Chapter Ten
Considering how many times Blaze had called, sounding sad as hell, Blaze obviously really hated having to go to the Glam Gala.
German didn’t blame him. Not only was the gala the only thing standing between him and coming home, but the entire thing was nothing more than a narcissist showdown.
While the event raised a lot of money for charity, the real draw for the stars was getting to show off their sexiest outfits to one-up each other in the wildest of ways.
Once the red-carpet part of the event passed, the gala turned into an exercise of ambling their way from table to table, sipping champagne, flirting, and making new connections.
That was without mentioning the gossip. German had only been there once as a guard.
He had learned more celebrity gossip than he had heard in his entire life, including the abundance of trash mags throughout his childhood.
When the phone rang again, German laughed. He already knew it was Blaze. “Hello?”
“Well, I’m dressed.”
German snorted at Blaze’s defeated tone. “Switch to FaceTime and let me see.”
Once their call was swapped, Blaze sat the phone against something to keep it vertical and stepped back far enough for German to see his outfit. He made a dismissive gesture toward himself. “This is it. I’m not getting all dressed up for this shit. I refuse to play their game.”
German wished he had chosen that route instead of sticking with looking like the rockstar he was. He wore leather pants with a green bowler shirt that made his eyes pop. The shirt was completely unbuttoned, hanging wide to show off his gorgeous body. “Damn. Now I wish I’d come with you.”
Blaze scrambled to grab the phone. His expression turned hopeful. “You still could.”
German shook his head. “You’re forgetting Ben.”
“Bring him along.”
German pulled a face. “No way is Ben getting exposed to that bunch.”
Blaze snorted. “There’ll be other people there with their kids. You know there’re celebrities whose entire brand is being family-oriented. I won’t beg, though. I know you’re doing what you think is right.”
Guilt ate at German. Blaze never asked anything of him. German had definitely been more dedicated to Ben than Blaze lately. He needed to find balance.
A knock sounded behind Blaze. Blaze sighed. “That’d be the stylist and whatnot. Fuck my life. I have to let you go.”
“It’s okay.”
Blaze gave him puppy eyes. “I love you. Do you promise to think of me?”
German tried not to laugh at the way Blaze sounded as if he was being sent off to war. He really did. There was no stopping at least a small chuckle. “I love you too. You’ll be in my thoughts all night. I miss you.”
Blaze’s expression turned even more loving. “I miss you too, baby. See you soon.”
“See you.” German disconnected the call.
Sadness came back in a flash. He truly missed the fuck out of Blaze.
He heard a rustle from the kitchen. German followed the sound.
He found Ben crawling from a step stool to the kitchen counter so he could reach a pack of cookies.
German shook his head. “If you’re hungry, you could’ve asked for help. ”
Undeterred, Ben scooted across the counter on his knees and grabbed the package. He didn’t look German’s way. “You were talking to Uncle Justin.”
Fuck. German really hoped Ben hadn’t heard him saying he wouldn’t go tonight because of him. “I can multitask.”
Ben didn’t respond. He ate a cookie.
German’s heart swelled with pride. Ben had become a whole new person since coming to live with German. He was settled enough for this.
“How do you feel about getting fancy clothes and meeting Uncle Justin at a party?”
Ben stared at him and chewed.
German swore he could hear Ben’s mind looking at the situation from every direction.
He swallowed. “Can I take my iPad?”
German chuckled. This was an adult party. Ben would likely be bored off his ass. “Sure.”
“Can I have shiny shoes?”
German fought for his life. He couldn’t stop smiling while trying to be serious. “If you want.”
Ben pulled another cookie from the pack. “Okay.”
He couldn’t take it. German crossed the room and swept Ben from the counter. “Okay, buddy. Let’s go shopping.”
Ben’s arm shot out. He tried snagging the cookies as German picked him up.
German grabbed the package and handed it to Ben. “We have a lot to do in a short time. You may as well take the whole bag.”
Ben shoved another cookie into his mouth.
“Okay.” He spoke around his snack, making German laugh.
German hadn’t known he could fall so deeply in love with a child.
His throat swelled. Blaze would be home soon.
He would have the family he hadn’t realized he wanted so desperately.
They would be one flawless unit. That was a promise.
Lights flashed, blinding Blaze. He kept his expression bland, acting the bored star.
As his gaze swept the crowd, he already knew he would stick to Valon tonight.
There wasn’t a damn soul here he cared to see.
The entire band and their dates stood close, letting the vultures have the pictures they wanted.
The crowd parted on his right as security led someone their way.
His attention was officially snagged. It couldn’t be.
When Blaze caught his first glimpse of German, his hand shot to his mouth.
His eyes had to be playing tricks on him.
Dressed to the nines, German carried an equally dressed to impress Ben.
Bulky-looking headphones covered Ben’s ears, tiny dark sunglasses hid his eyes, and he squeezed his tablet against him, but he smiled brighter than Blaze had ever seen.
German looked sexy as fuck. Blaze couldn’t hide his excitement as he realized he wasn’t imagining them.
He jumped into the air and then bounced in place until German reached him. “You came! Holy shit. You actually came.”
German’s smile screamed he knew he had gotten the drop on Blaze. He kissed Blaze. “Hey, baby.”
“Hi.” The quiet greeting from Ben had Blaze’s gaze sliding his way.
“Hey. Look at you. You’re so cool and handsome.”
Ben giggled. The sound was sweet and childlike. Blaze’s heart warmed. Ben was getting better, and it was due to German.
“Blaze! Blaze! Who is this?”
“Can we get a picture of you three?”
The vultures were getting louder, vying for his attention.
Blaze turned their way, smiling. He wanted the world to know this about him. They needed to see the reason for his happiness. He moved even closer to German and wrapped his arm around German’s waist. They posed for pictures.
“Is that your son?”
“Is this your boyfriend?”
Oh, boy. There would definitely be some secret child headlines tomorrow. Blaze threw them a small bone. “Fiancé.”
A lot more blinding flashes hit them while other people’s phones were turned their way.
German spoke against his ear. “If I had known you’d plan to come with cheese boy, I would’ve stayed home.” Thankfully, he followed the statement with a laugh and didn’t sound serious.
Blaze tossed a quick glance Brie’s way before responding. “Nah. He’s with Goose.”
German chuckled. “Cheese and Goose. They’ll make a great couple.”
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.