Kaiden used this opportunity to reach out and discretely hold Rus’ hand. His grip was too tight at first, but with each exhale, Rus settled his nerves. He remained composed while Dylan stared down at John.
“We’re not doing this,” Dylan said. “I am disgusted by the way this family treats Kaiden. Can you even call yourselves that? Family? You treat him like a personal piggy bank. Like an inconvenience. You are garbage people. Liars, users, wastes of fucking space.”
“Don’t you dare—”
“Shut your fucking mouth, Sandra.” Dylan pointed a finger in her face. “Don’t think for a second I won’t drag you, your daddy, and your lazy ass husband out on that front lawn and beat all your asses.”
John tsked. “I’d like to see you try.”
“That so?” Dylan leaned in real close, pressing his forehead to John’s. “Since the day I met Kaiden, I have loved him. I have done my best to be respectful to his terrible family for his benefit, but I’ll be damned if I let you fuckers manipulate him a second longer. You want to test your luck, go right ahead. I’m looking for a reason to knock some goddamn sense into that ignorant skull of yours.”
Dylan didn’t blink, didn’t back down, didn’t relent when John backstepped. He kept his eyes locked onto the old man’s.
“Just get the fuck out,” John snarled, finally turning away to return to the kitchen. “I said get out before I make you get out.”
Kaiden’s mother moved closer, trying to get her son to acknowledge her again, but Dylan intercepted.
“Not a fucking word.” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “We’re leaving. Do not call him until you learn how to make a sincere apology that doesn’t include a selfish ulterior motive.”
Sandra went to speak on her mother’s behalf, but Dylan shot her a look so menacing, it silenced her immediately. Kaiden had never seen this side of Dylan—Kaiden didn’t know Dylan had this side to begin with.
“Let’s go.” Dylan slung an arm over Kaiden and Rus’ shoulders, ushering them out of the house.
This time, when Kaiden stepped out of his former home, he didn’t feel like he was running away. He felt like he was dropping the anchors that had been tied around his neck all these years.
Once they got into the car, Dylan kept his intense gaze trained ahead, taking slow breaths to release his tension. Kaiden sat in the passenger seat, silently observing. Rus poked his head up from the backseat.
“I don’t usually go for angry daddy vibes, but please spank me tonight with that same intensity.”
Kaiden burst into laughter.
Dylan’s anger washed away and was replaced by a frazzled expression.
“I can’t believe I cursed them out. I’m so sorry,” he said with manic puppy dog eyes. “I just couldn’t take one more word of it. They were so awful and—”
Kaiden planted a kiss on Dylan’s lips, silencing him. “I loved it. Every second of it.”
“Me too,” Rus added. “Hell, might have to let you be the assertive mean one in the relationship moving forward.”
“Absolutely not,” Dylan replied. “That is so stressful. Should I apologize? No, they deserved it. Total jerks. Still, Kaiden, if you need me to make amends, I can. I don’t mind. I will go right up there and tell them they one hundred percent deserved to be told off but that I’m sorry for delivering the message.”
“I want you to take us back to my place,” Kaiden said. “I want you to prepare for a night of uninterrupted attention where I show you just how grateful I am to have you in my life.”
“And I’m not kidding about that spanking.” Rus squeezed Dylan’s shoulders. “I want to experience that authority firsthand.”
Dylan blushed, face completely red, and goofy grin growing wider.
Kaiden was proud of both the men in his life. Rus resisted his impulsivity for Kaiden’s sake, and Dylan gave in to his impulsivity for Kaiden’s sake. And Kaiden realized he could lean on the people in his life, people he trusted, people he loved. It wasn’t weakness to accept help from them. It was commitment, devotion, and so much more that he hoped to continue exploring.
Kaiden was okay with finally walking away from his family. He wasn’t abandoning them; he was simply putting himself first for a change. Putting the people in his life who truly mattered first. Kaiden had Dylan and Rus. That was enough for him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kaiden’svulnerability had stuck with Rus over the following days, making him consider his own vulnerabilities. He still wasn’t sure how much of himself he wanted to share with his boyfriends, intimately speaking, but there were other aspects of his life he wanted them to have a piece of.
“You’re lucky I like you,” Rus groaned as he escorted Dylan across campus to the Pride Club meeting.
The club itself wasn’t a problem, and if he could latch onto Daysha the entire time he attended, it’d most certainly make the meetings bearable. Unfortunately, he still found some of the members a bit insufferable, parading their causes around like some type of competition. It did help Rus reevaluate his own angsty attitude, making him wonder if he too sounded like such a preachy cunt when discussing human rights.
