Chapter Twenty-Five
Theo
“What a gorgeous day for the fund raiser,” I remarked to Joyce. “Thank you so much for hosting it. I know Jaxon is so grateful for your support.”
“We’re happy to support him in any way we can. The state needs him on the bench.”
I waved to Alison, who walked in with her husband and Blair.
Wearing a big smile, she hurried over to us while the two men made their way to Jaxon, stopping to speak with other attorneys.
There had to be at least seventy-five people in the garden, and at five hundred dollars minimum per person, it would be a great boost to Jaxon’s campaign fund-raising efforts.
“This is beautiful. I’m so glad the weather is perfect. Hello, Joyce. So nice to see you again. Your house is lovely.”
They kissed each other’s cheeks, and we all stood together, surveying the crowd.
David rushed from between the kitchen and the backyard, managing the staff and food.
He’d brought in a full cadre of servers, and as he’d indicated, most were from local shelters.
I promised myself to talk to them to see if I could give some of them jobs at Sweeny’s.
“Thank you. This is the first fund raiser we’ve held here—the others have been at David’s restaurant. But the weather is beautiful, and Jaxon certainly knows how to draw a crowd.”
Alison accepted a mimosa from a waiter. “Well, he’s young, gorgeous, and brilliant. He has a terrific future ahead of him. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ran for higher office in the state one day.”
I watched as Blair adeptly managed the crowd around Jaxon, all anxious to ask questions or get pictures with him.
I’d been to a few fund raisers and disliked their questions about our personal life, but Jaxon had learned to give them only what we felt comfortable with.
The thought of him in a truly political position made me slightly queasy.
“We’re very fond of him,” Joyce declared.
“And of you, Theo as well. I’m happy he has such a steady person as a partner.
And between us…” She lowered her voice as members of the press passed by, giving me the side-eye.
“I personally believe it’s a good thing you’re not a lawyer.
I never liked the idea of bringing your work home. ”
“I agree with Joyce. The last thing Sandy wants to do when he comes home after work is talk about his cases. Of course sometimes we discuss them, but I couldn’t imagine it being the only thing between us.”
“I just don’t want him to become bored with me.”
“Oh, honey, that’s not possible,” Alison stated firmly. “That man is head over heels, as my generation says.”
One of the servers, an older woman, passed by us, and I noticed her because it was the third or fourth time she looked directly at me. Almost as if she knew me. We locked gazes for a moment, then she hurried off in the direction of the house.
“Do you know her?” Alison questioned. “She’s walked by a few times, and it’s as if she wants to say something to you but then changes her mind.”
“No, but I noticed it too.” I fidgeted with my glass. “Maybe I should go talk to her.” I glanced over to where Jaxon was mingling with people I now recognized as judges and lawyers from other events. He wouldn’t miss me—his speech wasn’t for another fifteen minutes.
“Why not? Maybe she’s interested in a job at Sweeny’s and is uncertain how to approach you.”
I gave my glass to a passing server who was collecting the empties. “I’ll be right back.”
I crossed the yard and mounted the steps to the deck, greeting some familiar faces with a smile. Reaching the kitchen, I spotted Tony and Freddy checking the trays before the servers left with them.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked. There was no sign of the woman. “Have you seen an older woman? She’s one of the servers—gray hair, uh, kinda short—”
“Yeah, she’s in the living room. Said she needed a second,” Tony explained. “I didn’t think it was a problem. Is something wrong? She seemed like a good worker…”
“No, of course not,” I hastened to reassure him. “Thanks.”
I took off through the hallway that connected the kitchen to the rest of the house.
It was a beautiful old colonial with original wood floors, beadboard paneling, and high ceilings.
A staircase sat in the center of the home, with rooms on either side.
A pocket door closed off one side, and I wasn’t about to go snooping, so I entered the room opposite it and found the woman sitting on a sofa, obviously in tears, wiping her eyes.
I hesitated to interrupt her private moment, but she must’ve seen or heard me, as she jumped slightly and clutched the tissue in her hand. She gazed up at me, wary and afraid.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in. Are you all right?” I took a few steps toward her. “Do you need help?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“May I ask you a question?” When she nodded, I moved closer to the sofa where she sat. “I noticed you outside. Did you want to talk to me?”
“No, no, I didn’t. I’m sorry if you thought that. I was just doing my job.”
She seemed afraid, and I wondered why. Was she scared of something or someone?
“I understand. My mistake. Are you looking for a permanent job? I only ask because I run a bar—Sweeny’s in Appleton Falls. It’s not a long drive from here. If you’re interested, I could always use the help.”
I wasn’t lying. We were busier than ever, and as much as Tony and Freddy wanted the work, I needed more staff.
“No, I couldn’t…I have to get back outside. Th-thank you.”
She jumped up and ran past me while I remained in the room, confused as to why this woman was so nervous around me.
“Babe? Theo? What’s wrong?”
I blinked and saw Jaxon in front of me with a furrowed brow. “What? Oh, no, nothing. Sorry. I was just talking to someone.”
“Oh, good. They want to take our picture, if you’re okay with that. It’s for the LGBTQ+ Bar Association.”
I loved that he still asked me every time someone requested our photo. He knew I preferred to remain in the background, but in this case, it was a group supporting our rights, so I had no hesitation.
“Yeah, sure.”
Hand in hand, we walked outside and stood together while they took shot after shot. The reporters used the opportunity to ask me questions this time.
“Theo, do you still plan to work at your bar if Jaxon wins the election?”
“Theo, are you and Jaxon planning to move if he wins?”
