just please be patient with him.”
At that point he laughed. “I trained Parker. I have the patience of a fucking saint.”
I laughed and hooked my arm in his. “I like you and I like you for Troy. If you make each other happy, that’s all that I care about.”
“He told me that you saved him.”
I scoffed. “More like he saved me but yes, I guess you could say that I did.”
“People can be mean and judgmental. Doesn’t matter the age. You will see that in the BDSM lifestyle as well, Keely. But as long as what you and Parker do is strictly consensual, it doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say.” He thought a moment before he continued. “I remember the first sub I was interested in. She asked me if I was abused as a child and if that’s why I was into kink. I had to refrain from bending her over my lap and smacking her ass since she wasn’t mine.”
I frowned. “Just because you are in the lifestyle doesn’t mean that you were abused.” My case was clearly different but even then, if Parker never suggested it to me, I probably never would have been interested and I definitely wouldn’t be training to be his slave.
“Exactly. But Parker will teach you all of that. That’s what is fascinating about BDSM. You can grow together and I know your situation, Keely,” he grabbed my hand, linking our fingers. “This right here, you letting me hold your hand just proves that he is helping you. And you allowing yourself to trust again is beautiful.”
“Well, I know that you’re not hitting on me,” I teased. “So that helps.”
“Gee. Thanks.” He nudged my shoulder.
I laughed, leaning my head against him.
“You are the first person besides Parker and Jones that I can open up to.”
I lifted my head at his admission. “Well, get used to me. Because as long as that man will have me,” I pointed in Parker’s direction. “You’re stuck with me.”
We continued talking, smoothing out the cloud of tension that had hovered over us since we had arrived to the hospital. Colin also confessed that he was looking forward to helping Troy in any way that he could. What that meant exactly, I wasn’t sure but I could only imagine.
“Keely?”
I looked up as Parker and his mom approached us. The air around them was light. Sylvia’s eyes were red-rimmed but she had a huge smile on her face.
Rising to my feet, I tentatively approached them.
She closed the distance between us and threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you. For everything.” Her hold on me tightened.
“I…I didn’t do anything,” I said, returning the embrace.
She cupped my cheeks, staring intently into my eyes. “You have done more than I could ever thank you for. You made my son happy.”
“But I…I helped—”
“I don’t care.” She shook her head. “He explained everything. He told me it was all his idea.”
“But I should have stopped him.” My skin tingled under Parker’s heated scrutiny.
He walked by us, making sure to lightly touch my cheek. My gaze followed him. And he knew it too. He walked a little taller. There was a swagger in his step. And he was…happy.
THE MOMENT that I stepped into the tall hotel foyer, I felt like a child again. The crisp clean marble flooring of the lobby shone under the glow of the large chandelier in the middle of the vast room. The tiny sparkling lights danced across every single object that took up residence before me.
Each step I made, led me to my impending suffering. As much as I fought with Parker, he knew I had no choice but to meet with Devin. Alone. He didn’t like it. None of them did but they would get over it. They would have to.
Everything that had happened before this happened so fast that I felt like I was in some fucked up nightmare. Us hiding. My father being alive after all of this time. Patrick’s death. God, Troy. I would never forget the cries of anguish that wracked through his lean body. The look of pain and judgment as his eyes had bored into mine in the beginning.
I hurt for him. While we chatted in the office,