rafe cameron apologist

♡♡♡

4 years later…

You paced around your hotel room as you tried to commit your vows to memory, mentally slapping yourself for not doing it before. You had curlers in your hair and your makeup wasn’t even done yet.

“Sweetie, please sit down.” Your mom said from her spot in her makeup chair as she was getting her own hair done.

“Mom, I have a process.” You muttered out, taking a deep breath as you read your vows off your notes app in your phone. You needed this day to go perfect, everything had to be perfect. You had waited for this day for so long and now that it was finally here, you were so nervous you could throw up.

You would’ve kept pacing around the room if there wasn’t a knock on the door. You walked over to the door and opened it up, the shock evident on your face as you stared at the man on the other side of the door.

“Dad?” You said, only keeping the door open enough so that he could see you. If Kie saw him, you were certain she would drag him out by his ear.

“Hi, Sweetheart.” He responded softly with a smile. He looked good, healthy even.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“Um, your mom told me you would be here.” Your dad answered and you turned around to look at her. She sent you a smile and a small shrug. “Don’t worry I’m not staying. I brought you something.” You sighed as you watched your dad pull out a jewelry box, your eyebrow cocking at the sight of it. Luke opened the box and showed you the necklace in it. “It was your grandmother’s. It’s real so you won’t have to worry about your neck turning green.”

“Dad, it’s beautiful.” You smiled, turning around so he could put it on. Your hand touched the pendant as you looked down at it.

“I was saving it for a day like this.” He explained when you turned back around. “Listen, I know I haven’t been the best dad and I’m sorry for that. I’m just glad you had such a great mom and step-dad to raise you so you could turn into the fantastic woman you are today.”

“Thanks…Dad.” You said hesitantly with a small smile.

♡♡♡

You were surrounded by your bridesmaids outside the chapel as you went over your vows for the last time. Sarah, Kie, Cleo, Wheezie, and Lily all watched you nervously as you paced, your heels clicking against the tile.

“Hey.” John B said with a small smile as he walked up to you.

“What are you doing out here? You’re supposed to be in there.” You complained, pointing towards the chapel.

“Relax, Sarah told me you were kind of freaking out. I just came out here to talk to you. Today is your day, y/n. The day you’ve been waiting for, for years. But, if you aren’t ready or you feel like you need to run, the Twinkies’ ready. Me, JJ, Pope, Sarah, Kie, and Cleo are all ready to run with you.”

You took a deep breath and hugged John B, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you, but I think I’m ready.” You said when you stepped back.

“I’ll see you in there, yeah?”

“Front row?”

“Front row, right next to JJ. Just like I promised.” John B smiled and entered the chapel.

You walked over to your flower girl, Lola, Sarah and John B’s three year old daughter, and squatted in front of her with a smile.

“Hey bug.” You smiled, fixing the girl’s hair. “Are you ready for your big debut?”

“Yes.” She nodded with a big smile.

“Okay, give me a hug.” You reached your arms out and she stepped into them as you wrapped your arms around her, cradling her head.

You stood up and walked next to your step-dad, linking your arm through his. He cried when you asked him if he would walk you down the aisle.

“The Routledge boy is right you know.” He whispered to you. “I don’t care how much money your mother and I have to put into this. If you aren’t ready, we don’t have to do this today. We can wait two weeks, a month, a year. It doesn’t matter.”

“Today’s the day.” You assured him with a smile.

When you walked into the chapel and saw Rafe standing at the altar, it was like every worry, every thought, every seed of doubt was washed away from your mind. All you saw was him, not the hundreds of people staring at you, not your family, but him.

When your step-father handed you off to Rafe and you took his hands in yours, you squeezed his hands, a way to tell him everything was going to be okay and a way to assure him that this was really happening. Not some daydream you had when you were a kid or some fantasy the two of you talked about in bed. It was really happening, the day was finally here.

You looked to your right and as promised, John B, JJ, and Pope sat in the front row all with smiles on their faces and subtle thumbs up. You smiled and tried to suppress the giggle that was trying to escape from your throat. Everything would be alright. You had your boys to your right, your girls behind you, and the man that you’ve been vining after your entire life was standing right in front of you.

“I believe the couple have written their own vows.” The priest said with a smile.

You looked towards Rafe, ready to hear whatever he had written, but when he didn’t say anything confusion washed over your face, then you watched as it washed over Rafe’s face.

“Oh, right, I go first.” You laughed as Rafe looked relieved, cracking a smile at your mistake. You took a deep breath and looked into Rafe’s eyes. “Rafe, I knew you were the love of my life when I first met you. I’ve dreamed of this day since I was four years old and now it’s finally here. There is no one else I would rather take this jump with than you. I promise to love you unconditionally, no matter what, even during basketball season. I promise to be open and honest at all times. And, finally, I promise not to spend too much of your money. Well, I’ll do my best.”

“Y/n, I remember seeing you for the first time like it was yesterday. Even though we were kids, I knew then that I wanted to make you my wife someday. It was like I saw our future flash before my eyes the first time I saw you. I vow to stay by your side at all times. I vow to always love you. I vow to support you throughout life, just like you have for me. And I vow to protect you from all the bad that comes your way.”

Rafe’s vows made you tear up, a single tear dripping down your cheek.

“You may now kiss your bride.” The priest announced.

Rafe dropped your hands and rested them on your waist, pulling you towards him as he leaned down and landed his lips on yours. Your hands moved to cup Rafe’s face gently as you kissed him back, smiling against his lips.

♡♡♡

You had changed for the reception, a short, white Christian Dior dress that you had flown in from Paris. It was the perfect reception dress and you would’ve gone to Paris yourself if you needed to. You sat next to Rafe at a table in front of everyone, his groomsmen to his left and your bridesmaids to your right. Rafe’s hand was on your thigh, rubbing small circles with his thumb into your skin. Your own hand was on his arm as you listened to Sarah give her Maid of Honor speech.

“Y/n and I met when we were four. We met in preschool and we both wanted to play with the same Barbie. I was ready to fight for the doll, but y/n said ‘Here you can play with her, I have tons of Barbies at home. You’re pretty, you should come over to my house and play Barbies with me after school.’ I knew from that day on she would be my best friend. I was surprised when we arrived at her house later that day after school because my house was right next door. I’ll never forget the look on her face when I told her we were neighbors. She said ‘You live in the house with the boy who keeps throwing water balloons at me.’ When I explained that it was my brother throwing the water balloons, I was terrified she wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore, instead she said ‘Let’s do it back, we can work as a team against him.’ That was the day I knew I was in for a long ride with Rafe and y/n. That day became known as ‘The Great Water Balloon Fight of 2006.’ Rafe recruited Topper, who we later found out was y/n’s cousin, and y/n had me. For three hours we launched water balloons over our shared privacy wall, only taking breaks to fill up water balloons. The next day, y/n came over to our house and we decided to play hide and seek. Naturally, I was the seeker. I found y/n and Rafe under Rafe’s bed. Rafe had his hand wrapped around y/n’s mouth and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to suffocate her or keep her quiet. That was the day it became my mission to make sure they got married. I didn’t realize how hard that mission would be. Every day they fought over something new. They bickered like an old married couple. When we were fourteen, I convinced Rafe to ask y/n to go to Midsummer’s with him. I thought it would be smooth sailing from then on out, boy was I wrong. Whatever color y/n picked for them, Rafe would say no to. But, eventually y/n broke Rafe down and they agreed on light sage green, y/n’s favorite color. And if you notice, it can be found around the room tonight. When we went over to y/n’s house later that night before Midsummer’s and she came down the stairs, I’d never seen a man look more in love than Rafe that night. It was very rare that Rafe stumbled over his words or got nervous, but he could barely get out two words when she walked up to him. When Rafe and y/n told me they were getting back together after two years apart, I was ecstatic. I always believed in soulmates and that they always found their way to each other and I truly believe these two are soulmates who found their way back to each other. Y/n, you’ve always been like a sister to me and I’m so glad it’s finally official. Rafe, I was lucky enough to grow up with y/n, but now you’re lucky enough to grow old with her. Congratulations to you both.”

Sarah’s speech had you in tears by the end of it. Some tears were from laughing so hard you thought you were going to pee yourself, but most tears were for the love you felt not just for Sarah, but for Rafe. When Sarah returned to her seat next to you, you gave her a tight hug and whispered an ‘I love you’ in her ear. You watched Topper as he stood up and made his way to the floor for his Best Man speech.

