Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Jaq
Sleeping in his old bed had been kind of nice.
Don't ask me why, but I worried myself wondering what it would be like to step outside our regular routine.
I feared I'd wake up in a crappy mood, but it was evident that Graham’s presence was calming, no matter where we slept.
But still, it didn't stop me from questioning if my being here was helping or hurting.
Having spent hours with his mom and sisters, I couldn't help but recognize there was this high emphasis on women having kids.
Sure, I knew his sister was a new time mom and everything, but with his two other sisters being so young, there was this expectation put on Wilhelmina, and I knew that everyone was being polite and discreet for my sake.
But Graham was their first born and only son.
I knew if I got them talking long enough that they'd admit they expected that of him too.
His mom was, dare I say, desperate for grandkids.
In a way, I got it. They were such a big family, and coming from what I learned was an even bigger one.
While I, too, had come from a huge extended family, being an only child had its pros and cons.
I had no doubt in my mind that I grew up spoiled, and because it was only me, I got all the love and attention.
But seeing Graham with his sisters, especially his older one, I sort of envied growing up without those built-in best friends.
Even after a long separation, I could tell they were close.
As a whole, they were sweet, welcoming, and oddly accommodating.
I feared being the only boy that Graham would reveal he was a mama's boy.
Even though I could tell that his mom had strong opinions on how things should be done, he was really clear on boundaries, so it was none of that weird boy-mom shit, where their son was practically their husband.
Spending more time around them, I did question whether I fit seamlessly into Graham's life and future though.
While Graham was just enjoying himself being back home with his family, I tried not to focus on the negative.
Waking up to a fully dressed Graham, I glanced over to my cell to learn it was only 6:30 in the morning. Wherever he was off to, he was depriving me of morning cuddles.
“Hey, babe,” I yawned. “Where are you off to so early?”
He turned to face me, caressing my neck before leaning in for a small kiss.
“Sorry, I wasn't trying to wake you. It's just raining out. Couldn't resist.” He reached in for another kiss. “I'll be back.”
“Wait,” I whined, sitting up in the bed. “If you give me a few minutes, I can come with you.”
“I don't want to be the reason you mess up your hair.”
“Okay? And that's what I brought styling products and a hair dryer for,” I countered.
“Fine, Jaq. I'll wait for you to get dressed. Just meet me downstairs.” He kissed me once more before excusing himself into the hallway.
Can't say I'd ever intentionally run in the rain before.
Battling indecisiveness on what to wear, I went with a small, a simple A-line dress that fit well enough to not need a bra, and some Oxford Doc Martens, meeting Graham at one of the house exits.
“Ready?” Graham flashed me a blinding smile, distracting me from the damp weather outside. Nodding, he took my hand, guiding me through the mix of insanity and peace from the rain.
Small cold droplets hugged my skin, my dress nearly clinging to my body.
Nothing woke you up more than the warmth of the heat, but the cold bite from the rain.
I fear I would have dreaded an experience like this back home, being a city girl, but being here with him, it was humbling.
Letting myself get swept up by wild yet calm nature.
Like the stress of your day was being washed away, and your soul returning purified. I saw now why he did this so often.
His dark eyes beamed and sparkled in a way I'd never seen before, and it suddenly dawned on me that this was his home, his ancestral land. It was hard not to be a different person in the place that shaped you. I loved seeing this side of Graham. It sucked knowing that when we went back to New York, he’d locked this version up of himself.
Like there was this energy he reserved only for New Zealand.
Sensing I was cold, he took me in his arms, his strong embrace bathing me in a decadent warmth.
Fixing my chin to meet his stare, he gazed at me longingly, the look in his eyes as intimate as the kiss he reached in for.
We stood like that for an unreasonable amount of time before he pulled away and looked at the sky.
“The rain's gonna pour harder in a few minutes. Ready to go back?”
***
“The compound’s a long drive,” Graham announced from the driver's seat of his SUV.
“That's why I offered to let you do something fun.
I'm sure my sister Winnie would have loved to get to know you better,” he lamented.
