-Avery-

After a successful first week of work, Devin and I were headed to his dad's house for dinner. I'd talked with Logan quite a few times already, but it had always been about work. I was a little nervous about spending an evening with him in his home. He'd been nothing but nice so far, but it was a lot of pressure trying to impress him as both a new employee and as his son's boyfriend.

Aside from that, I was looking forward to seeing Devin's childhood home. I've never been in a house on Mercer Island. It was one of the wealthiest areas in Washington, and that was apparent after we passed one large house after another. Devin finally turned into a driveway, and when we pulled up to the house, my mouth fell open. The house was enormous. Beyond it, I could see the gleaming blue water of Lake Washington.

"You grew up here?" I squeaked.

"Yeah," Devin said, shrugging.

The house was a cornflower blue color that popped against the greenery surrounding it. Some of the leaves were already beginning to change as summer faded and autumn began to take hold.

As we stepped inside, I marveled at the ornate staircase in the entry. The walls were painted a warm mocha color that leaned more toward lavender than brown. I'd anticipated the décor and furnishings being elegant but cold, like many of the mansions I'd seen in pictures on real estate sites, but Logan and Devin's house had a warmth to it.

We walked through to the back of the house and I saw a large deck overlooking the water. I had known Devin grew up in a waterfront house on Mercer Island, but I was stunned to see the size of the house and how incredible the view was. All this for two people! And now, it was only Logan in this big house.

Despite their house feeling more like a home than others of its size, I still couldn't imagine living here. It would feel like living in a luxury hotel, and I'd be afraid to touch anything. Once again, I felt out of my depth. I'd never experienced so much wealth in my life.

"Hello, Avery!" Logan said, coming inside from the deck.

I tried to be polite and pretend I wasn't shocked by my surroundings. "Thank you for having us over for dinner. You have a beautiful home."

Logan smiled and motioned for me to follow. "Come out and sit on the deck. There's a nice breeze and the lake is spectacular today."

Devin brushed past me. "What are we having?"

"I've got fish and veggies about to go on the grill. Are you okay with that, Avery?"

"It sounds amazing," I replied. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"No, no. Sit down and have Devin get you a drink."

I sat in one of the cushioned deck chairs, still afraid to touch anything. The view of the lake was incredible, and I watched as boats lazily drifted by. Some were smaller motorboats, but a couple of them were yachts that looked like they'd have more living space than any of the apartments I'd lived in.

Devin hovered in front of me and handed me a glass filled with orange and pink liquid. "You look like you need this."

"What is it?"

"Don't worry, I didn't add that much alcohol. You'll like it."

I took a sip. It was light and fruity. "Thank you. You know, for understanding that I don't want to be drinking much in front of your dad," I said, keeping my voice low.

"It's just my dad. He won't care."

"Devin, how about you show Avery the rest of the house?" Logan called out. "It'll be another ten minutes before the food is ready."

Devin smiled and held out his hand. "You wanna see my bedroom?"

I took his hand and he pulled me up. As we walked through the house and up the ornate staircase, I tried to take in everything. "How do you not get lost in here?"

Devin rolled his eyes. "It's not that big."

I stopped in my tracks. "Devin."

"Okay, fine. But you should see Carter's house."

We passed several doors in the hallway before Devin opened one of them. He leaned against the doorframe and motioned me inside.

His room was huge and overlooked the lake. I spotted an en suite bathroom off to the right and a walk-in closet to the left. The bed was placed under the windows, and there was a couch along one wall. The walls were decorated with posters of bands and a few shirtless guys.

"Your dad was okay with...?" I gestured to one of the shirtless guys.

"He didn't say anything about it. I'm sure he wondered when I was still in high school and hadn't come out yet."

I crossed the room and stood out the window, gazing out to the lake. I felt a twinge of envy about how Devin had grown up. His bedroom was bigger than my family's living room and kitchen put together. He even had enough space for a couch.

I felt Devin's arms slide around my waist. I fit snugly within his arms and against his chest, and I leaned back against him. His lips made their way down my neck, and he pulled down the collar of my shirt to expose more skin before he started to walk us over to the bed.

"Dev," I murmured.

"I'm not going to pass up a chance to hook up with the hottest guy I've ever known in my childhood bedroom."

"We can't. Your dad said ten minutes."

"I can work with ten minutes."

-

Fifteen minutes later, we hurried down the stairs.

"The food's going to be cold."

"Shut up," Devin said. "You should consider it a compliment that I want to take my time with you."

Fortunately, Logan was just setting down the last plate on the patio table. Grilled vegetables were piled next to a fish fillet, and my stomach growled when I got a whiff of the food.

"This smells amazing," I told Logan.

"He's a decent cook," Devin said as he sat down and immediately shoveled a huge bite of fish into his mouth. "Not as good as you, though."

If Logan was bothered by Devin's table manners, he didn't show it. He made light conversation with me while we ate, and waved me away when I tried to help him clear the table and take the plates inside.

When Logan sat back down at the table, we all watched the sun set over the lake.

"How is the apartment search going?" he asked.

I looked over at Devin.

"We talked about it and decided that Avery is going to live with me," Devin said.

"For the next month," I cut in. "Then we'll reassess."

"That'll certainly save you some money," Logan said.

"Yes, but I'm still going to pay Devin rent."

Logan looked sharply at Devin.

