Derek did most of the talking during dinner, chatting about how he was looking forward to school and seeing his friends again. He was cheery and starry-eyed, and Owen hoped that he remained like that for as long as possible. Once Derek ate a hamburger and nearly half of the fries, he hopped down from his chair and headed off to watch cartoons in the living room, leaving Owen and Beau alone.

  “Dinner was great,” Owen told Beau as he wiped his hands on a napkin. He wondered why Beau didn’t have a cook around to handle the meals. He could certainly afford it. In fact, it seemed like he did his own cleaning too. It was odd for someone of his wealth.

  Beau gave Owen a crooked grin as he shrugged.

  “I do my best,” he said. “I’m definitely better at business than cooking.”

  “Do you like what you do?” Owen asked, curious about Beau’s job.

  Beau nodded as he leaned his crossed arms against the table.

  “I worked hard to start my company. It’s my blood, sweat, and tears,” Beau replied with a hint of pride on his face. “And I like helping people. Their investments will set them up for the future.”

  Owen smiled lightly as he nodded. He didn’t know much about investing money, but it seemed like Beau was helping people out by guiding them on where to put their money. At least Beau didn’t have an inflated ego from all of the money he made.

  “So, you’re good with money?” Owen asked.

  Beau chuckled.

  “You could say that,” he said. “I’m good at handling it and building it. I’m sure you make a decent bit from the agency you work for.”

  Owen didn’t know the exact amount that Luke made from babysitting, but he knew it was enough to pay his half of the rent and bills. It was a decent gig and way better than his job at the supermarket.

  “I can’t complain,” he replied. “But it’s not really about the money for me.”

  Beau’s face softened, and an admiring look filled his eyes as he gazed at Owen.

  “I don’t hear that much nowadays. It’s nice to find other people who are passionate about something other than money or fame,” he said. “I had a feeling you were one of the good ones.”

  Owen felt his face heat up at Beau’s compliment. He so effortlessly made Owen warm up all over. It was that killer charm of his.

  “You seem like one of the good ones too,” he replied before glancing over his shoulder at Derek, who was entranced by a cartoon shark. “And your nephew adores you.”

  “He’s a good kid. His mom, my sister, needed a break after her divorce. She took off to someplace sunny after dropping him off here,” Beau explained as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I try to take care of him as best as I can. I knew that meant hiring extra help.”

  “It’s still good of you to be there for him. He’ll remember that,” Owen replied as a bittersweet feeling swept over him. He remembered the adults who’d gone out of their way to make him feel a little better. He had a teacher who would loan him books and even give him snacks from her lunch. He would never forget people like that.

  Beau tilted his head at Owen in a curious manner.

  “Do you have siblings?” he asked.

  Owen shook his head.

  “I’m an only child. I do have a best friend who’s like a brother, though,” he replied.

  Beau nodded.

  “I’ll be gone for a little while tomorrow. Can you make sure Derek takes a shower? He’s probably due for one,” he said.

  “Of course,” Owen replied. “Another meeting?”

  Beau hesitated before answering.

  “Something like that,” he said before grabbing their empty plates and rising to his feet to place them in the sink.

  Owen chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Most of the time, Beau was charming and humorous, but there were other times when he was distant and a bit off. He wondered if that had something to do with the nightmare he had last night.

  “Did you manage to get some sleep after I left?” Owen asked once Beau walked back to the table.

  Beau froze after pulling back his chair to sit down. He didn’t look over at Owen as he nodded.

  “Yes,” he merely said before pushing his chair back under the table. He cleared his throat, awkwardly stepping back from the table. “There's some work I need to finish off. I'll be in my home office if you need anything. Derek needs to brush his teeth.”

  Owen’s eyes widened slightly as he watched Beau leave the room rather abruptly. It seemed like he had struck a nerve. He didn’t mean to upset Beau, and guilt flooded through him. He shouldn’t have brought it up, even if he hadn’t directly mentioned the nightmare. It obviously made Beau uneasy.

