Their Marred Boy

Epilogue

The house was bustling with activity as the help rushed around trying to get everything ready for the evening. Harper stood by the door watching as Ellie's cooks brought racks of cutlery to the dining room. A mouth-watering concoction of smells wafted from the kitchen, giving him a preview of the delicacies the woman had prepared for them.

"Isn't it a bit early to start setting up the table?"

Elizabeth checked her watch and shook her head, "They'll be here in half an hour."

Half an hour?! His stomach was doing acrobatics in his belly by now.

Harper trapped his lower lip between his teeth and gnawed on it till he punctured it. His tongue caught the metallic taste of his blood as he quickly hid his face from Elizabeth. The last thing he wanted was for the woman to start questioning his odd behavior.

"I'm going to check on the house." He mumbled before taking hurried steps to the door.

The warm humid air struck him harshly as he stepped outside. Harper could already feel his skin getting sticky from the unpleasant weather conditions of Florida. He wasn't getting the fresh air he'd hoped and the warmth was making him feel suffocated. He needed something cold on his forehead to soothe the fire his body was engulfed in.

"You seem to be doing well." A voice teased, bringing him back from the frenzy in his mind. Amid his mini breakdown, Harper hadn't realized that someone had been trailing close behind him.

"Shut it." The boy growled, not in the mood for being harassed by his friend.

He tried to flatten his dark hair which had gotten frizzy in the short time he'd been outside. He gave up his attempt to tame the estranged strands once they managed to spring out again.

"Oh come on, Harps." Georgie nudged, grinning as he fell into a step beside him.

"I'm nervous, okay?"

Harper had invited his mates to the farm after nearly five years of not seeing each other and sporadic communication.

Had he been anxiously preparing for today? Well, he had bathed and groomed all of the horses and the livestock including the chickens. Maybe he had been a little extra.

"The house hasn't changed since the last time you were there, you know that right?" Georgie reminded the amused lilt in his voice annoying the boy further.

"Can you just... not speak?"

"I'm afraid not."

Harper groaned as he continued stomping his way to the guest house.

The boy couldn't even dare to deny that he might've been... extreme when it came to making his mates feel welcome on his farm. He'd had one of the empty houses on the land prepared just for the four men. Everything in it was customized to their standards and taste and every little detail was added with them in mind. Harper had found solace while working on it throughout the years, it had made him feel connected to them in a way.

"I can't believe you got that dude a telescope!" Georgie exclaimed as he skimmed his fingers on the surface of his mate's gift.

"That dude is Skyler." Harper huffed. It was his three-year late graduation gift to the boy. He'd felt terrible for not being there and letting him down so he'd purchased the ridiculously expensive and space-consuming thing to somewhat make up for it.

The device was located on the balcony of the master bedroom. Harper had thought his star-loving mate would appreciate the clearness of the farm air where stars were readily visible even to the naked eye.