The twin gargoyles I’d spotted during my last visit peered down at me from above the entryway to Robin’s condo building, their stony, unmoving faces twisted with predatory glee. I did my best to pay them no attention, but as crazy as it sounded, I felt their eyes follow me. It was like they knew my secrets, and they longed to watch the drama unfold in real time.

I crossed the courtyard more quickly than necessary to get away from their leering faces and entered the code to access the foyer. Heart pounding, I crossed to the elevators and stepped inside, thumbing the button that would take me to Robin’s floor. Dread stirred deep in my bones, like my very marrow itself had succumbed to its influence. The longer I dwelt on it, the more apprehensive I became of the encounter to come.

Robin was an independent, strong-willed young man who knew how to take care of himself. I’d opened my heart to him and let him know that I would be there for him no matter what, but he was more than capable of taking care of himself and our child without me. There was no way I could make him stay… and judging by the despondent look in his eyes and the way he’d fled my car earlier that day, I had a feeling that staying was the last thing on his mind.

If he ended our contract, I’d get over it. If he told me that he’d never be my master again, I would survive. But if he asked me to leave? If he told me he never wanted to hear from me again, and that he was leaving town? It shredded my heart to pieces just thinking about it. I didn’t want to lose him, and I didn’t want to lose our new family.

But who was I to make him stay?

Terrified of the conversation to come, I stood in front of Robin’s door and did my best to gather my courage. I was no stranger to loss. In the blink of an eye, I’d lost tens of millions of dollars—but the crushing sense of foreboding that came from losing a chunk of my fortune couldn’t compare to the dark, creeping dread weighing down my soul when I thought about losing Robin. No matter how long I stood in front of that door, I couldn’t push that heavy, horrible feeling away.

I went to knock only for the door to open. Robin, ashen faced, stood in the doorway, his eyes no longer mischievous, and his playful energy gone. He stepped back from the door and crossed his arms over his chest, then looked aside uneasily. He’d invited me here, but the look on his face told me that he wasn’t happy about it. A hard conversation was coming, and both of us knew it.

“Hey,” Robin said quietly. He scuffed his foot on the floor, then tucked his chin against his shoulder and shifted his weight from hip to hip. The more he fidgeted, the antsier I became. “Thanks for coming out all this way.”

“Yeah, of course,” I said. I’d wanted to keep my voice neutral, if not upbeat, but it was hard to convince the stress I was under to stay out of my voice.

Robin took another small step back, vacating a spot in the hallway beyond the door that I could occupy. “You wanna come in and get settled in the living room? I don’t think this is the type of conversation we should have in the doorway, you know? I’d rather we be comfortable.”

“Sure.” My heart was in my throat, but I did as told. If nothing else, I was obedient—Master’s perfect pet. No matter how muddled the line between personal and professional had become, I was still his pet, his Troy. I would listen until the end.

We headed for the living room together. Robin kept his arms tucked over his chest, and he held himself in ways that seemed to suggest he was uncomfortable in his own skin. In all things until then, he’d always been composed and steadfast—entirely certain of himself. Seeing him like this rattled what little confidence I had left. If the man who so easily dominated me couldn’t hold it together, I could only imagine what was coming.

This was it.

We sat on the couch on opposite sides, Robin’s shoulders tight and his thighs pressed together. He ran his hands down his sweatpants nervously. “We need to talk. You know. About… what’s going on.”

I stayed silent. Right now, listening was more important than expressing my emotions.

“I want you to know I’m sorry that I snapped at you before—that I’ve had such a temper lately. That’s on me. You don’t deserve to be treated like that, and I’m sorry. No matter what happens, and how many emotions I have to work through, you deserve more respect than I gave you, and I promise, I’m going to try my best not to let it happen again.”

The fear clenched in my heart loosened, if only a little. I sat up straighter and looked at Robin more closely, stunned by what he’d said.

“I know that we have a contractual relationship,” Robin continued, “and I know that you turn to me as someone you can depend on—someone you can spoil, and care for, and cherish, who won’t be mushy for you only because of your money. That means I have to keep up a kind of persona, you know? I am Master, and I love the play sessions we have together, but I… right now, I need to talk to you as Robin, and I hope that doesn’t upset you or otherwise change your mind about me.”

“Of course not.” I smiled. “It’s not just Master I’m interested in, you know, and as much as I love it when you slip into your role and dominate me, I value you for who you are as a complete individual. For the last little while, you’ve been more Robin than Master, anyway. It hasn’t made me want to run.”

A small smile upturned the corners of Robin’s lips. His gaze was locked on his knees, but some of the melancholy that had been surrounding him faded away. “You’re too stubborn to run, anyway, aren’t you?”

I grinned. “Guilty as charged.”

“But that’s not really what we need to talk about right now.” Robin rolled his shoulders back, sucked in a breath, then faced me. Determination burned in his eyes, backed by fear of the unknown. “Right now, I’m talking to you as Robin, about Robin, and about Troy. Over the next few months, I’ve got to make important decisions about my future, and I need to know… in a perfect world where what you wished for the most came true, what would you want? No matter what you say, you won’t offend me. I need to hear the truth.”

I looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Had Robin believed that my affection was conditional? No wonder he was so torn up. “Robin…”

“I just need to know if you meant what you said in the car earlier today.” Robin’s fingers curled against his palms, forming loose fists. “If our contract ended tomorrow and I wasn’t your Dom anymore, would you want to be there for me? Would you still support me and the baby? I won’t think less of you if you say no, but I need to know so I can plan my own future.” He set a hand on his stomach. “Our future. So, please, be honest.”

My words returned, and I used them as best I could. “In a perfect world, your future is my future.” I looked in his direction, glad to see the sparkle returning to his eyes. The melancholic aura between us evaporated, and the weight in my chest started to lift. “I don’t care if you’re Master or Robin or whoever else you’d like to be. I want the contract to end, and I want something more to take its place. I’m not speaking as your submissive when I say I want to take care of you—I truly, honestly do.”

Robin’s smile grew a touch more bold, and seeing it made me smile in turn.

“If you want to keep overseeing the company, I’d be glad to hire you on as an adviser,” I continued. “If you’d rather stop all of that and focus on fatherhood, I will support you all the way. If you never want to be Master again, I won’t beg you to consider otherwise. In my perfect future, you’re happy with yourself and your choices… and you’re happy with me, too.”

“You’ll take care of this baby?” Robin asked. “I don’t want to have to command you to do it, or for you to feel like you’re obligated to be there for us. I don’t want money to be involved—not like it is during play. All I want to know is if you’ll be a father.”

“Yes.” I said it without hesitation. The thought of caring for Robin and the baby had excited me before, but that excitement had mellowed and turned into something more profound since I’d parted ways with Robin earlier that morning. What I’d wanted all this time was to be told no—to see that there was someone out there who wouldn’t bend to my will simply because money was involved. Robin had given me that escape by taking control of my finances and taking the upper hand in the relationship, but now, with a child on the way, my relationship with the world had changed. As a father, there would be ups and downs. There would be temper tantrums and meltdowns just the same as there would be sweet moments and laughter. I’d have a young life to dote on, to cherish, and to provide for. The money I made wouldn’t sit and gather dust anymore—every cent I made had purpose. One day, they’d fund the endeavors of my son or daughter, and any other children that followed.

As a father, I would be normal to at least one young soul.

Two, if Robin chose to stay.

I would work hard for them forever if it meant they would be cared for and happy. While I’d miss it, with them in my life, I didn’t need to be dominated. In them, I’d found where I belonged.

“I want to be a father to our child,” I clarified, making sure Robin understood in no uncertain terms. “I want to be a partner to you, too. I’m in this, I’m devoted, and I’ll see it through until the end. I love you, Robin.” I reached out and placed my hand reassuringly on his thigh. “And while this isn’t the way I pictured I’d start a family, I know I want this. I know I want you.”

Robin blinked away tears. “Then I need to tell you the truth.”

“The truth?”

“Rent-a-Dom?” Robin swallowed hard. “The contract we established through Monty? I...” It looked like he didn’t want to continue, but he powered through regardless. I loved that he was so strong even when in the face of great difficulty. No matter what he said, I would return his courage with my own. “I wasn’t exactly a Dom at the time. A while ago, you asked me what I was doing working for the company, and the truth is… I started the company, then had to leave it after Mom got sick. Someone had to care for her, and so while Monty focused on recouping our expenses from starting up, I hit every casino I could to raise funds for her treatment.”

I stared at him, unable to speak. I’d simply assumed that Robin was a contractual Dom. But if he’d, at one point, been the owner…

“Monty contacted me after you sent in your application because he thought it was too good to pass up, based on our history.” He clenched his hands into fists. “I just… I needed you to know everything. I don’t want any secrets out there, threatening what we have, if you decide to stay.”

“I am staying.” I didn’t waste a second in replying. Robin was worth more to me than that. If he thought a secret like that would be enough to convince me to leave, he was crazy. My heart was invested. I never wanted to say goodbye. “I meant it when I said I love you. I’m not going anywhere.”

He laughed a panicked but deliriously happy laugh, then brushed the tears from his eyes. “I love you, too. I want to find a way to make us all as happy as we can be. Will you help me? I don’t have a definitive plan this time around, and I don’t know what path is best to take… but I figure that, together, we can figure it out.”

I smiled. Joy radiated from my core, soaking through my muscles so I glowed from within. As much as I appreciated the Robin who knew exactly what to do, and who was quick to take control, I loved the Robin who let me in—the one with whom I’d plan our future.

“Seven months should give us more than enough time to come up with a proposal.” I squeezed his thigh. “I think we’ll have our lives sorted by then.”

Robin laughed, but the sound of it was coarse, and a moment later, it devolved into tears. He launched himself across the couch and wrapped his arms around my neck. I held him loosely and closed my eyes, my heart so full of the moment, I thought it might overflow and bring me to start crying, too.

The way forward wouldn’t necessarily be easy. We had a lot to learn about the life we were about to embark on, and about each other. But with drive like ours, strengthened by love and fortified with trust, I knew we’d figure it out.