Chapter Twelve

 

 

 

“This was a great idea,” Tae said.

“What was?” Clark asked, shoving a piece of pancake into his mouth. He curled his legs beneath him in the lotus position and leveled his eyes on his lover.

“Breakfast in bed like this,” Tae replied. “With Mom dealing with her nurse, I’m glad we can get some time together before we have to face the day. I’ve been meaning to tell you about something.”

“Really? About what?”

“Remember you telling me that you wanted to teach?”

Clark eyed him. “Yeah.”

“What if I told you I could get you an interview with one of the best international schools in Seoul?”

“I’d tell you that you can’t save me from everything.”

Tae sighed and sipped leisurely from his coffee. “I’m not pulling strings to get you the job, Clark. That’s up to you. I’m opening the door. It’s up to you to walk through or close it back.”

“You’re serious about this?”

“I’m sorry, okay? You told me you had this dream to teach abroad.”

“Are you trying to push me away? Me teaching in Korea would destroy this.”

Clark couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Tae even bring that up, especially after the night they had together. Suddenly his appetite was gone, so he set his plate on the bedside table and tried climbing off.

Tae grabbed his arm. “I’m not destroying anything. I could start an office in Korea and Cesar could run the one here. There are ways around all these obstacles.” He stopped and sighed as he released Clark’s arm. “I want this to work, but you’re not happy at that restaurant.”

“I’m happy…sometimes.” Clark bowed his head. The moment those words left his lips he instantly felt like a moron. “I’m scared, Tae. What if I go for this dream and it doesn’t work out?”

“I’ve never seen you as a coward, Clark. If it doesn’t work, you come home to my arms, we make love for you to vent your frustration, maybe fight a little then you go out there and try again. I want you to be happy, Clark.”

Clark sighed. He sat on the edge of the bed. “Can I think about it before you make this call?”

Tae nodded.

“Thank you.”

Clark turned and curled his legs beneath him again. For a long moment, he just stared at Tae lounging against the headboards in the beautiful master bedroom. Suddenly he was so happy and it was foreign to him. Clark trailed a finger down Tae’s abs to where his track pants started. “I can’t remember a time I’ve been this happy.”

“What about when you were a kid?”

“Well, I never met my father,” Clark explained. “I mean I had a pretty okay childhood, but we were poor. My mother worked all the time, so I filled my life with books and all that. God, she was beautiful.”

“Was?”

Clark nodded. “She died from cancer when I turned eighteen. It just didn’t seem fair, you know? I cost her the man she loved, then cancer took the rest.”

“You can’t mean that—about you taking the man she loved. How did you do that?”

“By existing. It took her a while to tell me, but after a while of me asking, she finally broke down and explained why my father wasn’t there.”

Tae tilted his head. “Why was that?”

“Apparently when he found out she was pregnant, he didn’t take it well. He jumped on the first bimbo out of Hamilton and stayed gone.”

Tae sat up then and pulled Clark into his arms. “Darling, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. She actually loved the fool. I know it had to hurt her every time she looked at me.”

“If that was the case, she wouldn’t have raised you,” Tae rationalized. “But she did. I know you never once felt unwanted.”

Clark thought about it and had to admit Tae was right. Smiling, he took a deep breath and eased back. “My mother was an amazing woman but she never got with anyone after that. I always thought it was because of me.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to carry that on your shoulders.” Tae shifted. “Sometimes life is hard and our parents must do what they can to save us. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don’t, but more often than not, we develop character. You had an amazing woman who had your back, Clark. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Clark hugged Tae tightly.

Tae smiled. “Now you see, those hugs are the best.” Tae inhaled loudly. “Whenever you feel down about your mom not finding her Mr. Right, just remember that if your mother wanted another man, I’m sure she was quite capable of doing so. Now, we’re going to put some clothes on, then we’re taking Eomeoni shopping for some new clothes.”

“Eo—what?”

Tae grinned. “Eomeoni. It means mother in Korean. I think we should give you some lessons.”

Clark nodded. “Agreed. Eo-meo-ni. I like it.”

“Come.” Tae kissed him deeply then got out of the bed. “We should get you some stuff too. I’d like to take you on a date on Saturday night, which will end at a hotel room.”

“What about Rae?”

“Cesar will be over to spend the night with her,” Tae explained. “I love her, but I need time with you. I want you free, unencumbered.”

Clark fell to his back on the bed and smiled. “Free…”