Page 49 of Yours, Truly

“I think you've had enough to drink, Dad.” Nate kept his calm, trying to deter his Dad and move out his face.

Nate used to get so angry and the fact he was now able to calm himself and walk away, not letting his temper get the better of him, I was incredibly proud. His Dad laughed in his face, I could see him trying to push a reaction out of Nate and I could see Nate fighting to stay calm.

“That's the first and last time you tell me what to do,” Mark yelled, I could see the anger building up in both of them.

It was getting intense and I had made a promise to Ivy that this wasn’t going to happen today. Mark was about to punch Nate, and I jumped in, intervening. Stupid, but I wasn’t thinking.

Mark managed to catch his swing in the last second which only just missed me.

Nate froze, his breathing quickened in panic and his eyes alarmed scanning over me for any sign of injury. I was filled with fear, my throat constricted as I panted for a breath, taking in the serious moment that Mark’s fist was inches away from my face.

“Enough!” I spat, when I had the courage to speak again, filling the silence, processing what almost happened. Mark took a step back, putting space between us all.

Fear and adrenaline were pumping through my body. I couldfeel the anger rippling through Nate as his Dad could have caught me in the crossfire. I removed my gaze from Nate and turned to look at Mark. The shock on his face that he had almost knocked me out. I calmed myself.

“I think you've had enough to drink, don't you? It's Ivy's wedding and I will not let you ruin it.” I scolded him, snatched the bottle of drink from his hand, tossing it to the side and allowing the contents to spill from the broken container.

As a precaution, Nate pulled me from in front of him to slightly behind, holding a protective stance in case his Dad reacted to me. I gently grabbed Nate’s bicep to tug him away from the situation. I had just intervened and cooled this down, not in the most practical way, but I didn't want it to start back up again.

“Let’s get back to the party,” I suggested, trying to steer us back to a more crowded space. I didn't want him to get in a fight, now was not the time. Nate looked at me and smiled softly nodding.

“This is sweet.” Mark chuckled, gesturing to the two of us. Mark had figured it out just from my influence on Nate. My eyes were sending daggers at his retort. I wasn’t going to play this game, it wasn't worth it but Mark pushed again.

“I knew you were weak, having a woman standing up for you, you can't even fight your own battles. And Ivy's best friend Nate, you are a disgrace,” his Dad spat, Nate's hands balled into fists as he was ready to throw a punch.

I gripped his arm tighter, not wanting to release it as I knew the fist would meet his dad’s face. It took all the strength I had to keep hold of him.

“Nate, don't,” I warned; I had promised Ivy and I was going to keep my promise. Nate's eyes met mine once again, an apologetic look as his eyes trailed down to the grip I had on his arm. He swallowed the lump in his throat, taking a breath to ground himself before he nodded allowing me to guide him away from his dad.

“Would you look at that, there is a first for everything. Pathetic, couldn’t even fight me like a man!” he taunted. We kept walking ignoring him until he addressed me. “Does Gi know you aren't capable of love? You’re wasting your time, sweetheart.”

A chill ran down my back and I felt uncomfortable, that was Nate’s nickname for me. It hit a nerve,only Nate could call me that. I stopped in my tracks and turned back to face him. I should have ignored him but it got to me.

“Don't ever call me sweetheart again,” I spat back at him, warning him. Ivy’s Dad had never addressed me like that and I don’t see why he needed to.

“I can see why you like the beautiful Gigi, Nate, she's got fire. It’s a shame an amazing girl is wasted on you. You don’t deserve her. Or maybe she’s just after your money…” I was gobsmacked with the way Mark had just spoken about me, we always got on so well. Was this what he actually thought? Or was he trying to get under Nate’s skin?

I couldn’t hold Nate back any longer, he was pushed to the edge. He gently removed my grip and pounced towards his dad. Right hook. One massive thud across Mark’s face causing aspray of blood. I watched in shock; I had never seen Nate this angry.

“Don’t you ever disrespect her again. You do, and I will kill you! Whether you are my father or not.” Nate threatened.

Nate raced away from the gardens before Mark had a chance to climb to his feet and return the punch. I ran behind him trying to keep up with the large strides he was taking. He ducked into the kitchen to find some ice for his knuckles.

“Why did you hit him?” I asked, pissed that he had fallen back into an old habit after so much growth. Plus, my promise to Ivy was now broken. I was ecstatic he had stood up for me, I also couldn’t believe the way Mark had disrespected me. But it made me feel uncomfortable to be around Ivy’s Dad again after this.

“He was being disrespectful towards you,” Nate said coldly, I could still feel the anger seeping out of him as he rummaged around in the freezer for the ice “Why the fuck did you jump in front? You could have gotten hurt!”

I took the ice from him, wrapping it in a cloth before popping it on his knuckles. He winced from the pain. I shrugged not knowing the answer, he sighed resting his forehead on mine as I tended to his knuckles. Once the bruising was taken care of, I did my best to clean the area not removing myself from Nate’s space, he had a hand on my waist, squeezing slightly as he flinched with the pain.

We were intimately close when Carol walked in and froze in place. I scrambled away from Nate a little, letting his hand fall to his side, putting some distance between us, but she hadalready seen. She cleared her throat looking between us, and I could feel she was annoyed. She crossed her arm over her chest, waiting for an explanation, but neither of us spoke.

“Not a word to Ivy!” she finally said to us both pointing between the two of us as if we were children that had just missbehaved. And I didn’t know if she was talking about what happened just now or the fight between Nate and his Dad. She looked over at Nate and walked closer, inspecting the cuts on his hand.

“Gigi, can you give us a minute please?” I nodded, I didn’t need to be told twice. I moved just outside the kitchen door, far enough away to give them privacy, but close enough to catch the end of the conversation.

“What the fuck have I just walked in on Nate? She’s Ivy’s best friend.” She stated and my stomach dropped; the truth was out, both Mark and Carol knew. I couldn’t hear a lot of what was being said; Nate’s responses were quieter.

“You haven’t been very subtle though, Nate. I can see the way you look at her. Since the anniversary dinner, when you offered to walk her to her car,” Carol chuckled at him.

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