by L. Michael
“Confidence?” I couldn’t see where Henry’s world had been anything else than terrifying. But I wanted to understand. And Ava was the only person who could provide details.
“Yes. Confidence. Years went by, and nothing happened. No one came looking for a Hauptmann Erich Altmann. He changed his name into Erik Altmann, my father. He and my grandfather stayed out of the public eye and bought a farm.” Rubbing her eyes, Ava struggled to tell me the truth. “The farm grew, and with it, their beliefs grew as well. It was where the old values would live on—white people with blonde hair and blue eyes—the so-called master race. I wasn’t gay, but I was still different. Being different was bad. So I hid who I was. Back then, they were so focused on creating a better world that I just…I wasn’t tall enough. Big enough. Strong enough. I just slipped through the cracks. Back then, no one knew about being transgender. And I kept it to myself.”
“When did you leave?”
“I was seventeen and tried to kill myself.” Tears ran down her cheeks when she turned to me. “I knew that I was different. It hurt to deny who I was, but I knew what my family believed. I felt it was my only option.”
“But…” Thinking about all I knew about the Altmann family, I couldn’t wrap my mind around what she’d told me. “But how?”
“Because I made a deal with my brother. Richard found me. He stopped me from going through with it. He promised to help me to get out and to be safe, and in return, I would never speak about what I knew.”
“Robert has a parole hearing tomorrow, and Henry is scared that he will walk.” I blurted out what Henry had wanted to keep a secret to his aunt. But this was not the time to keep secrets, not when Ava had made it clear that they were family.
“So that’s it then.” Nodding, Ava stood up and looked at me. She looked like she just decided she was going to take over the world. “I made a deal with Richard, but now it‘s the time to cut those ties.”
“Ava…”
“Do you want to help Henry?”
“Of course, I do. I love him!” What kind of question is that? I would do anything for Henry. Anything to keep him safe and happy. “What are you going to do?”
“Something I should have done years ago.”
Chapter 23
Henry
I knew that something was wrong when Caden and Auntie came back from the garden. Ava's eyes were puffy and red, and they both looked tense. Dropping the blocks on the table, I got up and rushed over to them.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Looking over at Caden, I frowned. “What did you do? Why is Ava crying?”
“I didn’t do anything, Cupcake. We were just talking.”
“Talking?” Worried, I looked back at my aunt. She smiled at me and gently stroked my cheek. “What’s wrong? What were you talking about?”
“Let’s sit down, Henry.”
“Why? No, I don’t want to sit down. I want to know what’s going on.” They’d just went onto the roof to get some herbs for supper. Then they reappeared with no herbs and my aunt was crying. Now that Ava was so close, I could see the distress on her face. “Auntie?”
“We need to talk about Robert.”
“What?” Turning towards Caden, I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over. “Why did you tell her? I told you that I don’t want to tell her. Why did you—” My outburst was interrupted when Ava gently grabbed my head and turned me towards her.
“He was right to tell me, Henry. I needed to know it, because…”
To my horror, tears ran down her cheeks. I’d never seen Ava cry before. Not even when she suddenly appeared in the hospital all those years ago. She’d always been the strongest person I knew, my solid rock. “We need to end this, once and for all. You need to start living without fear of Robert coming for you. You need to start to look forward and not back anymore. I should have done this a long time ago, but I thought…I guess I thought that Richard’s promise would keep us both safe.”
“What…what do you mean? What promise?”
This time Caden turned me around. He gently grabbed my shoulder. “Come on, let’s sit down.”
Nodding, I let Caden lead me to the sofa. Instead of making me sit down, he pulled me onto his lap. I couldn’t see him like this, but I instantly felt safe when he wrapped his arms around me. Looking over to Ava, I couldn’t stop the smile. She wasn’t sitting on Miles's lap, but she leaned into his side. Miles had his arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders. Miles kissed her forehead, and I could see him whisper, “I’m here, love. Just lean into me and trust me that I’ll hold you.”
Caden must have heard what he’d said because his arms tightened around me before he raised his hands to sign. “Neither one of you are alone with this. We’re going to deal with this together. As a family.”
“Family.”
My hands shook as I repeated the sign for family. Caden was right; we were a family. Ava and Miles, and Caden, too. But instead of reveling in this feeling, I was still terrified of my real family.
“Auntie?”
With a sad smile, my aunt looked at me. Tears were still running down her cheeks, but her hands were steady as she raised them to sign.
“Before you were born, I made a deal with your father. He would help me to get away and would make sure that no one would ever come looking for me.”
“What…did you promise him in return?”
“That I would never tell anyone what I knew about the family business or their secrets.”
The family business. Frowning, I tried to remember what I knew about it. I knew that my father and other men from the compound left for days on business trips. As I wracked my brain to remember, I realized that I never had any idea of what they were doing. Once you got your tattoo, you were involved in the business. But I left long before I was old enough to get dragged into that part. It made sense that there would be loads of secrets.
“What about the family business? And what secrets?”
