Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 113741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
“ I would really like you by my side tonight. If you’re comfortable leaving them out here,” Gage said, keeping hold of Trent.
“I’ll be here with them, Trent. I promise to keep an eye on them,” Rhonny said. Trent glanced over to Hunter and Em, already absorbed in playing with the other children. They didn’t even notice they were being talked about. The whole idea of standing by Gage’s side tonight, playing host, made Trent a little nervous. Gage looked so eager, Trent steeled his nerve and tried to jump in, hoping not to embarrass Gage too badly.
The evening whirled by in a blur. Trent greeted guests for the first hour. Then the official opening launched, unveiling all of Gage’s photos. Attendants stood by each photo and pulled a dark curtain off the frame. Gage’s curator, Jacquelyn, looked elegant and regal, selling her way through the gallery. The big names everyone waited for arrived, adding the glitz and glamour to the night. Gage kept Trent by his side all evening, introducing him to everyone. When it came time for Gage to give his speech, he even tried to get Trent to come up on stage and stand by him, but he drew the line there. Instead, he stood off to the side, alone, waiting for Gage to finish. After a few minutes, both Gage’s mother and father came to stand beside Trent.
“Your children are adorable… and fine. I see you poking your head around, keeping an eye on them. My oldest granddaughter has the littlest ones upstairs in Gage’s apartment coloring,” Connie said quietly as Gage finished his speech.
“Are they in the way?” Trent asked, quickly looking over at Gage’s mother. His father stood beside her, his arms wrapped around his wife, staying quiet, but listening to their conversation.
“No, they’re fine, I promise. She has them tucked away happily playing and I’m sure making a mess of Gage’s place. My littlest granddaughter, Mirabella, is only a few months older than Emalynn. They are cut from the same cloth. Rhonny’s with Hunter and the boys. I do believe Gary is quite taken with her and is there, too.”
“She’s a good girl, ma’am,” Trent said immediately about Rhonny.
“I can tell. You have a nice family, Trent,” Connie said, giving a reassuring smile.
“Thank you.” Trent’s eyes were drawn back to Gage as he left the small platform.
“You’re the first person Gage has ever brought for us to meet,” Connie added. Trent stayed quiet, watching Gage shake hands with a dozen more patrons. “We’ve worried for him. He’s so stubborn and independent. Always going to make it on his own.”
“He has, too,” Trent said, keeping his eyes on Gage, trying to figure out where this conversation might be headed.
“Yes, he has, and we’re very proud of him.”
“Gage has always been gay. When did you decide you were?” his father abruptly asked. He said it with no real aggression, just wanting the information. Now he understood the conversation. Trent smiled. The parental protective claws were coming out. Trent knew them well. He played both mother and father to his children and was absolutely sure he would be asking these same questions if he were in their shoes.
“I’ve always been gay, sir,” he responded back, looking Jack straight in the eyes.
“Were you married to their mother?” Jack asked.
“Lord no, that would be terribly wrong. They’re my sister’s children. She died almost four years ago while giving birth to Emalynn. I adopted them shortly after. Their father was killed in the service, and our mom was older. She passed away about the time Hunter was born. It’s just me and them,” Trent said, turning to make eye contact with both of them as he spoke.
“Trent, I’m sorry,” he said immediately.
“No, sir, no need to be, I get it. I’m a parent now, too. I’m the electrical contractor on this job. Rhonny is my nanny. I found her a few weeks after Emalynn was born. She saved me because I had no idea what I was doing. We’ve all been together since. I haven’t known your son long, and believe it or not, I held out. I don’t like having a bunch of different people in front of the kids, and I don’t like messing with anything that will affect my business. It’s how I pay for everything they need. But they actually sold me on Gage,” Trent said. Gage worked the crowd, still several feet from the three of them, but diligently working his way over. Gage smiled and beamed when their eyes met as he continued to shake everyone’s hand.
“You’re the new lead electrical contractor on this job? You did the immediate panel change? I understand you kept this job on track for my son,” Jack said.
“Yes, sir, I did, but Gage kept this job on track. He’s a born project manager. It has to be in his blood. My end wasn’t that big a deal, Mr. Synclair, it’s my job. Gage pulled the strings getting the city and power company out here to work with me. I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Trent said.
“Son, I’m Jackson Layne. Synclair is Gage’s middle name and stage name,” Jack said. Trent stopped moving his attention between Gage and his parents to focus solely on his father, the pieces to the puzzle all coming together. Gage’s parents were Layne Construction, LLC, the billion dollar construction and property company. They owned the largest general contracting company in the world.
“Sir, I didn’t know.” He couldn’t say anything else, stunned into silence. His heart hammered in his chest.
“Trent, you just keep getting better and better,” Connie said, while reaching out to hug him tightly. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Trent let her draw him in, but his shocked eyes stayed on Trent’s father who stood back, the smile still on his face. Gage chose then to break free from the throng, coming back to Trent’s side. Gage’s hand landed lightly on Trent’s back, but his mother wrapped her arms around him, too, dragging him into the embrace.