Page 31 of Gunner

“I can see that,” he smiles.

“How long have you known her?”

“Years. She kinda found me when I was at my lowest,” he reveals.

“You come from money.” Yes, I looked into the man who spends so much time with Nat. I want to know who he is and what he’s all about.

“You know about me. Nat?” I shake my head.

“No. I looked into you. If you’re around her, I wanna know more.”

“Did you also check up on her?” I shake my head once more.

“No. I want Nat to come to me when she’s ready,” I admit to him.

“My parents are wealthy, yes. But I don’t fit in there. They want me to be in the perfect straight box, and that’s just not who I am. Nat doesn’t care that I like men. She doesn’t care I’m different.”

“And you don’t care about her past.”

“Nope. We’re two fucked up peas in a pod. We don’t usually talk about the past.”

“Why homeless?”

“Not completely homeless all the time. When we have the money, we stay in hotels and things, but money runs out. And there are times I think Nat would rather stay on the streets. She says they can’t find her there.”

“Her family?” Rick sighs and nods his head.

“I don’t know all the details. Her mom and dad are some really shady people, and her ex? Well, he’s not a good guy. He hurt her.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s willing to stay on the streets and not in hotels. Isn’t that enough?” I nod my head. I suppose that’s a good enough reason.

“And you watch out for her.”

“What kind of man would I be if I didn’t?”

“And what about me?”

“What about you?”

“You didn’t keep her away from me,” I remind him.

“She liked you. I wasn’t going to stand in her way of that. She needed to let loose and have a little fun.”

“And then she got pregnant.”

“Well, yeah. But I think she’s happy. She looks happy.”

“You think she’ll run?”

“That’s a tough one, Gunner. She’s lived a rough life for years. She’s been on the street; it’s what she’s used to.”

“You’ll tell me, yeah? If she wants to run?”

“Of course. I don’t want her out there like this. She needs stability and someplace safe for that baby.”

“Thanks, Rick.” He smiles and grabs his beer as I shove out of my seat. I walk over to the bar and stand next to Locke, keeping my eyes on Nat the whole time.

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