The Current Between Us (40 page)

“
Did she see him, ever?” Gage asked.

“
Not after he died, not that she ever told me,” Sophia said.

“
Did Lynn ever refer to him as anyone else?” Gage asked, looking up at Sophia, smiling at her. Trent knew he tried to make her feel comfortable, to help her remember things from back in the past, but he’d never seen Sophia look more nervous.

“
No, not to me, but now you mention it, I remember a time early on when she was unpacking his things. She found a bunch of different passports, all with his picture. Back then, we thought he was some sort of secret agent spy for the government. Now, I’m guessing that wasn’t the case. So I’ve told you what I know, tell me what’s going?” Sophia asked. Trent began to speak, but Gage stopped him.

“
Honey, we can’t say right now, but we will soon. I promise,” Gage said, rising.

“
Trent, this money’s yours, it’s all yours. I always wanted her to just give it to you if something happened to her, but she didn’t want you or the kids to know their dad wasn’t what he seemed,” Sophia said.

“
Yeah, it’s a little late for that,” Trent said, running his hands over his face. He let out a pent up breath he didn’t know he held.

“
I get you can’t tell me what’s going on, but I can see on your face it’s not good. I’m here for you. I’ll do anything for you and the kids,” Sophia said, coming up to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He hesitated a little, but finally enveloped her snugly back in his arms.

“
Thank you, Sophia, I think it’s about to get tough,” Trent whispered into her hair.

“
Trent…” Sophia started, but he stopped her.

“
I’ll tell you as soon as I can, and if the kids and I need to leave town, I’ll call you as soon as I can. If we need to go, you have to promise to take care of Rhonny for me. Take the money and help her stay here as long as she needs to. Promise me, Sophia,” Trent said, pulling back from the embrace, keeping his hands on her upper arms, looking at her hard. Willing her to understand the request and agree.

“
Trent, this is sounding like an inevitability. You’re scaring me a little. I want you and the kids in my life. I promised Lynn I would be here for them,” Sophia said, wrapping her arms around his waist, drawing him for another hug.

“
I know, Sophia, I swear I do, but I have to protect them, and this doesn’t look good,” he said, keeping her there tightly in the circle of his arms. Tears sprang to her eyes and she hugged him tighter. He could feel her begin to cry. Gage stayed at the edge of the sofa, watching them, but he stayed completely out of it.

“
Trent, I love those kids. If you need to take them off, I’ll go with you. You can’t keep carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. At some point it’s got to get too heavy. Trent… don’t be mad, but Rhonny told me some of your jobs canceled. You have all this money here. This could give you years without working.”

“
Look, Sophia, we have to go. I’ll call you. Thank you for this information,” Gage said. He stood by the front door, giving them as much space as he could to have this minute between them.

“
I love you, Sophia. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“
You’re such a brave, good man. Promise me, whatever happens, we’re together,” she said. He didn’t promise her, but hugged her tight again and she cried in his arms. “You’re scaring me, Trent.”

“
I’m scared too, but I have to go,” Trent said, pulling from her arms. He didn’t look back as Gage opened the door and they walked out together.

****

The drive back from Sophia’s was the longest drive Gage had ever taken. This last twenty minutes felt more like five hours as his heart ached in his chest and fear settled in his belly. Watching Sophia hold Trent tore Gage up because, for the briefest of seconds, Trent let his guard down and held her tight, too tight, like she were a life preserver in the storm. A storm Gage caused… And despite everything he’d put on Trent tonight, he desperately wanted to be Trent’s life jacket for the rest of their entire lives. Trent was so squarely inside Gage’s heart. Nothing else mattered but this man sitting quietly beside him.

He knew of another option, one he hadn
’t let himself consider before now, but yet, somehow, predestined to happen since the first moment he met Trent. As he pulled from the highway, he reached down and tried to entwine their hands together. It wasn’t fair of Gage, but he needed Trent’s physical touch in order to consider the possibility of this last option.

Trent didn
’t seem in a giving mood. When he went to take his hand, Trent denied him. Trent never took his gaze from the side window, but refused his hand, instead linking his own hands together in his lap. Gage guessed he deserved it and if he were being honest, he would probably have done the same thing, but it didn’t help the insanity of the thoughts going through his head.

He
’d worked through it all in his mind, even this last unspeakable option, and now it was back to his heart. Not one of his feelings for Trent or the children had changed. Or maybe they had. The last few hours had strengthened the deep love he felt for this man beside him. He couldn’t stand to see the hurt in Trent’s eyes, and it pained him to know he’d put it there.

“
I’m sorry for stepping away for a couple of days, but this is my life’s work, Trent. You had a photo of one of the deadliest men in the world in your children’s bedroom. I needed time to figure it out.” Gage spoke as he drove, taking his eyes from the road every few seconds, glancing over at Trent to see his reaction. The man never so much as batted an eye.

“
Now we’ve figured out who this guy is, we need to decide what the next step is for you and the children, and for us.” Gage paused, giving Trent a chance to talk, but he stayed quiet, staring out the window.

“
Please talk to me, Trent,” Gage said, sighing when he was again met with silence. Tired of being ignored, Gage contemplated rounding the block one more time, forcing Trent to speak to him. Instead he pulled into Trent’s driveway wanting no distraction as they talked, needing to work out a plan for their future.

“
Goodbye, Gage,” Trent said and was out of the door before Gage could put the car in park. The car door slammed hard. Trent took long strides, eating up the distance from the driveway to the front door.

“
Wait a damn minute!” Gage yelled, tearing from the car toward Trent, but nothing stopped Trent. Gage ran the last few steps to get to the front door before Trent opened it.

