Chapter 15 Come Home #2
He wasn't a responsibility to manage.
He wasn't a mistake to correct.
He was Nathaniel's partner.
And if Nathaniel wanted that partnership to last, he had to treat Evan like one.
A man capable of saying no.
A man capable of walking away.
A man capable of challenging him.
A man capable of choosing him freely.
Nathaniel stood.
"I should let you rest."
Evan looked up.
"Are you leaving?"
"For now."
Evan's expression fell slightly.
Nathaniel smiled.
"You asked for space."
"I did."
"I'm giving it to you."
Evan nodded.
Nathaniel moved toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned.
"I love you."
Evan's eyes softened.
"I love you too."
Nathaniel smiled.
Then he left the room.
He walked back through Claire's house with a strange sense of peace.
He hadn't brought Evan home.
He hadn't fixed anything.
But perhaps that wasn't the purpose of his visit.
He had come to tell Evan the truth.
That loving him had been Nathaniel's choice.
That the consequences belonged to Nathaniel too.
That Evan didn't owe him obedience.
That he didn't owe him gratitude.
And most importantly, that Nathaniel didn't want a man who surrendered to him.
He wanted a partner.
Someone who could stand beside him and challenge him.
Someone who could walk away if necessary.
Someone who would return because he wanted to.
Nathaniel stepped outside and looked back at the house.
For the first time since Evan had left, he didn't feel powerless.
He understood what he had to do.
He had to trust Evan.
And he had to trust the love they had built.
Then he got into his car and drove home alone, knowing that if Evan came back, it would be because he had chosen Nathaniel freely.
And that would make all the difference.
The Proposal
Evan spent the next two days thinking about Nathaniel's visit.
He thought about every word.
Every admission.
Every promise.
Most of all, he thought about the way Nathaniel had left without asking him to follow.
That mattered.
Nathaniel could have pressured him.
He could have reminded Evan of the baby.
He could have talked about his father.
He could have listed everything they had already survived.
Instead, he had simply said, Come back when you know you want to.
For the first time since leaving Nathaniel's house, Evan allowed himself to imagine returning.
Not because he was afraid.
Not because he felt guilty.
Because he wanted to.
Claire noticed before he said anything.
"You miss him."
Evan looked up from his tea.
"That obvious?"
"Painfully."
Evan smiled faintly.
"I love him."
"I know."
"I don't want to leave him."
"Then don't."
Evan looked down at his hands.
"It's not that simple."
"It never is."
Claire sat beside him.
"What are you afraid of?"
Evan thought about it.
"That I'll become something in his life that he has to protect."
Claire frowned.
"You're not a project."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Evan smiled sadly.
"I'm learning."
He looked toward the window.
"I want more than just going back."
"What do you want?"
Evan's hand moved instinctively over his stomach.
"I want to know that when everything becomes difficult, we're still choosing each other."
Claire studied him.
"Then ask him."
Evan nodded.
"I will."
That evening, Evan called Nathaniel.
Nathaniel answered almost immediately.
"Hi."
Just one word.
But Evan heard the relief beneath it.
"Hi."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Do you need anything?"
Evan smiled.
"No."
There was a pause.
Then Nathaniel asked, "Do you want to talk?"
"I do."
"When?"
"Tonight."
Nathaniel didn't hesitate.
"I'll come to you."
Evan closed his eyes briefly.
"Okay."
Nathaniel arrived less than an hour later.
Claire let him in and quietly disappeared into another room.
Nathaniel stood near the doorway.
He looked at Evan.
Evan looked back.
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Nathaniel said, "You look well."
"You too."
"I don't."
Evan smiled.
"No. You don't."
Nathaniel smiled too.
The tension eased slightly.
"Can we talk?"
"Of course."
They sat together.
Evan took a breath.
"I've been thinking about what you said."
Nathaniel nodded.
"I meant every word."
"I know."
Evan looked down.
"I want to come home."
Nathaniel's eyes softened.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Because you want to?"
"Yes."
Nathaniel reached for his hand.
Evan let him take it.
"I want to come back because I love you."
Nathaniel's fingers tightened gently.
"But there's something I need to ask."
"Anything."
Evan looked directly at him.
"Do you want to marry me?"
Nathaniel went still.
The question wasn't unexpected.
But the seriousness in Evan's voice was.
Evan continued.
"Not because I'm pregnant."
Nathaniel didn't answer immediately.
"Not because the photograph became public."
Still nothing.
"Not because my father hates this relationship."
Nathaniel's expression changed.
"And not because you think marriage will make everything look respectable."
Nathaniel slowly shook his head.
"No."
Evan studied him.
"I need to know."
"I understand."
"I don't want a wedding because people are talking."
"I don't either."
"I don't want you to put a ring on my finger because you think it's the responsible thing to do."
Nathaniel's eyes softened.
"It isn't."
"I don't want to become your wife because we're having a baby."
Nathaniel leaned forward.
"Evan."
"I need to know that if there were no pregnancy, no scandal, no family conflict, you'd still want to marry me."
Nathaniel was silent for several seconds.
Then he stood.
Evan watched him walk across the room.
Nathaniel reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.
When he pulled out a small box, Evan's breath caught.
Nathaniel looked at it for a moment before looking back at him.
"I bought this before you left."
Evan stared at the box.
"You were already thinking about it?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I wasn't going to use a proposal to keep you from walking away."
Evan's throat tightened.
Nathaniel sat beside him again.
"I didn't want to propose while you were frightened."
He opened the box.
Inside was a simple ring.
Elegant.
Understated.
Nothing extravagant.
Evan stared at it.
Nathaniel didn't reach for his hand.
He simply held the box.
"I didn't buy this because you're pregnant."
Evan's eyes filled with tears.
"I didn't buy it because the world knows about us."
Nathaniel's voice remained calm.
"I didn't buy it because your father is angry."
He looked directly into Evan's eyes.
"I bought it because I love you."
Evan's lips trembled.
Nathaniel continued.
"If there had never been a pregnancy, I would still have wanted you."