  He chose to leave Beau alone and focus on getting Derek ready for bed. However, Beau lingered in the back of his mind as he helped Derek get dressed into his pajamas. He hoped that Beau wouldn’t act off to him now. They had been getting along so well, even getting close to each other in more ways than one.

  “Goodnight, buddy,” Owen told Derek, patting him on the head before shutting off the light and closing his bedroom door. He glanced over at Beau’s bedroom, having heard Beau retreat there a few minutes ago. As much as he wanted to go and apologize to Beau, he figured that he should just let it go. He settled in bed, needing a good night of uninterrupted, deep sleep.

  That wasn’t what he got, though.

  Around two in the morning, a familiar cry woke Owen, making him shoot up in bed with a racing heart. He didn’t hesitate this time. He got out of bed and hurried to Beau’s room, pushing open his door and seeing Beau twitch violently in bed.

  “N-no! Stop!” Beau whimpered in his sleep.

  Owen crawled onto Beau’s bed, reaching out to shake Beau awake like he did last time. It took a harder shake this time, but Beau’s eyes finally flew open. He tried to pull back from Owen, but Owen’s grip was too strong.

  “It’s okay. Just relax,” Owen whispered, not wanting Beau to draw away. He was here to help Beau.

  Beau didn’t move, but he didn’t say anything either. He almost seemed paralyzed.

  Owen lay next to Beau, repeating what he did last night because it seemed to work. He settled on his back, drawing Beau against his side and coaxing him to lay his head on Owen’s chest.

  Beau remained tense for a while, shuddering every so often as his chest grew tight. Owen didn’t know what he could possibly be dreaming about to affect him so deeply, but he was a bit scared to find out. What could be that nightmarish?

  Around dawn, Beau fully relaxed, his breathing turning softer as he finally fell asleep. He was a heavy weight on Owen’s chest, and Owen nearly considered staying there until Beau fully woke up. However, he knew that he needed to go back to his own room. He didn’t want Beau to be upset if he found Owen still in his bed, and he didn’t need Derek stumbling upon them in bed together either, even if nothing happened.

  As carefully as possible, Owen slipped out from under Beau. He covered Beau with a blanket before sneaking back to his own room, feeling overcome by curiosity and confusion. There was something mysterious about Beau. He didn’t know what it was, but he desperately wanted to find out more about the man he would be living with for the remainder of the two weeks.

  CHAPTER 5

  Beau

  Beau hated hospital rooms and any room that had to do with sitting in front of a health professional, including his therapist’s office. No wonder his palms felt clammy as he sat in the waiting room of Dr. Castillo’s office. He had been there multiple times before, but he still felt nervous being there and having to talk about the darkest moments of his life. He was basically reopening old wounds, but he became stronger and stronger each time he talked about what happened when he was younger. One day, he would be able to look back on his old memories and not be on the border of a panic attack.

  “Mr. Colton?”

  Beau looked up at Dr. Castillo, who stood in the doorway of her patient room. He rose to his feet and greeted her politely before taking a seat on the light teal couch meant for patients.

  Dr. Castillo sat across from him in a leather armchair. A coffee table with a notepad, tissues, a basket of granola bars, and a few bottles of water separated them. She pushed her black hair back from her shoulders and shifted her black-framed glasses farther up her nose.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Beau,” she said kindly.

  Beau wiped his palms against the rough material of his jeans.

  “Thank you,” he replied. He wished that he could say the same thing for her, but he was there for reasons that weren’t all that great. He didn’t want to have to go to therapy, but he needed it right now. Badly.

  “How have you been?” Dr. Castillo asked once she grabbed her notepad and pen.

  Beau glanced away from her as he thought of the past few days. He liked having Luke around, who was good company for Derek and for him as well. Luke brought an undeniable warm energy to the penthouse. Strangely, it was like he belonged there. He fit in well, and Derek was already attached to his hip.

