Page 47 of Boy Issues

He couldn’t bring himself to frame it as a question.

Donovan had begun to shake. “N-no. Of course not.” He clutched Silver’s shoulders. “You have every right to be angry with me. I should’ve told you before I went, discussed the situation over with you then. But please don’t give up on me yet. It’s too soon. We’ve barely begun.”

“Donovan, breathe.” Silver stroked his head in the hopes of calming him so they could work through the unexpected development. He’d be flying by the seat of his pants on this one. Yeah, he’d known their success together was a long shot, but he had to agree with Donovan. It was too soon to give up.

“I should quit the firm. Walk away.” Donovan fisted his hair. “This is such a fucking nightmare.”

“Baby, listen to me. One thing at a time. Only one.” Silver peppered Donovan’s wrinkled brow with soft kisses. “So, let’s start with this—your potential bride. How likely is that to happen? Can you honestly see going through with the scenario you just described to me with her?”

Donovan barked out a laugh. “Oh, God. No, I can’t.” He let out a long groan. “What’s wrong with me? How could I have gotten so twisted up over that? Of course I’d never agree to such an arrangement.”

Silver tucked some loose strands of Donovan’s hair behind his ears, smiling at how relieved his boy seemed to be. “Because the crap that rattles around in our heads sounds a helluva lot different when we speak it out loud.”

Donovan became still, somber. “Yeah. That’s what it is.” He scrubbed his face with one hand. “Holy shit. That’s it.” He locked gazes with Silver. “All these years there hasn’t been anyone to bounce ideas off of, to go to for advice. Anyone trustworthy enough to share my woes with.”

Donovan caressed Silver’s cheek, the first true sign of affection he’d shown without being prompted. Silver imagined that if they were able to keep moving forward, if Donovan’s circumstances didn’t destroy everything between before they had the chance to build a relationship, he’d discover a warm and loving man beneath Donovan’s surface.

Silver let Donovan sit with his thoughts to give him a chance to accept the reality of his declaration. He needed to embrace the relief that one of his fears had been handled.

“Okay, mijo. This is good. So, let’s discuss the next issue. Since you won’t be giving in to your father’s demands, then what happens?”

“I’m screwed.”

Silver pinched Donovan’s nipple.

“Ow!” Donovan slapped a hand to his chest. “What was that for?”

“Answer the question in a way we can talk it through.”

Donovan nodded. “You’re right. I warned you, lots of bad habits.”

Silver brushed his thumb across the nipple he’d abused. “And I warned you I have lots of patience.”

Donovan rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m scared. And I abhor that feeling. I’ve hidden from anything that would put me in a position of helplessness my whole life.” His shoulders slumped as he regarded Silver, flipping the script by running his fingers through Silver’s hair as he spoke. “That’s why I’ve never fought back or taken a stand. I’ve simply done what I absolutely had to do to get by so I wouldn’t have to make any earth-shattering decisions.”

“Which is the root of not only your passive aggressive stance, but how you’ve landed in the here and now in a panic, convinced there’s no way out.”

Silver took a moment to kiss his terrified boy, to taste and touch—reassure him he wouldn’t be facing the future alone.

Donovan sighed when Silver broke the connection, then lifted his gaze. “You’re making it easier for me to get my thoughts in order. And I honestly can’t think of any way out other than quitting, which brings me back to my quandary. What would I do with my life next?”

“Quitting isn’t on the table.”

Donovan’s mouth went slack. “What? You can’t possibly think I should stay at the firm when my father is making such unreasonable demands.”

“I don’t think you should view your situation as all or nothing, and I never use the word quit. If you leave your family’s company, you’ll do so with clear purpose. Not because you’re running away.”

“Oh.” Donovan furrowed his brow. “You’re right again. Because who knows if he’d actually follow through with his threats, right? I mean, if he doesn’t have faith in Lawrence’s ability to run things, and he doesn’t want to get stuck with them, then who’s left?”

Donovan grinned, the first expression Silver had seen from him since he’d arrived that didn’t radiate imminent doom.

“Exactly. Your father has been playing on your fears of being outed all this time. Instilled shame in you for being gay, making sure you’d believe you’d lose everything if found out.” Silver shook his head. “I call bullshit.” He placed his palm on Donovan’s chest, his heart thumping out a rhythm beneath his hand. “But now you have to decide. What will you do if I’m wrong?”

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