"He's got secrets, but she forgot"
✿
Phoenix (yay!)
Bastard. I know what my brother is doing. He left to push me to talk to Aurora. I'm not mad though, there's something about this girl that just makes me want to pick her up and kiss the fuck outta her.
I can't imagine how she's coping after everything she's been through and I'm sure don't know half of it.
She's pregnant with that fucker's child, that tells me a lot about what she went through but by the look in her eyes I know she's survived much much more.
"Hey there!" I say as I approach them playing on a pool of sand. Dammit Phoenix that sounded too chirpy! Idiot.
"Hi!" Rora smiles. Such a beautiful smile. I want it imprinted on her face every minute of every single day.
"Hullo" my nephew says.
"Whatcha doing little guy?" I ask him
"Rowa is teaching me how to make poolies in the sand" he smiles and we both laugh.
I sit on the sand with them. I want to ask Rory how the pregnancy has been.
I know first hand how hard they can be for your partner after all...
"How are you feeling? I imagine the nausea is going away by now" I say and she looks up at me while filling a plastic toy with sand.
"Yeah nausea was a bitch, couldn't eat anything. I'm glad it's gone" she smiles and so do I.
"Would you prefer a boy or a girl?"
"As long as it's healthy I'll be happy but I'd love a little boy, maybe I'll have a girl in a few years and I'd like her to have a big brother"
Just what I said for mine...
"Yeah? If I had a girl I'd like her to have big brothers too, you seem to have an amazing relationship with yours" I say
"We do. It was that way since I met them, I didn't think I could warm up to them so fast. Well, except for Matheo he was a dick to me at first" we laugh
"When I met Zach we clicked immediately too, I guess it was a time when we both desperately needed someone" I say
"I'm really glad you two found each other, the Zach I met seemed...lost. Now he has a gleam in his eyes and I'm happy for it" she smiles wide while dumping some water on a giggling Eli.
"Me too, I don't know what I'd do without these two" I say messing with Eli's hair. He gets me back by throwing some sand at my chest.
I catch Aurora looking at the spot on my chest for too long. She blushes and looks away. So adorable.
Just like all those years ago...
"Can I ask, is your mom alive? I know Zachariah's isn't and I don't know how you found each other" she says
"My mom died when I was a baby, dad didn't want me so I was put in foster care" her eyes widen.
"Y-you were a foster kid too?" She says barely more than a whisper.
You already knew that, you just don't remember.
"Yes Rora, we've got more in common than you think. I'd like to know it all" I say and she smiles shyly.
You've got no idea how much of me you know...
"I'd like that too" we smile at each other for apparently too long because Eli clears his throat.
"I wanna play soccer with them" he says and runs to his father and the Brambellos.
"Want to wash off the sand?" I ask her because we're both covered in it. I know her brothers and dad are watching us warily but I don't care if I have to fight them all, this girl is gonna be my wife someday. I'm sure of it.
Damn Phoenix cocky much? I think
"Yeah" she gets up and walks into the water. She's got such a body. She's beautiful, she doesn't need a tiny waist with huge hips or a big ass to look pretty.
Her flowy hair looks so soft, I want to run my fingers through it. Her body is just perfect, everything is the right size for her figure. Even if she didn't have the full breasts, the round ass and the little waist...she'd be the perfect girl for me.
Stop thinking about her body perv! I'm glad I'm chest deep into the water so my dick is covered.
"It's so delicious" she moans
What?
"Huh?"
"The water. It's warm and so good"
Oh, I'm an idiot. A fucking perverted idiot.
"It is, I've always loved the beach. One of my foster parents used to take me and the other fosters every few months" I say
"I had never been to one until I got here" she says
"I'm sorry" I tell her
"Don't be, everything was as it was supposed to be to get me here"
"You are right. Do you resent your life before meeting your family?" I ask her
She bites her lip and thinks it over.
"Umm, I mean I do wish everything had gone differently and I resent certain people but I wouldn't change it for anything. Even if I have to go through all the pain, I'd do it again if it got me my little nugget" she says rubbing her bump.
I smile. I know the feeling.
"It must be nice, to be able to look forward to being a parent and knowing your baby is gonna be yours forever" I say thinking of what I lost.
"It is, before knowing I was pregnant I never imagined I would have the chance of having a family of my own, who would want me after being so...broken? But now I've got my kid and that's enough" she says
"You're not broken Aurora, maybe you were once but you've pieced yourself back together and you didn't need a man to do that. There's always gonna be bits and pieces you won't be able to fix, but what's the light without the darkness?"
Her eyes water a little, barely noticeable.
"I guess I have but, what if I never find someone who won't treat me as if I were damaged goods? Like I'll never be capable of giving them what they want because I don't know if I can" she says
"Believe me Rora anyone would be the luckiest to have you. If they don't understand you need time to heal before you give your everything to them, then he's not the one for you"
"And what if they don't accept the fact that I don't even know if I can be..intimate?"
"Like I said, he or she is not the one. It would never be your fault gorgeous, it's their loss. A relationship should never be based on sex, if that's not something you are ready to give them it is completely fine" I hold her cheek carefully and she leans into my touch.
She's about to say something when someone harshly whistles. We look over at the rest.
"Hands off bastardo!" Matheo yells with his hands on the sides of his mouth.
"Vaffanculo!" I yell back and laugh. Matheo shows me the middle finger and the all keep playing. Theo and I have become good friends the past few days.
"You know Italian?" Aurora asks me and I turn back to her.
"Only the best insults" I smirk and she laughs.
"Do you?" I ask.
"I understand it but I've never spoken it, I do know Spanish and Portuguese though"
"That's impressive, I learnt French in school but I can't really remember much" we laugh
"Are you studying something in college?" She asks me.
