The Bet | Gay BxB |

33. Poisoned Family

He stopped to stare at my dress, and for a moment, I thought he forgot to finish his sentence, but then he breathed out, "Gorgeous."

"And you're as hot as ever," I said, giving him a flirty smile. "But I do admit, you in a suit...? Even hotter."

"Okay, it's my time to take a hike," Daniel said. "Where did you leave my girlfriend?"

"She's somewhere," Nic told him without looking at him.

"Well I guess I'll go find her, then," Daniel said, shaking his head in amusement.

"Thanks for the ride," I told him before he left, and he waved his hand dismissively over his shoulder.

"He came to pick you up?" Nic asked.

"Yup. This was his idea, actually," I told him.

"What? Really?" Nic asked, turning to look after his brother. "Wow, he's a bigger rebel than I thought."

I laughed at his words. "He's been hanging out with me."

I got shoved a little when an older couple tried to get inside. They apologized, and so did I for standing in their way. It didn't seem like they realized I was a dude, which eased my mind a little.

"Can we... Find a quieter place?" I asked.

"Sure, of course. I was actually trying to find something to drink when I spotted you," he said, and led me toward the kitchen.

"Did you see your dad yet?" I asked carefully.

He groaned lightly and told me about the little moment between his mom and dad.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"Yeah, yeah... It's fine," he muttered and sighed.

"I wish it weren't like this," I said.

"Yeah, same, but I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to be happy that you're here," he said, hugging me with one arm. "You made this party a hundred times better."

"You're welcome," I said, kissing his cheek.

We found a bartender who gave us large glasses of sodas – of course there was a whole-ass catering crew present – and then headed into the living room, away from the biggest crowd that was heading to the largest hall in the mansion. The ballroom, apparently. We spotted Nic's mom just by the doorway leading to the living room, talking to an older woman.

"I wonder if Mom will recognize you," Nic spoke in my ear.

"Probably..." I muttered back.

"Let's see," Nic said with a grin. "You don't mind if we talk to her?"

I shook my head, so we made our way to her. She smiled widely when she spotted us.

"I don't think I ever introduced you two properly," Nic said to her. "Mom, this is Jax."

"Jax?" she said, staring at me in confusion, but only a moment later, her eyes widened. "Wait? What? How? I thought...?"

"I'm a dude, yes," I said quietly, making sure no one else heard me. "Currently in a dress, yes."

"Oh, but that dress looks so pretty! Is this the one?" she asked Nic.

"That's the one," Nic said. "Annamarie did great fitting it."

"She sure did," she said, staring at my outfit, but then she shook herself a little, smiled at me, and offered her hand. "I'm sorry. Jax, of course. I'm Laura Gabriel."

"Chase Jackson, actually, but everyone calls me Jax," I said as I shook hands with her.

"It's nice to meet you. And thank you for everything you've done for my son. He's... He really needs you right now," she said, her eyes tearing up a bit. "I will be forever grateful to you and your parents for giving my sweetheart a safe place to stay."