Chapter 32
CHARLIE
“Charlie!” Charlotte shouts with just as much excitement as she did yesterday, and as soon as she’s close enough she launches herself into the air, but this time I’m prepared and am able to pluck her out of the air, spinning us around before settling her on my hip.
Her giggles are like a balm after the emotional morning we’ve had. By the time we finished unloading our versions of what we all experienced after our separation, it was lunch and we were emotionally rung out.
Yet, by the time we finished eating, we all looked a little…lighter, like a weight had been lifted and we ended up down by the river, looking for little crabs just like Jace’s parents did when they were younger.
“Are you going to show us more photos of Mum when she was my age?” Charlotte asks, her eyes filled with excitement, and I hate to disappoint her, but I don’t have anymore photos. We went through them all. All 348 photos that hold so many treasured memories.
There aren’t even any from after our separation. Once they disappeared, I couldn’t stand having my photo taken. I mean sure, there are a few sneaky ones taken by my parents here and there, but other than that? There aren’t any, and they certainly aren’t show and tell worthy.
My phone ringing saves me from having to break the news to her, and I quickly fish it out of my pocket.
“It’s my mum.” I go to answer but pause, not sure if Bonnie is okay with me answering a video call with Charlotte in view, but when I look her way, her eyes are lit up with excitement and a little longing too.
We were all so close growing up; my parents were like a second set of parents for Jace and Bonnie. Just like theirs were to me. It’s why losing them so suddenly, then being told to never contact them again, without any explanation, hurt so much. I can only imagine what that was like for her.
Hoping I’m not making a huge mistake; I slide the bar on the screen and accept the call, Mum’s face instantly appearing. “Hi Mum,” I answer, trying to keep Charotte’s face out of view, just in case Bonnie gets upset.
Unfortunately, Charlotte has other ideas and squishes her cheek against mine to be seen. “Hi!” she waves, almost smacking me in the face. “Are you Charlie’s mum?” Mum’s jaw drops, her eyes flicking to mine momentarily as if looking for confirmation, before she nods. “Mum! It’s Charlie’s mum!”
“Mum? Bonnie?” Mum breathes out, tears filling her eyes and I freeze, panicking when Charlotte whips her head back to the phone.
“Who’s Bonnie?” she asks, tilting her head and furrowing her brows. Shit.
“Um, maybe we should take this elsewhere?” Bonnie asks nervously, her eyes darting back and forth between all of the people still mulling around the school, including a teenager and kid kicking a ball not too far away.
Bonnie walks over, stopping beside me and Mum lets out an audible gasp, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. “Oh my God, it’s really you.”
“Hey Lucy,” Bonnie whispers softer, her hand coming up to cup the back of my hand holding the phone.
They look at one another for a moment, taking in how much they’ve each changed.
Mum has started to get greys and has wrinkles around her eyes and mouth that weren’t there before but otherwise, she’s barely changed at all.
Meanwhile, Bonnie has done everything she can to hide her natural appearance in order to protect her identity.
“Can we call you back in a bit when we get home? We’re just at the school…
” The two of us jump forward, narrowly missing the ball and the teenager who chases after it.
He looks at me, and for a second I think he’s going to apologise for almost barrelling us over, but he just goes back to kicking the ball and I shake my head.
Yeah, this call would be a lot easier elsewhere.
“Yes, God yes. It’ll give me time to get the guys so they can say hi too. They’ll be so excited to see you again…We’ve missed you.”
“I’d love that, I’ve missed you all so much.” A tear falls down Mum’s cheek and she smiles widely before we say goodbye.
Piling out of Mitchell’s car, I let out a relieved breath and stretch out my legs. Looking over my shoulder, I see Jace doing the same while Charlotte laughs at us.
Don’t get me wrong, Mitchell has a pretty big car and there’s plenty of room, but it’s asking a lot to fit two fully grown men and a child with a booster seat in the back without being squished.
I try to subtly rub my side; grateful the drive wasn’t a long one because Charlotte’s booster seat was digging into my hip bone the entire drive while my other side was pressed firmly against the door with nowhere to go and Jace wasn’t faring any better.
“Wow, is this all bush?” I finally ask when I look around, taking in the plethora of eucalyptus trees surrounding the house, blocking the view of the road almost completely. It’d be so easy to miss if I didn’t already know which direction we drove in from.
“Yeah,” Bonnie answers, rounding the car to join me. “Almost one hundred hectares of it. So, no neighbours or door knockers. It’s…peaceful out here.”
“Aren’t you guys worried about bushfires?” Jace asks, following Mitchell to the front door with Charlotte trailing behind them. Bonnie and I share a smile at his question, though now that he’s pointed it out, I can’t help but wonder the same thing.
“I do a bit of backburning in winter, and there’s a big enough break in the tree line from the house that it isn’t too much of a concern.
