Chapter Sixteen #2
Sandy had informed me that an announcement of my candidacy was imminent. I’d had no time to visit Theo at Sweeny’s and was so exhausted I was in bed by eleven every night.
Still, I made a point of calling him during the day.
“So you’re really going to be a judge?” he asked.
“Well, I have to get elected, but I’m officially the party’s nominee.”
“That sounds so…I don’t know…impressive. Also scary.”
I laughed. “It’s both. And I’m excited.”
“I’m very happy for you,” Theo said softly.
“I’m going to need your help these next few months.”
“Me? What can I do?”
I wished I could be there with him, in front of the fire, looking into his honest eyes. While I knew my staff wished me the best, and if I did get elected, I’d ask Martin to come with me, it was Theo I trusted to listen without judgment. He’d understand, so I took the chance and bared my heart.
“Help me not be scared. I want it so badly, but…I can’t stop thinking I’m not good enough. You know, because of where I come from. Maybe I’ve been faking this all along.”
“Jaxon, no. You’re an incredible lawyer. Everyone knows that.”
His confusion was obvious, but I couldn’t reveal my affair. It would diminish me in Theo’s eyes.
With all my wins, all I could think of was Lawrence telling me I’d always had to hide my true self to get ahead.
Perhaps he’d been right after all.
“Maybe.”
**
The night of the benefit, I entered Sweeny’s and looked around in amazement.
People stood shoulder to shoulder, and I spied Fallon at the periphery, speaking into the tiny microphone on his headset.
News reporters were interviewing the various sports stars while servers in jerseys of the various participating teams circulated, carrying trays of hors d’oeuvres and pink champagne.
As it was Valentine’s Day, big bouquets of red and pink roses were scattered around the pub.
Shit. Valentine’s Day was tomorrow, and I hadn’t even thought about it.
Pulling out my phone, I added buying flowers and a card to my calendar, but it seemed so inadequate, especially since Theo probably never had someone to spend Valentine’s Day with.
I had to do something special, but as to what that should be, I hadn’t a clue.
Tables and chairs had been removed to accommodate a long dais where I saw some of the Brooklyn Blades hockey players and Brooklyn Kings football stars laughing and joking with one another.
Members of other sports teams from New York and other states were also present, and I had to wonder if there would be more players coming out in the future.
I didn’t see Theo’s auburn waves in the sea of dark brown and blond heads and craned my neck to look for him. Tony sped past me with a tray of drinks.
“He’s in the kitchen talking to the caterers. He’ll be out in a few.”
That mystery solved, I walked to Lila as she waved to me.
She stood in a group with her husband, Chris; his partner, Dominic Starr; and Starr’s boyfriend, Emerson.
Also with them were Jet and Harte; Devlin Summers and his husband, Brody Martin; plus two men I’d never seen.
I had to shake my head. A kid like me, who’d grown up with nothing, never dreamed of a life where I’d be at parties with millionaire superstars.
“Hey, everyone. Great turnout.”
“It is,” Dev agreed, his green eyes sparkling. “Fallon said it surpassed what he’d planned. Oh, Jaxon Polaris, this is the owner of the Brooklyn Kings, Armi Winters, and his partner, Hayden Porter.”
A sweet smile, reminiscent of Theo’s, curved Armi’s lips. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.” We all shook hands. “Really great that you came up from the city in this weather.”
“I grew up not too far from here,” Hayden explained. “We’re going to surprise my parents for the weekend. They love popping in on us unannounced, so I figured I should return the favor. Right, Armi?”
From his wink and Armi’s red face, I could only imagine the scenarios Hayden’s parents had interrupted, and we all laughed.
Something about Hayden’s name rang familiar—an article I’d read a few years earlier made me think he had a past, but whatever it was, obviously Armi had no issue with it.
If only the legal field were as forgiving.
“With this many people, you must be raising tons of money,” I remarked, scanning the bar to see if Theo had appeared. Even Mr. Ackerman was present and at a table with Arthur Tripton, the clothing salesperson. It was nice that the two men had forged a friendship.
“I’ll have to check with Dev and Brody, but yeah, I believe we did,” Harte agreed. “The auction items were snapped up for prices way beyond what we’d hoped for. And Theo and his crew have done a great job handling the crowd.”
“Theo’s been worried, but I told him he had everything under control.”
“You two still seeing each other?” Emerson asked, and I didn’t miss Dominic’s narrowed eyes as his arm slid around Emerson’s waist. Damn, the man was possessive as fuck.
He didn’t need to worry. My slight flirtation with Emerson a year earlier had been nothing more than me on autopilot.
I’d see an attractive single man, and my natural inclination was to make a move.
Unbeknownst to me, Emerson was already involved with Dominic.
They’d been through the wringer, and I wished them nothing but the best.
Besides, Starr would probably kick my ass from here to Albany if I so much as blinked Emerson’s way. Must be nice to be so loved.
“Yeah. Theo’s a great guy.”
“Yeah, he is,” Jet stated, and I didn’t miss the meaning behind his words: Don’t fuck with his head.
At that moment, Theo finally appeared, and when he saw me and smiled, my heart gave a funny bounce.
Jet had no reason to worry because it wasn’t Theo’s head that was being fucked with.
It was mine.