Page 90 of Becoming His Perfect Daddy
“But I discovered a few weeks ago that my online Daddy and Sam were the same person.”
Ethan’s jaw dropped, an expression that looked extremely out of place on his gorgeous face. I suspected he wasn’t often surprised. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s created a bit of a . . . conundrum.”
“How so?”
I took a breath, scrubbing my hand through my hair. “I was angry at first, though I get why he kept his identity a secret. But after the club meeting, he emailed me, confessing everything. We kissed before the meeting, and he said he didn’t want to go any further with me until I knew the truth.”
“And how do you feel about it now?”
“Sam’s great. I’m ecstatic that he and my online Daddy are the same person.”
He eyed me. “But?”
I sighed. “But . . .” My heart started pounding. This was terrible to admit. “I’ve always pictured myself with a certain kind of person, you know? And Sam—well, he’s so much better than what I pictured.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
I huffed. “Well, I just . . . never mind. I’m being an asshole.”That’s right, Cameron, you are. Just because you pictured eventually falling in love with a cis man, you’re going toavoid committing to Sam—the perfect guy—because he’s trans? You’re fucking worse than Jason.
Ethan appraised me before responding, probably watching the horrible thoughts spinning through my brain. “Okay, so whatever that is”—he swirled his hand in the air between us—“you need to sort it out. Sounds like Sam’s a great guy; you owe him that.”
I nodded, but he wasn’t done.
“And so what if he’s not exactly who you pictured you’d end up with? Cameron, love—hell, even lust—doesn’t always line up with the fantasies we’ve built in our heads. True love means finding the person who makes your soul sing and makes you a better person, not one who checks all the right boxes. That’s not real love; that’s fiction.”
I nodded again, tearing up. Thank god for friends who told me what I needed to hear and didn’t hold back.
Ethan watched me for a moment, probably sensing I had something I wanted to say. Turned out, I did. “I think I’m falling in love with him. But it’s too soon, right? How could I possibly love someone I just met?”
He lifted a single eyebrow. “Did you just meet him, though? You said you’d already bumped into each other a few times, and you had that whole online relationship, right?”
I just kept nodding.
“You know him, Cameron. And after last night, I suspect all the little pieces of him that were missing fell into place for you, didn’t they?”
I couldn’t believe his assessment, because he’d hit the nail on the head. My mouth dropped open, and I raised my hand to cover it as I drew in a soft breath. “Oh god, they did.” I found his gaze. “I think I love him, Ethan. I’m almost certain. But how do I give him all of me when I’m not good enough for him? I don’t have anything to offer him—”
Ethan’s hand shot between us again, silencing me. “Cameron, I know for certain you have everything he could ever want.”
“How do you know that? What do I have?”
Ethan’s smile was long-suffering. “You forget I met Sam before our club meeting last month. I knew he was hung up on someone long before I knew it was you. He doesn’t think you’re not good enough for him—he just wants you. I saw the way he looked at you during our meeting last month. The man lovesyou, just you, and you’re all he wants. I’ve rarely seen a man so smitten.”
Tears threatened, but I smiled through them. “Really?”
Ethan grinned. “Absolutely. Not to mention the fact that he’s a Daddy and you’re a boy—your submission is one huge thing you have to offer.”
“Oh.” I just stared into space as I let his words sink in.
“One last thing—if you truly believe Sam could be your forever Daddy, you need to be open about everything. A relationship built on secrets and half-truths is doomed to fail. So when you get a chance, justtalk to him.”
Choking back a sob, I chuckled without humor. “Of course, you’re right.”
He grinned. “I usually am.”
Chapter twenty-four
