Charlie's POV
"Thank you so much for lunch" I said to Jodie and my Mom as I sat back in my chair, my hand resting over my stomach. "I'm stuffed, I don't think I've eaten that much in a long time" I laughed, picking up my glass of pink lemonade taking a long sip. I saw my Dad laughing out of the corner of my eye as I rolled my eyes at him shaking my head back and forth. "What is it Dad?" I laughed looking over at him.
He raised his eye brows and shook his head, placing another forkful of salad in his mouth giving him an excuse to not say anything further. Everyone's eyes were on the both of us as they were waiting to hear what he had to say to me. I sat myself up, placing my elbows on the table and my chin in my hands as I stared at him, a tactic that always worked when I wanted him to spill whatever it was that he was trying to hide from me.
"Fine" he said with a laugh as he was swallowing his salad. "I was going to say everyone eats like they've never seen food before after they've been drinking their weight in alcohol all night"
"Yeah? You know from experience big guy" I taunted sitting back in my chair again, giving my food the proper chance to digest.
"Me? No. Your old man was a saint" he said, picking up his can of beer and putting it to his lips. I couldn't help but laugh as I saw my Mom staring at him, her mouth gaped open and her eyes wide.
"I don't know where you came from where your behavior was ever considered saintly Mark" she said with a laugh, the rest of us joining suit as we watched her and my father playfully bickering back and forth.
Watching them gave me a warm feeling inside. I had always loved the relationship that my parents had, hoping one day that I would be able to replicate it with someone of my own. I immediately started thinking of my interactions with Austin, realizing that he and I were much like my Mom and Dad. When we were together we could playfully bicker, talk lovingly with each other, have deep conversations that switch to light funny conversations. We were my dream. But, as soon as those happy thoughts of my prince charming came into my head, they were were immediately replaced with dread that I could lose him all because of one of the biggest secrets I have kept from him for three years.
"You alright Charlotte?" my Mom asked me, a worried look coming over her face as she reached her hand out to lay gently on my arm. I brought myself back from my thoughts, turning my head to look at her with a fake smile. I was good at those as I had perfected them over the years so they wouldn't know that something was going on between Austin and I.
"Yeah Mom, I'm good" I smiled at her. "Casey are you ready to go? Austin texted me when we started lunch and said that he and Mark were on their way back from the game" I said to her.
"Sure Charlie, whenever your ready to go I am" she smiled, sitting herself up in her chair grabbing everything she used to eat and placing it in a neat pile. "Thank you so much for lunch Mr. and Mrs. Post and it was so nice to finally meet you Mr. and Mrs. Roman" Casey smiled giving her thanks to all parties involved.
"You as well sweetie, and congratulations on your wedding" my mom said with a sweet smile as she stood up and gave her a hug.
Jodie walked over towards me, grabbing my hand as she walked me into the house towards the living room where we had Austy laying for his nap. She sat me down on the edge of the couch looking at me in a way that let me know the conversation that followed shouldn't be taken lightly. Admittedly I was slightly concerned as to what she was about to tell me.
"Charlie honey, I know this is a big step for you to make tomorrow" she smiled, resting her hand on my arm. "I know this is something you have been living with for three years now. I want you to know that I am not in any way mad that you didn't tell Austin about the baby. I know that deep down you had thought by keeping him a secret that you were helping him succeed in his career" she smiled. Her words were making me feel relaxed, but I also couldn't help but feel like there was more coming that wouldn't quite make me feel that way.
"But we both know Austin. He is a very hard headed individual and he may not look at it that way. I guess what I'm trying to say is, please don't act impulsively at his actions. Give him sometime to process what you are putting on his plate" she said with a warm smile. I moved my gaze over to Austy sleeping peacefully in the pack and play.
"Jodie?" I asked her, my eyes not breaking contact with my precious little boy. I heard her utter out a small yes as I swallowed hard feeling emotions starting to creep over every part of my body. "Do you think he is going to like his son?" I asked her, slowly turning my head to look at her, tears starting to fill up in my eyes.
"Oh honey" she said pulling me into a hug rubbing my back slowly as I started crying in the comfort of her arms. She held me for a few short moments before she put me at a small arms length from her. She turned grabbing a tissue from the box she kept on the end table, "I keep these here when I'm watching my sappy movies on Hallmark whenever Rich isn't around, but shhh it's our secret he'd laugh at me if he knew" she smiled as she handed the soft white tissue to me as I wiped softly at my cheeks.
