Page 27 of Just in Time
Blaze sighed. “He’s French.” Blaze had no idea why he bothered. Brie had actually gone to high school with Blaze. They had been best friends before—much like Dara—Brie had let the drugs win.
German and he held each other’s stare. Heat and knowing smiles passed between them. The vultures had moved on to their next victims. Ben made a motion that stole their attention. He curled into as tight of a ball as he could for being in German’s arms. His earphones were knocked askew.
Fear raced over Blaze. He shouldn’t have asked this of German. Ben looked scared and ready to hide so he could melt down.
“What’s wrong, buddy?”
Damn, German sounded like such an amazing dad.
The three of them had their heads together like they were inside their own bubble. Blaze was ready to do whatever Ben needed. If that meant leaving, that was what would happen.
“Daddy’s here.”
Blaze’s spine immediately stiffened at Ben’s whisper. He didn’t turn and give anything away. Blaze would deal with Brian later. “We can leave. You don’t have to see him. If you want to go home, that’s what we’ll do.” Blaze didn’t look at German as he made the offer. German knew Blaze’s reputation would take a hit if he didn’t stay through a charity event to write that big check. While he had already pledged to do so, appearances were everything.
Ben somehow managed to burrow himself even deeper into German’s hold. He shook his head. “German won’t let him hurt me.”
“Damn right.”
At German’s growled words, Blaze’s gaze shot to German’s face for half a second. If he wasn’t mistaken, it looked as if German’s eyes filled with tears. He immediately went back to trying to comfort Ben.
“You’re right. German is your personal kick-Brian’s-ass machine. He’s way bigger, and he loves you. I love you. You will always be safe with us. If you get scared at all, just say the word, okay?”
Ben nodded, making the earphone situation worse.
Blaze fixed them. He shared a glance with German and they headed inside.
As the night wore on, Brian never came near Ben. Blaze imagined that was for a few different reasons. One, nobody knew Brian Weeks had a child. He was a pretty famous actor who had easily charmed Dara into his bed after just one happenstance meeting. She had come to L.A. for a visit. Blaze had shown her around. Brian spotted her and claimed he had followed her gymnast days. That was all it had taken. Dara had gone home pregnant. Everything since had been a nightmare for her. Brian had done everything in his power to keep her silent, scared, and away from any shot at child support. Blaze never knew how Dara still managed to end up with her ass kicked and Ben terrorized. He had a terrible feeling Brian had hurt Ben pretty badly since his birth. He couldn’t prove it, but he imagined no one would tell him for fear of what he might do.
Another reason Brian steered clear, Blaze hoped, was due to the restraining orders against him. But he also knew Blaze would destroy him if he got anywhere near Ben. It also only took one look at the terrifying glances German had sent the man’s way for Brian to know he was dead if he made a single wrong move.
Ben ended up looking like he had a blast. His cheeks were rosy, and he was all smiles. He giggled when Blaze and German slow-danced with him in the middle. It was the first gala Blaze had ever enjoyed.
Blaze opted to ride home with German. The last of his appearances and concerts were done for now. The silence inside the SUV was a peaceful one. A soft snore came from the back seat while German kept bringing Blaze’s hand to his mouth and kissing it. Blaze stared at German’s profile, incapable of looking away. They would really be married soon. Blaze didn’t know where to go with all the happiness. He had no outlet.
“I love you.” Blaze said the words quietly, hoping not to disturb Ben. He desperately wanted to put Ben straight to bed with no interruptions when they made it home. The two-hour drive felt like an eternity.
A smile touched German’s lips. “I love you too.”
“Can I marry you tomorrow?”
German chuckled.
Blaze was undeterred. “What about the next day?”
“The next day is Christmas, baby. Do you really want to choose between our anniversary or visiting your family for the holidays every year for the rest of our lives? You’re already getting screwed out of your birthday.”
He deflated. “Yeah. I guess not.”
Fuck. It was Christmas. Goddamn it. Blaze hadn’t shopped for anyone. It would be their first Christmas together. Blaze wanted to make it special. Maybe start their own tradition for their little family. They definitely had the freedom to do so now. His mom had shown her ass so badly over the past few weeks that Blaze had made it clear she wouldn’t be seeing them this year. Blaze couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t use her connections to take Ben from them the moment they stepped into Maine. Dara hadn’t wanted Ben there for a reason. As amazing as his mom was, she wasn’t the right caretaker for Ben. Ben thrived with German. He was where he was supposed to be. This whole thing had very much put him in the middle of a huge mess, but German was about to be his husband. His first responsibility was to him.
It was as if German read his mind. “You have no idea how sick with guilt I am. I’ve had enough therapy to know losing my parents wasn’t my fault, but now I’m costing you yours and that has me wondering if I really am the problem. You were so close to your family before me. I know you talked to your mom every day. Even though I know I’m doing the right thing, I… I don’t know.”
German sounded defeated.
Blaze didn’t know how to fix it. He just went with letting German see all of him. “Honestly, one reason my family has been so tight is that we pretend nothing is ever wrong. Everyone sets their problems aside in the name of peace. This entire situation has made me face that. Sweeping issues under the rug doesn’t makethem go away. Both my sisters-in-law hate me for being gay. My brothers let it go on, so I have to assume they feel the same way.”
“Really? I knew I got a bad vibe from them for a reason.”
