“It’s only been a week.”
“I can work for free,” Nathan said.
“And the farm will get some free publicity once the film is released,” Mark said. Nathan pointed at him to underline his point.
Nathan took a step toward Liam and was about to put a hand on his broad shoulder before pulling away. Liam was not ready to be friends.
“Like I said before, I come in peace.” Nathan gave him an earnest look. He hoped he understood just how badly he wanted to be here without giving away as much.
“Fine.” Liam must’ve realized this was a game Nathan wasn’t going to let him win. “I suggest you get some rest then. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
Chapter 5
Nathan
Mark had an extra bedroom where he allowed Nathan to stay. Nathan was exceedingly grateful, since he was a stranger who literally showed up on his doorstep. Liam did another Google check on Mark’s computer and reluctantly came to the conclusion that Nathan was normal. How could someone that sexy be so painfully rigid? So he strolled through his sheep field and caused a commotion. Was that really so terrible?
“It has its own bathroom, so you’ll have privacy.” Mark turned on the lights. The room had the basics of a bed and dresser and not much more. “In the mornings, you can use the back door off the kitchen to go to the farm. It’ll be less noisy.”
“Thank you for letting me stay here.” Nathan beamed at him. “And for advocating for me back there.”
“No worries. Liam means well. He’s still getting the hang of farming. Above all, he values honesty. So as long as you’re straight up with him, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“Right. I’m all about honesty.”Except when it comes to why I’m here.
Mark pulled out two extra pillows from the closet. He showed Nathan how the shower worked and warned him that hot water could take a while. Nathan stopped listening after a moment. On top of the dresser was a picture from Mark and his mum’s wedding day. She wore a sleeveless gown, and her hair fanned out under her veil. She could’ve been a Greek goddess.
“She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen,” Mark said.
“How did you meet?”
“We grew up together, started dating in secondary school. I attended this parochial school where her father was the pastor. He was terrifying. Still is.”
“So you two got together when you were twelve or thirteen?”
“Nah yeah, we got engaged our first year at university.” Mark looked at her picture in disbelief, like he couldn’t believe the amount of time that was. Nathan also looked in disbelief, because he just realized that his mother cheated on Mark with his father.
How could he ever tell this family the truth about who he was? They would never want anything to do with the illegitimate bastard son that represented one childhood sweetheart blatantly cheating on the other. It would destroy their storybook relationship. That must’ve been why his mum wanted nothing to do with him. But even so, something stuck out to Nathan. He saw lots of pictures of her on the walls, being such a wonderful mother to the boy and girl he saw on the steps. How could she have been so wonderful to them and then leave her other child on a doorstep? It seemed extreme.
Nathan realized he was holding the wedding picture with both hands, his fingers digging into the frame. He promptly put it back on the dresser. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“How do you know she’s gone?” Mark asked.
“I assumed. By the way you talk about her.”
“I suppose I’m still in mourning. We all are.” Mark watched Nathan to make sure he was being careful with the picture.
“She seems great. From all the pictures I saw.”
Mark laughed. “We have heaps of pictures. My wife was always taking on these projects. She’d read an article that said having out physical pictures of family members strengthens relationships and helps us remember them, especially when we get older.
“She was only forty-two years old. Car accident. She got caught in one of our torrential rain storms. It was hosing down that night. She loved driving, too, even though she could never settle on a radio station. It used to drive me crazy.” Mark smiled at the memory, but Nathan saw the pain just beneath the surface. Nathan felt the same pain.
“You’re crying,” Mark said.
Nathan touched the tears on his cheeks. He wiped them away, but another round came.What the fuck.
“Are you all right?” Mark handed him a tissue from the bathroom.
