Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird #12)(9)

Only the more Nathan went over what happened, he realized how much Jessica possibly may have actually overheard. There were times to when they were both quiet and then there were times when they got a bit louder. Depending on when Jessica had shown up and how much she actually heard, it could easily appear really bad, or very, very horrible.

“This is all something we were all going to facing sooner or later,” Mr. Blackbourne said.

“Not like this. And it’s not later. Or sooner. It’s right now. It’s happening.”

Mr. Blackbourne spoke, “I understand your reasoning for fighting on the front lawn, but I’m not sure that was the best solution.”

“I didn’t want them thinking Sang was cheating on Kota.”

“I understand the purpose, but what I mean is instead of Kota pretending to react, he could’ve told them about what was going on.”

“We weren’t sure if we should. I didn’t want to ask Kota to do that right in that moment.” Nathan sighed. “And what if they think we’re crazy? We don’t even fully know if we’re going to do this...” He couldn’t finish what he wanted to say. It had taken a lot of time for Nathan to even get to the point to where he didn’t get mad just looking at Victor, or Luke or any of the others because he knew when they were with Sang.

It was an unusual idea, and he’d grown used to thoughts of getting married and having a normal life, a lot like Sang had said she’d wanted in the past. It took Nathan spending so much time with Sang for him to realize she wouldn’t leave him just because she spent an afternoon with Luke. Or Victor. Or any of the others.

And that she’d probably be okay with being in a relationship with nine guys, even if she previously wanted the same normal type of life Nathan had wanted. The whole situation was unexpected.

Mr. Blackbourne continued, “Like I said, this was something we were all going to face sooner or later. It won’t be just the Lee family. Eventually, it was going to be anybody we’re related to or associate with. We will have to make a decision on whether to hide or whether to tell people.” He paused. “But you’re right. We’re not ready yet.”

“So maybe the fight was a good idea,” Nathan said. “For now.”

“Give them some time. But we’ll all have to be more careful, especially in places where we know this sort of relationship won’t be accepted. We don’t want to strain relationships with family any more. Not when we’re all not sure about it ourselves.”

“I thought you were sure.”

There was a long pause on the line. “...I just know how I feel,” Mr. Blackbourne said softly, “about her.”

Mr. Blackbourne had been adamant from the beginning, but it was the first time Nathan heard something akin to him being included in the scenario. He usually only spoke about the others. Did he doubt it would work like the rest of them?

Was he as scared as Nathan was?

While dealing with Sang’s parents had been a huge milestone to overcome, it left them with the future to face. Could they or could they not have such a relationship and make it work? Or would it be too much, even for friends as close as them?

“We don’t know what we’re risking,” Nathan said. “I didn’t think about it until now, but...I don’t have anyone to lose on my side.”

“You’ve everyone to lose,” Mr. Blackbourne said.

“I mean family. I don’t give a shit what my dad would say. But...Erica... And the others. What if they don’t accept it?”

Mr. Blackbourne’s tone quieted. “That’s part of the risk we’ll all have to sort out. And are we willing to give them up if they won’t accept it? Or continue to keep this secret from them? We’ll need to get together to discuss.”

“What I do now?” Nathan asked.

“I know you don’t want to hear this,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “But you need to wait. If we need time to figure ourselves out, then your original plan will need to be your strategy. Stay away from Sang and Kota for a short time. After a few days, go back and apologize. But you’ll always have to be mindful now.”

“Sang was going to be going home soon, as far as Erica knew. She was going to come back to staying here, wasn’t she?”

“I don’t know if that’s possible now.”

Nathan frowned. “This is bad...”

“Give it time. We’ll have to figure it out. If you need it, I can give you an assignment that will distract you for a couple of days.”

“Sang’s not going to like this,” he said. A realization hit Nathan so hard, it was like Kota was punching him in the chest again. Things were hard enough for them to figure out, but it felt like he left Sang alone to deal with the aftermath, and on top of everything else...but Sang needed him the most right now.

If she’s witnessing friends splitting apart and families getting upset, then she may call off the entire thing. She’d want to spare them all their families and friends and not be the cause.

If she wanted to back out... It would be his fault. “I don’t want to be too far if Sang can get away. I want to talk to her. I’m sure she’s worried.”

“This is where you’re going to have to trust the rest of us to take care of the situation until you can talk to her.”