“Don’t know how I’m gonna top that.” He started, clearing his throat, earning a laugh from you and Rafe. “But, I’m going to give it my best shot. Um, I met Rafe when we were in kindergarten. Obviously, I met y/n when she made her glorious way into this world. Y/n was always like the little sister I never had and Rafe was like the cool older brother that I also never had. One day, when I went over to Rafe’s house he showed me this cool water balloon launcher his dad had just gotten him. He then proceeded to launch one over the wall. At the time, I was too stupid to put two and two together to realize he was launching them at my little cousin. He told me he thought he was launching them at nothing. It wasn’t until we had a barrage of water balloons being launched back at us, that we realized he was actually hitting y/n. Like Sarah said, thus started the ‘Great Water Balloon Fight of 2006.’ At the end of the fight, y/n stood on a step stool to reach over the wall and pour a bucket of water over the top of us, effectively concluding the water balloon fight. From that day on the four of us formed a seemingly unbreakable bond. And then, little Kelce found his way into the group and our group of four quickly became a group of five. Every day our little group was lucky enough to witness the relationship that was quickly growing between y/n and Rafe. Sarah kept telling me that she hoped they got married someday and I would quickly shut down the idea, because the thought of my little cousin getting married to my best friend was disturbing, I mean I was five at the time so the thought of marriage as a whole weirded me out. But, eventually, it became more and more evident that these two would in fact end up together. Rafe, thank you for taking care of the closest thing I have to a little sister and y/n I couldn’t be happier that you got the happy ending you always dreamed of. Rafe, welcome to the family. Congratulations.”

♡♡♡

During the father daughter dance, your step-father held you close.

“Does this mean I have to give up my credit cards then?” You asked, looking up at your step-father, half joking, half serious.

“No, Sweetie, you can use those as long as you need.” He responded with a smile.

“Oh, thank God, because I think me and my black Amex card have formed a bond.” You sighed, earning a laugh from Doug. “I love you, Dad.”

It was the first time you had called Doug ‘Dad’ and you watched as tears formed in his eyes as he held your hand just a little tighter.

“I love you, too, Sweetie.” He said, placing a kiss on top of your head.

♡♡♡

It was your first dance with Rafe and you leaned your head against his chest as he looked down at you.

“So, what website did you use to write your vows?” You smiled and looked up at Rafe. “I’m not mad, I know you meant everything you said.”

“ChatGPT.” He confessed with a smile and you laughed as you shook your head. “What did you use for yours?”

“Rafe Cameron, I am appalled that you would even suggest that I would do that.” You joked and lightly slapped his chest. “GoogleAI.”

You could feel Rafe’s laugh in his chest as you leaned your head back against it.

“What website do you think Topper used for his best man’s speech?” You asked.

“Topper told me that came directly from his heart.”

“Did Sarah help him? They both used the water balloon story.”

“I think she may have helped him here or there, but I think they both used the water balloon story because that’s where our story started.”

“When did you become so wise?” You asked, looking up at Rafe.

“I think it comes with age.” He smiled before giving you a quick kiss.

“I found a house.” You blurted out. “It’s perfect, it has everything we want, it’s on the same street as my parents. Ten bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. Ten bedrooms Rafe. And a large dock. We can pay for it in cash tomorrow. There’s already another couple looking at it.”

“What about Tannyhill?”

“We give it to Sarah, just like we talked about. It stays in the family. Someone who loves it is getting it, not some randos who are looking to move onto Kildare.”

“It’s the perfect house?”

“Absolutely perfect.”

♡♡♡

You sat outside the venue with your friends passing around a couple joints. Rafe was off with Topper and Kelce somewhere and you just wanted to spend these moments with your friends before you left for Greece for a month. The reception was over, everyone had gone home. The only people left were you, JJ, John B, Pope, Sarah, Cleo, Kie, Topper, Kelce, and Rafe, and maybe Wheezie.

“Here.” You said to Sarah, handing her the joint that was in your hand.

“I don’t know.” She responded hesitantly, looking at the joint.

“Come on Sarah, Lola went home with my parents. It’s time to have some adult fun for the first time in four years.”

“Alright, alright.” Sarah said, taking the joint from you. Everyone watched as she inhaled and then quickly coughed afterwards, earning a laugh from everybody. “It’s…been…a…while.” She said between coughs.

“I have a gift for everyone.” You announced, pulling two cases of your group’s favorite beer out from behind you.

“How long have you been hiding those?” JJ asked, gladly accepting a beer from you.

“Not very long.” You answered, cracking open your own beer. “I’m gonna miss you guys so much.” You admitted. Your honeymoon is the longest you’re going to be away from your friends for the first time since college.

“You’ll only be gone a month.” Kie smiled. “How about we throw a homecoming party for you the day you come back. It’ll be at Poguelandia.”

“Ooh, can I come?” Wheezie asked, coming outside.

“Wheezie!” You all cheered as the younger girl joined your group. You grabbed a beer from a case and handed it to her, holding a finger up to your lips.

“Y/n!” Sarah scolded.

“Come on, we did the same thing at her age.” You protested. “It’s one beer, Mama Bear.”

“Let’s play Never Have I Ever.” Kie offered, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh, God.” You groaned.

“It’ll be fun. Tonight’s our last night before we officially enter adulthood. We’re all officially married now, which means we have one night left before we start living our lives.” Kie said, trying to convince everyone to play.

You sighed and took a sip of your beer, looking around at everyone. “Okay, let’s do it. But, just because we’re all married now, doesn’t mean we aren’t going to be friends anymore and can’t have fun.”

“I’ll start.” Kie smirked. “Never have I ever drunk called my ex.”

Everyone looked at you as you took a sip of your beer.

“Not fair.” You muttered, remembering that time you got drunk at school and called Rafe from a blocked number, but you chickened out and hung up. “My turn! Never have I ever gotten lost in another country.”

You raised your eyebrows as everyone except Wheezie took a sip of their beer.

“That was targeted.” JJ mumbled. “I have one. Never have I ever driven over a curb.” JJ’s eyes darted over to Kie as she took a sip of her beer, Wheezie following suit.

You laughed as you watched Wheezie drink her beer.

“I’m a bad driver.” Wheezie admitted, trying to hide her face as she blushed. “Okay, I have one. Never have I ever kissed another girl.”

You and Sarah looked at each other with a smile before drinking your beers.

“What?” Wheezie gasped as she watched the two of you drink.

“We were like eleven and we wanted to see what kissing was like. No big deal.” You explained.

“You guys were each other’s first kiss?” Kie asked, smirking.

“We don’t count it.” Sarah laughed.

“John B, looks like your dream did come true.” JJ whispered to John B, but it was loud enough for others to hear. You sent JJ a glare and rolled your eyes.

“What is he talking about?” Sarah asked, looking at you with a confused look on her face.

“You don’t know?” Kie gasped. “John B and y/n used to hook up when we were juniors in high school.”

“What?”

“It was only once or twice.” You lied, taking a sip of your beer. “It never really meant anything. Right, JB?”

“Yeah, definitely.” John B responded. “It only really happened after we drank.”

“Y/n, if I knew you and John B used to be a thing I never would’ve gone out with him.” Sarah explained. She was starting to worry that she took John B from you.

“Sarah.” You laughed. “I’m glad you and JB started going out. JB is like my brother, nothing was ever going to actually happen between us. Besides, you know who I’ve always had my eye on.”

Sarah sighed and hugged you as you laughed and hugged her back.

“I’m sorry I get so emotional when I smoke weed.” Sarah said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

“It’s okay.” You laughed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue you grabbed out of your clutch.

“If the crying is over, I have one.” Pope started. “Never have I ever done the walk of shame.”

You, Kie, Sarah, and JJ all took a sip of your beer. You remembered all the times you walked from Tannyhill back to your house wearing either one of Rafe’s shirts or your clothes from the night before.

“Never have I ever gone twenty four hours without showering.” You laughed, taking a hit from the joint in your hand.

You watched as everyone, aside from Wheezie, took a sip from their beer.

“You get stranded on an island for weeks and see how often you shower.” John B slurred, making you laugh.

“Hey baby.” Rafe said, coming up behind you. “Ready to go?”

“Do we have to?” You asked, whining a little. “Come on, join us.”

You stood up and let Rafe have your seat, before you sat in his lap, crossing one leg over the other as you wrapped your arms around Rafe’s neck, his hands resting on your waist.

“Why is Wheezie drinking?” He asked.

