Hey guys! Brand new chapter for you...I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always please comment/vote! Ok guys, on with the chapter.... :)
Photo: Julie (Noah's mum)
Song: Send Me On My way, by Rusted Root
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Noah POV:
I led down on the dock with my feet dangling over the edge, dipped in to the cool water. The sun was beating down with such ferocity that I had to shield my eyes. JJ was led down on my left, his arm bands still strapped on just above his elbows. Turning to face him, I saw that his blonde hair was still wet, brushed back and away from his forehead. Smiling, I reached over and poked him in the ribs.
"You're not falling asleep are you little man?" I asked, poking him a second time. "We can't lay here for too long, we'll get sun burnt."
"Stop poking me," he muttered, looking at me and sticking out his tongue. "I'm sun bathing."
"All right Mr. Grumpy," I laughed, turning and facing the other side.
My eyes caught sight of Lily stretched out beside me, her legs dangling off the dock just like mine were. Her towel was folded under her head and her eyes were closed. Shifting on to my side, I leant my head on my elbow and watched her. My gaze travelled to her lips for a brief second, before moving down to her breasts that were covered by the flimsy blue material of the costume. I ached to reach out and touch her the way I'd been longing too since I first saw her come out from the house, but I held myself back when I was reminded of JJ's presence when he sneezed behind me.
"Bless you," I said without looking over my shoulder.
"Thanks."
As I nodded, I couldn't help but move my gaze downwards, towards her toned legs. The thigh slits of the costume were ridiculously high, showing off every inch (not that I was complaining). I had to physically restrain myself so I wouldn't reach out and stroke her the way I wanted too. Sighing in resignation, knowing that the time wasn't right, I flopped back down on to my back and closed my eyes. Suddenly I felt a hand stroke my side lightly, so much so that I wasn't even sure if I had imagined it. Opening one eye, I turned toward Lily and saw her grinning at me, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"So you finally finished checking me out, huh?" She whispered, still stroking my side.
"Nope," I whispered back, shuffling closer so our sides were touching. "I haven't seen nearly as much of you as I'd like too. The costume's in the way..."
She laughed softly, her breath tickling my ear. "Pervert."
"Only with you, honey," I grinned, winking at her. "And hey, it goes both ways. I see you checking me out when you think I'm not watching."
"I do not!" She huffed, although I could hear the affection in her voice. "You just have a big ego, that's all."
I burst out laughing as she sighed, a reluctant smile appearing on her lips. "You're such a charmer," I retorted, reaching out and taking her hand.
Her fingers entwined with mine and I leant over and kissed her lightly on the lips, before resting my head back down on the dock. Glancing back over to JJ, I frowned when I realised he wasn't there anymore. I had been so engrossed in Lily, that I hadn't even noticed he was gone. Sitting up, I scanned the garden and breathed a sigh of relief as he appeared from the back door with Sammy trailing lazily behind him.
"There you are!" I shouted, waving at him. "I'd thought you'd vanished, or teleported."
"I can't teleport silly," he giggled, continuing to walk back towards the dock where Lily and I were. "But dad got me some Top Trumps. Would you play with me?"
Lily sat up beside me and ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her forehead. I smiled as I looked at her. Her cheeks were red from lying out in the sun, and so was the tip of her nose. She looked damn cute. I caught her eye and nodded in JJ's direction.
"Whaddya say?" I asked, "Up for a little card game with the big man."
"Of course," she smiled, just as JJ reached the dock and stood next to us.
I couldn't help but grin as I looked up at JJ standing there looking so serious, still wearing his arm bands and the red swimming trunks that were too big for him. "Come here, little man," I motioned, taking off his arm bands when he stretched out his arms. "Ok, well let's get these cards out shall we?"
He nodded happily and stepped over to Lily. "It's best with two people," he said. "But we can be a team and beat Noah."
"Oh," I joked, trying to looked annoyed. "So I have to play against both of you? That's not really fair, is it?"
JJ grinned and plopped himself down in Lily's lap, holding the box up so it was right against her face. "See, we can beat him, can't we?"
"Sure we can!" She laughed, pulling a face at me as JJ began taking the cards out of the box. "He's not all that smart."