  That was the thing, though. Derek and Luke had bonded much like Beau had bonded to his nanny back when he was eight. That same nanny had plotted with her boyfriend to kidnap Beau and hold him for ransom. He’d trusted her, and she’d turned that trust against him, leaving him scarred.

  Even if Luke seemed like a perfectly kind person, Beau couldn’t help the lingering fear in the back of his mind. What if Luke tricked him too? What if something bad happened to Derek? Beau wouldn’t be able to live with himself if that were to happen under his watch. It would kill him.

  “I’ve had a lot of nightmares lately,” Beau replied. He experienced nightmares since the kidnapping, but they were happening every night again like they used to a few months after the incident. He was tired of waking up with tears in his eyes and a raw throat from screaming.

  What made it worse was that Luke kept finding him like that. He hadn’t told Luke about what happened or what his dreams were about because he was reluctant to dredge up the past, especially around Luke, who made him feel happier and lighter than he had felt in a while. He didn’t want to scare Luke off with his issues, and it was a wonder that Luke hadn’t already bolted.

  “About the kidnapping?” Dr. Castillo asked as she scribbled down a few notes.

  Beau nodded.

  “I just can’t escape it. I remember how they starved me… beat me… didn’t even let me use the restroom. I was starving… filthy… broken,” Beau murmured, his eyes turning distant as he sank into his thoughts.

  “It’s okay, Beau,” Dr. Castillo said softly. “You’re here. You’re safe.”

  Beau snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, anxiously digging his palms against his jeans. He didn’t like returning to those thoughts, but it wasn’t like he could erase them. If he could, he would. That experience made him reluctant to trust anyone, especially house help like servants, drivers, security guards, cooks, and babysitters. They got too close and knew too much. What if they turned on him too?

  Luke was a huge exception and a last resort for him, and he had no idea how big of a deal letting him stay at the penthouse and be around Derek was for Beau. Beau just hoped for the best. He liked Luke, and he wouldn’t mind if the connection they shared flourished some more. He hadn’t wanted to get closer to anyone else like that before.

  “I know. I’m fine,” Beau said quietly with a nod, prompting Dr. Castillo to continue.

  “Has something in your life changed that might’ve spurred these nightmares to happen so often?” Dr. Castillo asked him.

  “I hired a babysitter to help me watch over my nephew,” Beau replied, not needing to explain why that impacted him like it did. Dr. Castillo had heard his story over and over again. The only good thing about his story was that he’d made it out alive.

  When the money had been sent to his nanny and her boyfriend, they’d abandoned him by the side of the road. The temperature was low that night, nearly sending him into a state of hypothermia. Thankfully, the cops found him before he froze and took him home to his worried parents and sister. He wasn’t the same after that.

  “Wow, that’s a huge step for you, Beau,” Dr. Castillo said with a proud smile. “How has that been?”

  Beau flexed his fingers as he shrugged.

  “It’s been fine. The babysitter is really nice. He gets along with my nephew well, and I think we’re friends,” he replied. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly at the thought of him and Luke being friends. He didn’t know if that was true on Luke’s side, but Beau felt like he could talk and joke with Luke like a friend. However, when it came to attraction, that didn’t stay in friendship territory for Beau.

  “That’s really good,” Dr. Castillo told him. “Do you believe you and Derek are safe around him?”

  Beau glanced away, his eyes scanning the bookshelves lining the walls of Dr. Castillo’s patient room. That was hard to answer. He felt safe around Luke, but his past made him question his relationships with people. He had felt safe around his old nanny too, and one of the worst possible things happened.

  “I think so. It’s just hard to fully trust anyone,” he said as he looked back over at his therapist.

  “This is an important step for you. This will help you address your trust issues and possibly let someone in,” Dr. Castillo replied. “Spend more time with him. Get to know him more, and when you’re ready, let him get to know you more too.”