She studied me for a moment before she started to talk again, "Charlie I think he is going to love his son even if he doesn't show it at first. I also know that he is still going to love you" she said almost as if she had the ability to read my mind as that was going to be my next question. "Do I think he is going to be upset with you, unfortunately yes I do. But I know that the love he has for you will always be stronger than his frustrations" she smiled.
"How? How do you know?" I asked her shaking my head, a few stray tears still finding their way out of my eyes as they gently leaked down my face.
"Charlie, he always asked about you. Even when you guys weren't talking you would always be brought up in conversation. He cared and still does care about you so much. If he's upset with you it isn't going to be for long" she smiled, giving me a comforting feeling although something was still nagging inside of me that not everything was going to be roses and rainbows like she was saying.
"Jodie, what if he goes back without me. I would be crushed, I can't go through that pain again I just can't" I said, trying to swallow the tears that were threatening to come up again. She grabbed my hand in hers as she gave me what was a reassuring smile, but the words not feeling as such.
"Then it won't be forever, he'll just need some time to think. I know you two will be together Charlie just be patient" she said as we heard Casey and my parents walking towards the front door. We both stood up wrapping each other in a warm hug as I walked over to Austy, placing my lips gently on his head before walking to be with everyone else.
"So," I said letting out a breath. "I guess I will be back with Austin tomorrow around 5?" I said, trying to make the meeting as late as possible where Austy would still be awake, but I would still be able to spend as much time with Austin as possible before whatever happened happened.
"That sounds perfect honey. We will see you then" my mom said wrapping me in a hug and placing a kiss on my cheek. I gave quick hugs to Rich and my Dad before making my way behind Casey to her Mercedes.
The ride back to Casey's place was relatively quiet as I was trying to get back into happy Charlie state of mind. But try as hard as I could, I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that everything wasn't going to go as planned and that everything that I waited so long to get was going to seep through my fingers like water.
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Austin's POV
I pulled back into Casey's driveway only to see that her and Charlie weren't back yet. I looked over at Mark who shrugged his shoulders but motioned for me to come with him down to the boat house. I turned off the car following him down the long wooden staircase. As soon as we made it inside it was like old times, a Bud Light being thrown into my hands as we headed to the dock to drink and shoot the shit. I sat with him and looked over the large lake, a nostalgic feeling washing over me.
There was so much I missed about this life, this being one of them. Being able to hang out with friends and still being Austin, not expecting to be the life of the party or down for anything until all hours of the night. Being out with Mark today made me realize that and sitting here on the edge of the dock made me realize that soon I wouldn't even be able to do something as secluded as this in my hometown with my friends without a fan finding me and asking me for a picture.
"You alright man?" Mark asked before putting his lips to his can of beer and taking a swig, his eyes still not leaving mine as he did it. I let out a laugh as I took a drink of my own beer before answering him.
"Yeah, just thinking" I said with a smile, still staring out over the lake.
"Charlie?" he asked with a laugh. I shook my head as I brought my hand up to rub the back of my neck.
"Actually not this time. Just thinking about how I miss all of this, ya know?" I asked, finally bringing my gaze over to him as he let out a small laugh.
"Making it big not what you thought it was going to be huh?" he asked, as I grabbed my pack of smokes out of my pocket putting one between my lips. I grabbed my lighter and lit it quickly taking a long drag on the small white stick as I enjoyed the feeling of nicotine deeply filling my lungs.
"Yes and no" I said tilting my head back and forth. "It's all just so much right now. Everything happened to me over night and I am just trying to deal with it the best I can. There is a lot of shady shit that goes on behind the scenes man, but the part that everyone knows and sees. That's rough" I said nodding my head taking another drag on my cigarette.
"You sure that is a life that you want to bring Charlie into?" he asked me, his eyebrows raising as he put his can back up to his lips.
"Again, yes and no. I mean, I would love nothing more than to turn the clock back. Take going to school seriously and find a decent paying job here in Grapevine or Dallas. Support Charlie and our family, live a normal life where I can take her out in public and treat her like any girl should be treated. Shit that was always my dream whenever I thought of being with her" I smiled, thinking back to how I had our perfect house pictured in my head all those years ago. If I stayed there is no doubt in my mind we would be following in Mark and Casey's footsteps with a wedding.
"Why does it sound like there is a huge but that needs to be inserted there" he laughed.
