were at their business.
My hand shook as I picked up the pen to sign my first official contract. My heart beat rapidly in
my chest, and as I scribbled my messy signature on the bottom of the page, I kept waiting for someone
to jump out and tell me I’d been punked.
No way was this real life.
No way did one job posting that I’d called about because of my own curiosity, turn my entire life
around. I had a boss who trusted me to oversee things when he was gone, and truly listened when I
had ideas to grow the business. I had friends who would always have my back no matter what. And I
had a Daddy who saw to my every need and never missed an opportunity to tell me how much he
loved me.
It was all a bit much for one boy to take in.
Jack slid the paper back to his side of the desk and added his signature before tucking the contract
into a folder. “Now, what do you say we go take a look at the second space and figure out how we
can divide it into both a playroom and retail area?”
“Yeah.” I stood, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. I grimaced as I glanced down at my attire.
I’d planned on spending my day packing the last of my stuff at the apartment so I could officially close
that chapter of my life, but then Jack had called, asking me to meet him at the club.
There was an energy as we walked through the club that had the hair on the back of my neck
standing on end. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something felt off. I glanced down the back hall,
sure I’d heard someone, but there was no one. The entrance to the back deck was dark with nothing
out of place.
And then, Jack flipped on the lights in the empty play space and I almost fell to my knees.
“Surprise!” everyone screamed in unison.
Before I could lose my balance, Daddy was at my side holding me upright. “Happy graduation,
baby boy.”
“You did this for me?” I cupped my hands in front of my mouth, praying I didn’t break down in
tears. Even when I’d graduated from high school, I’d never had a celebration like this one. Every
employee from the club and their partners were there. My parents. My brother and sister. Jayden’s
mom. The Marino brothers and Mama, the matriarch of their family who took every local gay kid
under her wring. “How did you do this without me knowing?”
