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He pushes himself up on his elbow. “You, Clark Farmer, who fights for the underdog, did it for the money?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I saw the stress that came from my parents’ financial situation. My dad did what he loved, and I never begrudged the man this, but I didn’t want to live that way. I would never admit it to another, so please, know that I’m trusting you with this part of me.”
His expression changes immediately. “You’re trusting me, your mortal enemy, with a truth of you. Of what you don’t want others to know?” he asks.
“I am,” I admit, and did I just make a colossal mistake?
“Wow, your secret is safe with me. I could tell you why I became a lawyer, but it’s not a secret.”
I want him to tell me. I find I want to know it all. “Tell me anyway, Xan.”
“I wanted to piss off my father.” At the mention of his father, Xan’s face reddens and he clenches his fists. “Dad insisted I’d major in business and be his yes-man after four years of college. I refused. There’s more to life than doing my dad’s dirty laundry, and there’s a fuck ton of dirty laundry to be done.”
It’s as I had guessed. “But you love it, right, Xan?”
“Yeah, I love it. And I know I’ll miss it when it’s time to fulfill my promise to my dad. Then I remember it’s actually a promise I made to my mom. And I’ll do anything for her. It was her money that made it possible, and then he changed the structure of the business and the name after my grandpa died. My dad signed a prenup to marry my mom, but it stated any money he made in the marriage under his own name was his to keep. So, what was meant to protect my mom has her chained to him now.”
What do I say? I knew his dad wasn’t a good man, but this calculating?
“And before you ask, every expert looked into it. I didn’t want her chained to my dad. Remember when your mom was concerned for her because she up and left? It was an awful mess. She finally decided to rid herself of him. He threatened her and explained I’d not inherit the business. I was going to touch my trust, left to me by my grandpa. He swore he’d change the will if I had given her my money, not leaving me any part of the business. Which would be fine with me. I told her to leave him anyway. I could support myself, but my mom wanted me to right the wrongs of my grandpa’s legacy. She expressed her hope that I could fix what my father broke.”
I’m speechless. I have no words and do the only thing I can think of. I pull him tight to my body, the one comfort I can give him, but it seems enough because he soon succumbs to sleep, and I follow suit.
* * *
Is he snoring?We fell asleep talking, simply talking. I’d listened intently about his life with his mother, the only reason he’s halfway normal. His mother had done everything to undo the harshness of his father. I spoke of the pain of losing my dad, with an emotion I’d never shared with anyone. Not my brother, or Rex, or even Jen. But he’s so easy to talk to. I’ve shared things I’ve never told another person.
The sound is louder than just a second ago, and I can’t place it.
“Baby, you’re snoring,” Xan whines, half asleep.
“I’m awake, Xan. It’s not me.” We both move as something is heard outside. It could be friend or foe; the jury is still out. “You hear that?” I ask as we both jump from the bed. I pull on a pair of pants nearest me and toss him a pair, too. Who the fuck knows who they belong to, but right now, if we’re found, I think we’d rather not advertise what we’ve done for the past three days.
“Clark?” I recognize the voice instantly as Xan tosses me a sweatshirt. I throw a pillow onto the oversized chair to make it look like one of us slept there. What happens after tonight is no one else’s business.
“Xander Marcus?” Again, I recognize this voice differently than before.
“Are those our moms?” I ask.
“Fuck, Farmer, they finally found us.” He walks over to me, pulling me into his strong embrace. We have a split-second before our moms storm the house. His arms encircle me. “Promise me, we’ll talk about this after everything.”
I don’t answer, but he kisses my cheek, and I let him hold me just a little longer. As I figured, the doors open, and Liz Lynol and Martina Farmer enter the cabin without regard for their safety. They’re mama bears, after all.
“Clarkston Jackson Farmer, you ever scare me like that again, I’ll put you over my knee. I don’t care if you’re twice the size of me.” Xan stands beside me as he chuckles at my mother’s reaction.
“Xander, baby. I second that. And who would have thought you two wouldn’t have killed each other? Miracles never cease.”
Our moms pull us into their embrace, but my eyes stay on Xan as his are on me. Do I want this to go further than the forbidden nights where he held me and I felt every hard edge of his body against mine? I could say I’m not sure. But I won’t open myself to the pain. I won’t allow him to destroy my heart because, if truth be told, it has already started to fall for him. And Xan has made it his mission to inflict pain on me for so long. Why would it change after just four days?
20
XANDER
It’s been seven days since the authorities showed up at the little cabin not far from our mountain mansion in the woods. As suspected, my father couldn’t be bothered to be a part of the search. However, he reached out to the new owners and cut a check for ten thousand dollars as a way to avoid any litigation on their behalf. They didn’t want a dime, and said it was no skin off their backs. Any person would want their cabin used if it meant saving a life or two. But my father insisted, with an NDA and all, that they’d not pursue a lawsuit later, because after all, we’re Lynols.
I’ve texted Clark a couple of times. The ambulance took him to the closest hospital, as his breathing was a little labored. He’d contracted pneumonia and the flu, and rested for five days, at the insistence of the senior partners. There’s talk going around that next year’s retreat won’t be in the mountains but someplace where it’ll be sunny, with no risk of being stranded in a snowstorm.
He has responded to almost every text but with very short replies. I had showed up to work by Thursday but he was still out on leave, due to his illness. Rex even came down to my office, thanking me for saving his friend. And again, as our moms had said, no one believed we’d both be found alive. Surely one of us would have killed the other.
