Rose petals

Chapter 19

"My brain just farted, can you repeat that?" Noah said as his fork dropped and he looked at me in both shock and confusion. "Babe, pinch me as hard as you can in three seconds." He said as he cleared his throat and closed his eyes.

Three seconds later Milo pinched Noah's arm and he snapped his eyes open while screaming in pain. This man behaves as though his arms been amputated, not pinched.

"So E was not D for four?" Max said as I bit back a laugh but nodded anyway. Everly was not dead for four years. "E lives in E but doesn't know it is E or anything about she?" He clarified as I nodded once again. Everly life's in England but doesn't know she's Everly or anything about herself.

"What the fudge?!" They all said in complete shock.

"Kids, can you guys take dessert to the lounge please?" I asked as the three of them nodded before helping a sleepy Atlas out of his high chair.

Once I was sure they were gone, everyone let out a breath. The emotions they were holding in were laid out on the table and everyone was as big of a mess as each other. I've had a good week to process the information and actually come to terms with it, and the only other person that knows still can't get over the fact that it's true.

Mia is staring at her half eaten plate of food, her hands slowly clenching and then unclenching. Max was staring out into the empty backyard through the glass doors, his eyes turning a dark shade of red. Kade has been trying to comfort a crying mess Holly has become. Milo had held his own tears back while Noah had used up half a box of tissues.

"I'm going to kill that bitch." Holly sobbed as Noah nodded in agreement.

"And you just left her there with him?" Max asked after a couple moments of silence. "God knows what he's been doing to her and she's all alone." He whispered.

"I cut a few of their wires so they have no electricity till Tuesday. I convinced her to stay at my hotel, that way the guys can make sure she's good." I told them. "Plus, I couldn't stay away from the kids for much longer, it's not fair to them." I sighed as they all nodded in agreement.

It was the one thing giving me enough reassurance to leave. My stomach churned at the thought of her being alone with him without me there. It's been four and a half years of this but now that I know there's no chance she'll be there for even a second. Despite the Carter brothers being there, they won't be able to do anything only because she wouldn't tell them and it would be creepy for them to just show up. Imagine four grown men aged thirty five and above showing up at your doorsteps telling you to come with them. Absolutely not.

"They love us more than you don't give yourself so much credit." Noah sniffled as he blew his nose.

"Ben and Austin have been working on something. If it works then we're one step closer, if not then we're set back four steps." I told them as they looked at me in confusion, waiting for me to elaborate.

Before I could say anything the kids came running back into the dining room complaining about how long we were taking. They looked slightly hesitant at first considering how tense the room was, but that soon disappeared when Max scooped them up in his arms and carried them away.

We all got up and followed them into the living room however the earlier playful atmosphere was gone and replaced with one of melancholy. Everyone was thinking the same thing. How we went all these years together while she had no one. How she was here and we never knew, not once. How we still wouldn't know if it weren't for fates twisted games.

"Daddy, I only gots eight bites." Elle pouted as she held out her empty cake bowl.

Handing her mine, her face lit up and she squealed before taking my bowl and kissed my cheek. Shes always done this thing where she has to have everything ending in either five or zero. Whether it's how many bites of food, footsteps, the time, and even watching a movie. It's something she got from Everly and it amazes me every time how similar they are. I remember when she'd put off her studying because it was 8:33 and not 8:30 or 8:35, or when she'd make me go thirty mph instead of twenty eight.