“
That’s all you have to say to me: Goodbye, Gage?” Gage demanded from behind Trent, slapping his palm on the screen door to keep it closed as Trent went to open it.

“
What the fuck else do you want me to say? Thank you for fucking me a few times before you screwed me in the ass with your last ever report on my children’s father? Is that it? Is that what you want to hear?” Trent flipped around, raging at Gage who didn’t step back, but kept Trent right there between him and the door, with the tables turned. Trent was completely in his personal space, bumping Gage in the chest.

“
I didn’t create this problem,” Gage said back calmly, but firmly.

“
No, but you’re sure gonna bring it to a head, making sure the entire world knows,” Trent raged back. They were nose to nose now, and Gage refused to move.

“
This guy can’t be allowed to go scot-free. Have you considered he might come after these kids? Fuck no, you haven’t considered it. He’s all holed up, getting his religion on. What happens when he decides he wants his babies back?” Gage said, in Trent’s same tone.

“
Fuck you! Don’t you dare try to make yourself the hero here,” Trent said. That one stung. Gage finally took that small step back, then another.

“
If that’s how you feel, go ahead inside then.” Gage never experienced the depth of loss as those few words cost him. Everything in him screamed at him to make this right, but he didn’t know what else to say and apparently Trent didn’t either. Trent turned from him, fiddling with the key in the door. Gage could see Trent’s hand shaking so badly he couldn’t get the key in the lock. His head dipped forward, making a solid thump on the hard wood of the door. Trent cried and that did it for Gage. The love of his life was broken and crying, by his hand. The magnitude of the thought caused his heart to burst wide open. His own tears sprang to his eyes.

Gage carefully and tenderly came in behind Trent. He placed his hand over Trent
’s where he attempted to unlock the front door, and the other hand turned this exquisite man around to face him, bringing him in to cry on his shoulder.

“
Baby, I’m so sorry,” Gage said. Trent wrapped him in his arms, bringing Gage to him in a tight embrace. Trent’s face lay buried in his neck and shoulder, the tears weren’t stopping. “I’m sorry. I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you. Shhh… I love you.”

Trent stayed like this for several minutes until the tears slowed to a stop. Gage continued to hold Trent, never wanting to let him go. He stayed with his arms wrapped around this man, his hand resting along his neck, his fingers tangling in his hair, trying to give him any comfort he could. They stood alone in the dark, with the moonlight surrounding them. Gage knew his men were around watching this whole scene, but he didn
’t care, and he smiled when Trent wrapped himself tighter in the embrace.

“
I’m sorry for what I said,” Trent said into his neck.

“
Me too,” Gage whispered.

“
I know this isn’t your fault, you didn’t do this,” Trent said and laid his head on Gage’s shoulder, still holding on tight.

“
Trent…” Gage started.

“
Shhh… You need to go take care of this. If you can, please call me once it’s done. I’m gonna let the kids go to school, but bring them home early tomorrow. It’ll give me some time to make arrangements. You’re right; he could easily come after them. I didn’t think about that,” Trent said, finally rising.

“
Trent, I love you, you know that, right? I meant everything I said to you.” They were talking quietly together and Gage found he couldn’t let Trent go. He got it wrong at Sophia’s. It was Gage that wanted to hold this man so tightly he never lost track of him. It was time he fought for his future.

“
Gage,” Trent wouldn’t look at him and didn’t say it back.

“
No, listen to me… I meant everything I said to you and even the things I’ve left unsaid. Trent, tell me the truth, did you mean what you said to me? Do you still love me or have I ruined everything?” Gage asked. Trent looked down, clearly weighing his options.

“
It’s a yes or no, babe,” Gage said, ducking his head down, trying to make eye contact. It took a few minutes, but finally Trent looked up at him and rolled his eyes a little before he spoke.

“
Yes, I do, Gage,” Trent said, but he turned back to the door. Gage slid in behind him, keeping his arms around Trent.

“
Good. Thank you,” Gage said as relief swarmed him. No way could he live without this man in his arms. In such a short time Trent had become his everything, and because of it, this whole thing was going to play out differently than anyone could have planned. He wouldn’t let Trent or Emmie and Hunter be hurt by this. He and he alone had the power to protect them, and honestly, he’d known from the minute he’d calmed down on Sunday night this would be his path. He’d tried valiantly to hang on to his goals, to the importance of his career, but after meeting Trent those things were less important to him than keeping this man in his arms safe and happy for the rest of their lives.

“
Trent, kiss me one last time before I go.” The front door opened and Gage watched his head of security exit through Trent’s back door in the living room. Trent never said a word, he just turned around in the entryway, his face full of emotion, and he leaned in, slanting his mouth over Gage’s. The swipe of his tongue thrust forward, and Gage opened for him, wrapping Trent in his arms, and swirled his tongue forward for the sweet kiss. There was no aggression in this kiss, no promises of a night of sex. It just held love and Gage never wanted it to end.

Trent moved his hands up to Gage
’s face and turned his head, deepening the kiss. Trent wrapped an arm around his neck and pressed him into the wall, consuming every part of him. This felt very much like the goodbye he knew Trent intended it to be. Gage lifted his arms, running them up and down Trent’s back, and his heart again left his body, landing straight inside Trent’s caring hands. The movement sealed the deal for him. He pulled from the kiss and kept Trent in his arms, but fished his phone from his pocket.

“
Baby, I need to make a phone call in private,” Gage whispered, his eyes still on Trent’s now kiss swollen lips.

“
You can call from my bedroom, or the garage, either would be the most private for you. I need to see if the kids are downstairs with Rhonny. Let me just make sure their doors are shut.” Trent stepped back, averting his swollen red eyes, but Gage kept him close, not letting go of the hand that he clasped.