"I think... I think I was so in love with the idea of saving myself that I didn't realize I was letting myself drown. "

"And now?"

"And now you're my lifeboat."


It was only meant to be a favour. Only meant to be for a few weeks. 

Yet when Stryker Odello finds himself a Daddy for a scarred little boy, he finds the darkness that swamped his life cracking and splits of light shining through.

High functioning alcoholic at best, meeting the needs of the little proved more challenging than he first anticipated. 

Broken and distrustful, getting through to Jamie Sinclair was a hard feat.

Both damaged from the past, hurt and cautious, could they learn to let go and figure out how to love again? 

Or was life's only joy to direct a tragedy?

His Little Boy

Practically glowing with happiness as he sat on the floor, Jamie hummed to himself as he drew lines between the numbers in the dot to dot he was doing.

Watching him helped relieve some of the worry that Stryker had been suffering with all day.

Quite clearly what had happened between them was not something that Jamie regretted.

Stryker wasn't sure he could say the same. He didn't regret sleeping with Jamie. He liked him a lot and Jamie had made little effort to hide the fact that he felt the same.

He did, however, regret the way it had happened. It hadn't been slow and sweet, well thought out and planned, as Jamie deserved. Instead, it had started out as a kiss that had evolved and went a step too far. He couldn't help but feel guilty; his head hadn't been in the right place, especially after meeting with Sammy, and he felt that it had been unfair to Jamie.

Not that he dared to tell Jamie that last bit.

Chapter27