Page 21 of Silas's Sweetheart

“Since you’ve been sitting there for the last hour brooding after everyone disappeared off, what’s got you laughing all of a sudden?” Dad asked, dropping the latest Starling Fashions magazine he held to give Silas his full attention. It was something that Dad did without effort. Made the person he was speaking with the whole of his focus. It, Silas believed, was why he was so successful at business. He missed nothing. Silas also got Dad had stayed up late with him because he’d figured Silas was… nervous?

“Booker going all bear on the press tomorrow,” he replied, still grinning at the idea.

Dad joined him, his shoulders shaking as he laughed aloud. “As your brother has no patience with time wasters, it’s a very real possibility.”

The thought sobered Silas because Dad wasn’t wrong and they didn’t need any negative press. “Are you sure this is the right decision, Dad?” Silas asked quietly, staring at the man who had such a fierce love for his family.

Silas had been one of the fortunate ones, having two parents that loved him unconditionally despite him being divergent. At school, he’d learned the hard way that not everyone was as accepting. Still, hewas one ofthe lucky ones. His five adopted brothers were too, when they’d become part of this family.

Someone once asked him the stupid question of whether he felt pushed out because some of his brothers required so much emotional support. Silas had never questioned his extended family. Popi had such an endless well of love, it seemed only fair that others got to share it, too.

Somehow, those that had found their way into the family fit. Yes, they argued, bitched and fought occasionally, that made no difference to the love they all shared for their family. He was positive both Kari and Kodi felt the same. What bothered Silas right now was being the oldest, if only by a few months. How was it logical that he should be the one who was going to be the figurehead of a company? One who would be very much in the public eye, a place he didn’t want to be.

The silence in the room lengthened as Dad scrutinized him. “Is this why you’ve been hiding out?”

“W-What,” he spluttered. “I’ve not been hiding out. I’ve been working my ass off juggling all my additional responsibilities while still managing aspects of the ranch.” Was he blushing? It sure as hell felt like it! Did he sound as panicked as he felt? Crap, had the others noticed he’d spent time locked in his office?

His sexy, fun time with Ziggy hadn’t progressed beyond his office yet. Silas didn’t think too hard on the why, because he’d been the one to make it clear that what was happening with Ziggy was just sex. Going to Ziggy’s place felt like it would introduce an element of ‘dating’ vibes.

They hadn’t talked about it, not that they did much talking out of work hours. After the first time he’d lost control in the office, he had made a rule that they only had sex when the work day finished. It was lowering that he was the one who, twice, had tried to initiate something before the day’s end.

Ziggy, the fucker, was much better at being restrained.

“Are you listening to me?” Dad enquired, in an amused tone.

He was definitely blushing, his face an inferno as he looked anywhere but at the man sitting opposite him. “Yes… yes I am.”

“Then answer my question.”

Darnation.

He scowled and continued to blush, scrabbling to figure out what he had missed. “Okay, you caught me,” he finally said. “You can’t blame me for being distracted.”

“It’s the cause of the distraction that bothers me…if it’s work.”

Returning his attention to Dad, Silas sighed. “Work is most definitely a distraction. I don’t want to be in the public eye.”

“Is this solely ‘cause you’re divergent? Or something else?”

Dad never shied away from the hard questions, and Silas cursed. He got up to pace off his growing agitation when he wasn’t prepared to discuss Ziggy and how that connected to the past.

“What if I make an ass of myself?” He swung around to look at the man who made everything look so damn easy. “You’re a very hard act to follow, Dad.”

Dad got up and came to take hold of Silas’s hands, squeezing them. They were the same height but Silas still felt like the small boy who needed his dad to make it all better for him.

“You aren’t following me, my darling boy. You’re going to forge a new path, just like you did when you bought your ranch with no help from me or your popi. I have every faith you’ll find your way, one that works for you. You always have, despite what life has thrown at you.”

He tugged his hands, bringing Silas in, and then hugged him hard. “You’re an amazing man. One I’m extremely proud of. Be true to you and it will be enough.”

Silas released a shuddery breath and held on, needing a minute to get himself back under control as his eyes filled with tears at the unwavering support and love. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you.” He eased back his hands, holding on to Silas’s arms as he held his gaze with a fierce look of determination. “Remember, I’m always here if you need to talk about… anything.”

Silas’s stomach dipped, picking up something that suggested Dad knew there was something besides work going on for him. The man had an uncanny knack of seeing what Silas didn’t want seen. He didn’t sigh, but it was a close call when he considered if someone had figured out why he’d bought industrial strength air fresheners and insisted on the windows remaining open in his office overnight, to get rid of the smell of sex.

He hoped like hell they hadn’t. He wasn’t ready to give up what he had going with Ziggy yet. Sex without strings, a dominant omega who dressed up for work? Yeah, giving that up wasn’t anywhere on the agenda.

Should he be worried about that?

---