“Because she’s becoming part of the group.” You slurred, smiling at Rafe. “It’s her initiation night.” Rafe nodded in response, his eyebrows raised in interest.

You handed a beer to Rafe, opening it for him.

“We’re playing Never Have I ever.” You leaned down and whispered in his ear as everyone continued the game.

“Never have I ever used a fake I.D.” Wheezie admitted. You laughed as everyone took a drink, Rafe joining in on the game.

“Wheezie, you’re going to college soon you’re gonna need a fake I.D.” You said, Rafe squeezing your waist lightly. “What? It’s true.” You turned your head and looked down at Rafe. “I’ll get you a couple for your graduation gift.” You winked at Wheezie.

“Never have I ever ghosted someone.” Rafe taunted.

“Do you want to go to Greece by yourself tomorrow?” You asked before finishing your beer.

“Who paid for Greece?” Rafe asked.

“Who paid for our wedding?” You responded.

“Aww, their first fight as a married couple.” Kie said, putting her hand over her heart.

“They aren’t fighting, they’re flirting.” Sarah laughed.

You sighed as you checked the time on your watch. “We should probably go. We have an early flight.”

“How do you have an early flight for your own plane?” JJ asked. “Can’t you like pick the time you take off?”

“I wish.” You sighed, standing up. You gave everyone a hug and said ‘I love you’ to everyone. JJ pulled Rafe aside as you spoke to Kie and Sarah.

“Make sure everything goes as she wants, please.” JJ said. “She’s been planning this trip for the last four months. She put a lot of work and planning into it. I just want to make sure everything goes the way she wants it.”

“Don’t worry, man, I got it all under control.” Rafe assured JJ, tapping his shoulder.

♡♡♡

4 months after the wedding…

“I can’t pee if you’re looking.” You explained to Rafe as the two of you sat in the bathroom. It wasn’t exactly like you and Rafe were trying to get pregnant, but you weren’t opposed to the idea of it.

“Okay, okay, sorry.” Rafe apologized, turning around.

You took a deep breath and peed on the test. You stood up and placed the test on the counter, then washed your hands.

“We just need to wait two minutes.” You read the instructions on the box before throwing it in the trash. “Are you nervous?”

“A little. Are you?”

“Well, considering the fact that if it’s positive my body and mind are going to go through intense changes, I’d say yeah I’m a little nervous.” You twisted your hands together as you stared at the test.

“Whatever happens, I’ll be right here.”

“It’s time. Do you want to…?”

“I’m not touching that!”

“Well I don’t want to!”

“W-we’ll do it together.”

You nodded and you and Rafe went to reach for the test at the same time, but as your hand wrapped around the test, Rafe pulled his hand away at the last second.

“Asshole.” You muttered, before turning the test around. You gasped when you saw the two lines on the test. “Oh my God!”

“Is it positive?” Rafe asked, looking down at the test.

“Yes!” You cheered, jumping into Rafe’s arms.

Rafe laughed as he wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you off the ground.

♡♡♡

You and Rafe sat in your OB/GYN’s office as you waited for your doctor to come into your room.

“Well, the urine test came back positive.” She smiled as she entered the room. “Would you two like to see your baby?”

You both nodded as you held Rafe’s hand. The doctor smiled as she lifted your shirt up over your stomach and squirted some sort of jelly over your bare skin. You watched as the doctor brought the wand onto your skin and found the baby quickly.

“Well, there’s the fetus.” She smiled as she looked at you and Rafe, pointing at the screen. “I’d say you’re about three months along from the look of things. And there’s the heartbeat.”

You looked at Rafe who was looking at the monitor. You could see a tear falling down his cheek, listening to the heartbeat. You cupped his cheek gently and wiped the tear off his cheek.

♡♡♡

You and Rafe sat at your parents house with your little brother and sister for the family dinner your parents had organized.

“We have gifts for everyone.” You cheered as you handed everyone their gift bags.

“What’s this for?” Your mom asked, as she inspected the bag suspiciously.

“Just open them.”

You watched as they each pulled out their individual shirts.

“Is this real?” Your mom asked, tears forming in her eyes.

“Oh my God!” Cecily, your little sister, cheered as she jumped up and down.

“No way.” William said, looking at his shirt.

You watched as Doug walked over to Rafe and shook his hand before pulling him in for a hug. Your sister and your mom walked over to you and pulled you into a group hug.

♡♡♡

You and Rafe were getting ready to head over to Tannyhill, John B and Sarah had invited you, Rafe, Kie, and JJ over. They would’ve invited Pope and Cleo but they were out of town.

“You ready?” Rafe asked you, his eyes meeting yours in the mirror as you applied your mascara.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” You smiled before turning around and giving Rafe a quick kiss. “Are you ready?”

“The hard part was telling Doug, this is the easy part.” He joked, sending you a small smile.

The two of you made the quick trip to Tannyhill and walked inside.

“Hello?” You called out as Rafe closed the front door behind him. You were greeted by Lola running towards you and Rafe. “Oh, hello there.” You smiled, picking Lola up.

“We’re in here!” Sarah called out from the living room. The three of you made your way to the living room where you were greeted by John B, Sarah, Kie, and JJ.

“I have a stowaway.” You said, tickling Lola, earning a giggle from her. You handed Lola off to John B and sat down with Rafe on the couch, his arm draped over your shoulders.

“I’m sure y’all are wondering why we invited you over here.” Sarah started with a big smile as she looked over at John B. “We have big news. I’m pregnant.”

You gasped and jumped out of your seat, running over to hug Sarah, Kie joining in on the hug.

“Well, Rafe and I have news too.” You smiled as you pulled away from the hug.

Sarah gasped when she picked up on the hint.

“Are you serious?” She asked, her hands clasping over her mouth.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say.” You laughed.

“You don’t even have to, you’re glowing!”

“No reason to stop the excitement.” Kie said, pulling a bag out from under the chair she was sitting on.

You and Sarah screamed and the three of you hugged, jumping up and down in excitement.

“I know we’ve always talked about this, but I didn’t think it would actually happen.” You smiled, pushing your hair behind your ears. The guys gathered around each other, talking amongst themselves as the three of you rejoiced. “Oh my God, we need to FaceTime Wheezie!”

You pulled your phone out of your back pocket and quickly called Wheezie as Kie and Sarah gathered around your phone.

“Wheezie!” The three of you said when she picked up the phone.

“Hi Wheez.” Sarah smiled as she looked at her sister. “What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to go out.” She explained as she curled her hair.

“We have news!” Kie cheered.

“Oh my God, don’t tell me all three of you are pregnant.” Wheezie said, looking down at her phone as the three of you smiled at each other. Wheezie screamed and pulled the phone closer to her, causing the three of you to laugh. “Are you serious? This isn’t some sick prank is it?”

“No, we’re serious.” You smiled.

“Do you even know how incredibly lucky this is?” Wheezie asked. “Like y’all need to go buy lottery tickets or something. I have to go but I better get bumpdate pictures from all three of you, monthly.”

You all said goodbye to Wheezie and hung up the phone, before storing it in your back pocket again. Kie and Sarah went to go join the boys in their conversation as JJ made his way over to you.

“Congratulations.” He said with a smile, pulling you in for a hug.

“You too.” You smiled, returning the hug. “I’m so happy for you Jay. You know you are gonna have to start saving up for The Academy, right? I’m not letting our kids go to different schools.”

“Don’t worry, Kie’s parents have that covered. Something about ‘There’s no way in hell their grandchild is going to public school.’”

“You know we’re gonna have to get a new car.” You told Rafe when he made his back over to you.

“I have a feeling you already have one picked out.”

“You know me so well.”

♡♡♡

6 months after finding out you were pregnant…

“Get this fucking thing out of me.” You groaned, squeezing Rafe’s hand so tight he was worried you would break it.

“You’re doing so good baby.” He said, an attempt at calming you down.

“I want my mom.” You cried. “Go. Get. My. Mom.”

Rafe let go of your hand and ran just outside your room where your mom was waiting. He quickly came back to your side and your mom hurried to your other side, grabbing your hand with both of hers.

“Mommy, I can’t do this.” You cried. Sweat was forming on your forehead and tears were pouring down your cheeks.

“Yes, you can Sweetie. You’ve been waiting for this moment for months now. All that prepping, all those classes you took, has led you up to this exact moment. Now, I need you to push Sweetheart.”

You groaned as you started pushing again, squeezing both your mom’s and Rafe’s hands.

“Good, Mrs. Cameron.” Your OB/GYN said as she peered up at you. “Just a couple more pushes and your baby girl is out.”

