Treasure Hunt (boyxboy)

Treasure Hunt | Chapter Twenty-Four

     When I woke up, the house felt different, more sinister. The lights upstairs were all off, Treasure was asleep in her bed but Ariel and Logan along with Zach were no where to be found. I checked on T once more, my heart pounding in my chest. She was fine, sleeping soundly.
     I tried desperately not to fall down the steps as I took them two at a time. That's when I heard him;
     "Listen, Ava, I don't give a flying fuck. He's not going back to your house next weekend. Not with Derek there...oh? 'Kids make shit up?' Have you ever bothered to look at his stomach? No? Of course you haven't." I had never heard this side of Loran before. It was dark and malicious. "I don't care what the fuck you say, Ava. You're his mother. You're supposed to protect him from this, that's what being a parent is!"
     I listened from outside the the door frame for what felt like an eternity. Finally I heard him, rather harshly, set his phone down. Silently hoping he hadn't broken it, I entered the dining room. He was sitting at the table, head held in his hands.
     "Are you okay?" I asked cautiously, squeezing his shoulders, instantly feeling his tense muscles.
     "No, I'm not." He said, his voice sounding defeated.
     "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked and he shrugged. "It's not good to keep it in, babe."
     "Do you know why Ava and I didn't work out?" He sat up straight, craning his neck to look at me. I shook my head and he sighed. "Because she didn't want any kind of responsibility over Zach. I did everything for him. I did everything in my power to try and get her to even be slightly interested in him. You know why she even has the custody over him that she does? Because I was constantly told 'a kid needs their mother.' That's why, I was pressured into it. And now look where that's gotten us: Derek's kids are treated like royalty and how's Zach treated? All because I couldn't say no. She's never deserved Zach, never."
     I ran my fingers through his hair, "You can't blame yourself for her lack of love. She's missing out on what an amazing young man he's growing up to be. If she's choosing to be oblivious, that's her fault. Not yours. You're doing the best you can. As for the custody, you can fight it, you can change it that you get sole custody over him."
     He sighed and grabbed my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. "I just wish it were that easy." We were quiet for a while until he drew me closer to him, hugging me, his face buried in my stomach. "Dalton?"
     "Yes?"
     "I think I need a distraction."
     I smiled and kissed him, letting him take lead up to our room.