Chapter 18
CHARLIE
Smiling, I look at Jace in awe. He might disagree, but I love the way his mind works.
I never would have made the connection like he just did.
Of course, I remember that night, it’s one I’ll never forget.
But when I recall the memory, my mind focuses on us next door as we cut a bunch of roses before we fell into the thorny bush.
Of Bonnie dubbing us her Roses for the first time.
Everything after pales in comparison to Bonnie finding us and loving her gift, even though she never got them in the end. I had almost forgotten about the story Kate told us after. Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed Bonnie was listening to it before she got caught by her dad for being awake.
I can’t seem to look away from him, I’m seconds away from pulling him into my arms and showing just how much I love his mind when he pulls out his phone and starts typing away with a determined frown on his face.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m making an account so I can comment on the post.”
“You’re doing what now? We agreed-”
“She needs to know we finally figured it out. That we’re coming.”
“I mean, I agree but just – just, wait a second. Let’s think this through. The reason we agreed not to comment on any of the posts is because we don’t want to lead her in-laws to her. It’s obvious that she’s pretty worried about that. What if we comment and it spooks her? What if she runs again?”
“I’m not an idiot, Charlie. I’m not going to say anything that could tell anyone who or where she is.
But what if she thinks we’ve known where she is this entire time and chose not to go to her?
She already believes we don’t want her anymore, she needs to know that’s not true. That we’re coming for her.”
“I didn’t say you were an idiot, Jace. I don’t think that.
I never have. How many times so I have to tell-” I cut myself off, taking a deep breath to calm myself.
Getting frustrated and raising my voice isn’t going do anything but upset us both.
“I have never once thought you that. You’re one of the smartest people I know. ”
At his scoff, I shove him backwards, a little more aggressively than needed, and climb over so I’m holding myself above him, my hands pinning his shoulders down as he stares up at me with startled, wide eyes.
“I mean it, Jace. I love the way your mind works. I finished reading that post long before you did and I didn’t see it.
You did. You found Bonnie, not me.” Placing a soft kiss on his lips, I ignore the way my body craves to close the distance between us and get lost in his lips.
Instead, I lean over the side of the couch and pick his phone up off the floor, and hand it to him.
“Do it,” I tell him without looking down at the phone as I place it in his hand, my eyes not moving from his. “I trust you.” He makes no move to take the phone, his eyes flicking between mine like he’s looking for the lie in my words, but he won’t find one.
Finally, after what feels like forever, he slowly breaks eye contact, looking down at the phone. He looks back up at me quickly, and I give what I hope is a reassuring smile and nod my head in encouragement.
He chews on his lip for a second and I’m tempted to lean down and replace his teeth with my own. Finally, he takes a deep breath and starts typing. When he’s done he swallows, meeting my eyes again before turning the screen around so I can read his comment.
B.Rose: What if it wasn't in another life?
“Perfect.” It’s subtle enough no one will know we’re the two loves she’s talking about but enough that if she reads it, she should be able to figure it out.
Crushing my lips down over his mouth, my tongue comes out to meet his. We eventually pull apart and I smile down at him. “Now, let’s go get our girls.”
Shovelling clothes into a duffle, I’m barely taking note of what’s what, but when I hear Jace zip the first bag up, I look over.
“Don’t forget your meds,” I remind him, pulling out another drawer and scooping out a bunch of socks and undies.
I don’t even know if the socks I’m shoving inside are pairs, but I really couldn’t give a shit if I walk around with odd socks, so in they go.
“Right,” he mutters, taking off out of the room to the bathroom where he keeps the ones he has to take every morning.
Whilst he does that, I grab the bag and make my way into his old room and start shoving his clothes inside, not caring who’s is who.
Done, Jace tosses his bottles of meds inside along with a can of deodorant, our toothbrushes and phone chargers. “I can’t believe this is finally happening,”
“I know.”
