The Widower (18+) | [Complete]

Twenty-Six

"Who is this friend you're staying with?" I asked Matthew while we sorted through his clothes.

"Maxwell," he whined. "I've told you this five times."

Volunteering to help him pack was a bad idea but it was keeping me busy. It was our last week in the mansion, most of which would be spent packing up the last bits needed for our extended stay at the loft. I was looking forward to our move. For the most part, at least. 

He tossed a shirt into his bag which I immediately picked up to fold when he turned to grab another. "I just don't understand how you haven't mentioned him before now."

"Maxwell is a 'her.'"

I stared at him but he never looked my way. "You're staying with a girl for four nights?"

"And two other friends, yeah."

"Did you ask your father about this?"

He looked at me as if I was stupid. "Why would I do that?"

"Because he might have an opinion on whether that's appropriate."

He laughed at me. "Okay, one, he's European. Two, he's dad. Trust me, he doesn't care." The little shit had a point.

"Okay, well . . ." I toed the line between educator formality and parental compassion. "Has anyone taught you how to use condoms?"

His eyes went wide. "Aubrey!"

"If you are planning on having sex, you need to know how to do it safely." A lesson his father did not seem concerned with our first time together. "You can either have this conversation with me or you can have it with your dad."

"I don't want to have it with either of you!" He crossed his arms and looked away. "Besides . . . It's probably not gonna happen anyway," he finished under his breath. A teenage boy's way of saying he wished it would.

"Well, in case it does, you need to be prepared."

"Aubrey, I don't want to talk about this."

"Yeah, well neither do I."

"I know how to use condoms. I've done stuff," he said with reddened cheeks. He hugged himself tighter. "I mean, I haven't done that . . . I've done other things, just . . ."

He fidgeted and wouldn't look my way. I grew nervous that he had something horrible to admit to me. "Just what?"

He looked at me under a furrowed brow. "Just . . . not with a girl. Yet."

"Oh." I looked at him, feeling both surprised and happy that he trusted me enough to tell me. I fought back my smile and remained stern. "Well, that doesn't change anything. You need to know how to protect yourself during all types of sex. Oral, vaginal, and anal sex all have different intricacies to them, which means you'll need to know how to—" I stopped short when I saw tears building in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I haven't . . . told anyone that before." The tear slipped from his eye a split second before he wiped it away and pretended it had never been there. 

My heart ached for him. "Oh, Matthew. Come here." 

I pulled him to me and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He hugged me back around my middle and sniffled against my shoulder. I held him tight and swayed us back and forth gently, silently telling him he was safe with me. Always. 

"You know how much I care about you, don't you?" I asked him. He shrugged beneath my arms. "Well, it's a whole lot."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He squeezed me a little tighter. "My love for you isn't contingent on anything. All I want is for you to be happy. And to do your homework," I joked. He laughed through his tears. "Thank you for telling me, Matthew. I hope you know you can always talk to me about anything."