I smiled as I stared at the two of them laughing and trying to sort out the cards. Lily's arms were around JJ's bare waist as she split them in to two piles, with JJ trying to help despite messing up when he tried to count how many cards there were. I could see that my little brother was completely enamored of Lily, something that didn't surprise me in the slightest. After all, she was the kind of girl that anybody could fall in love with. It just so happened that she had chosen me, something which still baffled me as I watched her.
"Ready!" JJ said happily, handing me half of the cards, almost dropping them in the process. "Me and Lily are so gonna beat you."
"Oh really?" I smirked, "Well we'll just see about that. You know I'm the American champion of Top Trumps right?"
I had to fight a smile as JJ looked at me in awe. "Really?" He asked, still too young to understand sarcasm. "But we're two people, you can't beat two!"
"I can," I nodded as Lily whispered something in to JJ's ear. "But don't worry, I'll take it easy on you little man."
"You're not the champion!" He shouted suddenly, folding his arms and glaring at me in that cute way only kids could do. "Lily told me. She says you suck at cards."
Cocking an eyebrow, I glanced at Lily and saw her biting her lip, obviously trying to stop the giggling fit that would most probably erupt at any minute. "So, I suck huh?"
She just nodded, rolling her bottom lip in to her mouth as I smirked at her. Shaking my head in mock disapproval, I sorted my cards and got my game face on. Sure, I was playing my kid brother and my girlfriend, but that didn't mean I couldn't wipe the floor with them!
"Hey guys!" Jackie's voice suddenly boomed from the top of the garden as I layed down the first card on the wooden floor. "We're back. Shopping's done and Rich is just bringing all my stuff in to the house."
"Hey Jackie!" Lily shouted, waving as she made her way down to us.
JJ immediately jumped off of Lily's lap and sprinted towards Jackie. She lifted him up when he reached her and balanced him on her hip, smiling at him. "So what have you guys been doing since we've been gone?" She asked him, glancing towards Lily and I as we made our way over.
"Noah and Lily took me swimming in the lake," he beamed. "And we were playing Top Trumps until you came. Lily was on my team."
"Oh, she was on your team, was she?" Jackie said, and I could tell that she was still amazed at how JJ had bonded with Lily so quickly. It really was extraordinary. "Well sorry to interrupt guys, but once Rich has unloaded all my stuff, you and dad have to pack your suits and an overnight bag and go with him."
"Now?" I mumbled, thinking I was going to be leaving tonight. "But - "
"No buts!" Jackie scolded, looking at me like I was stupid. "The wedding's tomorrow and I need time to relax and have some bonding time with mum and Lily before the nerves completely take over."
"Do I have to go?" JJ asked, squirming out of her arms and hopping to the floor.
"No buddy," Jackie smiled. "You're the only man that gets to stay in this house tonight, only because we like you the best!"
"Yay!" he grinned happily, before running back up to the house with a satisfied look in his face.
"Looks like you better go and get dressed, and pack your stuff together," Lily said, wrapping the towel around her waist. "You'll be leaving soon."
"What she said," Jackie nodded, "Now go and get ready. You'll be leaving in ten."
Sighing loudly, I walked back up to the house dejectedly as Jackie and Lily chatted at the bottom of the garden. No doubt about the plans for tonight and their girly activities. On the bright side, I would get to spend some time with my father and Dick, but really I was annoyed at having to leave Lily so early. I was hoping we could have spent some time on our own before I had to leave. We could have taken a drive to a secluded part of the lake, taken a blanket. Lily could have slipped off her...
"Hey son," my dads voice said suddenly, startling me from my thoughts. "How are you this morning? Is Lily settling in okay?"
I nodded, trying to regain my composure as the image of Lily wearing absolutely nothing kept running through my mind. Clearing my throat, I ran my hand through my hair and smiled. "She's settling in great. She loves it here. And she's very fond of JJ."
"I can tell," my dad said, still looking as surprised as Jackie had done. "You know there's something special about her. Maybe JJ can see it. I mean I've never seen anything like it. I know he's only seven, but maybe my boy's just a good judge of character. Like you son."
"She is something," I agreed, patting him on the shoulder and walking past, aiming for the stairs. "Thanks for making her so welcome. I know you didn't actually believe me when I said I had really met someone."
"Can you blame me?" he responded, frowning at me. "You spent your teens picking up every girl you could. I'll be honest with you son, I was disappointed."
