Page 17 of Finally

Wearrived at the venue hours before anyone else so Greg could establish proper security measures and I could go over last-minute things with my campaign manager. Maddie had been the one to introduce me to Jared Conover. They had worked together on a few fundraisers in the past and Maddie had praised his people skills and attention to detail. He’d also worked as the campaign manager during two other elections, both with positive results. So, when I decided to run for governor, Jared was the obvious choice to lead my campaign.

He was older than me by about ten years and was what some might refer to as a silver fox. He was also one hundred percent straight and completely smitten with his wife, Colleen. He was standing across the room from us as we walked in, holding a clipboard and talking with a few of the crew members who had been hired to set up the stage. Jared finished talking to them and turned, spotting me immediately. His face broke into a wide smile as he started walking toward me and I smiled back, but before I could take a step forward, I found myself suddenly staring at a pair of broad shoulders and one very fine-looking ass.

I started to ask Greg to move, but then a lightbulb went off in my head and I realized what he was doing. Greg didn’t know who Jared was and he was using his own body to shield me from a possible attack. Goosebumps raced across my skin and I gave a full-body shiver. Part of me still felt that it was utterly ridiculous that my parents had hired a bodyguard for me when there was no real danger. There hadn’t even been any new letters that week. The other part of me, mostly the parts down south, found what Greg had just done sexy as fuck.

I knew it had nothing to do with me personally. I was sure he’d do the same for any of his clients. After all, being paid to protect people was his job. But still, the thought that he would actually be willing to die for me had me torn between wanting to cry and wishing I could tear his clothes off so I could devour him.

Greg was tense, ready to spring into action, but he jumped as I laid a hand on his back, between his shoulder blades. Ignoring the desire coursing through my veins, I stepped around him, so I was once again standing next to him. “It’s okay. He’s not a danger,” I assured him. He gave me a skeptical look then turned his focus back on Jared who, having witnessed the entire exchange, was eyeing Greg warily.

“Greg, this is a friend of mine and my campaign manager, Jared Conover. Jared, this is Greg Wright, an old…” I started to say friend, but then thought better of it since I wasn’t sure how Greg might react to that. “Greg is my bodyguard.”

Jared relaxed as Greg’s earlier response began to make more sense. He smiled up at the larger man and extended his arm forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry if I set off alarms in your head, I had no idea Christopher had hired a bodyguard.”

Greg shook his hand. “He didn’t hire me actually. His father did. And I’m glad to finally meet you too. I’ve met all the rest of the staff, and they’ve told me a lot about you.”

Jared’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Was it bad? Do they all hate me?” he joked.

Greg and I chuckled. “Quite the opposite. They only had positive things to say about you. They told me that you’re excellent at your job and that you treat them all fairly.”

Jared smiled at that. “Thank you. That’s very nice to hear. We’ve been really lucky and have some incredible people working on our campaign. Of course, it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them wanting to get this guy elected,” he said, pointing at me. “Christopher is not only the right man to be governor, he’s also going to improve the lives of millions of Illinois residents.”

I felt my face flush, both from Jared’s praise and the way Greg was looking at me, as if he agreed with everything Jared had said. “Thank you, Jared. Right now, I’d just be happy if I could win over the hundreds of people who live here in New River, so we’d better get to work.”

Jared and I moved over to a corner of the room where we could talk privately and also be out of the way of the crew who was busy grabbing folding chairs off a truck and setting them up in neat rows. Greg wandered around the large arena, inspecting everything from the entryways, to the lights hanging from the walls. He was especially thorough when it came to the podium where I’d be standing as I gave my speech. Every so often, I would feel his eyes on me, making sure I was still there, and every time, it would bring a feeling of warmth to my chest.

I had to keep reminding myself that he was only doing his job and that he’d probably done the same thing for dozens of other people who’d hired him to protect them. But then there were the moments when our eyes would meet, and we’d hold each other’s gazes for just a few seconds longer than necessary. Those were the times that made it all so confusing because I thought I saw something in his eyes. Something that reminded me of the Greg I’d once known.

