“Consensual.”
Dylan watched as Ethan struggled to put the pieces together. They hadn’t discussed his kinky leanings in college, precisely because he’d never wanted Ethan to have any hint of what he was doing with his mother.
The road to hell, as they said, was paved with good intentions exactly like his.
“I need to sit down.” Ethan dropped hard onto the couch, his expression that of a shell-shocked soldier. “I just… give me a moment to process this.”
“Dylan, could you give us a few minutes?”
The absolute last thing he wanted to do was to leave his babygirl to deal with this on her own. Especially not when she was looking so damn miserable.
But he was also aware that his presence there wasn’t likely to make the conversation they needed to have any easier. “You sure, baby?”
Ethan visibly flinched, and Dylan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Of all the things he’d witness today, hearing Dylan call his mother “baby” still made him wince?
“I’m sure. I want to talk to my son alone.”
“All right. I’ll go pick us up some pizzas for lunch.”
Gratitude flickered in her eyes. “Thank you. But, ah, you might want to wash your face, first.”
Everything in him wanted to go to her, to pull her into his arms and kiss all the stress and worry right out of her. And if he’d thought for a second it would actually work and not actuallyaddto her stress, he would have.
So even though it felt like his heart was being ripped in two, he settled for a sharp nod before heading for the bathroom and leaving the woman he loved beyond all reason alone to fight her own battles.
Sam
This day could not possibly get any more humiliating.
Forcing herself to look over, she met her son’s eyes, so much like her own it made her chest ache to see the confusion and worry in them.
“Mom… what the fuck?”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried desperately not to wish it was Dylan holding her instead. “I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out about… this.”
If she was being honest, she hadn’t wanted him to find out at all. In her fantasies, Dylan moved on at the end of summer and Ethan never knew what had gone on between them.
Between her and her Daddy.
God, what a fucking mess.
“What, exactly, isthis?”
Dragging in a deep breath, she forced herself to step forward, to sit on the couch beside her son. It didn’t matter now that she hadn’t planned on telling him about her and Dylan, he knew now so the only option was to be as honest as possible. “Dylan and I are… involved.”
The look Ethan sent her was the very definition of withering. “Funny enough, I did pick up on that.”
“There’s no need to be sarcastic, Ethan.”
He at least had the grace to look somewhat chagrined. “Sorry, Mama.”
“As I was saying. Dylan and I have been seeing each other for a couple weeks now.”
“So pretty much since he came to stay with you.”
“Pretty much. And I’m so, so sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for? He’s the one who took advantage of you.”