“Should we call your parents? Ari? Let them know? Wait – no, flights first.” The words are barely out of his mouth before he’s racing from the room and I freeze, leaving the bag unzipped on the bed to follow.
“Flights?”
“Yeah, do you think there will be any this late?”
“Probably not, you want to fly? Why not drive?”
“What? That’ll take forever. It’s a long arse drive. This way we can be there tomorrow morning.”
“Right.” I swallow, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. “But isn’t your mum’s hometown like, tiny and on the outskirts of nowhere? Is there even an airport close by? Do taxies go out that far?”
“Charlie Taylor,” he drawls out, turning to me with narrowed eyes, his lips twitching in amusement as he crosses his arms. “Are you afraid of flying?”
“What? No-”
“Good. I’ll book us a flight.”
“I’m just saying,” I quickly add, raising my voice a little to bring his attention back to me and not the laptop he’s currently holding.
“Bonnie is a mother, and her daughter is in school. She might not be able to just pick up and leave like we can. She might not want to. We could be there for some time.” Or indefinitely if she wants to stay, because I know there’s no way in hell either one of us will want to return if that’s the case. “We may need the car.”
I watch as he mulls it over, struggling to keep my face blank.
Meanwhile, my heart is thumping in my ears and I’m fighting the urge to wipe my palms on my pants again.
Everything I said is completely true and a very valid point, but I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that the thought of getting on a plane doesn’t make me nervous as fuck.
“Okay,” he finally agrees, and I try not to show how relieved I am.
I mean, I’d one hundred percent do it for her, but I’d rather not if possible.
“We’ll take the RV. It may have been refurbished for grooming, but it’s got a functional bathroom, including a toilet and a bar fridge.
Plus, there’s enough room inside that we can duck down to Kmart and get a cheap blow-up mattress to sleep on. ”
I nod my head as the plan starts to come together before adding my own suggestions.
“We should chuck out anything in the fridge we don’t want to take with us that can go bad.
We’ll leave the keys and my car with Ari and the guys and take turns driving.
If we need any of our shit later, we can get them to ship it to us. ”
Then thinking I pull out my own phone. “I’ll email work and tell them I won’t be in for the foreseeable future. Oh, and there’s that new 24-hour Kmart that opened up not long ago ‘bout forty minutes from here – what?” I ask when he snickers, his shoulders shaking.
“And they say I’m the impulsive one. You know, you can be pretty impulsive yourself.”
“I’m no-”
“You’re quitting your job in the middle of the night. In an email.” He raises an eyebrow, and I let out a huff.
“Yeah well, my boss is a dick, and I hate that place anyways. I can get a new job or we’re taking the RV, so I can help you with Bee Rose Furr-Ever, it’ll be fun.” He smiles at that, a glint entering his eyes as he stalks toward me.
Stopping right as our toes touch, he places both hands on my cheeks before pulling me in for a rough kiss. “Let’s do it,” he says when he pulls back, and I hold up the keys I managed to swipe from his pocket whilst he was distracted in my mouth.
He frowns, looking at them in confusion as he pats down his pockets and I wag my brows, smirking at him. Having a kleptomaniac as a father has its perks sometimes.
“I’m driving.”
“It’s my RV,” he complains, trying to swipe the keys back but I shove them in my pocket before he can try.
“Don’t care. You’re a maniac on the road,” I tease, heading for the rooms to grab our bags.
“I’m a great driver.” He pouts, helping me zip the bag I left on his bed up.
“Yeah. Okay, Patricia.” I snort, rolling my eyes and throwing the strap over my shoulder.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A whole new you comes out when you get behind the wheel. You take road rage to another level.”
“Pfft, do not.”
“Did you, or did you not, curse out some old lady and all of her descendants the other day? Because, and I quote, ‘clearly Darwin didn’t think about idiots like her when he proposed natural selection?’”
“That’s not fair. She was doing like 60 under the speed limit. She nearly caused a pile up on the motorway!”
“Yeah, I’m driving.”