Graves is jaded. Laet is optimistic about the possibilities in life. Graves is stoic. Laet is wide, happy smiles that actually somehow change the entire atmosphere of a room. Graves is a storm could. Laet is sunshine warming your skin on a lazy afternoon. Graves never wants a relationship. Laet is desperate for snuggles and romance and love and family.

As much as Graves hates watching Laet date other men, jealous and scared he'll actually find someone to share his life with, it kills Graves seeing him looking dejected after each date fails to meet his expectations. Romantic relationships have the potential to go horribly wrong. Graves has seen it with his own parents, and even decades later, he still carries pain in those scars. But Laet is Laet. He deserves to have everything in life that he wants, and Graves' lack of trust in others has him unconvinced that anyone will ever meet the expectations he's set for Laet's future partner.

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Offering to be Laet's romantic stand-in until the man finds someone they both find worthy, is heartbreak waiting to happen, but better Graves' heart than Laet's. Laet's easy acceptance is a surprise…but it's only the first of many.