I smiled when I saw he had sunk down in the chair and was dozing. Paul was concerned and protective of me. He still sometimes offered to pick me up after work so I wouldn't have to drive home that late. He was a good boy, no, no longer a boy, my son was a good young man.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, I unzipped the heeled, knee high boots and sighed in relief when I pulled them off. I padded softly over to the table and smiled down at Paul.

Every time I saw him, I saw his father. John used to joke there would never have to be a paternity test. Paul had the same gorgeous hazel eyes that shifted between a light green and golden brown, sandy brown hair and strong jaw as his father.

Along with that was the huge easy smile that had been one of John's endearing features which went well with his laid back, easy going attitude. Paul was the mellowest twenty year old I knew. Even as a teen, things rarely got to him and when something did manage to upset him, like his father, his answer was to get through it without drama, but a quiet resolve.

He'd shown that through John's illness and death. Paul had been strong for both his dying father and his grief stricken mother. Paul had been my rock, far more than I had been his, I felt, but he claimed he was strong for me because I was so strong for his father.

Paul resembled him in build as well, tall and on the thinner side through his teen years, but recently filling out from a combination of going to the school gym a couple times a week and two years on the wrestling team. ALL in all, Paul was a damn good looking young man, but even better was he had the rare combination of good looks with a sweet disposition. He wasn't a cocky jerk like a lot of boys his age.

He was sensitive and caring and the girls had noticed, few were the times Paul hadn't had a girlfriend since his early teens. But he never played the girls; he dated one at a time and genuinely seemed to care about each one.

John's father had been an abusive womanizing drunk and having been in the porn industry I'd dealt with nothing but disrespectful misogynistic assholes.

The two of us were proud to have raised a gentleman. The kind of gentleman who wouldn't go to bed until he knew his mother was safely home for the night and sent her such wonderful supportive texts. While watching him, I frowned at the thought Paul hadn't dated anyone in months.

He'd been dating a sweet girl named Jen from PC who came to the funeral and was very supportive, but a few months later he broke it off with her, without giving me much of a reason, since then no one, I'd brought it up casually here and there, but looking at him now I decided to talk about it for real soon, Paul was too good a kid to be alone and not have any fun.

“Ahem! I cleared my throat loudly and when he opened his eyes I clapped my hands, “Rise my loyal watch dog, your mother is home and secured. You may now go to bed."

“I must have just closed my eyes." He smiled, up at me, “You know, a minute or so ago."

“Right.” I nodded, “I've heard that one before, now head on to bed."

“What about you? You worked last night and both jobs today, you must be exhausted, you worked twice as hard."

I winced inwardly at the thought what I'd worked was twice the cock. I hated my own sarcastic little digs, but seemed unable to stop them.

“Yeah, I'm pretty beat."

“Must be sore too." He quickly stood up and gestured to the chair, “Sit down."

“There's other chairs, hon." I pulled the one closest to me out and sat down.

“Sit back down."

“If I sit I can't do this." Paul walked up behind my chair.

“What are you, ohhh!" I cooed when his strong hands massaged my shoulders, “That's nice, but you..."

“Need to take care of my mom the way you take care of me. You worked two jobs today, least I can do is help you relax."

"You went to school and worked." I pointed out, but happily succumbed to his suggestion and relaxed into the chair, enjoying his attention.

“I'm half your age."

“Watch it, mister!