“Do you think you two will get married? Do you want to?”
Sweat trickled down my neck, and I panicked. “I-I—”
“That’s enough, please.” Squeezing my hand, Jaxon stepped in.
“This is a fund raiser for my election. It’s neither the time nor place to bombard my boyfriend with questions about the future.
” He paused, and I drew in a breath. “Theo is a very private person and isn’t the one in the public eye.
He didn’t sign up for this, and just because we’re together, it doesn’t give you unfettered access to his life.
” He whispered in my ear. “Are you all right? You can leave if you want.”
I loved how he respected my desire to stay out of his limelight, but I wasn’t that scared person any longer. I met his concerned eyes with a confident nod.
“I’ll answer. I don’t mind.” I faced the reporters again.
“I do still plan on working, but I’ve promoted several of my staff to manage the bar when I’m away.
No, I don’t plan to move—Jaxon and I are hoping to restore my house, but if he has to be away because of work, I’ll go with him.
Or not.” I smiled. “We haven’t discussed marriage because we haven’t been dating that long.
Do I want to get married? That’s a personal question I’m not prepared to answer. Thank you.”
“All right, that’s it for now, thank you.” Blair stepped in, and we were able to make our escape.
“You okay?” Jaxon asked. “I’m sorry they jumped all over you, but you handled them like a pro.”
I nudged him. “I’ve been watching the master.”
He snorted and led me to an unoccupied table under a tree and sat beside me with a gusty sigh. “Hardly.” He waited a beat. “So…I’m curious, since it’s now only the two of us…”
“Yeah? About what?”
“Do you? Not now, I mean, but is that something you want?”
“Want what? Oh…marriage? Is that what you’re talking about?”
He nodded. With all his trauma, Jaxon had learned to mask his emotions, and I couldn’t gauge what he was thinking.
“When I was young, that’s what I dreamed of. A man to love me and take me away from my life. I was so lonely and unhappy, I thought having a boyfriend would solve all my problems.”
“You mean I haven’t?” Jaxon teased, but I knew him so well, I recognized the strain behind the handsome facade. “Guess I need to work harder on loving you.”
I covered his hand with mine. “If you did that, I wouldn’t be able to walk. You love me like I’m the only man on earth.”
He turned his palm up and laced our fingers together. “To me, you are.”
We sat for a few minutes before I spoke again. “Do you want to get married eventually?”
He grinned. “I asked first.”
“You’re such a pain in my ass.”
“Is that a complaint?” At his smirk and raised brow, my face grew hot.
“Idiot. You know what I mean. But…maybe, yeah. I think it would be nice to pledge to be with each other forever. Why’re we fighting so hard in the courts for the right to marry if we dismiss or ignore it?
” When he didn’t respond, I bit my lip. “B-but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong if you don’t want to get married. ”
“Theo?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you. Thank you for sharing your feelings. And you make a compelling case. You could write my closing arguments.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.
“I’d like to revisit this once the election is in the books.
But you should know that whether we make it official or not, you’re mine. Now and always.”
“I guess I should start believing in dreams again.”
I spotted Blair scanning the crowd and knew my alone time with Jaxon had run its course.
“Time for you to get back to work. I’ll see you tonight at Sweeny’s?”
Still holding my hand, Jaxon rose to his feet. “Yeah. It might be a little later than usual—near closing. Because of all the time I spent here this morning, I’ll have to catch up at the office.” He kissed me. “But never fear, I’ll be there.”
I watched as he walked away, and decided my presence was no longer required. Alison was still chatting with Joyce as I approached to make my farewells.
“Did you get a chance to speak to that woman?” Alison asked.
“No. I mean, I tried, but she had nothing to say to me. I even told her if she wanted a job, I’d be happy to talk to her about it, but she ran away.
” I glanced around the yard, which was beginning to thin out.
“Anyway, I’m here to say good-bye. I have to go home and see what I can do about finding more help for the bar.
I really do need to hire additional servers, so maybe David can give me his contacts for shelters in the area? I’d love to help out.”
“Absolutely,” Joyce reassured me.
“It was wonderful to see you again, and let’s make plans for the three of us to get together for lunch soon.” Alison kissed my cheek.
“Sure, if Joyce wants to.”
We’d become friendly, but I wasn’t sure she considered me a friend and didn’t want to seem pushy.
“I’d love to. And David and I were talking the other day about coming to Sweeny’s to watch a game.” Her brown eyes warmed with humor. “You’d be surprised how far that man will travel for wings and the chance to see sports stars.”
“Great. I’ll text you both with some dates.” Alison was gearing up to be my social secretary, and I appreciated her efforts.
“Thanks. Talk to you soon.”
I received another set of cheek kisses, got my car from the valet, and drove home. It was an undeniable pleasure to exchange my button-down, dress pants, and shoes for comfy track pants, a long-sleeved tee, and sneakers.
“God, I could never wear that uniform all day.”
I stretched out on the couch and opened my laptop. David had sent me some contacts, and within an hour, I’d emailed three shelters in the area. With nothing left to do, I decided to go in early, take some inventory, and get ready for the night.
Half an hour later, I was in the middle of counting bottles of mixers when I heard a knock at the door. I ignored it, but it became more insistent. Annoyed because it was pretty obvious we weren’t open, I strode over and flung it open.
“We’re not—”
I blinked. It was the woman from Jaxon’s fund raiser.
“You’re Theo, aren’t you?” Faded blue eyes filled with tears. “I knew who you were the moment I saw you.”
My heart pounded madly. I didn’t want to believe it, but it was the only explanation that made sense.
“Are you…my mother?”