William had another job interview that evening, so Parker got out of work a little early to go pick Nate up from the day care center. The little boy sat strapped into his car seat in the back of Parker's Bentley and filled him in on what had happened during the day.

"And then, we pretended to be fish, and we all swam around like, fsshhhhh." He waved his hand through air. "And then, after that, we sang a song."

"What kind of song?" Parker asked.

"I don't know."

"Oh," he said, chuckling. "Did you have fun?"

Nate nodded.

"Make friends?"

Nate nodded again.

"That's good."

Parker loved talking to Nate. In fact, he was probably the only person in the world who managed not to test his patience. Sure, he could be stubborn and bratty in all the ways a little boy could be, but Parker could tolerate that. He was just a kid, so it was to be expected. Parker was delighted by Nate's naturally inquisitive nature, and the innocence and joy he had about everything. It reminded him of what it was like to be a kid himself and helped him tap into new ideas for his artwork.

If it hadn't been for Nate, Parker probably would've had no interest in ever having kids. Not that it was necessarily on his list of things he had to do, but now he was at least open to the idea. And Kell coming into his life had pushed things along even further...

He was happy with Kell. It was a strange thing to feel for someone who didn't often feel that way, but it was true. It'd only been two days since they'd discovered how they felt about each other, but even in that short amount of time he'd experienced a level of warmth, happiness and excitement that he hadn't felt in a long time. Not even his paintings had been able to bring him those feelings, which was a bit of a shock to realize.

He was hesitant to even think the thought, but... maybe he was in love with him?

Could it be love? The feeling was so much more powerful than the one thing he knew he did love: his painting. It was something strong. Something passionate, like a smoldering ember deep in his heart that was ready to become a bonfire. Put a bit more fuel on it, and it would. Kell was that fuel.

Maybe he and Kell might even someday... have kids?

He laughed to himself. He couldn't believe he was even thinking about something like that. He had so many other things to take care of, how could he even think about having a kid? Especially with a guy he'd only just started seeing. But that's how strong the feelings were. It almost felt normal to be thinking about things like that.

"What's funny?" Nate asked.

"You are," Parker said. "Your face is funny."

"No, it's not!" Nate said, laughing. "Your face is funny!" Parker laughed with him.

Nate was nearing pre-school age and he wanted him to have that experience, but there was no way that he could afford to take care of him on his own. He knew what he'd have to do. It was simple, and hardly a sacrifice at all—he'd sell his car. With the money he could easily buy a modest car, send to Nate to preschool, and have money left over for living expenses. He could even put it towards his loans. He didn't want to be relying on his parents for anything, and with the Bentley gone, it'd be a complete fresh start. The beginning of a new life.

He pulled into the apartment parking lot and parked the car, and then went around to the back to get Nate out.

"Carry me?" Nate asked, and Parker obliged. He hoisted him up, carrying his work bag with one hand, and Nate perched up in the crook of the other arm. He walked through the complex to their front door, set down his bag, and put the key into the lock. The moment he did, the door flung open. William stood there, grinning widely.

"Jesus, you scared me," Parker said.

"Daddy!" Nate shrieked, happily.

"Hi, sweetheart," William said to Nate, and then he stepped forward and wrapped Parker in a tight hug.

"Whoa," Parker said. "You're happy. Why are you so happy?"

"I've got some amazing news," he said.

Parker went inside and shut the door, and Nate bounded off to the bedroom. "What is it?" Parker asked.

"I. Got. A job!" William pumped his fists in the air. "Yes, yes, yes, yes! I start tomorrow!"

"That is amazing news," Parker said, hugging William. "Good job, bro. So, what is it?"

"I," William said, proudly, "am a customer service associate. Doesn't that sound fancy? Associate. They really needed help, so I've got nearly full-time hours. The pay isn't great, but I can at least contribute, finally."

"That's great," Parker said. "That's a relief to hear. We can think about Nate's preschool."

"I'll think about his preschool," William said. "Let me take care of those things. I want you to be able to focus on your career, and your life. You've got to, even more so, now." He grinned and nudged him. "Eh? Eh, lover boy?"

"Shut it," Parker said, smirking. "Speaking of which, I've got to make a phone call."

"Go get 'em," William said.

Parker pulled out his phone and dialed Kell, his pulse starting to race just a little faster. He'd been looking forward to this since the moment he left him at school.

The phone rang and rang. And kept ringing. There was a beep, and then a recorded voicemail message sounded. Parker frowned, hung up, and immediately re-dialed. The same thing happened.

PARKER: Hope you didn't fall asleep. I'm back.

He slipped the phone into his pocket and then went to sit on the couch to start looking into how to sell his car. William chased a stark-naked Nate into the living room.

"Into the bath, young man!" he said, following him. "Come on, don't make me say it again." Nate giggled and ran past Parker.

"Hi, Uncle Parker!" he said, doing a loop around the room, bouncing twice on the couch, and then disappearing into the bathroom.

"That kid," William groaned, walking after him. "What's going on? Not going to your man's place?"

"He didn't answer," Parker said. "I sent him a text."

He fiddled around online but wasn't able to concentrate on anything. He pulled his phone back out and started at the message screen. Where the hell was he?

Calm down, he thought. He was aching to see him again, but he needed to not let it get to him. It'd only just been a couple minutes.

But when thirty minutes passed, he started to really get impatient. And then a little worried.

"I'm gonna go over there," he announced to William, who was cooking dinner.

"Have fun," William said.

He walked the short distance over to Kell’s and knocked on the door. Then again. Nothing.

"Kell?" he said. "You inside? You asleep?"

There was no response. He walked around to the back of the apartment building where his window was. It was dark inside, and the blinds were drawn. He knocked twice on the window, and there was no response.

"What the hell," he muttered to himself. Was he okay?

He walked through the parking lot to look for Kell's car and stopped in front of his reserved parking space. It was empty.

Where the hell was he?