"That's something I wanted to talk to you about," Devin said. "Starting with the next payment, I want to pay the mortgage going forward."

Something unreadable flashed across Logan's face. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. I know you were trying to make things easy for me, but I don't need that kind of help anymore."

"And what prompted this change? Or do I even have to ask?" Logan said, glancing at me with the beginnings of a smile.

"It was Avery," Devin said. "There's no point in denying it. He basically told me I'm a privileged -"

I clapped my hand over Devin's mouth. Questioning Devin about his lifestyle and decisions was one thing, but Logan hearing my judgement of his son was another.

However, Logan just laughed. "It's okay, Avery. I'm sure you were more restrained than most people would have been. I didn't grow up in a house like this and I had to work for everything I have, so I know what it's like to be on the other side. Devin doesn't."

Devin removed my hand from his face. "Oh, so now we're going to sit around and pick on me."

"No, we're not," I said gently. I turned towards Logan and asked him about how he got the firm started, knowing that would probably keep him talking for a while.

Everything was going well until he mentioned his plans to retire and let Devin take over.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to take over if you won't promote me," Devin said, slouching in his chair.

Logan stared at him. "You know, I hadn't thought about this before, but if you end up with a husband who works in this industry, then he'll be family and I could hand the firm over to him if he does a better job than you."

Devin's jaw dropped. "Dad, what the fuck?"

"Work harder, son."

"Right, so the minute I get a decent boyfriend you're already threatening to give my inheritance to him."

"Your inheritance is more than your position at the firm."

Devin opened his mouth to argue, and I gently placed a hand on his thigh and squeezed. I looked over at Logan and smiled, trying to joke around and lighten the mood. "Devin doesn't need to worry. I'm not ready to run a company."

"Neither is he," Logan replied.

"Fuck this," Devin muttered, pushing his chair back. "Why don't you just adopt Avery, since you obviously think he's a better son?"

Logan and I both objected at the same time, but Devin strode out of the room. I stood up to go after him, but Logan shook his head. "Let him go. He'll need time to settle, and you shouldn't be the one who has to calm him down. That's on me." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Avery. I know this must be awkward for you. I shouldn't have teased him, especially not in front of you. At this point, I don't know what will motivate him. I've tried everything."

I didn't know what to say. I fidgeted with my napkin, not knowing if Logan wanted advice. It wasn't like I'd feel comfortable giving any. He was my boyfriend's dad and my boss, and nothing good would come of me speaking my mind. The only option that felt safe was offering my help.

"Maybe I can be the one to try to motivate him for a while," I said. "You know, give you a break from it."

Logan chuckled. "Sounds like a plan to me. Besides, you've already succeeded in motivating him, both with your prototypes at camp and by encouraging him to take responsibility for his own living expenses."

I started to reply, but was interrupted by Devin.

"Avery!" Devin shouted from the other room. "Let's go."

"I guess I'm leaving," I said to Logan.

He shook his head. "It's rude of him to rush a guest out of his home. He has no manners."

"We'll have to do this again. You can come to the condo, and I'll cook for us."

"You don't have to do that, Avery."

"I want to. Partly as a thank you for having me over tonight. The food was delicious and that sunset was amazing."

Devin yelled. "Thirty second warning!"

Logan placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me toward the foyer. Devin was standing by the door, scowling.

"This is no way to treat Avery. He's our guest."

"Whatever, Dad." Devin turned and flung the front door open.

I smiled at Logan and shook his hand before making my way out to the car. "I'll see you on Monday."

Devin slammed the driver's door when we got in the SUV, and the entire vehicle shook. I didn't know what to do, but somehow I felt like this was my fault.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked.

"What? No. My dad is just being a dick. It has nothing to do with you."

I looked out the window as Devin started the car. Logan was a great guy and I knew he loved Devin, but I wasn't sure this was the right way to push Devin to take his role within the company more seriously.

Devin was quiet for half the drive before he finally spoke. "I don't know who I'm kidding. You'd clearly be the better choice to take over the company someday."

"Dev, you don't know that. You're still young. Once you get more experience and take on more responsibility, you'll feel more confident about it." I glanced over at him. "I don't know if anyone has asked you this, and if it's too personal we can talk about something else, but do you want to be president of the firm one day?"

I hoped I wouldn't make him angry with my question, or make him think I doubted him.

"I don't know," he replied, his voice quiet. "But I'm an only child and I've been told since I was six years old that I'd take over one day. No one ever asked me if I wanted to. They just told me I would."

"Do you like engineering?"

"It's alright. But either way, I know I shouldn't complain. There aren't many people who have a guaranteed job and the promise of heading an entire firm."

"But if it's not what you love, don't you think you should pursue something else?"

"What, and start over completely? With my shit work ethic?"

"Maybe you'd be more motivated if you were doing something you enjoyed."

"Maybe. But it doesn't matter. I can't let him down. There's no one else to do it."

I was silent. I'd spent so much time thinking about how lucky Devin was, but I'd never stopped to think about how much pressure he must be under. Part of me couldn't help but think that he didn't sound like he wanted to do this at all.

I felt his hand on my knee. "You could do it," Devin said softly. "Take over and be president. You'd be good at it."

"Devin, I've been at the firm for five days. We haven't even been together for a month. It's crazy to even talk about this."

He chuckled. "You're right. I shouldn't put all this pressure on you. It's not your problem."

"Hey," I said softly. "Your problems are my problems."