After what felt like forever, you felt relief and then you heard crying.

“A beautiful, healthy baby girl.” Your doctor cheered, holding your baby up. “Ten fingers and ten toes.”

Rafe leaned down and kissed your forehead.

“You did it baby, our little girl is here.” He smiled as he looked at your baby. Rafe walked over to her and cut the umbilical cord as your mom wiped the sweat off your forehead.

“I’m so proud of you Sweetie.” She said, leaving a kiss on the top of your head.

“Are you ready to meet your little girl?” Your doctor asked, walking over to you. You nodded and held your arms out as you took your baby gently.

“She’s perfect.” You whispered, smiling down at her. “Laura Sarah Cameron.”

“You’re giving her my name?” Your mom asked, her hand clutching her chest as tears welled in her eyes.

“Of course, Mom. It was the very obvious choice.”

♡♡♡

It had been one day since you gave birth and you were starting to get visitors. You smiled when a very pregnant Sarah walked in with John B and Lola. Rafe held Laura as you reached down and picked Lola up into your bed.

“Hi, bug.” You smiled, as you took Laura from Rafe. “Are you ready to meet your new cousin?”

Lola nodded with excitement as she peered at the baby in your arms.

“Do you want to know her name?” You asked the little girl.

“What is it?”

“Laura Sarah Cameron.” You replied with a smile as you looked up at Sarah.

“Are you serious?” Sarah asked, the shock evident on her face.

“Yes.” You laughed. “I told you she’d be surprised.” You said, turning towards Rafe.

Not long after, your parents came into the room.

“Mimi!” Lola cheered and climbed off the bed, heading towards your mom. Your mom was the closest thing Lola had to a grandma, so when Sarah asked if she would be her honorary grandmother she was so happy she actually danced.

“Hi, Sweetheart.” Your mom smiled, bending over to pick Lola up.

Doug walked over to you and the baby.

“Hi Sweetie, how are you feeling?” He asked, with a soft smile.

“I’m a little sore but other than that I feel fine. Mostly just a little anxious.” You handed the baby off to Rafe so he could introduce her to John B while you spoke to your step-dad.

“Anxious is good, it’s healthy. If you said you had everything under control I would be a little worried.”

♡♡♡

13 years after having your first baby…

Your family was driving back from your daughter Laura’s early morning volleyball tournament. Rafe was driving, you sat in the passenger seat, your thirteen year old daughter, Laura, sat behind Rafe, your twelve year old daughter, Ava, sat behind you, and your ten year old twins Alexia and Douglass sat in the third row. You were playing your early 2000’s playlist that you thought everyone was enjoying, but Laura definitely had other thoughts.

“Mom do we have to listen to your old people music?” She complained.

“Old?” You gasped, your hand immediately going over your chest as if you’ve been shot. “This is not old. Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé are timeless. Are we—Are we old now, Rafe?”

“No, baby, we’re a couple of spring chickens.” Rafe joked, causing you to slap his arm with the back of your hand.

“Mom, can Avery and Alivia come over to get ready for Midsummers?” Ava asked as she looked at her phone. Alivia was Sarah’s twelve year old daughter and Avery was Kie’s. That time around you three had decided to get pregnant around the same time and also decided to coordinate names. “Lola said she would take us.”

“Yeah, that’s fine Sweetheart.”

“Lola’s taking you losers to Midsummers?” Laura asked Ava.

“Let’s not call our family names, Laura.” You said, turning around to look at your girls. They really did look like Rafe, all your children did, but they definitely got your personality and when you started realizing that, you knew you were in for a long couple of years once they started becoming teenagers.

“It’s so unfair you guys get to go to Midsummers.” Alexia complained from the back.

“I think it’s unfair you get to stay home and I have to go.” Rafe muttered, earning a look from you.

“You’ll get your chance to go next year, baby.” You promised the ten year old with a smile. “You’re just a little young now.”

“I’m ten, that’s double digits.” The girl whined.

“I know, Sweetie, but rules are rules and we have to follow them for a reason.”

♡♡♡

You looked at yourself in the mirror as you finished getting ready for Midsummers. Your dress was beautiful and you looked gorgeous, but you didn’t feel beautiful.

“Everything alright?” Rafe asked, your eyes meeting his in the mirror as he tied his tie.

“Do you…Do you still think I’m attractive?” You asked, watching as Rafe’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Like you do you still find me beautiful? And I-I know I don’t have the same body as I did when we first got married-”

“Baby, baby, baby.” Rafe said, his hands resting on your hips as he looked at you through the mirror. “I think you’re more beautiful now than the day we met. I think you get more beautiful as the days go on. I never expected your body to stay the same as the day we got married. Our bodies change as we get older; they grow and they shrink. You’ve had four great children—well three, I’m still undecided about the boy. All I’m saying is, I think you are the most gorgeous, wonderful person on this planet and nothing’s gonna change that.”

You turned around and wrapped your arms around Rafe’s neck. “You really have gotten wiser with age.” You smiled.

♡♡♡

“Not having fun?” You asked your daughter Ava as she sat at a table by herself, sulking. Rafe and Topper were off drinking a beer and you were making your way back to Sarah and Kie.

“I just…I want to ask Kai to dance but I’m sure he’s busy with like his parents or something.” Ava sighed as she picked at her nails. Kai was Cleo and Pope’s son who was the same age as Ava.

“Why don’t you go ask Uncle Pope or Aunt Cleo if he can hangout for a little bit?” You offered, fixing your daughter’s hair.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.” She sighed, standing up from her seat.

You watched as she made her way over to where Pope and Cleo were cooking and asked Cleo if Kai could hangout. You assumed she said yes because Ava was all smiles as she pulled Kai away from his mom and dad. Cleo looked over to you and sent you a smile, which you returned with a mouthed ‘thank you.’

You walked back over to where you, Sarah, and Kie were sitting, only to see that Sarah was missing.

“Where’s Sarah?” You asked Kie as you sat down.

“I think she’s off looking for Lola.” She answered, taking a sip of her wine.

“Have you guys seen Lola? I can’t find her anywhere.” Sarah said, rushing over to your table. You sent Kie a knowing look and then took Sarah’s hands and guided her to sit down.

“Sarah, you need to calm down. Lola is seventeen now. She probably left to go hangout at a friend’s house or is somewhere around here with a friend. You have to cut the umbilical cord at some point. And I know she’s your baby, but babies grow up, Sweetie. I have something that I think all of us could use.” You stood up from your chair and started to walk away, but when you looked back, both Kie and Sarah were still sitting. “Well, come on, I’m not doing it by myself.”

The girls sighed and stood up, following you to some dark corner that no one would come by. You dug through your clutch and found the joint and lighter you threw in there right before leaving.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea, y/n. What if someone sees?” Sarah asked, looking around.

“Trust me, no one comes over here.” You assured her as you lit the joint.

It wasn’t long before the three of you were giggling, the events of the evening long forgotten.

“What are the three of you doing?” Lola asked as she came around the corner, her arms crossed across her chest.

“Oh, no, the fun police is here.” You laughed as you quickly put the rest of the joint out. “We came over here to have our own fun, because your mother was all up in arms, because she couldn’t find you.”

“I took Laura, Max, and Josie to your house because they said they were bored here.” Lola explained. Max and Josie were Kie and Sarah’s thirteen year old son and daughter.

“You were so worried about Lola, you didn’t even notice Josie was gone.” Kie laughed.

“Well you two didn’t seem to realize Laura and Max were gone either.” Sarah huffed crossing her arms.

“I figured she was with one of your kids. They never seem to stray from one another.” You responded.

“I’m going to get your husbands.” Lola said with a roll of her eyes. “Stay here.”

“No, don’t go get them they’re the real party poopers.” You pleaded, but Lola just waved you off and walked away. “Okay, now’s our chance to escape.”

“I don’t know, I think we should just wait for the guys.” Kie said.

“I agree.” Sarah nodded. “They’re gonna take us home where I can get something to drink. My mouth is really dry. Did it always get this dry?”

“Y’all are used to running away from murders and you’re scared to run away from your own husbands? Sarah, we can get you something to drink at the bar. Now, let’s go.”

Just as you convinced Sarah and Kie to leave your secluded corner, the first two steps you took had you running into your husbands and Lola.

“They’re all yours now.” Lola said, before walking away.

You looked behind you for an out.

“You know you’re gonna have to chase us.” You smirked, looking at Rafe.

