“I’ve moved on. I have a boyfriend. We live together.”
Before he could say anything else, Chad pushed him against the door. “You still want me.”
Fear gave him courage, and instead of cowering and accepting Chad’s abuse like he used to, he tipped his chin up and glared defiantly. “No, I don’t. Let go of me and leave me alone.”
Breathing heavily in his face, Chad tried to kiss him, and disgusted, Sean shoved him hard, yanked the door open, and ran out of the room and down the hall. He turned the corner and leaned on the entryway, listening to the innocent sound of children’s laughter.
“You okay, Sean?” Reagan peered into his face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He refused to bring his personal life into a professional gig and forced himself to pretend everything was okay, even as his stomach swirled with nerves. “Yeah, great. I’m just going to put my music on, and then we’ll do the grand finale.”
“Terrific. Come on.”
He found his bag in the corner of the room, where the children had congregated after finishing their juice and cupcakes. When they saw him come out in his costume, some of the kids started clapping and bouncing, a few stared openmouthed, but a couple pointed and whispered, one boy loud enough for him to hear.
“He’s wearing a dress.”
Sean decided it was never too early for a teachable moment and struck a pose. “Men and women can both be warriors. Hundreds of years ago, kings and queens both wore skirts. Moana was a fierce and proud warrior queen, and since our birthday girl, Lexi, loves her, I think we should all sing ‘How Far I’ll Go’ because kids like you can do anything and be anything you want.” He waved at Lexi. “Come on, let’s do it together.”
The parents gathered around, cameras at the ready to begin videoing, and Sean and Lexi sang the song not once but twice. At the end, all the kids ran up to him and asked if they could try on his necklace, and their parents took pictures of him with the children. In all the commotion, he caught sight of Tristan lounging in the hallway. Their eyes met, and all the ugliness and tension from the altercation with Chad faded. This was his person. Nothing else mattered.
“All right, kids. Happy Birthday, Lexi. Have a great time tonight, and keep singing.” He gathered his belongings and extracted himself from the crush of small bodies and sticky hands and made his way to Tristan.
“Hi. Give me a minute to change, and I’ll be right out.”
A slow smile tipped up Tristan’s lips. “Need any help?”
“That comes later when we’re home.”
This time he went into the bathroom and locked the door behind him, rapidly stripping off the costume and returning to his jeans and T-shirt. When he came out, Tristan was chatting with Lexi’s father, Douglas, an investment banker, who’d recognized Tristan from a visit to London a year earlier. Tristan’s eyes lit up when Sean joined them.
“Ready to go?”
“All set.”
Douglas gave him a thumbs-up. “Sean, you were fantastic. Your singing and dancing belong onstage. It’s as good as any production we’ve seen at the Roundabout or Off-Broadway. And you know all the mothers have a little crush on you.”
Heat rushed to his cheeks. “Well, that’s…awkward.”
They all laughed, and Tristan, sensing his desire to leave, stuck out his hand. “Good to see you again, Douglas.”
“Same, and I’m glad to see you recovered from that incident. You back at work?”
“Only this past week. Lucky for me, I have a great team that covered for me. Ready?” he asked Sean.
“Yeah. Thanks for everything.”
“Thank you, Sean. You were great. Take care.”
They left the brownstone and were heading down the block when footsteps pounded behind them.
“Sean.”
He and Tristan turned to see Chad charging at them. He took a step away.
“Who is that?” Tristan growled.
“Chad.”
