Lacey's POV
I walked Amelia to the car as her body continue to shake., Her sobs subsided but I could still see the fear in her eye hearing that Morgen would be letting Brad go. Opening the car door for her, I helped her get buckle in, before walking around the car and slipping into the driver's seat.
"I know you're afraid, love, but I promise you he will never hurt you or take advantage of you again." I said trying to put her mind at ease as I started the car to get the heat going.
"If you weren't with me today I'm not sure what would have happened." Tears streaked her face.
"Until he's put away, I'll never leave you by yourself again," I promised.
"You knew what he did?" she whispered, "and you still want to be with me," she questioned as she trembled in her seat. I slipped my jacket off and draped it across her.
"I will always want to be with you, " I said brushing her hair away from her face so I could look at her. "Look at me Lia, " I asked as she hesitantly looked at me but not meeting my eyes. I let out a slow breath what happened to her wasn't her fault and I knew no matter what anyone said she'd still partly blame herself for it happening. "Amelia, " I whispered lifting her chin so I could look into her eyes. "I-I love you, I am in love with you. I know we've only known each other for a short time but I do." I said wiping her tears with the pad of my thumb. "I am yours for as long as you'll have me, and even then my heart will always belong to you."
She wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me as far as our seat belts would allow, and continued to cry once again, this time, I hoped they were tears of happiness. " I love you too Lay," She mumbled into my neck.
The ride home was silent, I kept my right hand on hers until pulling into the driveway. "why did Morgan let him go?" she finally spoke
"I can't really go into details, but he's part of a bigger investigation, we came across some video while searching his apartment and the drugs he used. " I answered. "We've been working on this for months now." I sighed. "you are not the only one they have done this to."
She looked at me shocked, "W-why is he still coming after me?"
"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you dated his brother, or maybe I cause this when I found you that night," I said honestly. "But he will not hurt you again, he can't release that video without implicating himself."
"Ok," she nodded. "I trust you." I smiled and exited the car making my way around to help her out. She leaned into me once she exited and pulled me down and gave me a quick kiss. "Let's go pack for the trip." She smiled, causing me to groan.
By seven, the next morning Morgan and I packed up the SUV. "You ready for this trip?" she asked
"No," I grumbled. "If he finds out you've been dating Lauren..."
"Don't worry about us, Lace, you keep your temper in check," she lectured. "Remember you're not that weak little girl that left all those years ago. And frankly I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees you," she said flexing like the hulk making me laugh.
There was a flash followed by giggles heard behind us. We turned seeing our girls grinning. "Hot damn De Luca!" Lauren said as she bit her lower lip strutting over to run her hands over Morgan's arms.
"Oh god, I do not need to be seeing this." I groaned clenching my eyes closed." Get in, let's go. I grumbled. "Nah-uh," I said grabbing Morgan by her coat. "Front seat, I'm not spending the next six hours listening to you and my sister making out."
After three hours of driving, we stopped for some lunch at a little diner in Indianapolis, before Morgan and I switched places, the girls fell asleep not long after. "So how are you really feeling about being home after all these years?" Morgan asked
I shrugged, "I'm more concerned with Lauren and my mom. I hate that he treats me the way he does but he's Laurens dad." I said looking back at my sister. "She doesn't need to know what kind of animal he really is."
"Your sister loves you, Lace, She's known you longer than she's known him and had she known sooner..."
My head turned to her quickly. I knew that tone, "What did you do Morgan?" I whisper shouted.
"It's not her fault Lace," Lauren spoke up from behind. "I knew there was more to it the Jackie situation that you never wanting to go back to Columbus. I forced her to tell me."
"Forced?" I argued "she a trained soldier we are trained to withhold information during integration."
"Have you seen your sister?" Morgan said leaning toward me a bit. "She's so damn hot, I...... ow!" she yelped when my hand contacted the back of her head.
"Lace," Lauren chided. "You should have told me, or mom for that matter." Her eyes welled up with tears. "All those years you suffered."
"What did you want me to do?" I shot back "all I ever heard growing up was how you wished we had a father, I just couldn't be the blame for you losing him." I barely whispered. Morgan pulled into a rest stop and got out Lauren quickly jumped between the seats and into my lap. I leaned my head on her shoulder and cried.
"It's ok Lace," she cooed, "everything will be fine. It's always been us, you, me and mom and it always will." I nodded and wiped my tears. I looked our towards the restrooms seeing Amelia with Morgan not realizing she got out. "She loves you, you know," Lauren said nodding towards Amelia. "I think deep down she always has, even before meeting you in person."
"Well. I think you have Morgan whipped if you could get her to spill my secrets, she's never told anyone." I smiled.
"It's our Crawford charm." She smiled back. One thing I was grateful for was our mother never took that bastard last name. Thank god we don't take after the James family." she chuckled reading my mind.
"I knew this was going to be an emotional journey back home but I never knew it would start before we got there." I laughed wiping the tears back. "Let's go get our girls." I hugged my sister before getting out of the Vehicle.
'if you only knew' I heard her whisper before walking off. I watched as Lauren walked into the waiting arms of Morgan. I remembered back to the other day at the mall when I found out they were dating, I guess if anyone would take care of my sister it would be Morgan, of course, I had threatened to kill her if she ever hurt her. Though I can tell by the way she looks at her, my sister had captured my Captains' heart.
I was pulled from my thought by my angelic beauty. "Baby, is everything alright?"