“Chase?” Kie whispered, asking for confirmation.

“Yes.” You whispered back.

“We’re prepared for that.” Rafe smiled. “But, based on what Lola told us, you aren’t getting very far.”

“Run, run, run!” You shouted, taking off towards the woods behind you.

“Really? The woods?” Kie shouted as she ran behind you.

“Guys, this doesn’t seem like a good idea!” Sarah added, shrieking when she looked behind her and saw the boys gaining on her.

You screamed as you felt your foot hook a branch on the ground, causing you to fall. You huffed as you turned over and saw Rafe standing behind you.

“Sorry, baby, but I think your fun is over.” He said as he helped you up.

“No fair, I never get to have fun anymore.” You muttered as you brushed yourself off.

“Hey, I think I can be fun.” Rafe protested as you walked back towards the party, Rafe holding your hand.

“I know you think you’re fun, baby.” You joked, bumping your shoulder against Rafe’s as you laughed.

♡♡♡

♡♡♡

You paced in front of Mark’s office, tapping your phone against your hand.

“You can come inside.” Mark called from his office.

You took a deep breath and opened the door to his office, walking inside.

“What’s up?” Mark asked, typing away on his computer.

“Um, there’s this gala coming up for business owners and entrepreneurs and investors and stuff like that.” You said, pacing around his office as you spoke with your hands. “And I was thinking it would look good if maybe we went together.”

You had no idea why you were so nervous, you were never nervous. You think it was because of the fight you two had. This was the first time in your life you were possibly facing rejection and that terrified you.

“I agree.” Mark nodded, making you stop in your tracks. You turned and faced him. “Oh, thank God you stopped I was worried you would burn a hole in the carpet. But, yes, I agree. I think it would look good for marketing. And for investors to see us together, to talk to us, together.”

“So, it’s decided then.” You said with a small smile before leaving his office.

♡♡♡

You walked off your family’s private jet in Charleston with Mark, Lily, and your glam team following close behind.

“Did you really need to pack so much for two days?” Mark asked, lugging your suitcase behind him.

“Would you stop complaining? It’s not that heavy.” You said, turning around to look at him.

“Would you like to carry it?”

“Isn’t it supposed to be your job as a man to carry my luggage?”

“Maybe if I was your boyfriend.” Mark mumbled, following behind you.

“Yeah, no way in hell is that happening again.” You scoffed.

♡♡♡

Your assistant quickly checked you into the hotel and you went up to your room.

“You can just leave my bag there.” You told Mark as you dropped your purse on the couch. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” Mark said before leaving.

Your suite was a good size. It had two bedrooms, one for you and one for Lily, a glam room, two bathrooms, and of course the living area complete with a mini bar.

“Lily, do you want to grab dinner?” You asked, turning on your heel to look at her.

“Y-you want to get dinner with me?”

“Of course, silly.” You said with a smile.

“Sure Ms. Thornton.”

“Lily, we aren’t at work you can drop the formalities.” You laughed.

♡♡♡

You sat in the glam room of your hotel room, surrounded by your glam team. Your hair was in rollers, you were getting your makeup done, and your dress hung on a hook behind you. You read emails on your phone as you sipped on your latte through a straw.

“Do you ever stop working?” Mark asked, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“No.” You responded flatly, looking at him through the mirror.

“You need to get a life.” Mark chuckled.

“Me? You’re the one who needs to get a life. You know my assistant, Lily, she’s single, you should ask her out.”

“Why would I ask your assistant out?”

“She’s cute, your age, her dad is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.”

“Which one?”

“McKesson.”

“Her dad is Brian Tyler?” Mark asked, his eyes going wide. “What is she doing working as your assistant?”

“She wanted to do something with her time other than spending her dad’s money.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

“To ask Lily out.” Mark said, before leaving.

♡♡♡

You sighed as you waited for Mark to finish getting ready, checking the time on your phone repeatedly.

“Mark, hurry up!” You shouted as you stood in the middle of his room.

“Sorry.” He said, walking out of the bathroom, adjusting his tie.

“God, took you long enough. We have to go, the driver’s downstairs.” You walked out of the room, Mark following closely behind, and made your way to the elevator.

As you rode the elevator, it stopped just one floor below you. You sighed and moved next to Mark to make room in the elevator. You didn’t do much to hide the disgust on your face when Rafe and Sofia entered.

“Y/n, how nice of you to bring a charity case.” Rafe smirked.

“Rafe, how thoughtful of you to bring an extra bartender so the bar staff doesn’t get overwhelmed. That’s what you did at the club, right Sofia? Before you started living off of Rafe’s inheritance.” You shot back, causing Mark to smirk.

“If I remember correctly, y/n, you worked there for a summer as a cart girl.” Sofia said, holding her head high.

“Oh, Sweetie, I worked there to flirt with the frat boys that came through, you worked there to pay your bills. We are not the same.” You watched as the smile dissipated from Sofia’s face. You leaned in to Sofia’s ear and whispered. “Speak to me like that again and I tell Rafe everything.”

You leaned back and smirked as Sofia’s face flushed red.

“Oh, Mark, I forgot to introduce you to Rafe. Mark this is Rafe Cameron, owner of Cameron Development. Rafe, this is Mark, my business partner.”

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but you did just call me a charity case.” Mark said, shaking Rafe’s hand when he extended it.

“Nothing personal.” Rafe muttered, shoving his hand in his pocket.

“I don’t know, seemed kind of personal. You must be the ex-boyfriend.”

“Seems we have that in common.” Rafe chuckled.

♡♡♡

“I can’t believe you let her talk to me like that.” Sofia huffed on the car ride to the venue.

“You tried playing with the big dogs and you got bit, deal with it.” Rafe snapped back.

“I deserve to be respected, Rafe.” Sofia said, earning a chuckle from Rafe.

“You deserve to be respected? You’ve done nothing to earn her respect. Respect is earned, not given.”

“I don’t understand why you constantly stick up for her. I guarantee she doesn’t stick up for you like this.”

“I stick up for her because she’s been my friend my entire life. You’ve been in my life, what, five minutes and you think you trump her?”

“Who was here for you when your father died? Who made sure you became a better man?”

“She was there for me when my dad died. Those flowers that came from a fake address were from her. I just never reached out to her because I was giving her the distance she asked for. And I became a better man for her. God, Sofia, when are you gonna wake up and realize it’s always been her.”

“Then why are you here with me tonight instead of her?”

“Because, you were the second best choice.”

♡♡♡

You and Mark quickly found your table before you excused yourself to make your way to the bar.

“Rosé, please.” You sighed, leaning against the bar.

Rafe came and stood next to you at the bar, placing his order.

“You just had to say something in the elevator, didn’t you?” You asked, turning towards Rafe.

“You know I’ve always had a hard time keeping my mouth shut.” Rafe smirked, causing you to chuckle. “Besides, I know you would’ve said something if I didn’t.”

“Mmm, I don’t know how true that is.” You said, taking a sip of your Rosé.

“You and I both know you’ve been holding that bartender bullshit in your canister for a while now.”

“Oh, Rafe Cameron, you know me so well.” You mocked, pretending to swoon.

“I do, and that’s how I know you won’t have a good time tonight with Mark over there.” Rafe said, pointing over to where Mark was sitting.

“Why is Mark talking to Sofia at our table?” You asked, glaring in their direction.

“Oh, funny thing, they put us at the same table.” Rafe chuckled, taking a drink from his whiskey.

“Oh, fantastic.” You muttered, finishing your wine.

♡♡♡

“Not having a good time?” Rafe asked as you found yourself standing at the bar again.

“I’m just having the best night of my life talking to all these people who don’t take a woman owning a business seriously.” You said, sarcasm dripping off of every single word.

“Where’s Mark?”

“Talking to potential investors. I decided it would be best if I let him do the talking tonight. Where’s your girlfriend?”

“I sent her back to the hotel room.”

“What? Why?”

“Because, she’s not who I wanted to be here with tonight.”

♡♡♡

You had pulled Rafe into a dark hallway, away from everyone, away from the party. You paced in front of him as he leaned back against the wall, his hands in his pockets, watching you carefully.

You were thinking out everything you wanted to say. You knew this wasn’t the best place to do this, but you were a couple glasses of wine deep, and wine always got you in your feelings. You wanted to make a big speech, you wanted to tell Rafe everything you had been holding back, but all that came to your head was ‘I love you, Rafe Cameron. I love you, Rafe Cameron.’