“Henry, there are things you don’t need to know. Since you came to New York, all I wanted was to protect you, and I’m not going to stop now. You need to trust me.”
“But…”
“No.” Caden's hands appeared in my view. “I agree with Ava. You don’t need to know everything. You’re hurting enough with what you already know.”
“All you need to know is that I’m going to talk to the FBI and tell them everything. After that, you will never have to worry about Robert or your father.”
“I know just the person you need to talk to,” Caden signed before I could even really progress what Ava had said.
“Good. Can you arrange an introduction?”
“Give me a minute.” Caden gently pushed me off his lap. He got up and walked to his phone. For a moment, I watched him, but he turned his back towards us. Damn. Looking back at Ava, I tried my luck with her again.
“Ava, please.”
“Why do you want to know? What good will it do?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
Did I want to know the secrets? I knew enough that whatever the secrets were, it wouldn’t be good. Deep in thought, I startled when Ava suddenly kneeled in front of me, her hands on my thighs.
“Henry, you know that nothing good ever came out of this family.” Smiling, Ava reached out and gently stroked my cheek. “Well, one good thing came from there. You. When they called me to tell me that they brought you to New York and I saw you for the first time…I wondered how such an adorable, perfect child could have been born there. For years I thought that it was the Hell on earth, but then you arrived—the sweetest boy. You’re your sweetness, Henry. For both of us.”
“You came from that place, too.”
“Yes. But you don’t know what I know. I kept the secrets for far too long. I lost my sweetness years ago.”
“That’s not true.” Ava was the best person in the world, and I loved her so much. Without hesitating, she just took me in. She gave me a home and gave
me all I needed: a home, a family, love, acceptance. My tears finally fell when I saw the pain in her eyes. Crying, I threw myself in her arms. “It’s not true. You are the best Auntie ever.”
For a long moment, she just held me, rocking me gently. Then she pulled away, wiped away my tears, and smiled at me.
“I always tried to be the best Auntie for you. But I wasn’t a good person. I should have gone to the FBI years ago. It’s time to make up for that. That’s all you need to know, okay?”
“Okay.”
It was not a happy thought, but in my heart, I knew she needed to do this for herself. She genuinely wanted to protect me. Whatever secrets Ava had, they had tortured her for years. Maybe she was right, and it was better if she never told me.
“I love you, Auntie.”
“I love you, too, Henry. You’re going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay; I promise.”
Her words played over and over in my head. Rising off my spot on the sofa, I started to pace. After Caden had finished his phone call last night, Ava and Miles had left in a hurry. She’d promised to call me today after she finished what she needed to do. It was shortly after eleven and still no phone call. Not from Ava. Not from Ian, who was supposed to be at Robert's parole hearing. Biting at my thumbnail, I stared out of the window.
After Miles and Ava left last night, Caden had made me dinner and brought me to bed shortly after. He held me until I fell asleep, and he was there when a nightmare woke me. Caden did everything to help me get back to sleep. In the end, we both didn’t sleep very well. And yet, Caden made me breakfast this morning. He even took the day off from work.
I almost had a heart attack when Caden suddenly stepped up behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back against his chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he signed.
Turning in his arms, I looked up at him. “I was just thinking. Has Ava called yet?”
“No, Cupcake.” Smiling at me, Caden lowered his head and kissed me gently before he pulled back. “Come on, let me take your mind off it for a while.”
“I don’t want to miss Ava’s call.”
“You won’t. I promise.” Taking my hand, Caden led me into my nursery and to the changing table. Helping me hop on it, he reached out and stroked my face. “Let me take care of you, my sweet, Little Roo. Let Daddy make it all better.”
Sighing, I lay back, staring up at my farm animal mobile, and let Caden undress me. I wasn’t really in a Little mindset, but it was still lovely to have him take care of me.
“Caden?” As soon as I said his name, his face appeared in my view.
“Yes?”
“Do you think Ava was right? Are we going to be okay?”
“Yes, Baby.” Smiling, Caden opened and peeled back the tapes of my diaper, slipped it off, then threw it in the bin. Then he leaned over me again. “Not only do I believe her, but I also trust her judgment. She knows what she’s doing.”
“I can’t stop thinking about the secrets she talked about.”
“I know. But I agree with her. Even though you write those horrible books, you still have a sweet soul. You don’t need to know all the nasty details about your family.”
Yeah, that thought had occurred to me as well as I wondered what secrets Ava knew. I wasn’t naive. My family was evil and did whatever they thought would continue their beliefs. But keeping the secrets from me just didn’t make sense. What was so horrible that Ava didn’t want me to know? A gentle pat on my hip had me looking at Caden again.
“Stop thinking about it, Henry. Trust in Ava and that she’s doing what’s best for you.”
“Like you.”
“Yes, like your Daddy.” Caden bent down and gave me the one thing he knew I loved the most. A nose kiss. From the very beginning, it was the most precious thing—a real nose kiss from my Daddy. So much had happened since I walked into the Rainbow Room and bumped into Caden. “What are you thinking about now? You’re smiling for the first time today.”