I leaned down and swiftly picked her up making her squeal as she wrapped her legs around my waist. "Everything is perfect now." I said pecking her lips quickly. "we've got two more hours to go how about you sit in the front with me." she smiled and nodded and the four of us made our way back to the SUV.
Eight hours after we left Chicago we grabbed our bags and checked into the Holiday Inn a few blocks from our old neighborhood. "I'm starving, " Amelia whined while she buried her head into my chest as we waited for the elevator.
"You think Looney's is still open?" Lauren asked as we stepped into the elevator, it was our favorite hangout during high school. The place was always packed with teenagers on the weekend or after football or other home games.
"It's called Tooney's" I laughed "All these years and you never get the name right," she shrugged, "we can check but I'd probably be comfortable somewhere else." Remembering all the time Jackie and I spent there.
"It's the closest place and I'm starving too," She grumbled giving me a pleading look.
"Fine, Fine. We'll meet downstairs in twenty I want a quick shower." I conceded.
We stepped off the elevator and headed right while Lauren and Morgan went left to their room. I placed the bags down on the bed and made my way to the shower. A few minutes later the shower curtain was pulled back giving me a pleasant view a very beautiful and very naked redhead. "I can't believe you thought twenty minutes would be enough," she said pushing me back against the wall as she slowly kissed my neck.
"Mmm." I moaned. "We better make this quick then." I replied flipping us so she was now pressed up against the wall as I dropped to my knees. "appetizers are always best served before the meal." I murmured before burying my head between her legs.
Forty minutes later we were exiting the elevator to face a scowling Lauren and a grinning Morgan. "I'm famished, " I announced, "How bout you love?" I asked a blushing Amelia ignoring Laurens ranting. The dinner was a few block down so we decided to walk it was chilly but, at least, there wasn't any snow on the ground. Reaching the dinner, we noticed it was now called Coach J's.
"Coach J's" Lauren whined. "see you two took so long that even the dinner changed ownership. She pouted causing the rest of us to laugh. "Now what? I was looking forward to their famous cheeseburger?" her whining continued.
"Look, hun, new owner same great food." Morgan read as she pointed out to a sign on the door. Laurens' eyes lit up and face broke out into a grin making us laugh again.
The dinner looked the same except the walls were lined with photos of the different high schools sports teams, there was a trophy case against one wall with many championship trophies. "Looks like the school's athletic department has improved," I mumbled I've always had problems with the jocks in the school unlike Jackie who was on the softball team and Lauren who was a cheerleader. A sign on the far wall caught my attention. 'Bullying will not be tolerated!' at least, some things have changed.
We made our way to a large round table in the back. "do we need something this big?" I asked.
"I called mom, she'll be here soon," Lauren replied as I raised a brow in question, not really ready for the reunion. "Don't worry he's not coming she smiled." I let out a breath and picked up the menu that was placed in front of me.
"Lacey?" a voice called causing me to look up, Lacey"? she cried as she wrapped her arm around me pulling me to my feet.
"H-hi mom," I shuddered as I stood there rubbing the back of my neck tensely. It's been almost seven years since I've seen my mother her blond hair starting to gray, her once vibrant blue eyes a lighter shade then I remembered. I gave in and wrapped my arms around my mother pulling her in. "I've misses you, mom."
"I've missed you to Lace," She said wiping the tears from her eyes. "Hi baby," she turned to Lauren who was now standing along with Morgan. "Thanks for calling me," she smiled. "This must be Morgan." She said pulled Morgan into a hug and whispered: "thank you for taking care of my girls."
I felt an arm reaching around my waist as Amelia leaned into me a smile across her tear stained face. I draped my arm over her shoulder and placed a kiss on her forehead before turning back to my mother. "Mom, you remember Amelia?" she took in our position I looked down at Amelia.
"Of course, I do," she said walking forward and embracing the two of us. "I'm glad my daughter has finally given love another chance," she said as she squeezed us again.
"Let's eat I'm starving," Lauren whined again.
The early dinner with my mother reminded me of the peaceful days before the reappearance of her ex-husband Eric James when I was fifteen, it was the same year Jackie and I started dating and the same year he started his abuse. The drink in my hand started to shake as I remembered all the threats, how he said he'd hurt my mother if I ever said anything. Amelia must have noticed as I felt her hand gently stroke my thigh. "Everything alright?" she whispered in my ear.
"Yes," I said looking deep into her emerald green eyes. "I love you," I pecked her lips causing her to smile.
"I love you too," She said leaning into me.
"Nan!" a little voice called out startling my mother. She looked at the little blond and smiled and picked her up. She looked over to my inquiring eyes nervously.
"Jay Jay." a masculine voice called out causing the little blond to giggle as she buried her face into my mother, "Carol, I was wondering where you ran off to," he smiled placing a kiss on my mothers lips. I looked between the two of them in shock.
"B-Ben, you remember my daughters?" she stammered taking his hand as he froze. I looked over to Lauren who was just as shocked as I was.
"Dad, " a voice I haven't heard in years called out causing Ben to fidget uneasily. "Where's Jay.... Lacey?" I heard her gasp. I looked back to my mother anger and hurt replacing the shock.
"We can explain," my mother blurted out quickly. I place my hand in Amelia's and stood, taking the hint she quickly followed suit without saying anything and followed me towards the door as I ignored the calls and argument taking place behind us.