"Probably because there is" I said, leaning forward in my seat as I rested my forearms on my thighs, both of my hands clasped around my beer can that hung between my knees, my gaze focused on the wooden dock underneath me. "What if it is her that can't deal with it and no matter how much she loves me she just wants out" I said shaking my head at the thought.
"Stoney, if she hasn't given up on your ass by now, I don't think anything is going to make her leave you" he laughed, crushing his beer can between his hands as he threw it into the garbage can that they placed on the dock years ago just for that purpose.
"I hope your right man, I can't lose her again. I finally manned the fuck up and got what I have always wanted and I'd be crushed if it all slipped away from me" I said, finishing off my cigarette, tossing the butt into my beer can as I crushed it between my hands and tossed it into the bin. I was just about to turn back around to look at the sun reflecting off of the large lake when I saw Charlie walk around the corner.
She looked even more stunning now then she did when we left the hotel this morning, although I would gamble greatly on the fact that something was weighing heavily on her mind. Even though she was smiling, the smile didn't match her eyes. They looked lost and scared. Knowing that here wasn't the place to ask her, I went along with her front. "Hey baby" I said as she walked over to me. I immediately held my arms out for her as she sank into my lap, her head instantly settling in the crook of my neck as her right hand searched for my left that I gave to her instantly as she tangled her fingers between mine. I turned and gave her a kiss on her head watching as her eyes fluttered closed as she snuggled in closer to me. "Charlie, you okay baby?" I asked, completely forgetting that here was not the place to ask her, but seeing her reaction I couldn't hold the question back until we got back to the room.
She looked up at me with a weak smile placing a kiss on my lips, moving her lips against mine softly as I started wrapping my arms around her holding her close to me. She pulled away from me quicker than I was ready for, my eyes still closed and my lips slightly parted as she spoke quietly. "I just missed you Austy, that's all" she said laying her head back down on my chest, her eyes focusing out on the activity that was happening out on the lake.
"Are you sure Charlie?" I asked her again. She nodded her head yes, her lips connecting with the skin on my neck. I don't know what it was, but something told me that I needed to get her back to the room and spend as much time with her as I possibly could just incase she was already starting to think about changing her mind. I let us sit there for a few minutes more, despite whatever was on her mind I was enjoying the feeling of just sitting here with her, wishing I could keep this moment forever.
"Austin?" she asked after several quite moments.
"Yeah baby?" I asked her softly, my right hand rubbing on her soft thigh as I rested my head on top of hers, taking in a deep breath as I realized how right this all felt.
"Can we go back to the hotel?" she asked me as if she was reading my mind, although her voice spoke in what sounded like an extremely sad tone. I lifted my head up off of hers, placing my index finger under her chin bringing her eyes up to look at me. Her eyes danced with mine as I kept my stare steady, trying to figure out just what was bothering her to the point that it was pulling all of the life out of her.
"Charlie, if something was bothering you, you would tell me right?" I asked her, tilting my head to the side and running the backs of my newly tattooed fingers over the soft skin of her neck. She shook her head yes as she licked her lips quickly, her eyes slowly drifting up to meet mine. "I love you Charlie and nothing is going to change that" I said to her, a smile coming across my face as I leaned in and pressed my lips firmly against her forehead. I could've been hearing things, or it could've been Casey's voice floating out through the open sliding door, but I would swear that I heard a soft I hope not being mumbled almost inaudibly from somewhere around me.
"Baby, did you say something?" I asked her, suddenly feeling stupid asking her the question. She looked up at me with an amused smile as she slowly shook her head back and forth, her one eyebrow raising slightly as she tilted her head to judge me.
"Are you sure you're feeling alright baby" she laughed wrapping her arms around me as she switched her position to straddle my lap, her head resting against my forehead as I brought my hands back to rest comfortably in the back pockets of her shorts. Maybe it was the shift of the attention being taken from her and now being put on me, but the sudden flip in her mood made me smile.
"I finally have my girl with me and my life finally feels like it is right and nothing is ever going to change that or keep me away from you again. So yes, I am absolutely fucking amazing baby" I smiled leaning in as I pressed my lips up against hers, pulling her into me as far as she would go, the both of us the only two existing in our own little world.
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A/N: Okay, so another chapter of what Austin and Charlie are really thinking now that they are away from each other. They seem to be on the same page about being devastated if either of them lost the other, but not quite on the same page for reasonings why. What do you think? Is he going to walk away and let everything go again or are they going to work it out?