  Beau figured that was the best idea. He didn’t want to pull away from Luke because he felt happy in his presence. His nanny had been nearly two decades older than him, so he hadn’t gotten to know her well as a person. He’d only been eight. He couldn’t accurately judge people’s character.

  Now, things were different. He was older and more cautious. He could read people fairly well after getting to know them more, and he believed that he could get a better read of Luke once they spent more time together. It had only been a few days since they met. Plus, he looked forward to spending some more one-on-one time with Luke.

  “I’ll try that,” Beau said with a nod.

  Dr. Castillo smiled at him.

  “Great! Is there anything else on your mind?” she asked.

  Beau shook his head. He believed that his nightmares would lessen once he trusted Luke more and got to know him better. Seeing Derek get so attached to Luke wouldn’t strike Beau so hard because he would know that nothing terrible would happen to Derek.

  “If you need anything, you know that you can call me or set up an earlier appointment,” Dr. Castillo told him as they both rose to their feet.

  “I will. Thank you,” Beau replied. He hoped he wouldn’t have to do that, but as he had learned early on, life was unpredictable. Life could be cruel. All that he could hope for was for Luke to show him the brighter side of it.

  CHAPTER 6

  Owen

  Derek’s laughter rang throughout the park as he slid down the blue slide before climbing back up on the playground equipment for another turn. It was a quiet sunny day, and Owen took the time to lounge on a bench in front of the playground section. It was nice getting outside.

  Typically, Owen stayed inside with Derek. Beau didn’t care to take Derek out and about, preferring for Owen to remain in the penthouse with Derek while he was gone. However, like any kid, Derek had gotten tired of being trapped in one place. He begged Owen to take him to the park, and it was hard for Owen to say no to that face.

  Plus, Owen needed to get out and get some sunshine. He’d had a tough call with his boss at the supermarket this morning. His boss refused to allow Owen to take more time off, so Owen was forced to quit. He wasn’t happy about doing so, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk away from the babysitting job. Not only did he not want to let Luke down, but he didn’t want to leave Derek and Beau behind either.

  They weren’t a family. He knew that, but it was nice being surrounded by people who cared for each other. He was a newcomer, but Derek loved his company, and Beau was nice to be around. Very nice to be around. They caught each other staring frequently, but neither of them did anything other than smile and admire the other from afar. At least a connection was there.

  Owen turned his head as a young mom with two sons approached the playground. She coaxed them to go play before taking a seat on another bench. He looked back toward the slide, sitting up more when the two boys approached Derek. He hoped trouble wouldn’t stir up.

  To his delight, Derek happily chatted with the boys, and they started taking turns on the slide and swing set, even pushing one another. Derek was naturally charismatic, the type to easily make friends. Owen was glad to see him get some interaction outside of him and Beau, so he relaxed and watched Derek play with his new friends.

  Honestly, the babysitting job wasn’t all that bad. There were times when Owen didn’t exactly know what to do, like when Derek stubbed his toe on the leg of the couch and started crying. He couldn’t do anything to physically heal a stubbed toe, so all he could think to do was offer Derek a bowl of ice cream with extra sprinkles. It worked.

  He had to think on his feet at times, but Derek was a good kid. He liked watching cartoons, playing with his action figures, and playing hide-and-seek. Owen could do all of those things, and he liked seeing Derek’s cheeky smile. He was much happier than a lot of the kids at the orphanage. He was lucky to have a caring uncle like Beau.

  Time flew by while Derek and Owen were at the park. At one point, Owen played ultimate Frisbee with Derek and his new friends since they brought a Frisbee with them. He actually had a lot of fun, and it was good for him to get outside and moving. Once Derek’s friends left, Owen called to him, telling him it was time to go back home.

  “Do we have to?” Derek asked with a pouty look on his face.

  “I’m afraid so. Maybe we can come back another day,” Owen replied as he lightly ruffled Derek’s hair. One of the few good things about growing up in the orphanage was having friends around at all times. He didn’t lack social interaction at all.

 

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