"I know," I mumbled, recalling the numerous talks my father had had with me when I was around eighteen. I had been stubborn, and too damn arrogant to listen, something which I still regretted. "But maybe that was all meant to happen. So I could meet Lily, and she could change me."
"Maybe son," my father smiled, "Well whatever happens, you treat that girl right, won't you."
"Dad, that girl is the most important thing in the world to me," I said honestly, noticing the look of understanding on his face. "She's the one I'm meant to be with."
He walked over and patted me on the shoulder. "I understand," he said, before stepping towards the front door that was wide open.
"You do?" I questioned.
"Of course," he smiled kindly. "After all, what you're feeling now, that's exactly how I felt when I met your mother."
As he stepped out of the door and disappeared from sight, I could hear him chatting with Dick as they unloaded Jackie's stuff from the car. Smiling to myself, I ran up the stairs and cried out when I crashed straight in to my mum, almost sending her to the floor. I grabbed her arms and kept her upright as she looked up at me with a dazed look on her face.
"Sorry mum," I winced, dropping my arms when she seemed to regain her composure. "Didn't see you there."
"Well of course you didn't bloody see me," she scolded, slapping me on the arm. "You shouldn't run up the stairs like that. It's bad enough I have to tell JJ about three times a day, but you're twenty-one Noah."
I just stared as she ranted at me, practically without taking a single breath in between. Reaching out, I took hold of her hand and smiled slightly. "Just breathe," I said, knowing the importance of tomorrow was getting to her. "Everything's going to be fine. The wedding is going to go off without a problem and tomorrow Jackie is going to be having the best day of her life. So relax, you're okay!"
She released a breath and nodded, trying to calm herself down. "You're right," she sighed. "Sorry honey, you know how I get. I start thinking about everything that could go wrong and then that just stresses me out further. It's just that Jackie has worked so hard on it and I couldn't bare it if - "
I leant down and kissed her on the cheek, stopping her mid sentence. "Well don't think about it mum." I smiled. "Just have a great time tonight without us men folk around. Now I have to go and get dressed and get my stuff together. If I'm not ready in ten minutes, Jackie will probably whack me in the face with a frying pan or something."
"Ok, I'll see you downstairs to say goodbye," she laughed, before disappearing around the corner.
As I passed JJ's door, I could hear him watching TV so I carried on and walked in to mine and Lily's bedroom. We were staying in my childhood room, and every time I stepped in to it, my mind flashed back to all the happy times I had spent there; sticking tons of glow in the dark stars all over my ceiling (which were still there), playing the guitar as I sat by the window overlooking the lake, putting up all of the movie posters that covered one entire wall. Smiling to myself, I stepped over and grabbed hold of my duffel bag which was under the double bed and I rushed around the room, packing everything I would need. After getting dressed and grabbing my suit, I ran downstairs and out in to the drive way where everyone was talking by the car.
"Well it's about time, college boy," Lily smiled. "We'd all thought you got lost up there."
"Ha ha!" I said sarcastically, marching up to the car and throwing my stuff in the back. "Hey Dick, how's it going?"
"It's going good my man," he grinned, slapping me on the shoulder. "My last night of freedom."
"It sure is," Jackie grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him lightly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Of course," he whispered, kissing her again before stepping back and leaning against the car.
As we all said our goodbye's, I pulled Lily over to one side and out of earshot of the others. "Will you be okay?" I asked, worried that she would be nervous spending time with my family on her own.
But as I looked at her, I knew even before I had finished the question that she would be fine. "Are you kidding?" she smiled. "It's going to be great. I'm looking forward to spending some time with Jackie and JJ. And getting to know your mum a little better too."
"Good," I said, surprised as I felt a ripple of bewilderment shoot through me. "So does that mean you won't miss me at all?"
She burst out laughing as I just stood there, my brows furrowing. "Who knew you were such a softie college boy," she smirked, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me on the lips for a brief second before pulling back.
"Like hell that's all I'm getting," I growled, wrapping my arms and pulling her against me.
I knew I shouldn't have with my father and Dick sat waiting in the car, and mum and Jackie standing by the front door waiting for us to leave, But I couldn't help it. If I wasn't going to see her until tomorrow evening, then I needed a proper kiss. After a minute, we both came up for air and Lily's cheeks were bright red.
"I can't believe you just did that in front of your parents," she whispered, smoothing down her trousers and glaring at me.
