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I sent up a prayer of gratitude for small miracles, but I needed to get him out of there before someone recognized him. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”
Without warning, he shoved away from me and started walking in the direction I had just come from. “I want to see the tree.”
“Nathan.” I grabbed his wrist to stop him, but he jerked out of my grasp, his face twisting into an expression that couldn’t mean anything good. “Okay,” I said, hoping to prevent a meltdown. “We can go see the tree.”
The shadows vanished, and he smiled again. “Cool.”
I wrapped an arm around his waist as we navigated the crowds. Partly to keep tabs on him and make sure he didn’t wander away. Also, however, because he wasn’t entirely steady on his feet. When he shivered against my side, I released him just long enough to shrug out of my trench coat and drape it over his shoulders.
Christ, I was not being paid enough for this. It was my responsibility to distract the public from Nathan’s bad habits. Nothing in my contract mentioned babysitting a drunkard.
A little voice in the back of my head reminded me that I didn’t have to be there. I had fulfilled my obligation simply by showing up. There was nothing stopping me from pretending that I hadn’t seen Nathan enter the park. Nothing preventing me from walking away from this inevitable train wreck.
“Gage, look!” Nathan grabbed my arm in one hand and pointed at the Christmas tree with the other. “Isn’t it pretty?”
Nothing except that.
I grinned in spite of myself and slid my arm around his waist again. “It is pretty. You should have seen when it was first lit.”
Okay, that last part had been pure pettiness. I was still pissed, though. Sue me.
Instead of reacting angrily to the subtle reprimand, Nathan shrugged and continued to stare at the tree, the colorful lights gleaming in his wide eyes. “No can do, buckaroo. I’m grounded.”
My lips turned down at the corners, and my brow creased as I studied him. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged again. “I’m not supposed to be here.”
That was news to me. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you respond to my texts?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to stare up at the tree. “My bad.”
I was clearly missing some vital piece of information because what he said didn’t make sense. “Nathan?” Placing a hand on his shoulder, I turned him to face me. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Talk to me. What’s going on?”
He took a deep breath and met my gaze with a cheerful smile and watery eyes. “My dad died.”
Four
~ Nathan ~
My dad died.
It was the first time I had spoken those words out loud, and they tasted bitter on my tongue. I hadn’t seen him in over a decade. He didn’t call or write, not even a birthday card. Still, he was my dad, and any hope of rebuilding our broken relationship had died with him.
“I’m so sorry.” Gage pulled me into his arms. “Tell me what you need?”
This. I needed this. His arms around me. His hand cradling the back of my head. His strength. His steadiness. I needed Gage. I just didn’t want to need him.
“I’m fine.” I tried to push him away, but he just held me tighter.
“What happened?”
I sighed and relaxed into his embrace. “Heart attack.”
I didn’t know the specifics, like where he’d been or if anyone had held his hand at the end. Maybe that was for the best. Knowing the details wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring him back.
