Family Camp (Daddy Dearest, #1)(67)
“Hey. We’re in this together,” Geo said, pulling him tighter. “That’s what’s driven me bonkers the past few weeks. I want to be there for you. You don’t need to do this by yourself. Okay?”
“Okay. Yeah. Okay.”
And Travis thought maybe it really was.
Chapter 32
4 Weeks Later
“Hi. Are you Geo Anderson?”
The pretty brunette in a Padres T-shirt carried a clipboard and greeted Geo with a smile the moment he got out of his car. Travis had sent them a VIP parking pass and tickets to today’s Oakland game, but Geo hadn’t expected it to include a personal greeter.
“Um…yeah, hi,” said Geo.
“I’m Simone. I’ll be taking care of you today.”
“Really? Thanks, Simone. This is Jayden. Excuse me while I get my daughter out of the car.”
While Geo went around the car to get Lucy out of her car seat, Jayden bombarded Simone with questions. Where was Travis? Was the game starting now? Did she play baseball too? How many people would be there?
Geo smiled to himself as he got Lucy down. All three of them were decked out in Padres gear—a lavender Padres dress on Lucy, a blue and white T-shirt and track pants on Jayden, and Geo had a white baseball-styled shirt with MAYHEW 14 on the back. Because, hell, Travis kept sending the stuff, and Geo would be damned if they didn’t wear it.
Except for the baseball cap for Geo. That remained in the box. Because a baseball cap was not a good look on him, and there was only so much he’d do for the guy.
“You’ll see Travis after the game,” Simone told Jayden. “Meanwhile, he sent me to take care of you guys. That okay?”
Man, she was Perky McPerk-A-Lot.
“Yeah, that’s cool.” Jayden puffed out his chest like he felt very important.
Simone smiled at Geo as he led Lucy around the car. “Well, all right, guys! Are you ready? Follow me.”
Simone took them through a security area and up some stairs. They ended up in a large VIP lounge where Simone invited them to enjoy the buffet, open bar, and mingling. She told them she’d be back later to show them to their seats.
Aaaand she left them there.
Geo stood frozen for a moment near the doorway, holding Lucy’s hand. Jayden was wide-eyed and silent at his side. The lounge was filled with people, from glitzy-looking women to good old boys in polo shirts and baseball hats. It was not his crowd. At all. And there he was wearing his MAYHEW 14 shirt, just to, you know, be sure everyone knew he was Travis Mayhew’s gay boyfriend.
He should have put more thought into this. It was their first Padres game, and he expected they’d find their way to some decent seats and no one would have the first clue who they were.
Gulp.
“Geo!” Cindy Mayhew came toward them through the crowd. She was wearing a cute navy-blue sleeveless dress and her blonde hair was down and styled instead of in the braids she wore at camp. Her smile was warm.
She gave Geo a hug and Jayden and Lucy too.
“Wow, you look different!” Jayden told her. “How come you’re all dressed up?”
“Oh, you know, us Mayhews have to represent today.” She gave Geo a knowing look. “Come on, guys. My folks are here too. And my sister Shelby and my brother Malcolm. I don’t think you’ve met them.”
Cindy led them over to James and Ida Mayhew and two of their fosters, Shelby and Malcom. Shelby was a lawyer in San Francisco with buzzed brown hair, tatts on her pale skin, and a gravelly voice. Malcolm was a coder in San Jose with skin the same mocha as Jayden’s and green eyes. They were both welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to meet them. It was a Mayhew brigade of solidarity, and Geo was touched and grateful, especially that James and Ida and Cindy had driven a long way to be here for Geo’s first game.
Though, honestly, all he really wanted was to see Travis. Desperately. It had been a few weeks since they’d been together in the flesh, though they talked almost every night on Facetime. Sometimes they talked for hours, Travis venting about his dealings with the press or the team owners, teammates, or fans. And Geo was happy to be there for Travis to lean on. But it was never enough, not when what he really wanted was to hold Travis in his arms and provide a kind of comfort that didn’t translate to digital pixels.
“Jayden, Lucy, want to go get some food?” Ida asked them, bending over to look Lucy in the eye. “I saw they’ve got sloppy joes. They probably aren’t as good as Camp Evermore’s but tasty all the same. Want to go see what else they have?”
“I’m all for that.” Jayden rubbed his tummy.
Lucy nodded. Ida held out her hand and Lucy took it without hesitation. Ida led the two kids toward the buffet. Watching them made Geo feel a little squishy inside. His own parents loved Jayden and Lucy and they only lived an hour away. So they had been by to see them often. But James and Ida Mayhew would be more than welcome into the kids’ circle of care. Yes, please. His relationship with the kids had been much better since Family Camp, but it was still exhausting and there were days Geo would give his right nut to be able to just crawl into bed and take a nap.
“You’re Travis’s boyfriend?” someone asked.
Geo turned to find a beautiful redhead with inch-long aqua nails looking at him.
“Oh, hi. Um. Yeah. I… am?”