"Well you couldn't have minded too much," I smirked. "You kissed me back."
She sighed and shook her head. "Just get going will you?" she smiled. "You're holding everyone up."
"Okay okay," I muttered, my eyes widening when Lily stepped forward and placed her mouth next to my ear, something which I wasn't expecting.
"I'll miss you tonight," she breathed, her breath fanning over my ear and sending goosebumps down my body. "All alone in your bed. And it's supposed to be hot tonight. I may just have to sleep completely naked."
I shut my eyes and groaned, feeling the lust coursing through me as I pictured her lying there, wearing absolutely nothing. "Why do you tease me so?" I murmured, wishing I didn't have to leave.
She laughed softly and turned around, walking back to my mother and Jackie before I could do anything to stop her. Grumbling under my breath, I stomped over to the car just as my father had stuck his head out of the passenger side window.
"Get a bloody move on will you?" He yelled. "We haven't got all day!"
Taking one last look at Lily, I got in the car, shutting the door rather forcefully (maybe a little harder than necessary, my annoyance at not spending the night with Lily increasing by the second). As the car began to pull out of the drive, I looked over my shoulder to see the three of them waving at us. And as my eyes caught Lily's, she winked.
Damn, I thought. It's going to be a long night.
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Lily POV (7 hours later):
I snuggled in to the corner of the sofa happily, glancing around the living room. JJ's toys were scattered all over the floor, and I couldn't help but smile. The little kid was special and he reminded me of Hannah, my little sister back in Indiana. Being in a home so filled with love made me miss her even more, Aunt Flo too, but I knew I'd visit them soon. The only thing I had to do before then was ask Noah to go with me. I knew how excited he was for me to meet his family, and now, I wanted him to meet mine.
The old wooden door to the room squeaked open and Sammy came wandering in, followed closely by JJ. The Labrador strolled lazily over to me and collapsed in a heap by my feet, almost instantly going to sleep. Smiling up at JJ, I noticed that he had gotten changed in to his Spider Man pyjamas.
"Hey buddy," I said, patting the cushion next to me. "I thought you were reading comics in your room."
"I was, but I wanted to come down. I was hungry."
He walked over and sat down down next to me, cuddling right up to my side. There was a blanket thrown over the arm of the sofa so I picked it up and placed it over the both of us. JJ yawned and leaned in to me, looking up with those gorgeous blue eyes of his, identical to his brothers. Smiling, I lifted my arm up and he snuggled in even closer, his eyes shutting as he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders.
"Are you tired little man?" I asked, rubbing his shoulder. "It's almost eight, maybe you should go up to bed, huh?"
"I don't wanna," he protested weakly, patting the sofa beside him.
I watched as Sammy immediately jumped up and spread out, taking almost half of it to himself. In a matter of seconds, both Sammy and JJ were fast asleep, their snores echoing around the spacious living room. Glancing over towards the door, I heard footsteps coming from the hallway.
"Hey, we've got the - " Jackie said, trailing off when she caught sight of me cuddled up next to JJ, with Sammy laying flat on his back with his legs in the air.
I shrugged, smiling slightly. "JJ's asleep," I whispered, pointing down at him. "Sammy too."
"That's alright," Julie said, moving past Jackie and stepping in to the living room. "An earthquake could happen right now and he'd just sleep through it. Sammy too for that matter."
Jackie walked past and they both took a seat on the sofa opposite, placing the bottle of wine and the three glasses on the table. It all seemed so normal, with Julie laughing as she attempted to open the wine. JJ snoring softly beside me as his dog whimpered, probably dreaming of chasing rabbits through a field, or something like that. It was a scene that most families experienced but it was all the more special to me, seeing as it was the first time I was living it.
"Do you want some wine, Lily?" Jackie smiled, passing me a glass despite not having waited for the answer. "It's good stuff, and it's the perfect time too. Calms the nerves."
I nodded and reached out for the glass, trying not to wake up JJ, who snores had gotten increasingly louder. Settling back in to the sofa, I took a sip of the wine and sighed. "That's some good stuff right there," I said contentedly.
"I should hope so," Julie giggled, taking a sip of her wine too. "I stole it from Pierce's private stash that he thinks I don't know about."
"You didn't?" Jackie laughed, sitting back and putting her feet on the oak table between the two sofas. "I can't believe you did that!"
