Page 57 of Losing his Daddy

“Yes, I am. I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?”

He nodded. “I wasn’t doing much right now. I’d been texting with Gage about what we could convince Benji to make next. Apparently, he’s really skilled with sweets.”

“That he is. I’m sure whatever you two cook up will be fun for him.” I led Gerald over to the couch, then tugged him down with me. Our legs were pressed together, and I kept his hand locked with mine.

His gaze was curious, though under that, I could see his fear creeping up. He thought this was bad news when, really, it wasn’t. Not truly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I replied quickly. “I wanted to ask you something. I’m nervous about it.”

His shoulders dropped at the confession. “Oh. That’s… different. I’m sure it'll be fine. Did you need to add to my tasks? Was there something else you needed?”

I shook my head. We’d initially set up a two-week period for Gerald to act as a service submissive to see if he liked it. While it was a no brainer for me, he took the full two weeks to come to grips with his newfound world. And after that, we didn’t expand much more beyond what he was doing. Sex was off the table for the time being, which would have been the only real change.

“My company is hosting an event next month. It’s a black-tie thing. The executives are required to attend for the sake of visibility. There will be several people there I know, including a few club friends. We’re allowed to bring a plus one.” I took a breath to give him a minute to absorb my words. “I’d like to take you as my date, Gerald. Would you like to come?”

“I don’t own a tux,” he said. It wasn’t a yes, but it also wasn’t a no.

I grinned. “I have a tailor. We can go get you a suit, then have it tailored to fit you. You’d look amazing.”

He would. That wasn’t a lie.

He didn't look all that amazing at that moment, however. I’d never seen the look on his face, though if I had to guess, I’d consider it panic, or maybe caution.

“You want to take me? To something public for your company?”

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

The relationship he’d had prior to us was one built on secrets. And while we hadn’t been trying to hide this thing between us, we also hadn’t broadcasted it. At least, we hadn’t to his knowledge.

I’d been texting my brother more since we reconciled. He knew how much I cared for Gerald. He’d even started calling him his brother-in-law as a show of support.

Then there was the support group. They all saw the way I fawned over him. Surely, they knew how deeply infatuated I’d become.

Work was the worst. With the constant visits each week, they’d all assumed I’d had an awakening when I left Danielle and found Gerald in the process. It wasn’t for me to correct them so long as they didn’t approach my man.

“I would buy a commercial spot on the Super Bowl to tell the world how much I care about you if I had the funding and didn’t think you’d hate me for it. There isn’t a single person in my life who doesn’t know how important you are to me. In fact, if I showed up without you, they’d wonder why. I don’t say that to manipulate you. I’m merely sharing because I think that you might believe I’m keeping you a secret when I’m not.”

“They all know about me? How?”

I laughed at the question before breaking down all the things he hadn’t noticed. It would have been amusing to watch him figure it out had he not burst into tears when I finished.

I pulled his body against mine in a tight hug. “Easy there. What’s got you so worked up?”

I had a feeling it had to do with the weight of realizing things weren’t what he thought. That I’d been fully invested this entire time when he believed I was keeping him hidden.

He leaned back. “I can’t believe… This all feels so unreal. Like I’m living someone else’s life.”

“You are,” I told him. “You’re living the life of the new you. The you that’s working to heal, to love again. And in this life, I’m really fucking proud to have you by my side. What do you say? Will you be my date?”

His smile stretched wide. “I’d love to.”

I kissed him then, the rush of emotions too great to hold back. And thankfully, he kissed me right back. I felt everything he couldn’t quite say in the space between us. It was enough for now. It would be enough until he was ready to say it all out loud.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gerald

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