Page 128 of Dean

Ford moves to go after him, but Cash grabs onto him. “Wait. Give him a second.”

Ford looks at Cash, his eyes watery. “But he’s upset. He doesn’t need a second.”

I sigh and reach out, tugging them both a little farther away from Cash’s parents, who are glowering at us for making a scene. They always hated how different Cash was. They never liked Ford and me. We were the reason for his downfall, in their eyes.

“Hey, hold on. I’m his dad. Let me…I’ll go find him and talk to him. I’m the reason he’s upset.”

“Shit, Dean,” Cash murmurs, looking forlorn, as if he can’t believe this happened tonight. But I don’t care about this like they think I do. I just want Ben to be happy, to feel loved. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.

“Look, we can all talk about this later. Just know that I know. I’ve known for a while, I think. I might be an idiot sometimes, but I’m not that dumb.”

Cash swallows so loudly his throat clicks, and Ford curses under his breath.

“We didn’t mean for it to happen…”

“I know.”

“And it was all above board. We weren’t creeping on him when he was younger. It’s still new,” Ford interjects.

“Yeah, I know that too.”

“Hell, Cash wasn’t even into guys until?—”

His words are cut off, and he looks at Cash sheepishly. Cash runs a hand over his forehead and I can see the tremble in his limbs.

“We love him,” Cash admits after a moment of silence.

“We do,” Ford adds. “We’re fucking obsessed with him.”

“Yeah, I figured. And I get it. I just…I need to find him to tell him I love him. The three of you being together changes nothing. But I know my son. I know he’s built this up in his head, and I don’t want him to worry.”

Ford looks at me, confusion in his gaze. “How are you okay with this?”

“How could I not be? He’s with the two best men I know.”

Ford sniffles loudly and then pulls me into a hug. “Goddamn you. Making me cry.”

I pat him roughly on the back and then slap him on the shoulder.

“You always were a crybaby.”

“Fuck you,” Ford replies with a laugh, and Cash pulls Ford into him.

“Right. Well, it’s been a few minutes. He’s had time to cool off. I’ll message you where we end up. You can come get him when I’m done reassuring him that this changes nothing.”

I give my best friends a nod and walk away.

I’m sure this will bother me later, the secrets they kept, the way they kept me in the dark for who knows how long, but I get why they did it. I can see it so clearly now. But really, all that matters is that I get to my son and reassure him that I love him.

He’s the best part of me and Elaine.

I want him to know that.

Nothing will change that.

As I’m sitting in my car, trying to call Ben, Anthony messages me and tells me he’s taken my son back to his place. Apparently, Ben’s gotten close to his son, Angel. Fuck if I knew that. Didn’t even know he had a son.

My heart clenches. Seems I’ve done something wrong when it comes to my son; I missed a step. Maybe I’ve been so consumed with Avery that I’ve missed out on something he’s been trying to tell me.

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