You sighed and tossed your hair out of your face, turning towards Rafe. You decided you would just word vomit whatever you were thinking at Rafe.

“Okay, I know whatever I’m about to say is gonna be all over the place and some parts probably won’t make sense, but I need you to stick with me.” You started, as you fidgeted with your fingers. “Look, for the last two years I have tried suppressing every feeling I had for you; love, anger, happiness. And I mean really, really suppressing it, like shoving it so deep down and locking it away for what I hoped would be ever. But, the more I tried to suppress it, the more I thought about you and the more I realized you were, honestly, probably the love of my life. And that was half the reason why I broke up with Mark, because I knew he would never be you, I mean he could never be you. And I-I knew coming back would be so incredibly hard. That’s why I avoided you at the club and parties and anywhere else I saw you, because every time I saw you my stomach did this thing where it felt like I was going down on a roller coaster, you know what I mean?” Rafe nodded and you continued. “I tried telling myself there was no way I could be in love with a man who has hurt so many people I love, including himself. But, then I realized I was in love with him, with you. And I know you aren’t the same person anymore Rafe and I am so proud of you for that. Now, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you and disappearing when you probably needed me the most. I found out I tend to do this thing where I run away from problems instead of facing them head on, and I’m really trying to work on that. I mean I did it to Mark-”

Rafe stepped forward and grabbed your face gently. He leaned down and closed the space between the two of you, capturing your lips with his. At first you stood there, shocked, but then you closed your eyes and started kissing him back, wrapping your arms around his neck, essentially deepening the kiss.

“Sorry, baby, you started rambling.” Rafe said, pulling away from you. You took your hands off Rafe’s neck and put them on the collar of his jacket, pulling on him as you crashed your lips against his.

It felt like every bad feeling you bad about coming home was starting to melt away and all that was left was the one feeling you had been avoiding most, love.

Your lips worked in perfect tandem with Rafe’s, almost like you were made for each other.

“Hotel room?” Was all you said before Rafe took your hand and started pulling you outside the venue, as he texted his driver he was ready to be picked up.

As soon as you got outside, Rafe’s driver was pulling up. The two of you rushed to the car as soon as your eyes locked on it.

You couldn’t even keep your hands off him in the car as you straddled him and placed kisses along his neck, grinding your hips against his. Rafe tilted his head to the side to allow you more access to his neck as his hands quickly found residence on your ass, squeezing lightly.

When you reached the hotel, you quickly pulled a hundred dollar bill out of your clutch and gave it to the driver before climbing out of the car, and rushing inside the hotel, with Rafe following closely behind.

“You look really good tonight.” Rafe said as you waited for the elevator.

“Thanks, I got the dress at some boutique on Kildare.” You responded with a smile. Your dress really was gorgeous. It was a delicate, pretty, yellow, silk, strapless dress with an open back. The only portion of your back that was covered was your ass and your legs. Rafe was always a sucker for backless dresses and you knew it.

“Does nothing for your ass though.” Rafe joked, leaning back a little as he peered down at your ass. You gasped and slapped his arm with your clutch, trying to hide your smile.

As soon as you got in the elevator, Rafe had you pressed up against the wall, his hands gripping onto your hips as he placed delicate kisses along your neck, nipping at the one spot just below your ear, earning a quiet moan from you.

Once the elevator doors opened to your floor, you were practically running down the hallway with Rafe following, not having to do much to keep up with you. You fiddled through your clutch looking for the key to your suite as Rafe stood behind you, his hands on your hips, kissing your neck. Eventually, you found the key and opened the door, pulling Rafe inside quickly.

“We have to be quiet, Lily is sleeping.” You whispered as you walked to your room.

“Who the fuck’s Lily?” Rafe asked, whispering.

“Lily, my assistant.” You said, turning around to face Rafe. “You’ve met her multiple times.”

“Sorry, baby.” Rafe replied, shrugging as you scoffed, turning back around.

You opened the door to the room you were sleeping in, closing it once Rafe stepped through the threshold. He quickly threw his phone on the bed and you threw your clutch on the empty chair. Rafe’s hands were back on your hips the instant you turned around to face him, his lips crashing down onto yours. Rafe guided you towards the bed as you pulled his tie off and pushed his jacket to the floor. Once the back of your knees hit the bed, you laid down and grabbed the collar of Rafe’s shirt, pulling him down over you. He quickly found his place in between your legs, kissing you more hungrily now, as he pushed your dress up to your hips. You made quick work of his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders as Rafe removed one hand from your hip and brought it down to where the heat was pooling between your legs.

“You’re not wearing any underwear.” He groaned against your lips.

“I knew where I’d end up tonight.” You smirked, only for it to be replaced by a moan when Rafe slipped two fingers inside your dripping cunt.

“All this, just for me?” Rafe asked when he removed his fingers from you and inspected them closely.

“Don’t flatter yourself, some of it was for Mark.” You taunted. You were trying to piss Rafe off, he always was a better fuck when he was pissed off.

“Do you always have to be so fucking irritating?” Rafe muttered, standing up at the edge of the bed. You watched him carefully as he took off his belt, then his pants, then his boxers. You groaned at the sight of him, oh how you missed him.

“Only for you.” You said, gasping when Rafe slid himself into you. Your back arched off the bed as Rafe started slamming himself into you, his balls hitting your ass every time your hips connected. Your pussy clenched around Rafe, egging him on. You had forgotten just how big he was until you could feel him stretching you out. You wrapped your legs around Rafe’s waist, keeping him close to you. Pornographic moans were the only sound leaving your lips.

“Who else fucks you this good, hmm?” Rafe smirked down at the sight of you, practically falling apart for him.

“N-no one else baby, just you.” You managed to get out, as you screwed your eyes shut, arching your back off the bed. You were close, Rafe could tell. He moved one hand and started rubbing harsh circles on your clit. Even after all this time, Rafe knew your body like the back of his hand. It didn’t take much longer after that, you were cumming all over his cock, clenching around him so tightly, you worried you were going to break it. Rafe’s thrusts slowed, guiding you through your high.

“Think you got a couple more in you, baby?” Rafe asked, pulling out of you, and you just nodded. You slipped off your dress and Rafe groaned at the sight of you, everything he has ever wanted was right in front of him. You turned over and got on your forearms and knees, arching your back, you knew it was Rafe’s favorite position, it made him feel more in control.

Rafe’s hands made their way to your ass, squeezing softly, slowly spreading your ass cheeks apart and taking a mental picture of the moment. Rafe wasn’t sure when this would happen again, so he wanted to savor every second. He got down on his knees and placed a delicate kiss to your clit before he ran his tongue through your folds. You arched your back more, wanting more contact with Rafe’s tongue, but Rafe sat back and started running his finger through your folds, occasionally dipping one finger into your entrance, never leaving it in for long. You turned your head around to look at Rafe and you rolled your eyes at the sight.

“Are you gonna keep fucking around, Cameron, or am I gonna have to do this mys-” You started but was soon cut off by Rafe slipping two fingers inside of you and attaching his lips to your clit, your back arching in response. Rafe quickly picked up the pace on his fingers, curling them inside you to touch that one spot that only he has ever been able to reach. You moved your hips to meet Rafe’s fingers, pulling him deeper. You opened your eyes when you felt Rafe’s phone vibrate against the bed, you turned your head to look over your shoulder, just to make sure Rafe wasn’t looking and sure enough he was face deep in your pussy, blissfully unaware of the outside world. When you checked Rafe’s phone and saw he received a text from Sofia, you smirked to yourself. You clicked on the notification and unlocked his phone, reading the ‘where are you?’ text from Sofia. Quickly, you took a picture of Rafe and sent it to her along with a ‘sorry, he’s busy eating dinner,’ text. You turned off his phone and shoved it under a pillow.

You clenched around Rafe’s fingers, the stimulation quickly becoming too much. His name fell from your lips like prayer as you squirted all over his fingers.

You moved further up the bed and turned around to face Rafe. You grabbed his hand and pulled him down on the bed, moving quickly to straddle him before he could make his next move.

You took Rafe’s cock in your hand and positioned yourself over it. Slowly, you lowered yourself over it, earning a groan from Rafe as his hands shot to your hips, pulling you down the rest of the way. Your mouth gaped open at the feeling of Rafe’s cock stretching you out.

