Page 65 of Primary Seduction
“Can I get you some drinks?” Trent asked the girls. “I’ve got wine…yes, Harper, you can have a little if you’d like to…water, juice, coke and milk.”
“And I brought some beer,” added Max, walking over to the bag he’d brought with him.
“A beer would be good,” Harper asked hesitantly, looking at her dad.
Trent nodded. “Just one though, please.”
“Thanks.” Harper took the offered bottle from Max.
“Jocelyn?”
“Coke, please.”
Harper snorted. “Might’ve known.”
Jocelyn threw a dark look at her. “I’ll have wine later when I start eating, Harper, otherwise I’ll get sick. All right?”
“You drink whatever you want, Jocelyn. Ignore Harper.”
“As always,” Harper responded so quietly Max might’ve he’d misheard.
Trent fetched Jocelyn’s drink, bringing Max some wine at the same time.
“Thanks.”
“So dinner is going to be…” Trent looked at the clock, “…about another fifteen minutes. Do you want to sit on the sofa or at the table?”
“Let’s sit at the table, then we’re all together,” Jocelyn suggested, walking that way. Everyone followed, Harper, naturally, choosing to sit next to her sister. It had already been set for dinner so there was less to do later. It was amazing to see the similarities between the three of them when they were in close proximity. Both girls had a Mediterranean look to them, but it was Trent’s features Max could see on their faces. All had long, straight noses, deep set eyes and perfect cheekbones. Their mouths were slightly different: Trent had a larger bottom lip, Jocelyn had more of a pout and Harper seemed to have a natural smile, regardless of her demeanour. Their teeth, though, were identical.
“Okay, let’s get all the awkwardness out of our system, so we can get to enjoying the evening. Jocelyn, Harper, shoot. What do you want to ask?”
Jocelyn smiled. “When did you start seeing each other?”
Trent relaxed back in his chair. “Officially, last Thursday. Unofficially,” he looked over at Max, smiling, “I think we were tiptoeing around each other for a couple of weeks at least.”
“Longer for me,” Max admitted. Trent’s eyebrows rose and Max blushed, wishing he’d kept quiet. “About three or four months. Maybe longer.”
“Seriously? And how did I not know this?” Trent asked, mirth in his eyes.
“I can keep a secret when I need to.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Does everyone know?” Harper asked, looking down at the table.
“If you mean your mother, then yes, she does. And my school and Logan and Asher. I’m not hiding from anyone.”
“How can you go from being straight to being gay?” Harper asked sharply.
“It’s not a case of being straight or gay. At least not to me. I’ve not been attracted to any other guys that I’m aware of, except for Max. I’m leaving a label out of this, Harper. I was attracted to your mother when I was younger, and now, I’m attracted to Max. I’m not trying to pin a label on what I am. You call me whatever you want if you feel the need to explain my preferences. I’m just going with I like Max.” Trent took his hand and squeezed.
They were quiet for a moment until Trent changed the subject slightly and told them about his experience at work the previous day. Max had not heard all of it and soon they were laughing about the outrageous excuses his colleagues had come up with, just to chat to him about his new-found boyfriend. The timer had gone off in the middle of his explanation, so Max had waved him down and went to get the food out of the oven. He brought the dish to the table and rested it on the hotplate, fetching utensils for everyone to help themselves.
“Thanks, Max,” Trent said.
“No problem,” Max leaned down and kissed him, not thinking about his daughters’ reactions until afterwards. He looked over at them, seeing Jocelyn with a smile and Harper with a look of confusion.
Once Trent had finished his story, Jocelyn asked Max about his job.
