A brief conversation with Mal left Aaron more troubled than relieved. Apparently, Gage had been by an hour before and had taken Bo with him. An hour was more than enough time to make it to Mal’s place and back, especially late at night, when traffic wasn’t as thick as it was during rush hour. If Gage had been planning to come back to the house, he already would have arrived.

He either had to be with Alex, who’d promised to take care of him, or…

Aaron tried not to let doubt infect his mind. From what Alex had told him, Gage had been faithful. While Alex was most loyal to Gage, Aaron didn’t think he would lie about something so monumental. Either Gage was hiding the truth from everyone—even the best friend he shared everything with—or there was something else going on that Aaron had yet to figure out. When he met up with Gage again, there would be an explanation, and even if it was one Aaron was dreading to hear, at least he’d have closure. The issue now wasn’t that Aaron feared what Gage had to say—it was that he had no idea how to find him.

With Bo still being kept a secret from the world, Gage couldn’t have turned to any of their longtime friends or their families. There was only one other person apart from Alex and Mal that Aaron knew Gage associated with regularly… one he didn’t want to have to turn to for help.

But what other choice did he have?

Gage was missing, Bo was with him, and Aaron was desperate to discover the truth and set things right if he could. After how strong Gage had been for him, he could suck up his pride and do what was necessary to prove his devotion. Gage deserved it.

Aaron squeezed his eyes shut momentarily in frustration, squared his shoulders, and typed “KnotMyProblem” into his browser’s search engine. He waited for the results to load.

A reddit account and a FetLife account. Aaron looked between them, queasy. Which would be the safer of the two to click?

After brief deliberation, Aaron went with the reddit account—he felt like it was the most likely not to send him into a blind rage.

As KnotMyProblem’s reddit comment overview loaded, Aaron shifted his weight from one side of his body to the other, hopeful that somehow he’d be able to get in touch with KnotMyProblem so he could figure out where Gage had gone.

As it turned out, KnotMyProblem’s post history was extensive, but tame. There were a few snarky comments made on r/askreddit and a few seemingly helpful tips on r/personalfinance. While none of his comments were particularly incriminating, Aaron could tell it was the same guy he’d talked to on Gage’s phone—the blunt way he wrote was too close to what Aaron remembered from their chat conversation be a coincidence.

The latest comment in his history had been made five minutes ago.

Aaron logged into his old account, steeled himself, and sent KnotMyProblem a message.

ProtoSynthesis: I need your help.

KnotMyProblem: Who the hell are you?

ProtoSynthesis: Have you heard from Gage tonight? He’s missing. I don’t know where he is.

KnotMyProblem: Oh, fuck. It’s you.

Aaron’s lips pinched at the corners. A combative, primal part of his brain urged him to cause trouble. KnotMyProblem was a threat to his future, it said, and needed to be dealt with accordingly. But right now, being the bigger man was more important than getting into a fight. No matter how much KnotMyProblem antagonized him, Aaron would play nice.

ProtoSynthesis: Look, I know we’re not friends. I’m not asking you to be nice to me. What I want to know right now is if Gage is safe. He left the house and took our son, and I don’t know where he is, or who he could be staying with. If you’ve heard anything, or if he’s with you, please tell me. All I want is to know that he’s safe.

KnotMyProblem: TD is missing? It’s two in the morning. I guess one in Aurora. But still…

ProtoSynthesis: You don’t live in Aurora?

KnotMyProblem: No.

KnotMyProblem: Not yet.

Those last two words were ominous in a way that crept through Aaron like frost across a window. He found himself hesitating before he replied.

ProtoSynthesis: So you don’t know where he is?

KnotMyProblem: No. I’m sorry. TD and I are part of the same online group of friends, but he hasn’t been online since he chewed me the fuck out for talking to you. I didn’t realize that he could be anything other than blissfully cheerful.

ProtoSynthesis: Do you have any idea where he might go? I’ve been out of the country for almost half a decade… has he talked to you about any friends he’s made, or any places he likes to go?

KnotMyProblem: I probably know about as much as you do. I don’t live in Aurora, either. I’ve never met TD in person.

It was hard to know whether to believe that statement or not. Why would KnotMyProblem want to marry someone he’d never met? Aaron understood online attraction—his parents had met through a dating site before taking their digital relationship into a private chat app—but the more he found out about KnotMyProblem’s connection to Gage, the more troubled his preconceived notions of what had happened between them became.

If it was true, and KnotMyProblem had never met Gage, then Gage hadn’t physically cheated on him, and there was no doubt that Bo was his. But as far as emotional cheating went? Aaron didn’t know where to draw the line.

What had gone on between them?

There was only one way to find out.

ProtoSynthesis: I’m so confused. What is Gage to you? If you haven’t met him, why were you getting married?