As fine as that would have been, I just wanted more time with him.
Plus, as much as he talked about working on a farm, I had to see this shit in action.
“You act like you're afraid for me to see you work or something,” I playfully accused.
“Babe. It's just, I grew up doing this. I'm kind of built for this labor. I love and adore you, so I say this with delicacy, but you're a little on the pampered side. I couldn't see you lasting a day in this kind of work,” he smirked.
“Wowwwwwww, so the multi billionaire thinks I'm pampered,” I said, with a point to myself confused.
“See! I knew you’d be in your feelings. I didn't mean pampered in a spoiled way. It's just you…well, you know you're a city girl. Have you ever even driven past a farm?” he asked jokingly as I rolled my eyes.
“Okay, but what does it take to grab a cow by the udders and just go to work?” I asked, even more annoyed that his laugh could be heard from Japan.
“Jaq, no one milks cows by hand anymore. They're herded up and hooked to a machine. The hardest part is just getting them all where you need them to go, but you're thinking small scale, and the work involved on a farm as big as ours, I can't even dream of how to prepare you for the work involved.”
“Okay, so give me a little light job. Something you could pick up easily in an hour or two. A cow motivator. Someone needs to cheer them up after they get milked through. Or maybe a flower picker, garnish their little pastures with a nice little presentation on my top-chef flow,” I joked as he took my hand in his and kissed it.
“Jaq, I'll make sure to assign you a nice little office job, customer service at the retail shop,” Graham teased.
“Good, because I'm trying to be outside, but not manual labor outside,” I corrected.
“Well, let's just get you there, and you can decide for yourself what you are and aren't equipped for,” he asserted, my hand in his, the long scenic ride there.
It was so much land, just acres upon acres of open green pastures, something that differed greatly from the farms I had seen in the US.
He'd given me a tour of a good percentage of the facility, greeting all the workers that made up the team that cared for the farm, as well as introducing me to everyone.
He took a good portion of the morning infodumping about how their goal was to do things ethically, because despite their purpose, they were still living creatures, and it affected the animal’s mental health to be caged up.
Seeing him herd up so many cows made me understand why he was so good with animals.
For someone who had been away so long, he had gone back into the swing of things like he had never left.
Following him around with his little clipboard as he examined the animals, noting their changes in health and checking for injuries, he looked so damn fine in the zone.
But seeing him repair a fence, treat a hoof infection, and feed baby cows with bottles, I had formed a new-found appreciation for my man.
Who knew the same hands that made beautiful music and took me to heaven was capable of all this skilled work.
I took a break and found refuge in the retail shop, since the next task he had was tending to the bull they had on their premises.
To be on the safe side, he didn't want me anywhere near that, since even experienced farm hands had to be careful tending to them.
I helped myself to some yogurt and a drinkable smoothie until Graham collected me to take a drive around the pasture on a tractor.
“What's wrong, Jaq? You're awfully quiet,” he smiled, placing his arm around me, as he steered with one hand.
“I'm just taking this all in. Just when I think I know you, I get hit with all these fun facts I don't know about you. It's like, who the fuck are you?”
“To be fair, I've never shied away from telling you that I grew up on a farm.”
Yeah, but you never told me how extensive it was, like you out here herding and caring for bulls—”
“One bull!” I corrected. “It’s why I didn't want you with me, because even dealing with one is really dangerous. You can't turn your back to them, and you always have to have an escape plan. They're, like, really aggressive.”
“But see, it's like the fact that you even know that is crazy. I thought you'd be this trust fund kid handing out responsibilities, but you out here getting your hands dirty, running the whole damn farm.” He kissed me on the cheek, letting go of my hand occasionally to switch gears.
“I mean, I'm still a trust fund kid. I've just been working on this farm since I was a boy. This farm has been in my family for generations. Maybe it didn't start with indigenous people being the face of it, but now that we are, my family takes pride in being able to employ so many of Aotearoa’s original people. What?” he smiled when he saw me just staring at him, all starry eyed and dazed.