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“No harm, no foul,” Will replied, closingThe Anchor,the biweekly local paper. He was one of the few people that Matty knew who still read a real newspaper. “What’s he gone and done now?” Will continued fondly, winking at Matty while he crossed his beefy arms across his chest.
“He asked Ray for a loan,” Matty mumbled, eyes downcast. “Even though I told him that the apartment is just fine for now. What do we need a house for, Will? It’s just the two of us and Cassie anyway…”
Will brushed at his rough-looking beard, a contemplative look on his face.
“Is it that old place up next to Marley’s shop? The fixer-upper? The one you mentioned a while back?” A ghost of a smile was forming at the corner of Will’s mouth.
“Yeah… I just mentioned that I’d like a house like that one day. Something that we could fix up together, you know. Little by little. The two of us. A garden for Cassie. I didn’t expect him to go behind my back and ask his dad for a freaking loan! I mean, who does that?” Matty looked to Will questioningly as if he knew the answer.
“Austin, that’s who,” Will chuckled, taking another sip of his coffee, releasing a contented sigh.
“Yes! Exactly! But he shouldn’t go around making decisions like that without involving me. We’re a team. We’re supposed to decide these things together. He said it was a surprise...” An agitated flush had appeared on Matty’s cheeks, and his unruly, blond hair had taken on a life of its own, probably from a combination of the ruthless wind outside and from repeatedly pulling at it.
Will reached out and clasped Matty’s hand in his much larger one, squeezing it reassuringly.
“No, he shouldn’t. But he obviously did, son. But I bet his intentions were good. They usually are.”
“I know they are. That’s why I love him. But don’t you see, Will? He makes me feel like a little kid without any say when he goes and does stuff like that?” Matty was biting his bottom lip furiously, still manhandling Millie’s tablecloth. “And I’m not a kid,” he whispered.
“I know you’re not. And Austin knows so, too…” Will trailed off as he stood from his chair and went to stand in front of the kitchen window. Drumming his fingers against the wooden countertop, he cleared his throat while staring out at the constantly shifting sky.
“Let me tell you something, son. It’s not something that Austin talks about, but I guess you need to hear it.” Will brushed at some invisible breadcrumbs on the wooden surface before he turned around facing Matty and continued. Matty apparently looked worried because Will rushed out.
“It’s nothing bad, son. Nothing like that. You see, I’ve known Austin his entire life. Ever since he was a snotty-nosed toddler hanging around at the docks, chatting to anyone who’d listen and to those who’d already heard his stories a million times before. Craving the attention. It’s not that Ray didn’t give him any, but it’s not the same as having your mom, is it now?”
Matty could only nod even though he didn’t know. Not until he’d met Millie. She was the closest thing to a mother that he’d ever had aside from Mrs. Bishop.
“I know that Austin told you that his mom died of cancer when he was three. But that ain’t entirely true.” Will brushed at his stubble, eyeing Matty carefully, watching his reaction.
“Wh—? What?” Matty whispered, a stunned look on his face, his mouth slightly agape. “What do you mean, Will?” A look of disbelief and then hurt appeared in his sky-blue eyes, making them darken slightly.
“Now, hold your horses and hear me out, son, before you get all sorts of ideas in your head about that man of yours.” Will raised a bushy, gray eyebrow in mock warning. “She left when Austin was three. She left with another man—some building contractor she met. Walked right out on her husband and young child without as much as a word and went back to the city with this guy. Never came back. Not one word in all those years. Just like Austin never happened. Like he didn’t exist.”
“But… but he…” Matty couldn’t find the words. His chest tightened and he felt sick to his stomach at the thought of the three-year-old Austin being left behind by his mother for another man. He’d seen pictures of Austin as a young child, jet-black locks falling into his stunning, gray eyes. Knees bruised, perhaps from stumbling on the docks or taking a fall from his bike. One picture of a perhaps four-year-old Austin in a Spiderman pajamas. Who in their right mind would ever leave that little boy behind?
“Now, Austin knows this. But he doesn’t like to talk about it. And that’s okay. If he wants to tell people that his mom’s dead, then that’s his decision to make. She might as well be with the way she just took off. Who wants to talk about the fact that your own mother didn’t want ya? No, Austin has his reasons and that’s his choice.” Will’s voice was solemn, each word carefully spoken as if he wanted to make sure that nothing was left out or unclear.
Matty nodded even though he still felt a little betrayed that Austin hadn’t told him this. Then again, Matty hadn’t exactly told Austin all the details surrounding his sudden departure from Eden, but that was because he wanted to protect Austin. Matty didn’t want to have to turn Austin into a liar in case the police came looking for him one day.
Will’s voice sounded like it came through a cloud of cotton, all muffled and subdued, gently pulling Matty back to the present moment.
“Even when he was smiling or laughing as a kid and as a teen, it would never really reach his eyes, you know. There’d always be this seriousness about him, like a dark cloud looming in the background. Like he didn’t allow himself to be happy and carefree. He couldn’t get rid of it.”
Will brushed his hand across his face and went and stood next to Matty, placing his large hand on his slender shoulder. Even though Matty had put on quite some muscles from working on the boat, he was small and slender compared to this gentle giant of a man.
“Not until he met you, kid. Never seen him happier. It’s like something lifted, you know. Especially after you agreed to move in with him.” Will moved his large hand to Matty’s hair and ruffled it affectionately.
Matty looked at Will’s kind, wrinkled face and choked up, tears burning behind his eyelids. Austin’s words resounded in his head.If you’ll be mine, Matty, I’ll never need anything else. Say you’ll be mine.Sure, Matty was only eighteen, but he already knew that there was nothing he wanted more than to share a home with Austin, and his response had spilled from his lips without giving it a second thought.I’m already yours, Austin. I’ll only ever be yours.He’d wanted to speak the three little words so badly, but something had held him back. Instead, he had just nodded, eyes blurry from unshed tears.
Suddenly, Will laughed heartily as he patted Matty’s shoulder.
“I almost thought he was gonna faint right in front of me, the day he came to ask for my permission to ask you to move in with him. He was nearly green in the face and sweating like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Didn’t even have the heart to tease him, I was so afraid that he’d have a heart attack right then and there. When I told him that he had my blessing, Austin looked like he’d won the freaking lottery. Can’t even imagine the day he’ll be coming around asking for my permission to marry you, kid. Not often you see someone having that kinda effect on another person.” Will wiped at his eyes, shaking his head.
Matty let the words settle in his heart and almost didn’t recognize his own voice when he spoke.
“He asked you for permission?” His mouth was dry, and it felt like his heart was just about to jump out of his chest.
“Sure did. Well, I am sorta your old man after all, aren’t I?” Will grinned, as he went to pour Matty another cup of coffee.
