rushed around to the driver’s door, eager to find out what was going on. I didn’t have to wait long.
As soon as my door closed, he let out a long breath and said, “I’m done.”
“You’re done?” I asked, waiting for him to clarify.
“With all of it. I’m done. Did you see those people? Did you see the shirts? My father and his cronies are partially responsible for those deaths. I can’t. I can’t be a party to that. I can’t stand up on that stage and act like the things he does are okay.”
“Okay, so what do you want to do?” I thought the family dynamic he was part of was unhealthy for him. But being done with the campaign was a big step, even if I thought clearing his life of toxic people would be even better. I didn’t want to push him, though.
“Were you serious about me moving in with you?” he asked.
“Babe, I was completely serious. There’s nothing I would like more than to have you with me every night.”
“All right. Then what I want to do is go back to my parents’ place. Pack my stuff. Then when everyone is back from the rally and I’ve told my sister goodbye, I want to tell my mother and father why I’m leaving.”
“So when you say done, you mean done-done. With all of it.” I felt a weight lift off my chest knowing how much I wanted him to be free.
“All of it. Jordan said he thinks with his connections, he can help me find a job, so I should be able to pay my part soon. And my sister has made it clear she isn’t going to leave with me. She’s determined to do what my mother wants and marry Corey, so I see no reason to stay another minute.”
“I’m sure Jordan can help, but I don’t want you worrying about paying your part. Our company is doing better than we ever imagined, so money’s not a problem. Next, your sister will always have a place with us, so you may not be able to convince her not to marry him, but you can let her know she has a safety net if things go south.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“You’re welcome. Now let’s get you all packed. I’ll hang around until everyone gets back, and then I’ll need to run to my place and my office. We’ll need to get a plan in place if you’re going to be staying with me. I know you don’t want to worry about it right now, but there’s still a stalker to contend with.” I hated to even bring it up. This was a big deal for Trey. By coming out to his parents, he was walking away from everything he’d ever known. There was no way for them to accept him without going back on all they’d said in the past, and I didn’t see either of them doing that.
“Maybe Rebecca was right, and maybe if I come out, he won’t have anything to hold over my head and will go away.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to make any difference to him. We want to make sure that it’s just as safe for you at the townhouse as it was at the pool house.”
“He shot at me at the pool house,” Trey pointed out.
“Okay, let’s go for safer, then.”
“I’m going to tell my father I’m gay and that I quit his campaign. I’m not going to mention you if he takes it poorly.” I looked at him and cocked one eyebrow. “Okay, we both know he’s going to take it poorly,” he conceded. “Which means that odds are I’m not going to be mentioning you. But I still expect that he’ll fire you. I don’t believe he’ll pay for my security after he hears what I have to say.”
“Probably not,” I agreed.
“Which means anything that you do to protect me is going to be out of your pocket, and I don’t have any money to pay you.”
“Trey, I want you to stop worrying about the money. I told you, we inherited the money to start the business, remember? So we started this thing with no debt. My townhouse doesn’t have a payment attached, and even if that weren’t the case, there’s no such thing as too much money to keep you safe. You’re the most important thing to me. Do you hear me?”
“Is it too soon for me to tell you I love you?” he asked, his eyes glassy with