Page 52 of The Reality of Wanting Him

“Hey, Dad.” Liam turns toward the man approaching us.

He’s got a huge grin on his face, clearly excited to see his son. I don’t think he actually cares that we didn’t find him right away; he looks thrilled as he pulls Liam into a big bear hug.

“I’ve missed you, son,” he says when they finally break apart. “And who’s the lucky person that you’ve brought back with ya?”

I know from Liam’s stories that his dad already knows he dates men. He’s always described him as so supportive and welcoming, so I’ve been really excited to meet him. “Mr.Moore,” I say, stepping forward to offer my hand after gently shifting the chicken in my grip into a one-armed hold, tucked under my arm like a football. “I’m Blake, it’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

“Pleasure’s all mine, Blake. If you make my son happy, then you make me happy,” he says with a firm shake. “Call me Dad if you’d like, or Wyatt if you prefer, but Mr.Moore has always seemed too formal for a modest farmer like myself.” He chuckles, and the sound reminds me so much of Liam that I instantly warm even more to the man.

Liam lets me have some more time with the chickens while he catches up with his dad. Since we needed to travel to get here, the producers didn’t insist on splitting us up like they did back in the city, but the cameras stay pretty focused on them.

Eventually, he convinces me to see the rest of the farm, and Wyatt joins us as we walk all around the property. They both tell me about the half-started projects, future ideas for different parts of the farm that they’d like to upgrade, each detail bringing the place to life even more. They have a ton of great ideas for expansion, but they always mention how expensive everything is as they describe it.That’s where I come in, even if I haven’t told them yet.This farm will be even more amazing when I can fund all their plans.

I love their idea of expanding the amount of pumpkins theyplant to try to take advantage of the families who want to visit a real farm in the fall, but they explain that would require creating a larger store than the area they have set up now for their local produce subscribers, and it doesn’t sound like they plan to do it anytime soon.

Liam also points out that they’d need more than just pumpkins to draw people in to choose their farm over the others in the state. I suggest a petting zoo, and Liam teases me about just wanting more pets, but I think it’s a great idea. Some goats, a few cows, maybe even one of those super adorable really hairy ones.We’re definitely having a petting zoo.

At night, we eat dinner with his dad at his place, and I’m having such a great time that I don’t realize how late it’s gotten until Wyatt yawns for the third time in one story, and Liam assures him that we’ll handle the morning chores and tells him to get some rest.

I got so caught up in my excitement with the farm, that I forgot we haven’t actually made it into Liam’s house yet. It might be late, but I’m still full of energy, riding the high from what an amazing day it’s been.

“Ready to see your future home?” Liam asks as we head across a field from his dad’s place.

“Fuck yeah! Show me our house, lover,” I say dramatically, earning a smirk and a head shake from Liam that makes me laugh. But then he grabs my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine, and we walk in sync toward the picturesque modern farm home hidden in the back of the property. It’s definitely the most modern building on the farm, but it also fits in perfectly.

Part of me can’t believe Liam built it, but I’m also starting to believe he can do anything.I really do love it already.It’s so cool to think about it still being here in another hundred years, with Liam’s great grandkids telling their dates that he built it. Everything here feels so much more important than my life back in the city.

Even with my mom’s charity, I never got to really interact with the people we were raising money for. Everything was about planning the events and how to earn the highest amount of money from the donors. I’d like to think I made a positive impact on someone’s life in the time that I spent there, but it all felt very impersonal.

But here? Every decision Liam and Wyatt make regarding the farm and its future feels significant. The proof that those choices could impact generations to come is all around us. I was optimistic about coming here, and I had assured Liam I wanted to move to the farm with him, but now that I’m here, I want it more than ever.

26

LIAM

Producer:What’s it like having Blake here on the farm?

Liam:It’s great. I was nervous about him seeing it, but he took to it better than I could have imagined. Almost too well. It definitely feels like we could have a future here together, but a part of me is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like, things can’t really be this easy… Can they?

Ididn’t think today would go this well. I’ve spent the last week worrying about bringing Blake here, wondering if the farm would be too much for him, if the reality of my life would be too different from his. But today proved to me, again, that I had nothing to worry about.

He didn’t just tolerate the farm, he wasinto it. He asked questions, shared his ideas—some of which were actually really solid—and even had the audacity to start calling himself daddy to the chickens.Which… yeah. That was surprisingly adorable.

We’ll see if it’s the same story tomorrow when I actually make him help with the morning chores, but I’ll probably justput him with the chickens since he seemed so eager to spend more time with them. I really do want him to enjoy his time here.

My dad seemed to love Blake too, which I wasn’t worried about,but still.My dad has always trusted me to make the right decisions, to bring the right people into my life, but seeing the two of them together and getting along made me happier than I expected.

Today felt like the last piece clicking into place for me. I’ve been trying to keep some kind of guard up—though, even I can admit I’ve done a shit job of it—just in case he didn’t love it here. Just in case this was the thing that made him realize he didn’t actually want a life with me.

But now that I’ve seen him here, I can’t hold back anymore.

I need to show him exactly how much I want him and how deep this goes for me. I want to strip away any last shred of hesitation or doubt he might still have until the only thing in his mind, the only thing he feels, is me.

But first, I need to show him around my house, what he confidently called our future home.Fucking swoon. The stupid cameras are still following us, and I don’t think they’d appreciate me pinning Blake against the nearest surface the second we walk through the door.

Well… maybe they would. But I’m not about to find out.

Blake and I walk hand in hand up the porch steps. I unlock the door and push it open, letting him walk in first, then the cameras, before I follow. He’s quiet as he takes it all in. My place is nothing fancy, especially compared to his condo in the city, but it’s functional for everything I need.

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