Page 56 of Private Exhibit
“I ruined everything,” Devon cried, still hiding behind his hands.
“No. No, sweet boy. It's fine. I've got a mattress protector on the bed.” Andy paused, breathing a humorless laugh. “Gods. Four years, and it's still habit to put it on.” He paused again. “Junior insisted on sleeping between us, those last few months. And sometimes he refused to wear his diaper.” Andy touched Devon's hands. “It's fine, baby. Really. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Why don't you go get cleaned up, and I'll change the sheets, alright?”
“I can't,” Devon choked out.
“What? Why?”
Devon took in a shaky breath. “I've been trying for an hour, but I can't.” He choked out another sob, then said, “I can't feel my legs.”
Andy's breath caught in his throat.Oh gods. Suddenly, he was grateful not to have Devon's gaze on him. He felt Devon's confession like a punch to the gut, and it was all he could do to hold back tears of his own.
Oh gods. Not now. Please, not now. This couldn't be it. The beginning of the end. They'd only just gotten started.
Andy took a slow, deep, shaky breath, then had to hold it for a long moment before he let it back out.
Gods-damned Ashworth-Grahams.
He grabbed Devon's hands, carefully pulled them away, and gave Devon a kiss as a wave of determination charged through him.
Andy had to solve this if it was the last thing he ever did.
“Don't worry, baby,” Andy murmured. “Daddy's gonna take care of everything.”
Chapter 21
DEVON WANTED to crawl into a dark hole and hide away there forever.
Gods. He'd thought having Oliver clean him up was humiliating. This was so much worse. He didn't want Andy to see him like this. Especially not after sharing such a perfect, incredible night.
But Andy clearly knew what he was doing. The poor man had gone through exactly all of this before.
Coincidence or fate? Devon sighed. At that moment, he wasn't sure whether to curse or thank the gods.
Andy carefully lifted Devon off the bed and carried him into the washroom. He stepped right into the garden tub and set him down, then kept a hand braced against Devon's chest as he used the other hand to reach out and turn on the water.
“I can do it,” Devon mumbled.
“Not a chance.” Andy tested the water, then turned to look at him, keeping his hand right where it was. “I left Junior alone in the bath one time,” he began slowly. A wince flashed across his face. “He'd also wet the bed and couldn't walk, but he was feeling so raw that he insisted on washing himself. So I went to go change the sheets…” Pain flashed in the man's eyes. “The attack got worse.”
Devon gave a tiny gasp. “Total paralysis,” he guessed.
Andy nodded. “Moved from his waist to his neck, so he lost use of his arms, too. Couldn't hold himself up. He slipped downunder the water.” Andy trembled. “Luckily, it happened right as I walked back in to check on him, but…” Andy blew out a breath. “Scariest moment of my life. We never left him alone in the bath after that, no matter how embarrassing it was for him.”
Devon looked down. He knew how Junior must have felt. The humiliation and vulnerability of being naked and helpless. At the same time, Devon envied the boy. Junior had not only had a dad, period; he'd had a dad who cared.
“Hey,” Andy murmured. He moved in close, resting their foreheads together. “I know this isn't romantic. It's not the way you imagined things would go. But it's alright. Really.” Andy pulled back a few inches, and Devon felt the man studying his face. “Last night was good, right?”
Devon's blush came back for an entirely different reason, and he couldn't help a tiny smile that pulled at his mouth. “Yeah,” he whispered. Just as he saw an answering smile take over Andy's face, Devon's own smile slipped. “It's just…last night…I pictured waking up, realizing where I was, what we'd done, and then…doing it all over again.”
Andy gave a single, slow nod. “Well, I'll tell you what. Let's get you cleaned up. Then I'll make some coffee and order breakfast for us.” He leaned closer again. “And the second you're ready for more, I'll have you out of your clothes so fast, it'll make you dizzy.”
Devon gasped.
“You liked having Daddy inside you, didn't you, sweet boy?” Andy growled.
Devon nodded. “I liked it a lot,” he managed to whisper.
Andy chuckled. “Good. I liked it, too,” the man murmured over his lips before he kissed him.