“So, fucking tight baby.” He groaned out, tilting his head back as the grip on your hips tightened. You slowly started moving your hips, allowing yourself to adjust to Rafe. But, once the pain subsided and the pleasure took over, you moved faster, your boobs bouncing against your chest. Rafe went to sit up but you pushed him back down, digging your nails into his chest as you rode him. Rafe’s hips met your own as your own movement started to become sloppier the closer you got your end. Your head tilted back as you let Rafe take over. It wasn’t long before you could feel Rafe’s cock twitching inside you, his thrusts becoming sloppier as he came deep inside you, you following closely behind. You collapsed against Rafe’s chest, feeling both of your liquids dripping down your thighs.

♡♡♡

Your eyes fluttered open in the morning at the sound of someone knocking on your door. You groaned and pulled your pillow over your head, not wanting to get up.

“Ms. Thornton.” You heard Lily call out from the other side. “You have to get up, it’s almost time to leave.”

You opened your eyes and checked the time on your phone, jumping out of bed once you realized the time.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m up.” You told Lily, before you walked over to Rafe, shaking him so he would wake up. “Rafe get the fuck up.”

“What time is it?” He groaned, running his hands over his face.

“It’s time to wake the fuck up.” You said, running around the room to collect your things as you threw them into your suitcase. Rafe slowly got out of the bed and started pulling his pants on.

“Well, good morning to you, too.” He muttered, buttoning his pants.

“Time to do the walk of shame, baby.” You patted his chest as you walked past him to pick your dress up off the floor.

“Where’s my phone?” He asked, pulling his suit jacket on over his unbuttoned shirt.

“Oh, here.” You said, grabbing his phone from under the pillow and handing it to him. You continued moving around the room, trying to grab all your things as he checked his phone.

“I have like a thousand texts from Sofia.” He muttered to himself. “Did you-Did you send her something?”

You stopped what you were doing and squeezed your eyes shut. You needed to come up with something and you needed to do it fast.

“I just…did the hard part for you.” You said with a small smile as you walked past him. Rafe grabbed your elbow and pulled you back towards him.

“You do realize I have to be in a confined space with her, thirty thousand feet in the air in like two hours right?” Rafe asked, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand.

“You do realize Sofia’s not completely incompetent right? She would’ve pieced two and two together when you never went back to your room. Maybe she even realized what was going to happen when you sent her back to your room last night.”

“I could’ve at least had a conversation with her.”

“Look, it could go two ways: she could give you the silent treatment, move out of Tannyhill, and never speak to you again or she could yell at you the whole way back to Kildare, move out of Tannyhill, and never speak to you again. I mean it’s not like you’re gonna be flying commercial where everyone can hear you. You’re gonna be on your own plane with just the two of you, a couple flight attendants, and the pilots. So, if she tries to kill you there will at least be witnesses.”

“This isn’t how I wanted to end things with her. I wanted to let her down easy.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure I did make things easy for you.” You scoffed, pulling your arm away from Rafe so you could make your way to the bathroom. You took a second before you sighed and turned around. “I’m…sorry. You’re right. What I did was immature and wrong.”

Rafe raked his eyes over you, like he was sizing you up. “What game are you playing, y/n?”

“I’m not playing a game, Rafe.” You scoffed, turning back around to put all your skincare away.

“Bullshit, you’re always playing a game. You never apologize.”

“It’s called maturing, Rafe. I’m trying to take a step in the right direction. No more games, no more fighting, less parties, focusing more on OBX Development.” You sighed and zipped up your skincare bag. Your eyes met Rafe’s in the mirror as you attempted to hide the smirk forming on your face and you turned around to face him. “I’m being serious. Me sending Sofia that picture last night was just my last bit of fun before my frontal lobe develops.”

“Fine.” Rafe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Did you really mean what you said about no fighting?”

“Ehh.” You said, rocking your head back and forth. You smiled over at Rafe and walked over to him, wrapping your arms around his neck before placing a small kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you back on Kildare, baby.”

♡♡♡

“How was your night?” Mark asked as the two of you sat on your plane. He was reading Business Insider and you were reading emails on your laptop.

“Everything went exactly to plan.” You muttered, smirking to yourself. “How was your night?

“Actually, it went really well. I think I even got us some new clients.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they’re interested in building on Kildare, actually.”

“Oh, that’s perfect.”

♡♡♡

“So, are you and Rafe like getting back together?” Sarah asked after you told her and Kie all about your night with Rafe.

“I don’t know, maybe.” You smiled, wrapping your arms around your knees.

“Just be careful, y/n.” Kie sighed. “Rafe doesn’t exactly have the best track record.”

“I know, I just think he’s…different now.”

“Wasn’t it just a couple of days ago you were yelling at him for knocking JJ off his bike?” Kie pointed out.

“Okay, I know that it sounds bad, but seriously I think he’s different. Maybe he just needs to hangout with us for you guys to see he has changed.”

“You want Rafe to hangout with us?” Sarah asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

“Come on, I think it can be fun. We invite him to Poguelandia, we have a bonfire, a couple of drinks, a couple of joints. It’ll be a good time.”

“If you think so.” Sarah sighed.

♡♡♡

Rafe stood around with the boys as they tended the fire and you pulled Sarah aside.

“I have a surprise for you.” You smiled, hiding the surprise behind your back.

“Okay.” She said, hesitantly.

“I was talking to Rafe and I may have convinced him to finally give you your inheritance.” You pulled the paperwork out from behind your back and handed it to her.

“Are you serious?” Sarah asked with a big smile, looking down at the paperwork.

“I told Rafe he should be the one to give it to you, but he said he was too nervous. Don’t tell him I told you that, though.”

“Thank you y/n, seriously.” Sarah hugged you tightly.

“Are the guys getting along?” You asked Kie when she came over.

“Well, besides the fact that they’re fighting over how the fire should be handled, I’d say they’re getting along.” Kie nodded.

“Guys, I think we’re finally getting everything we wanted.” You smiled, looking towards the boys.

♡♡♡

♡♡♡

When Rafe woke up the next morning and saw you lying on his chest, he thought he had died and gone to Heaven. He didn’t remember much of last night, but he had flashes, bits and pieces of memories.

When you woke up though, you had completely forgotten for a second that Rafe was in your bed. Your arms were wrapped around his waist and your legs were all tangled together. You shot up and scrambled to the foot of the bed in a panic, before you remembered that it was just Rafe. He was drunk last night, refused to go home, and that’s how he ended up in your bed.

“Woah, woah, woah, it’s just me.” Rafe said sitting up, an attempt to calm you down. You ran your hands through your hair and took a deep breath as you came to your senses.

“I know, that’s why I’m here.” You tried to keep your voice down, but you were shouting at him at the same time. “We need to get you back to your house before my family wakes up. They cannot know you slept here, it’s gonna open a whole can of worms with my mom.”

“Hey, Mom, wants to know-” Your little brother, William, said, coming into your room. “Oh, gross, I’m gonna tell Mom you have a boy in your bed.” William peeked around your shoulder and when he saw Rafe his jaw dropped. “No way, are you guys getting back together?”

You sighed and dropped your head into your hands.

“No, he just couldn’t go home last night, because he was too drunk.” You answered. Your brother was fourteen now, you figured he could handle the truth. You remember what it was like for him when you and Rafe broke up, you kind of thought William took it harder than you did.

Rafe was like the older brother he never had. He would play video games with him when he came over, showed up to all his basketball games, gave him advice about girls, even though you were certain it wasn’t gonna work.

“You did what?” William said when you told him you broke up with Rafe. “Go over there, tell him you’re sorry, and get back together!”

“That’s not how it works, Will.” You sighed, putting your laptop back into your backpack.

“So you guys aren’t getting back together?” Your brother asked, his shoulders dropping a little.

“No.” You answered.

“Never say never.” Rafe muttered at the same time, earning a ‘really?’ look from you.

“Mom!” Will called as he ran down the stairs and you ran after him, trying to catch him before he could say anything to anyone. But he reached the kitchen where your mother was before you could. “Mom! Rafe and y/n are getting back together! He’s in her bed right now!”

“No we are not!” You shouted as you entered the kitchen.

“What is Rafe Cameron doing in your bed?” Your mom asked, crossing her arms.

“Mom, I’m twenty years old, I can have a guy in my bed if I want.”

“What is Rafe Cameron doing in your bed?” She repeated.

“He just needed a place to crash last night that’s all.”

“Sweetie, I like Rafe, I really do, but do you really think it’s the best idea to get involved with him again? I mean do you forget what you were like after you broke up? Because I certainly didn’t. You couldn’t get out of bed, you couldn’t eat. I mean it was so bad JJ called me because he didn’t know what to do.”

