Just a Bit Dirty (Straight Guys #10)(54)

“I want Dada!” he yelled at some point, his blue eyes glaring at Miles.

Later, Miles would be ashamed of himself for breaking down in front of a small child, but that was exactly what happened. He burst into tears, and not the pretty kind, his knees collapsing as he curled himself into a tight ball and wept.

He wanted Ian back. He wanted to see him, wanted to feel his arms around him, wanted to tell him how much he loved him, tell him every sappy thought he’d ever had.

But with every passing day, the hope grew smaller and smaller. What Ian’s PA had told them didn’t sound promising. Ian had been operated on three times so far, and while the doctors had managed to stop the internal bleeding and mend the broken bones, the brain surgery hadn’t brought the results they all had hoped for. Apparently, Ian couldn’t even breathe properly without assistance. While he wasn’t brain dead, he was still in a coma, and the odds of him ever waking up from it became worse with every passing day.

A small hand touched Miles’s arm.

“My?” Liam said in a small voice. He sounded confused. Scared.

Miles wiped his face with his hands and lifted his head to look at the boy. God, looking at Liam hurt. He looked so much like his father. Miles could see Ian in his every feature.

“I’m sorry, love,” Miles croaked out, trying to smile for the boy’s sake.

Before he could say anything else, the door opened.

Miles found himself staring at an unfamiliar woman. She was tall and elegantly dressed. It took Miles a moment to recognize her. It was Ian’s sister, Amanda. She looked different from the pictures he’d seen of her. Older. Exhausted.

“Who are you?” she said.

Miles opened his mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say.

She frowned, looking at him with something like suspicion. Of course she would be suspicious: she’d just found some stranger in her nephew’s room, a stranger who probably looked like a right mess.

“I’m Miles,” Miles managed at last, getting to his feet. “I was just keeping Liam company while his nanny is out.”

Amanda shifted her gaze to Liam. Something pained flickered across her face. “Thank you for looking after Liam. But it won’t be necessary anymore. Liam will live with me and my mother from now on.”

Miles’s heart skipped a beat.

“Why?” he said. “What do you mean?”

“My brother is in a coma, Miles,” she said, her voice so toneless it was unnatural. “We can hardly leave my only nephew alone in this huge house. He needs family. It’s—” Her voice finally wavered. “It’s a temporary solution, obviously. Until my brother wakes up.” Despite her words, her trembling chin betrayed her. She didn’t really believe what she was saying.

Miles had to turn away to hide his own emotions. He stared out the window at the cloudless sky outside. It was such a sunny day. “Is it that bad?”

Amanda was silent.

“It is,” she said at last, her tone exhausted. Defeated. “The doctors say that at this point it will be a miracle if Ian wakes up. We’ll keep him on life-support for as long as there’s any brain activity, but…”

Miles had to bite his bottom lip hard to stop any noise from leaving his throat.

“Can I see him? Please.”

He didn’t need to turn around to know that she was stunned by his request.

“Why?” she said, sounding utterly confused. “He’s in intensive care. Why should I allow some stranger into my brother’s—”

“I love him.”

He’d never thought he’d say those words to Ian’s sister and not to him.

“What?” she said faintly.

“We were—are—together.”

Silence.

“You’re lying,” Amanda bit off at last. “My brother isn’t—he isn’t a faggot!”

Miles flinched at the word. It was probably to be expected that after being publicly dumped by a gay man, Amanda would be less than open-minded about gay people in general. While it was irrational, hurt was rarely rational.

“I’m not lying,” he said, turning around to look at her. “You can ask anyone.”

She glared at him. “Get out of this house. I don’t know who you are, but I won’t let you tarnish my brother’s character when he can’t defend himself—”

“Being gay isn’t—”

“Get out,” she spat out.

Liam started crying.

Miles looked between the boy and his aunt, torn. He wanted to take Liam into his arms and comfort him, but he could see that Amanda wasn’t joking. “You’re scaring him,” he said, taking a step toward Liam. “Let me calm him down at least.”

“If you don’t leave this house in the next five minutes, I’m calling security. Or the police.”

Dropping a quick kiss on top of Liam’s head, Miles hugged him tightly. “Goodbye, sweetheart. I wish—”

“Let go of my nephew and get out. Now.”

Miles left, his chest growing tight as the door closed after him, muffling Liam’s crying. At that moment, all he wanted was to grab Liam and take him with him. But he had no right. Just like he had no right to see Ian. He was no one to them, no matter what his heart said.