“I was just thinking about the night we met.”
“Ah.” Caden laughed before he bent down to blow a raspberry on my stomach. That was something he liked to do, and it always made me giggle. Confident in himself, he raised his head again, still smiling. “Do you regret it? I mean going to the Rainbow Room?”
“Only when you blow raspberries.”
“Come on. You love it when I do it.”
“Nope.” Yeah, okay, maybe a little. Looking at his face, I watched Caden when he reached for a fresh diaper. A sudden thought occurred to me. “Oh.”
“What? What is it?”
“I just realized that…” Wow. It finally clicked, and I realized what it meant for him to take care of me. When he changed me, it wasn’t a game or a necessity. He just took care of me because he wanted to. For the first time since Ava and Miles left, I felt calm. “I just realized that you are taking care of me when you change me.”
“I’m not sure if I can follow your thoughts, Cupcake. I thought that was obvious.”
“Yes, but…the diaper change helped me relax and forget about everything for a moment. It’s just you and me.”
“I’m glad you finally understand, Henry.” Bending down, Caden pressed his lips on mine. It was a slow, tender kiss. Not sexual or arousing. It was just pure love, and I melted into the changing table. When Caden ended the kiss and raised his head, my vision was blurry, and I had to blink to get a good look at his lips. “I love you, Henry. I’ll always be here to take care of you.”
“I love you, too.” My smile turned into a grin. “Always is a damn long time.”
“Smartass.”
Laughing, Caden closed the tapes of my diaper and helped me into my sweatpants before he helped me into one of his t-shirts. It was weird, but I was kind of addicted to his t-shirts. They were way too big for me, but I loved to wear them. It was like Caden was wrapped around me all the time.
The blinking lights of the doorbell pulled me out of the playful mood, and my stomach turned into knots.
“Caden…”
“Whatever it is, I’ll be here with you.”
Nervously biting on my lip, I stared at the elevator doors. My hand gripped Caden’s hand. It was like I needed a reminder that he was here with me—my lifeline. Waiting for Ava and Miles to get upstairs, I realized I wanted that with Caden. I wanted what Ava had with Miles, and I wanted what Caden had just promised me.
“Caden?” Turning my head to look at him, I stared at his lips while I blurted out, “I don’t want a test run anymore. I want you to move in with me. I don’t want you to leave.”
“Wow. Okay. That’s weird timing, but okay. I’ll move in with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really, Roo.” Grinning, Caden kissed me before he pulled back and nodded towards the door. Oh, yes, right. Ava and Miles.
“What happened? Is everything okay? What about Robert?” I asked as soon as Ava and Miles stepped out of the elevator. Ava looked tired. Her eyes were even more red and puffy than they’d been last night. And like last night, Miles was at her side, holding her and comforting her.
“It’s over.” I blinked twice to make sure that I saw the right movement of her lips. But Ava repeated it a little slower. “It’s over.”
“What…what does that mean?”
“The FBI will be able to shut down the compound. With what I told them, they have enough to arrest them all.” I could see Ava swallow before she took a deep breath. “There will be no parole hearing. Robert will have to serve his full sentence. Then they are bringing extra charges against him as a member of the Altmann family. They’re all going to prison for a long time.”
“Oh.”
The FBI would arrest them all, and Robert would not be free. I’d be safe. Blinking, I could only stare at Ava until she walked over to me. She stopped right in front of me and took my face into her hands.
“It’s over, Henry. You’re safe now.”
Over. Safe
. Robert could never hurt me again. No one from my family would ever come after me. Slowly turning my head, I looked at Caden. He had his eyes closed, but a single tear ran down his cheek. Oh.
“Caden?”
Caden’s eyes snapped open. For a moment, he just looked at me. Then he opened his arms, and I threw myself at him. Caden caught me and whirled me around. A laugh escaped my lips. Free. I was finally free from my family and my past. Ava was right. It was time to look forward and start a new life here. With Caden. My Unicorn Daddy.
Epilogue
Caden
Eight weeks later
“Daddy!” Henry yelled from the bathroom. Both Charlie and I jumped. While I was busy with some last-minute arrangements, Charlie was napping on the sofa.
“You go back to sleep. I’ll go and see what your Little Daddy needs,” I told Charlie and turned to walk into the bathroom. But Henry was already running into the living room. Charlie looked from his Little Daddy to me. It was hilarious, and I swear Charlie would have rolled his eyes if he could. Charlie had the same thought that I did. Henry would never learn not to run in the apartment. But there was no time for a punishment. We’d be late if I had him sit down and write lines now. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t punish him later.
“Daddy, I need help!”
Yup, he needed help. Whatever he did with his tie, he made a mess out of it. I asked him if he wanted help getting dressed, but Henry was so nervous that he threw me out of the bathroom. He looked stunning in his dark suit and white shirt. And, I had to admit that the messy tie looked cute on him.