KnotMyProblem: Typical TD, flaking out on the details. Next time I see him, I’m going to give him hell.

ProtoSynthesis: You haven’t answered my question.

KnotMyProblem: You’re right. I haven’t.

KnotMyProblem: TD and I belong to a group of online friends that call themselves the Single Dad Support Group. It’s a long story, but basically, TD and I were going to commit insurance fraud so your kid wouldn’t have to die.

Aaron stared at his screen in disbelief. When he pulled himself together enough to reply, his fingers moved sluggishly across the touchscreen.

ProtoSynthesis: You were going to marry him so he could get on your insurance… so he could save Bo?

KnotMyProblem: Listen, I get it. You’re an alpha, I’m assuming. TD’s too soft and sweet to brag about your knot, but the way he’s been hung up on you for all these years makes me think that you’ve got to be packing something that’s got him hooked. Whatever. That’s cool. And you obviously feel something for him, because you wouldn’t have fought me if you didn’t. If you didn’t care about him at all, you would have let the message go and gone on with your life.

KnotMyProblem: But the truth is, yeah, you were right to come at me. I want TD. I won’t lie to you and tell you that my only motive was to make sure your kid gets better, although that alone would have been enough to get me to tie the knot. I figured that if we got married, I could show him how he deserves to be treated. Every time I try to open up and get close to him, he shoots me down. I figured that this would be my chance to show him that we could work as a couple irl. Then you waltzed back in, all money and power, and whisked TD off to some enchanted castle so you could be a family, and now I’m salty af.

KnotMyProblem: So yeah, I was going to save your son by committing insurance fraud. At least, on TD’s end, it would have been fraud. I wanted to give it a shot. So, here’s the tl;dr on TD and me: I want him, and he wants nothing to do with me, because his heart’s too set on you.

KnotMyProblem: Does that make you happy?

It didn’t. All it managed to do was make Aaron more aware of the mistakes he’d made.

KnotMyProblem: So no, I don’t know where he is. But you know what? If you want help, I can see what I can do. Have you checked with his babysitter?

ProtoSynthesis: I have

KnotMyProblem: What about Gwynn’s fiance, Alex? They’re best friends, aren’t they?

ProtoSynthesis: He’s not there, either.

KnotMyProblem: I don’t think TD would have sprung for a hotel… he’s been poor for too long to think he can afford one. So where else would he go? To his parents? Any other friends? He only ever mentioned Alex to us. He’s kept his circle small because of Bo.

ProtoSynthesis: That’s the conclusion I’ve drawn, too, but I don’t know where to go from there. He has Bo with him, so he wouldn’t have gone to see his family.

KnotMyProblem: I guess the only thing you can do at this point is head home. If he’s not reaching out to anyone, then he doesn’t want to be found. Give him some time to calm down. He’ll come back to you eventually. No matter how much of a shithead you were to him, his heart is too big to keep you out of it for long. Did you get him a new phone plan, btw? Can you call him if he’s out?

ProtoSynthesis: We were going to get him a plan this week. He tried to call me from an app, but unless he has WiFi, he can’t use it while he’s out. Will you get in touch if he contacts you? I want to make sure he’s okay.

KnotMyProblem: Contrary to popular belief, TD is actually a full-fledged adult capable of doing things like surviving on his own. If he gets in touch I’ll let you know, but you don’t have to worry. TD makes dumb choices, and sometimes he’s a little scatterbrained and naive, but he’s going to be fine. He can take care of himself.

KnotMyProblem: And just so we’re clear, even though I know he can take care of himself, I still don’t trust you. If I find out that you’ve been abusing him, I’m going to fly my ass to Aurora and take care of you myself.

Threat issued, the conversation would only devolve from there. Aaron knew better than to pursue it any further.

ProtoSynthesis: That’s fair. It won’t happen, but I appreciate the concern you have for Gage. Thank you for your help tonight.

KnotMyProblem: I’m only helping you because I care about TD. That’s it. I don’t wish anyone ill, but I kind of hope you’re abducted by mole men or shot off into space on some scientific mission.

ProtoSynthesis: Charming. I’m going to go figure out what to do from here. Goodnight.

Aaron exited the messaging app reddit’s mobile site had loaded on his phone, then turned the keys in the ignition and readied himself for another late-night drive. He’d walked away from the conversation no surer about Gage’s whereabouts than he’d been before, but what he’d learned from it was almost as valuable—Gage hadn’t cheated on him. Gage had always been true. He’d done what he needed to do for Bo while still keeping his promise to Aaron, and Aaron had abandoned him for it. It was Aaron’s mistake to fix, and waiting around for Gage to come back so he could fix it wasn’t good enough.

No matter how long it took, Aaron would find him.

He reversed down the driveway, pulled out onto the street, and started his search.