"Will he mind?" I asked.
"Don't be silly," she smiled, waving her hand at me. "My daughter's getting married tomorrow so what better time than to drink it right now."
"Amen!" Jackie agreed, holding up her glass and clinking it against her mother's. "It's calming the nerves already, just like I said."
I glanced down as JJ shuffled beside me, moving so his head was in my lap, and his feet were curved around Sammy. Leaning forward, I placed the glass on the table and leant back, stroking JJ's hair as he continued to snore softly. After a minute, I looked up to find Julie and Jackie both staring at me, looks of fascination on both of their faces.
"I still can't get over it," Julie whispered, leaning forward. "I've never seen him like this before."
"Me too," Jackie said. "I mean I can remember a couple of months ago, I took him to the stables where I work, thinking he'd love to ride one of the horses. He did, he loved it. But the instructor who was there to help him couldn't get a single word out of him. And then you come along, and he's laughing and playing with you in a single day. How do you do it?"
As the words left her mouth, a warm feeling spread throughout my body. I had grown really fond of JJ in the short time I had known him, and I was glad that he seemed to feel the same way. "I don't know, I said honestly, not quite knowing why I should be any different to anyone else. "Maybe it's because I have a sister the same age."
"Oh, you have a sister?" Julie smiled, topping up her glass with more wine. "Noah didn't tell us that. In fact, he hasn't told us much about you at all."
I nodded, knowing why Noah hadn't. He knew how hard it was for me to talk about my life, and my past so he had left it up to me. I would thank him later for that. "She's five years old," I smiled fondly, thinking about her cute button nose and curly blonde hair. "But she's not technically my sister, but I think of her as one."
"So, she's your....." Jackie said, trailing off.
"Hannah's my cousin. I live with my Aunty now."
"What about your parents?" Julie asked, smiling at me kindly. "You don't live with them?"
I took a deep breath, knowing that I didn't have anything to be ashamed about .Something that Noah had taught me. "My mother died when I was little, I don't eally have many memories of her. And - my father died, um, when I was sixteen."
Julie gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I was just -"
"It's okay," I smiled sadly, reaching for the wine glass and taking a big gulp, trying to pluck up the courage to be honest with them. "My father was a mean man, to everyone but to me especially. I don't want to go in to the details, but he hurt me, in more ways than one."
I risked a glance up and saw the concern in Jackie's eyes. My mind flashed back to that day in the store when I had bought the dress. I had told her my father had died, but not what type of man he was. Taking a breath, I continued. "So when I was sixteen, I ran away to my Aunt's house and she took me in, no questions asked. Hannah was just a baby then, and she's grown up with me. Biologically we may not be sisters, but I think of her as one. Soon after my father died. And I didn't even go to his funeral."
They both stared at me, and I could see the tears in Julie's eyes. She was looking at me with compassion, the same look Noah had given me when he had learned the truth. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, trying to discreetly wipe her eyes.
"I can't believe that happened to you," Jackie muttered, staring in to her wine glass.
"It's ok," I smiled, realising that finally, I was coming to terms with it. "You know, Mrs Davis. When I first met your son, I didn't realise how special he was. He's helped me deal with a lot of things. You should be very proud of him."
She just nodded and sniffed quietly. "I want to thank you Lily," she smiled. "He may have helped you, but you've helped Noah too. Before he met you, he was a different man. When he walked through my door yesterday, I didn't even have to ask him what he felt about you. It was plain to see."
"That's good," I laughed, trying to forget about my father. Whenever I spoke of him, his memory always lingered, no matter how hard I fought against it. "Anyway, that's enough of that...."
They both laughed and nodded, with Julie wiping her eyes again. "We were supposed to be getting drunk on wine and gossiping," Jackie smiled, walking around to top up my wine glass. "Not sitting here crying like a bunch of old ladies."
"Well let's change the subject," I said, smiling as JJ rolled over and continued snoring. "Jackie, I want to know everything. What the hotel's like, how your doing your hair and how excited you are!"
She beamed and began talking so fast that I had to strain to keep up. Her excitement was contagious, and soon Julie and I were laughing and joking, giving suggestions about the big day. And as I was sat there, drinking wine and listening to the pair of them giggling, things seemed perfect.
I smiled and leant back, wrapping my arm around a slumbering JJ as the three of us talked, with the sun going down outside.