Plus I installed a sprinkler system in the grass between the house and trees, and we have a few fire extinguishers and there’s also a fire hose in the garage that is long enough to wrap around the house. ”
“Well, you’ve thought of everything, haven’t you? Though isn’t backburning done by the fire brigade? You know, people who are trained to do it.”
“I am trained.”
“I mean professionally.”
“So do I. I volunteer with the SES on occasion if a nearby fire is big enough or close enough and the local firehouse is overwhelmed.” He shrugs, like it’s no big deal. Meanwhile, Jace and I are just staring at him.
If I hadn’t grown up in the family I did, I’d be more than a little threatened by this guy. Seriously, how is one supposed to compete with that?
Simply put, you don’t and thankfully, I don’t plan on trying. I’ve seen the way he looks at her, and more importantly, the way she look at him. If they aren’t together, I’d be surprised. Although, he has taken our appearance rather well so what do I know.
“Do you want to go in or would you rather continue grilling me about fire safety?” There’s a smirk on his face and he looks pretty amused with me, but I still give him a sheepish smile, nodding and moving to follow him inside after the others.
“Just as I step inside, Mitchell turns and holds out his hand. “Phone,” he demands, not explaining himself. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask why he wants it, but I decide against it.
If we’re going to be in each other’s lives, I need to show him I have nothing to hide and I won’t try to fight him.
“My password is-never mind,” I mumble as he types it in himself correctly on the first go, then turns and disappears through the house.
I should probably be concerned about what he plans on doing with it, or how he knew my password but with the little information we know about him, it isn’t all that surprising and I find I trust him completely.
He's kept Bonnie safe for all these years; that’s enough for me, so I move to join Jace on the couch, taking Bonnie’s other side.
I try not to make it obvious I’m staring, but I can’t seem to take my eyes off her and Jace seems to be having the same problem. Her cheeks are a rosey shade of pink as she blushes, but she doesn’t comment.
When her knee starts bouncing and she bites at her thumbnail, I can’t help but smile. It would seem she hasn’t changed as much as she thinks she has because that has always been one of her nervous ticks.
Slowly, so as not to spook her, I pull her thumb from her mouth and lace our fingers together. “Hey, if you’re not ready for this, I can message Mum. She’ll understand, everyone will.”
“No, I want to do this. I’ve missed them like crazy over the years. It’s just…Charlotte. She doesn’t know about my past, about who I really am or my old name.”
“Breathe,” I tell her when I notice her chest rising and falling in stuttered breaths. “In.” I take a deep breath in, holding it and she mimics me while Jace runs his hand up and down her back reassuringly. “Out.” I let my breath out slowly and Bonnie sinks into Jace’s touch.
“You are in charge here. Whatever you decide, we will support you. In everything. Always have, always will. That will never change.” I squeeze her hands, before slowly bringing one up to cup her cheek.
She flinches slightly but when I go to move away, she quickly reaches out and places her hand over mine, holding it there.
Instantly, her breathing slows, and she closes her eyes, a smile ghosting her lips and for a second, I consider what it would feel like to press my lips to hers. If they’d be as soft as I remember, if she’d open up to me like she used to do.
Clearing my throat, I shake the thought away. “I’ll text Mum and tell her not to call you Bonnie, and Jace and I will do the same.”
“I don’t want you to stop calling me…that. I like hearing my name from you guys, though it’ll take some getting used to. Just…maybe not in front of Charlotte? At least, not until I can find a way to explain some of this to her.”
“Of course,” Jace and I say together. “I’ll message them as soon as Mitchell comes back with my phone.”
“I’ll do it.” Jace pulls his phone out, sending off a quick text before shoving it back in his pocket just as Charlotte bursts into the room now out of her uniform, effectively ending our conversation about Bonnie’s true identity.
“Are we going to talk to your mum and dad now?” she asks, stopping right in front of me with a level of excitement and energy I wish I still possessed.
“Well, I actually have four dads,” I tell her, and her eyes blow wide open, her mouth dropping. The three of us laugh softly at her reaction before I explain it to her. “My family looks a little different from most. I have one mum and four dads.”
“Like, stepdads? Joey has a stepdad.” I have no idea who Joey is, but I shake my head. “Or like how some people have two mummies or two daddies, but you just have more?”
“Yes, exactly that.”
“That’s so cool! I wish I had a bunch of daddies.” Her face falls a little, a tiny frown marring her face. “I don’t have a dad, but that’s okay! Because I have a Mitchie. And now I have you and Jace, and Mummy does too.”
With that, she climbs up on Bonnie’s lap and gets comfortable, like she didn’t just blow my mind with her instant acceptance.
Smiling, I shake my head. Kids can be so amazing sometimes. “Okay, I’m done.” Mitchell calls out, rounding the corner but stops short when he sees us on the couch, our attention fixed on Charlotte. “What did I miss?”