A long lane at night

2.9. IS IT A CRIME Part 1

** NATE **

NATE WYATT PROUDLY PRESENTS:

SIX FAIL-PROOF SIGNS THAT YOU LOVE YOUR MAN

(and that you made the right choice in agreeing to marry him!)

#1: You feel safe around him

And I don't even mean because of super heavy important stuff, like the day you accepted his proposal or when you were barely conscious on his arms after he rescued you from the worst day of your life. I am talking about little things here as well, like when you know you can be yourself around him and others, because he's got your back.

Jack likes to say that I have this magical power over him that I can calm him down just by staring at his eyes. It's funny, because every time I see him in distress, what I'm trying to convey by looking at him is that he doesn't have to face what's happening alone, I'm there by his side. And I did that my whole life, a long time before my feelings for him evolved into what they are now.

And every time I was in distress, Jack would grow four times his size and actively protect me from anyone who was disturbing me. Even the bullies from school, who had all the reasons to pick at me, and must have tried once or twice, knew better than to cross Jack's path. In reality, Jack wouldn't hurt a fly, but something tells me I'm the only person who knows this.

The only times Jack cowers next to me and we both feel helpless is when facing the dads. Especially uncle Brian. With my father and uncle Allan we know our ways around them, and Jack has cleared my ass with those two several times. Also, my father could never do full stern. He had his values and he instilled them in me and everything; he has always been a good parent. But maybe being a single father made him choose not to fight perhaps a bit more times than would be necessary.

Uncle Allan could get cross easily, especially when we thought our own ideas were better than his orders, but he was always open to some sort of compromise and he was manageable most of the time.

And then there's uncle Brian.

Uncle Brian is the kind of guy who'll strip down his own clothes to cover you if you need it. Sure, he's super rich, so I guess he'd buy you clothes instead, but you understand what I mean here. But uncle Brian is powerful. It's ironic, when you think about that, the fact that uncle Allan is the one with a collection of cameras, always recording everything, and uncle Brian is actually the one who knows every little thing that happens in his house.

Maybe that's why Jack didn't want to move back when he decided to adopt a child. He knew his secret would be safer away from his father's eyes.

But if your punishment fell onto uncle Brian's hands, you knew you were screwed. And you might ask me, 'but, Nate, you're not his kid, did he punish you as well?' And the answer is simple: my father and uncles Allan and Brian follow their own 'jurisdiction'. The one in charge of discipline was the owner of the scene of the crime. If something happened during an outing, the one who invited called the shots. If we misbehaved at school, the parent of the originator got free reign.

And their punishments were always hard work. They never laid a finger on any of us four growing up, but Uncle Brian is responsible for some of my worst back pains for all of the times he'd have me and Jack weed the three mounds across the pond.

'But can't they hire professionals to do that?'

They can, but disciplinary action always meant we were off to face serious work. And we'd better not try to avoid it, or call the professionals ourselves, because all it earned us was doubled chores.