It had been a month since Greg had told me the truth about his parents. And ever since that night, we’d continued to grow closer. It had taken a lot of hard work, but he had managed to bring his grades up in two of the classes he’d been failing and only had one left to worry about. I’d encouraged him to ask his teachers if they had any extra credit he could do, and fortunately they’d all been willing to work with him. One even went so far as to let him retake a test that he had failed. He aced it the second time, which had brought his GPA up to a C+.

With his work all done, all he had left to do was pass his final exams.Greg was nervous, but I assured him that he could do it. He was much smarter than he gave himself credit for and he was willing to put in the work it took to get his grades up; he’d just needed a quiet place to study and get some rest. Unfortunately, his home didn’t provide a quality study environment. It didn’t provide anything he needed, from the sounds of it.

My heart had broken for him when he finally told me what had been going on with his parents. I couldn’t imagine my parents treating each other that way or acting as if I didn’t exist. All I’d ever known was love and support, and it killed me to think that Greg had gone his whole life with no one ever giving him something as simple as a hug. There was no way I could sit there and listen to all of that and not reach out to him.

The first time I held his hand had been about comfort. It had been one friend taking care of another. But it seemed to have awakened something in him and he’d barely kept his hands to himself ever since. Not that I wanted him to. Ever. Whether it was his arm brushing against mine as we walked side by side, or the way he would sit next to me on the couch as we watched a movie with his leg lining up with mine, he was always touching me in some way. I. Loved. It.

I loved having him touch me, but I also felt like I was going to lose my mind because I wanted him to touch me in other ways. The problem was, I didn’t know if he was touching me because he’d never had that and, in that case, anyone would do, or if he was touching me because he liked me. Like really liked me. I wasn’t even sure if Greg was attracted to guys. Of course, he knew that I was gay, as most of the kids in school did, but we’d never talked about it. My being gay had never seemed to be an issue for him, so the subject just never came up. I was going to have to find out soon though or risk going insane. Is it possible to go insane from a case of blue balls?If so, I’m the perfect candidate.

“I can practically hear you thinking from here,” Greg teased. “What’s on your mind?” His lips tilted up in a grin and I felt my breath catch. He’d been doing that a lot more lately—smiling easier and more frequently—as if he no longer carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. It did funny things to my belly and to my heart whenever I saw him looking so happy and I was grateful to get to be a part of it.

“Nothing much. Do you want to come back to my house? My parents were going to do a cookout tonight. I was hoping you’d finally get to meet them, but they got called in for something at the hospital instead. Anyway, there’s tons of food already made, and I’d rather not eat alone,” I told him.

It was a picture-perfect spring day with the temperature around seventy-eight and the sun shining down from a beautiful blue sky. Unfortunately, we’d spent the morning cooped up inside at the soup kitchen. Once we were finished, the lure of the outdoors was just too great, and we’d decided to go for a walk.

Greg gnawed on his bottom lip for a few seconds then turned to face me. “You really wanted me to meet your parents?”

I hated that he still thought he might not be welcome at my house. “Of course. They’d love to meet you. I’ve already told them a lot about you.”

Greg looked alarmed by that. “What did you tell them?”

I immediately reached for him, putting a hand on his arm to calm him. “Don’t worry. I would never tell them anything you told me in confidence.”

He stared into my eyes as if searching for the truth in my words. He must have found it because he visibly relaxed. “So, what did you tell them then?”

I shrugged, suddenly embarrassed about saying it out loud. “I told them that you’re a great guy and that you’re honest and funny and that I like spending time with you.”

I thought my face might burst into flames by the time I was done, but the smile that spread across Greg’s face wiped away any fears I might have had. “I feel the same way about you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Topher.”

My eyes widened and I smiled back at him. I suddenly understood what a champagne bottle must feel like right before the cork is popped—all fizzy inside and feeling so full that it just wants to explode, sharing its joy with everyone.

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