"I started social work two years ago. I work online with an agency, I've specialized in doing background checks. You'd be surprised how many couples I've caught only fostering for the money or to use the kids in many different ways"
"Wow. It's amazing you're helping those like us" she says while we make our way back do the tents we'd set up.
"You're still in highschool right? What do you want to study?" I ask
"Oh umm I finished highschool a while back and I'm finishing a course in physical therapy, I'm specializing in pediatrics" she says
What the...
"Now that's impressive, I finished with highschool fast but I just finished my career. You're 17 and almost done with your studies. Damn girl" I say and she laughs.
We get to the tent and I grab us both Coke's from the cooler. I hand her hers and her eyes light up.
"We don't get to have these in foster homes huh" I say and she nods
"Yeah it's always water and orange juice, you're lucky if you get milk in the morning"
We share knowing looks. Her family is still watching, it gives Zach an advantage to take the ball from Atlas, he scores and they all turn back to the game.
"What were you gonna say before Matheo interrupted?" I ask.
She blushes and looks away.
"Oh it was nothing really"
"Don't lie to me Ro, I know you wanted to ask something important"
"I was going to ask...would you?"
"Would I what?"
"Be patient, and help me or someone who needed time to determined how..sexual things can be"
"Of course" I answer immediately without hesitation.
"What if it can never get to sex?"
"Then I wouldn't care, I've had only sex based relationships before and Rora it means nothing. I've had my fair share of sex and it's never been it for me"
"Do you like, not like it?"
"Oh no I do, a lot. But it's been about the release and never the person. I want it to be about my girl, I want the connection with someone without it being necessarily sexual"
"So, i-if you were to be with someone who's gone through something like me..would you be okay with helping her heal?"
"No"
"No?"
"No Rora, I don't want it to be someone else. I'd do it with you, I'd go down that road for as long as it takes with you. No one but you. I want to be with you Aurora, let's stop with the rodeos and be direct. I like you"
She stares at me for so long I'm afraid I said too much too soon. She finally speaks.
"I like you too.."
"But..?" There's always a but
"But how can you want to be with me when you are in for a life long situation, you'd have to be a parent Phoenix. I won't date you if it isn't for a life long ride, I can't risk my baby getting attached to a father figure for him to go away when he wants to"
"I wouldn't want that either, I want you and I want this baby. I don't care the little one isn't mine, I've always wanted to be a dad. If I never found a wife I would've adopted and I'd be a single dad. I want it all, the long nights and early mornings, the poop, the tantrums the laughs. I want it all Rora and I want it to be with you"
"But how? You've known me for days and you already want to be in it for life?"
"Rora I can't believe you don't remember me" I whisper. I close my eyes. I didn't want to get into this yet.
"W-what do you mean?"
"You were 11, I was 13. Matilde Ferguson's only girls group home. It was a big building, on the other side of it was Richard Ferguson's only boys home. Separated by big double doors. Remember we weren't allowed to visit one another's homes? Girls couldn't mix with boys and viceversa?"
"Y-yeah" she says shaking a little. I know why she doesn't want to remember that home, it wasn't any better than Rodrigo's
"Let's go for a walk" I say and take her hand, leading her away from everyone.
We walk for a while until I find what I was looking for, I help her up until we're on top of a pile of rocks. The water hits the ones under it. We're pretty high so the water doesn't reach us. There are little crabs running around.
"Matilde and Richard, they were ruthless people. I'm sorry for making you remember it Rora, I wish I could forget too" I say
"It's okay. I've blocked the memories from those four years but, I need to know" she says
"They had the underground rooms for the ones who didn't reach the good behavior list for the month. That's the one time we mixed besides holidays. Not many kids were unfortunate enough to be stuck there for the whole month"
I pause to make sure she's following what I'm saying.
"It was a big room with about 4 cells, a tiny bed and a toilet inside each. That Christmas one of the kids stole a present from another one and the one whose present was stolen was the one punished"
I suppress the urge to shudder
"Matilde was about to burn the girl's hands with an iron even though it wasn't her who stole it but you intervened and accidentally burned Matilde on the arm"
I still remember how brave she looked despite being one of the smallest girls in there
"She hit you plenty of times in front of the 25 kids we were at the moment. I remember it being 12 girls and 13 boys. I couldn't take it anymore, you were always nice to all of us, you played with the young ones and helped the eldest with chores"
She was always so sweet and caring...
"Richard wasn't there so I didn't think I'd be punished. I would've done it regardless of it. Matilde took the cane and hit you with it. I lost it and grabbed you, put you behind me but you were too weak so one of the kids had to help you lay down"
The image of her frail body falling down to the floor will never leave my mind.
"I don't think you were able to see me, you probably even fainted. I grabbed the cane and pushed Matilde back"
I couldn't let Aurora be hurt anymore, least of all with a cane.
"The rest is a blur, Richard caned me in the back 7 times. Afterwards we were both out in the cells but we couldn't see each other because the brick wall separated the cells"
I still have the scars in my back, I wipe one of Rora's tears from her cheek. She's remembering the place but I don't think she quite knows exactly who I am yet.
"The beds were pressed against that wall and they told us we were to stay there for 3 months."
I see the recognition shine in her eyes. She looks over at me and says..
"Samuel?"
✿
A/N
Hiiiii. Guys I'm so excited to have so many reads! It's something I definitely didn't expect.
Thank you all seriously I probably would've given up on publishing parts a while ago if it weren't for the increasing reads!
What do you all think about Phoenix's revelation? By the way his name is Phoenix but he introduced himself as Samuel because it's his second name. The rest will be explained.
I'm gonna eat and continue the next chapter so don't worry it'll be up soon!
I love you all ❤️