ᴅᴏɴᴏᴠᴀɴ'ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ

It's been two weeks since the hospital with Evan's mom, and exactly one week since I've seen Evan's face.

Three days after being dismissed from the hospital, I helped Judy, Evan's mom get into a private clinic to get the help she desperately needed, and in the past two weeks, she's managed to get life back on track, putting Evan and his mom in a good place, as mother and son.

Judy divorced Roy and changed her name back to Beckett, and Evan pressed charges against Roy's two teenage daughters, the very ones that broke into his old apartment, putting a restraining order on the daughters, and their father, Roy.

I'm on my way home and after being away for a week for a business meeting for partners in Europe, I can now say that I was looking forward to going home because I know Evan would be there.

Evan has been busy the past week with work as an actor, he's gotten a movie role with a big-name film director, and yet despite how busy he will be, and how demanding my job is, I'm happy for him, he got what he wanted, he made a name for himself.

I simply gave him a push, all Evan had to do was show up and impress them, as he impressed me, without getting on his knees, I call that a job well done.

It's Tuesday, and it's Evan's 23rd birthday, and from speaking to his mom on the phone, I know they'll be throwing him a surprise birthday back at the penthouse.

With my work taking me to Europe, I was supposed to be there for 2 weeks, and miss his birthday, but after shifting things around, and working into the night and into early hours in the morning, I finished everything in 5 days.

I didn't waste any time getting back on the plane for NY, I knew how disappointed Evan was when I told him I would miss his birthday, even if he didn't say it, I knew he wanted me there with his family and friends to celebrate.

I'm an hour away, and right now I know Evan's with his best friends drinking, knowing they'll be back at the penthouse by 3, giving me time to get cleaned up and changed back at my place, knowing his mom would be there, setting everything up with the help from some of his friends I met briefly.

I thought long and hard about what to give Evan, being 23 and the young guy he is, I was lost with what to get him, but speaking to his mom, who I've grown close to, I finally decided what to get him, I'm just hoping that he likes it.

Meeting Evan's friends for the first time, before leaving for Europe, I couldn't help but wonder if he was satisfied being with me, someone who has already done it all, I've been married, and had a child, while Evan is still young, and has yet to experience life.

A part of me wanted to let him go, settle down, and live the bachelor life, to let him experience life without me while he was young, to know if it was me he really wanted, and not just because of how I felt about him.

I'll admit, being almost 13 years older than Evan has been hard for me to come to terms with, having not felt bothered by it until I saw him with his friends, and then with mine when he met them.

I love Evan Beckett, and life with him in mine is better, that much I don't deny.

My son Jamie loves spending time with me and Evan, and Emily already calls him family, it's more than I honestly expected, given our age difference.

"Mr. Steele, we're 30 minutes away." My driver announces, I nod my head and sigh and grab my phone from my jacket pocket.

Evan texted me ten minutes ago, with a photo of him and his friends, with the text 'wish you were here' plastered over the picture of them smiling into the camera.

The image only makes me even more sure I got him the right gift, he deserves so much, and there's so much I want to give him, I want to be the guy in the photo with him, and experience life looking just as happy as he does in that photo.

I go through our texts from the past week all the way up until my driver announces we're here, and once I get into the elevator, for the first time in a long time, I'm excited to be home, to surprise Evan a week early, on his birthday.

Opening the door to the penthouse, I'm welcomed by Judy, and the incredible display she put together, with the help of some of his friends, and a party planner I hired to help out.

"OH, you're finally here!" Judy says, wrapping her arm around my neck, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek, making me smile at the short older woman.

"The place looks great." I say, looking around. "He's going to love it, Judy." I say, making her happily nod her head, looking around.

"This was only possible with your help, Reece has been a darling!" She says, looking over to Reece, the party planner I hired as he notices me and waves.

"Did you hear any more from him?" I ask and she grins and nods her head, showing me her phone, Evan telling his mom that they're coming back to celebrate with her after their last drink, giving me time to get changed.

"Breathe,  Donovan." She says, patting me on the back. "He's going to love it, my boy loves anything you do, it's like you make magic happen." She jokes, making me smile.

"I should get dressed before I'm the only one here wearing a suit." I joke lightly as the front door opens again and in walks more of Evan's friends, saying hi to me and Judy as they walk past us, their excitement filling the air once they see the inside.

I overestimated just how many people Evan knew, there are already 30 people here, with more waiting to get into the elevator to reach the penthouse from the camera downstairs.

Thankfully I own a large penthouse to house Evan's friends.

"Off you go handsome." Judy gives me a push towards the stairs. "I'll shout up once he's on his way." She winks at me, as I nod my head, watching her go to greet Evan's friends, with a huge smile stuck on her face.

Any moment Evan will show up, with his friends here, and a handful of my closest friends waiting for his arrival.

At 35 I've achieved more than most, I'm worth 86.4 billion, I'm dating a 23-year-old man and I have a teenage son and ex-wife, and a long list of accomplishments, but nothing beats this feeling in my chest, the loud beating of my heart at the anticipation of just seeing him, being with him, living with him.

Turning on the shower and taking my clothes off after a long flight home, I stand there under the water with my eyes closed, with my hands on the shower wall, I know my insecurities are just fear of not being enough to shake me from what I want.

Evan came into my life as a contract, just another business deal where I get something in return, but what I really got in return is a second chance with someone I least expected.

After Alex and everything she did to me, I'd had a long destructive, and unhealthy relationship with women, never taking a girlfriend, or a wife, going on with the rest of my life like a ghost, addicted to work, not giving a care in the world to those I hurt.

At 35 it took this long to realize I'm nothing without a 23-year-old serious actor, whose completely useless with money, and even worse at expressing himself.

It's been 8 months and three days since I first laid eyes on him, and not a day goes by that I don't regret kissing him, letting him into my life, letting him mess it up so much I don't know how I lived alone for so long.

I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and given the chance he wants the same, I know I would have lived a good life if he of all people choose me to be with him.

A sudden pain hits me, nothing like I've ever felt before.

My chest tightens and starts to hurt, making me grip my chest tightly as my legs start to shake and lose balance, making my knees hit the hard tile floor, gasping for breath.

Nausea hits me hard as the excruciating pain in my chest worsens, leaving me gasping for air as the water from the shower head hit me, trying to claw my way out of the shower with my hand pressed tightly on my chest, my hands shaking violently.

The last thing I see before my head feels heavy and my vision blur is a shadowy figure of a man opening the door, the door banging against the wall in the process, whoever it was, was running over to me and dropping to their knees and putting their hands on either side my face.

Their hands... they felt so warm, I never wanted to close my eyes, I wanted to feel that warmth forever, but the pain was too much, and my body was fighting against me.

I don't want to die... but if this was it, I wanted to see his face, just one last time, just once, I'd pay all the money in the world to see Evan one last time, and I'd die happily knowing just that I got that dying wish.

That was the last thought I had before I lost consciousness and everything went dark.