“Of course she didn’t,” Mum said. “Poor girl. So, he’s going to prison, I suppose.”

“I guess so,” I replied. “From what I understand, the evidence is overwhelming. Ultimately it will depend on the legal process. I have no idea if he’ll plead guilty or whether there will be a trial.” I shrugged. “But when the police make the arrests, it’s bound to make all the papers. You might read some not-so-nice things about him. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

My mum slid her hand from beneath and patted mine. “You’ve been such a good friend to that boy over the years.” She shook her head. “I thought our family’s influence might . . . turn him around.”

“I told you, Carole. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.” Dad took a sip of his tea.

I was surprised at how well they were taking it. “Turn him around?”

My mother slid her gaze from me to Dad and back again. “You know, after what happened at Oxford.”

It was as if my blood had stopped still in my veins. “What do you mean?”

“You know what we mean, son,” my father said. “We know you took the fall for him.”

I’d never even hinted to my parents at what had happened. Had they known all along? “You knew?”

“Of course we knew,” Mum said. “You’re our son. We know you inside-out and back to front. You’re not a cheater.”

A dam burst inside my heart and my blood started chasing around my limbs. “Then why on earth didn’t you say anything?”

“We had to trust you,” Mum said.

“You were—are—a good kid,” Dad said. “And you were trying to do the right thing. You were trying to protect someone weaker and more vulnerable than you. We were proud of you for that, even if we felt the sacrifice was too much for you.”

“It’s always a balance knowing when to step in and when to let your children go their own way.” My mother’s voice trembled. “We decided to let you guide us.”

“Although your mother almost told the dean on a daily basis.”

“I swear, John, not even the college believed Nathan did it.”

My dad shook his head. “I know. But we had to let things play out. To be honest, son, I thought you’d tell us before you actually got sent down. We all did. But you stuck to your story.”

All these years later and my parents had known all along.

“I thought Mark just made a silly mistake,” I said, pulled back into that time when I knew protecting him meant letting down my entire family. It was an impossible situation. “If I’d have known he was capable of . . . what he’s done to all those people who gave him their money, I would have made a different choice.”

My mother squeezed my hand. “Nathan Cove, I know you and I refuse to let you blame yourself for the mess Mark got himself into.”

“But if I’d just—”

“You were trying to protect someone. You’re not responsible for Mark committing fraud,” Dad said. “You gave him a second chance. We all did. And you sacrificed a career in medicine for that boy.”

“But Nathan bobbed to the surface,” Mum said. “Just like you told me he would.” My parents exchanged a sad smile.

“He’s a Cove,” Dad said. “That’s what we do in our family. You always think it’s medicine that binds us together, but it goes far deeper. Don’t tell your brothers, but I love and admire every one of you equally. Don’t think I don’t know quite how well you’ve done for yourself. But it doesn’t matter to me. What matters is what’s in your heart. And you boys all have good hearts. That’s all that counts.”

For years I’d been carrying around a sack of rocks and my parents had just turned them to feathers. It was as if somehow, I’d been set free.

Now that I’d let go of the secrets I’d been holding for so long—now that I could finally breathe easy—it was time to face the question I’d been avoiding. The question that could change everything: Where would I go from here?

Thirty

Madison

I’d been on the road since five thirty but the adrenaline racing through my body kept me awake, if not quite bright-eyed. My sat nav told me I was two and a half minutes away. Then I saw the windmill and the turning, and I knew I’d be pulling into Carole and John’s driveway in no time.

This could be a huge mistake. Or it could be the best decision I’d ever made. But when Carole called last night and invited me to breakfast, telling me that Nathan would be there and she thought that maybe we needed to talk, I couldn’t say no. I didn’t want to say no. Nathan and I had been on the brink of something special. I couldn’t walk away without apologizing in person and trying to convince him that we were worth a shot.

Tags: Louise Bay Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net