Page 75 of Damaged

“Dalton,” I breathed after what seemed like hours.

“Mmmm?” was the response I got. I smiled because I liked knowing I’d done that to him.

“Sausage,” I said on a sigh.

“Huh?” my exhausted man mumbled.

“For breakfast. You asked me if I wanted bacon or sausage. I mean, I love bacon and all that, but I think I’m going to have sausage from now on. Lots and lots of sausage. Maybe even for every meal?—”

I was rewarded with a hard kiss. Dalton’s eyes shone with light. “I think I can do something about that,” he said with a grin.

“I thought you might. Now let’s go take a shower.”

Dalton groaned. “Okay, but this time you need to carry me; otherwise, I’m gonna need a minute here.”

I laughed. “I can wait,” I responded as I snuggled up against him.

Chapter 25

DALTON

“We don’t have to do this,” I said for what had to be the thousandth time. I’d already slowed the boat until we were sitting in the gently bobbing water several hundred yards from a very well-maintained dock and several different kinds of boats, all expensive-looking and well cared for.

It had been a couple of weeks since Silver and I had made love for the first time and since then, he’d been struggling to eat, sleep, or do anything besides sit on the lounger and stare out at the water. Even Sadie hadn’t been able to break him out of his funk.

Four days had passed before I’d been able to coax Silver into telling me what the was matter. I’d thought maybe I’d done something while making love to him that first time that had brought back some unpleasant memories, but he’d been the one to initiate our next sexual encounter that night and we’d made love multiple times since then.

He’d finally admitted that more and more images that had nothing to do with his captivity had been randomly appearing in his mind, most of them while he was trying to fall asleep after we made love. It had been painful to listen to him tell me about each image, which I’d come to understand weren’t random images but real-life memories.

Silver had finally begun to remember things from before he’d been sold to Ivan and even before his life on the streets of a German city with a couple claiming to be his parents.

I’d seen the chink in his armor long before he had. Whatever peace he’d found in the last few weeks had also fractured whatever it was that had kept those memories locked away in his brain for so long.

When I’d suggested we search the internet for any children who’d been declared missing or abducted not only in the US but overseas, Silver had reluctantly agreed. However, when I’d started my search, Silver had mentally checked out and had chosen to spend his time reading one of my ship-building books or throwing a ball for Sadie so she could jump into the water and retrieve it.

It had been impossibly easy to find out who Silver really was. The unique color of his eyes and a small birthmark on his ankle had confirmed it. When I’d told Silver that I’d found his real family, he’d simply said I was his real family. I’d understood his fear, but I’d also known he was at a crossroads that would define an important part of his future.

I’d finally gotten him to agree to check out the place since it had been less than thirty miles away from our current location, and less than a hundred miles from my own house. Unlike my house, though, the property was located in a small but exclusive town that boasted not only huge houses but acres and acres of land and extensive water frontage along Chesapeake Bay. Silver had been disinterested at best and while I’d steered the boat south, he’d barely looked at the land to our starboard side. He also hadn’t wanted to know anything about the people who’d brought him into the world.

Despite my words about not needing to, I really did want Silver to do this. I knew it would bring back painful emotions that he’d had to lock away for so long now that he wouldn’t have any clue how to deal with them. Things had changed, though. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had the right to see where he’d done cartwheels and to meet the people who’d been sitting around a big table having a raucous meal.

At the same time, a part of me wanted to keep Silver all to myself. I wanted to protect him from the pain that awaited him. I selfishly wanted him to choose to stay with me over the prospect of him deciding to stay with his family. Based on where his family lived and the obvious financial luxury they were privy to, I still wanted Silver to pick me and my slow but steady cabin cruiser and my tiny little red house that was threatening to fall down with the next stiff wind.

It had to be his choice, though. Even if I couldn’t compete, it had to be his choice… one I had no right to influence him to make one way or the other. I had no idea what kind of people awaited him on the other side of the dense line of trees, but if they weren’t deserving of Silver or tried to condemn him for something that hadn’t been his fault, we’d be out of there as fast as my boat could take us.

“I know,” was all Silver said as he finally studied the same thing I was looking at. He didn’t seem interested in the luxury boats or the endless sand that stretched out in each direction from the beginning of the dock. He was only focused on the trees. “I don’t remember this,” he muttered.

“It’s been a long time?—”

“If I do this, can we go home?” he asked. “You won’t… you won’t leave me here?” His voice cracked for the first time.

I was stunned by the question. I gently grabbed his arms and forced him to face me. I used one hand to tilt his chin up so his eyes were in line with mine. “Is that why you think I did this?” I asked hoarsely. “Sweetheart, there’s such a big fucking hole in my heart right now because I’m afraid after meeting them, seeing everything that lies behind those trees… I can’t lose you, Silver, but I can’t keep you for the wrong reasons. Nothing, nothing, would keep me from you if that was what you wanted.”

Silver put his arms around me and pressed his head to my chest. I covered the back of his head with one hand and kept the other wrapped around his waist. I kissed the top of his head but didn’t say anything else.

“Dalton, what if they… what if they…” he whispered. Thankfully, the waves slapping against the hull were light and there were no other boats around to cover his voice.

“What if they what, baby?” I asked.

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