Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Chad grinned and positioned the phone toward Ducky who lifted a hand in a wave. “Hi, Mr. Reeves. Sorry for all the chaos. We’ve been unplugged.”
The gravity of his father’s stare now included Ducky. The same worried expression gave pause before he finally nodded. “Probably the best call for now. How together are you two?”
“Together, together,” Chad answered, tilting his head to be visible on the screen with Ducky. He reached for Ducky’s hand, threading their fingers together, lifting their joined hands to the phone for his dad to see.
A single nod came again, this time with a smile. “Good. You two are very similar people. Unfortunately, Ducky, I’ve had to give the approval to ban your brother Donny from Secret. We wiped his entire account. We’re tracking his IP address to ensure he doesn’t try to come back under a different name. He’s been very vocal in his hatred over the last twenty hours. We deemed him dangerous and unstable. He’s hitting the tabloids now. They’re covering him mainly due to the focus on your new ad campaign. You should probably check in with Dallas.”
Ducky’s body tensed beside him. “I have Donny blocked on StreamTrainer. Have you done a scan for him there?”
“I did,” his father said. “I don’t like to breach those boundaries, but you weren’t here, and I’m not sure of your office backup…”
“No, sir. You did the right thing.” Ducky lifted his cell phone now attached to a power bank to charge. “It’s been off, but I see Dallas’s messages. I’ll call him. I’m sorry we put you in this situation.”
Dylan shook his head. “It’s fine. Better since I heard from you two.”
Ducky nodded again and pushed off the sofa, his phone his focus, his thumbs moving wildly over the screen. “I’m gonna get online.”
Chad watched Ducky’s retreat to his bedroom. Tension had his back ramrod straight and quickened his steps.
“Thank you, Dad. His brother’s an ass,” Chad said, finally looking back at his father.
“Back to personal. I’m certainly not one to talk about the secrets anyone holds, but there’s pain in hiding. I’m sorry I didn’t see this in you sooner.”
“Dad, I’m good. It was confusing when I was twelve, but I’m good now. I’ve been with men before Ducky. I’ve only hid it from you, Mom, and Chloe.”
“So Cate knew?” Dylan asked.
Chad hedged, not wanting to sell out his sister. He finally nodded and grinned. “She’s in fashion design, Dad. It’s an open market there.” That seemed to explain a lot to his father who laughed and nodded his understanding.
“Tell Ducky he’s trending on all social platforms. Modeling agencies are commenting on posts from StreamTrainer, asking if he has an agent. He’s famous now.”
“Oh God, no,” Ducky said loud enough for both he and his father to hear. Chad looked up to see Ducky’s horrified expression darting from around the corner of the hall back into the living room. “Dallas just said the same thing.”
Chad laughed at the true revelation on Ducky’s face. He adjusted the phone’s position for his father to see how resistant Ducky was to the idea of a modeling career, or whatever they wanted from him. He looked back to see his father’s bright smile. The exhaustion on his face had intensified. It was Chad’s undoing. “I was wrong to keep this from you. It’s all so personal and private. It was hard to let go of my secrets.”
Dylan shook his head, not letting Chad continue. Which wasn’t a bad thing, he’d probably grovel an apology for the next hour if given the chance. “I was about your age when I told your mom my truth. We forged a plan to support one another until we could get you guys raised. If it weren’t for Tristan, I know I’d still be hiding. You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger for you. All I’ve ever wanted is your happiness.”
Raw emotion laced each word his father said, causing a lump to form in Chad’s throat. “I’ve always been happy. You’ve given me a great life. I can say the last twenty-four hours rank as the very best of my life. Duck’s been an anchor to me since I first met him.” Chad looked away, staring off into the living room, letting the joy of love and friendship fuel his words. “My heart isn’t searching anymore. I got what I wanted—a stunningly beautiful, special guy who says he wants to be with me too. I’m good, Dad. Does that make any sense?”
His gaze went back to the screen, his father smiling and nodding. “I get it. I understand completely. That’s how I feel about Tristan. Go help Ducky deal with what’s on his plate. I’ll keep suppressing as much as I can. That’s our secret.”
Chad absently nodded, feeling the weight of the world lift off his shoulders.