Matthew shuddered as he held back a sob. Alex squeezed him moretightly.
Every ending was hard to accept. Every new beginning was terrifying to start. But as Gage had once helped Alex, Alex would help Matthew. Together, they werestrong.
There were brighter days ahead, and darker days, too. Life would move on, and eventually, Jason would be nothing more than another stroke of color on the canvas of theirlives.
And from him, and all the other colors of experience that shaded their lives, what beautiful pictures they wouldpaint.
34
Laurence
Laurence returnedhome to a curious sight—Matthew and Alex were cuddled up on the couch together, fast asleep, and there was a young, slender-bodied stranger with golden-brown hair sitting in the armchair across from them, phone in his hand. The stranger looked up from the screen of his phone and beamed at Laurence like he was a long-lost friend. “Gwynn!”
“Hello,” Laurence said cautiously. He still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. “Areyou…?”
“TD!” The young man stood and tucked his phone into his pocket. “Like, TeenDad2 TD. Gage. I’m Alex’s best friend. Um. Sorry that I’m randomly here. I know it must be kind of weird for you. It was a heck of a daytoday.”
Laurence pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose and looked Gage over. It was strange to link a face to the screen name he talked to on a regular basis, and stranger yet to think that online presence had randomly shown up at hishouse.
“What happened?” Laurenceasked.
Gage crossed the room and came to a stop in front of him. “There was a… kerfuffle. I’m not really comfortable going into the details, because I think it’s Alex and Matthew’s place to tell you about it, but I can say that no one important got hurt, and everything is going to be okay. I think Alex and Matthew are closer than ever. They had a long heart-to-heart talk after we got home, and they reallybonded.”
“Oh.” Laurence glanced at the two of them, his heart softening with quiet, paternal pride for Matthew, and love for the young man beside him. Alex lay on his back on the couch, and Matthew had nestled up against his side, an arm draped lazily over him. They slept soundly. “So everyone isfine?”
“Everyone is fine. Probably better than fine, all things considered.” Gage smiled. “I can get going, if you want. I wanted to make sure that someone was awake when you came home so that it wouldn’t be weird. I tried to message you in the Single Dad group, but I guess you never got what Isent.”
Laurence instinctively patted his pocket, looking for his phone. It was there. “It was on silent while I was at work and I never turned the ringer backon.”
“It’s no big deal. We got it figured out, right?” Gage smiled brighter yet—the very same expression Laurence had guessed he’d wear from their online interactions. Gage was always impossibly sweet. It was no surprise to see that facet of his personality translate to real life. “Now that you’re home, though, I’ve got to go so I can get to work. Mal took Bo for me so I could put in some extra hours, but I ended up helping Alex and Matthewinstead.”
Everything he’d come home to was baffling, so Laurence nodded in agreement and didn’t press the issue. When Alex woke up, he’d ask what had gone on. Until then, he’d roll with whateverhappened.
“Thank you for coming to help them,” Laurence said after a pause. “It was really sweet ofyou.”
“Alex is stubborn. I’m sure you’ve learned that by now.” Gage grinned and scratched the back of his head. “It’s no big deal. Even if you weren’t in the picture, I would have swooped in and rescued him. I kind of owe him. For a lot. Anyway, I’ll see you online, okay? It was nice meeting you in person. We should do a really awkward third-wheel date sometime, orsomething.”
Gage winked, then slipped past Laurence and headed for the door. Laurence followed behind him, intending to see him out. Gage seemed to be in a hurry, but that didn’t stop him from turning around and walking backward across the lawn so he could speak to Laurence as he left. “You’ve got a good kiddo, Gwynn. I think once he gets over being a teenager, you’re going to have raised a great young man… and a goodfather.”
Laurence smiled. He stood in the doorway, watching Gage go. “Thanks.”
“And I was serious about the weird third-wheel date thing!” Gage lifted an arm and waved it high over his head. “It’d be fun. I’ll talk to Alex about it.” Gage arrived at a beater car parked on the side of the road and slotted his keys into the lock. “Have a goodnight!”
“Night, TD. See yousoon.”
Laurence watched as Gage drove away and disappeared from eyesight, then headed back into the house to make dinner. When the door was closed, he checked hisphone.
Gage had tagged him in several mobile uploads in the general chat of the Single Dad group, and Laurence had to cover his mouth to stop himself from barking withlaughter.
TeenDad2: I’m at @Gwynning’s house, you guys, and NOTHING ISBABYPROOFED.
The picture that accompanied the message was a picture of Gage crouched down by a wall socket, looking terrified as he pointed at the exposedslots.
TeenDad2: THE CABINET UNDER THE KITCHEN SINK ISN’TLOCKED
Gage angled the picture into the cabinet and at all the cleanersinside.
KnotMyProblem: TheHORROR