“Well then it’s a good thing we aren’t getting back together, Mom.” You muttered before walking back upstairs.

“Everything okay?” Rafe asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

“Everything’s fine.” You said, a little snappier than you intended. You slipped on your Birkenstocks and looked over at Rafe. “We gotta get you out of here before Doug comes busting in and drags you out by the ear.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Well, he’s not exactly the biggest fan of you.”

“What? I thought he liked me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Cameron.” You said patting his chest. You watched as Rafe picked up his stuff. “Come on, let’s go before you cause anymore trouble this morning. I’m sure you have enough of it waiting at home for you.”

You walked downstairs with Rafe following closely behind you. You sighed and thanked God that the downstairs was empty.

“Thanks for letting me crash here last night.” Rafe said when you reached the front door.

“No problem. But, please, next time you get blackout drunk at the bar, don’t come pounding on my door. Oh, and I told Sofia you passed out in the living room so if she asks, tell her that.” You sent Rafe a smile before closing the front door behind him.

♡♡♡

You huffed as you walked up the steps to the Cameron Estate, your heels clicking against the concrete. Hesitantly you knocked on the door.

“Oh, hey, y/n.” Sofia said with a small smile when she opened the front door. “Rafe’s not here right now.”

“Oh, I know, I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch, my treat.” You smiled down at the girl, holding the keys to your car up.

“Oh, sure. Let me just grab my purse really quick.” Sofia walked back inside and you picked at your manicured nails, thinking about how you needed to get them done. When Sofia walked back outside your eyes immediately went to her bag.

“Is that the Dior Saddle Bag?” You asked pointing to her bag.

“Oh, yeah, Rafe just got it for me the other day.” Sofia smiled as the two of you moved towards your car. “Do you have one?”

“I have all of them.” You muttered, unlocking your car, allowing the two of you to get in.

“Wow, that’s so cool.” Sofia said, fiddling with her fingers. “I’m sure you have a great closet.”

“You should come over and see it sometime. I have a bunch of stuff I don’t wear anymore if you want them.”

“Oh, sure, thanks.”

You pulled up to the restaurant and got out of your car, locking it once Sofia closed her door.

♡♡♡

“Thank you.” You said to the waiter with a smile as he poured wine for you and Sofia. “Let’s get into the reason why I invited you to lunch today.” You leaned back into your chair and crossed one leg over the other. “How much did Hollis offer you to convince Rafe to take the deal with her?”

“W-what are you talking about?” Sofia stuttered out.

“Well, I mean Hollis paying you off is the only conclusion I can come to as to why you would suddenly be interested in Rafe’s business.” You said, cocking your head to the side as you spoke to Sofia. “So, how much did she offer you?”

“Twenty-five thousand.” Sofia looked down at the table, you assumed guilt was starting to come over her.

“Twenty-five thousand?” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “You’re willing to risk Rafe’s entire business for twenty-five thousand dollars? You’re a lot cheaper than I thought you would be. Look, it’s whatever.” You sighed and pulled a stuffed envelope out of your purse. “Seventy five thousand dollars, cash, and you convince Rafe to back out of the deal.”

Sofia went to grab the envelope and you slapped your hand on top of it, preventing her from grabbing it and put it back into your purse

“You’ll get this after Rafe backs out of the deal.” You stood from your chair and fished two hundred dollar bills out of your purse before tossing them down on the table. “I’ll call an Uber for you.”

♡♡♡

You sighed as you walked into your house, tossing your keys in the bowl, when you heard your family laughing in the kitchen. As you walked further into the kitchen you saw your business partner, and ex-boyfriend, Mark, sitting at the counter talking to your family.

“Oh, hi, sweetie.” Your mom said with a smile. “How was lunch?”

“Just fantastic.” You mutter, clutching your purse a little tighter.

“Hi, y/n.” Mark walked over to you with that stupid charming smile he always had on. “Have a place we can talk?”

“Of course.” You said with a polite smile.

You led Mark to the backyard and closed the sliding door behind him.

“What are you doing here?” You asked as you practically threw your purse down on the outdoor dining room table. You sat down and crossed one leg over the other, your arms following suit.

“Well, you weren’t returning my calls, or my texts, or my emails, so I figured I would come see you in person instead.” Mark answered, sitting across from you.

“There’s a reason for my avoidance of you.”

“I know, that’s what I intend to find out.”

You met Mark when you were at UNC. He was the same year as you, but he was two years older. You were immediately attracted to him. Everything about him was perfect: his hair, his body, the fact that he came from wealth, he was from the Outer Banks, his sense of humor, his work ethic. Everything about your relationship was perfect. You never fought, he was always paid when you went on dates, he showered you in gifts: jewelry, clothes, handbags, whatever you wanted he got, you two even lived together for a time. He was even the perfect business partner. He always came through on pitches, he always produced the best partnerships, he always made the perfect deals. Everything about him was perfect. That’s why you ended things. You didn’t want perfect, you wanted someone who would challenge you, someone who got under your skin, but also knew you like the back of their hand, who could be kind to you, and made you laugh. You wanted Rafe and Mark would never be Rafe.

“How was Tokyo?” You asked, wanting to keep control of the conversation.

“Well, you saw the offer and the deal. You know it went perfect.” He answered. Your development business just bought an entire apartment complex in Tokyo, intending to turn them into luxury apartments with the best tech.

“Congratulations on taking OBX Development international.” You smiled.

“Couldn’t have done it without you. I mean, it was your idea after all. Remind me, where are all the places we’re building now?”

“The Outer Banks, South Carolina, Southwest Florida, Miami, Los Angeles, El Paso, Texas, and now Tokyo, and hopefully after this next offer I’m working on Kildare.”

“All those places in just under a year. How do you do it?”

“Insane connections and a good last name.” You answered with a smile. “I know you’re not here to talk business, so how about we actually talk about why you’re here.”

“I already told you. I’m here to find out why you’ve been avoiding me.”

“I’ve been talking to you about work, so you can’t say I’ve been completely avoiding you. But I think you know why I’ve been avoiding ever other single one of your messages.” You sighed. “You want to talk about what happened and what went wrong and honestly, I just, don’t.”

“I just want to know what I did that was so bad that you packed up in the middle of the night and came back home.”

“Nothing, you did nothing wrong. Which is exactly the problem. You did nothing wrong, you never did anything wrong. You were absolutely perfect. That’s when I knew I wasn’t the girl for you anymore, Mark. It was like as the days went on I just started hating you. I mean, you never even had a hair out of place. It wasn’t fair to you to stay in a relationship with you, because I knew I would just end up breaking your heart and I didn’t…I couldn’t do that.”

“So, you thought the best way to break up with me was to flee? In the middle of the night? You thought the mature way to end a relationship was to leave in the middle of the night without a single word?”

“I thought I was sparing you.” You said quietly, looking at your hands.

“Spare me? You thought you were sparing me? If anything you just made me more upset than any conversation we could’ve had. I mean, did you think you would just leave in the middle of the night and never see me again? We have a business together!”

“I wasn’t—That wasn’t my plan.”

“Then what was your plan, y/n?”

“You would stay in Charleston and I would come back to Kildare and we would only see each other when necessary, only speaking to each other when it pertained to work.”

“How was I supposed to know that without you talking to me? I’m not a mind reader y/n!”

“I—I don’t know, okay? I just thought maybe you would let me go in the night and we would just never talk about it.”

“We spent two years together and you thought I was just gonna let you disappear into the night without a word? I actually convinced myself that you were the woman I was gonna marry one day.”

“You think that wasn’t on my mind either? I tried staying as long as I could. I tried to convince myself that I could fall back in love with you. But, I just realized that the more time went on, the more I was hurting you.”

“How long? How long did you stay, knowing you couldn’t stand me, before you decided to leave?”

“I don’t know, a couple months.”

“Why did you stay so long?”

“I thought I was doing what was right.”

“You should’ve left the second you started having doubts or at the very least, talked to me.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” You said quietly.

Mark sighed and stood up from his chair.

“I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.” He muttered, buttoning up his suit jacket.

“What?” You asked, raising your eyebrows, your face doing very little to hide your shock.

“Oh, you thought I was just coming for the day? I’m here until I leave for Europe.”

“That’s not for another month.”

“Then, I guess you better get used to having me around again.” You watched as Mark walked back inside.

You waited a little bit until you were certain Mark left and grabbed your purse from the table, heading inside. You stomped upstairs to your room, ignoring your mom as she asked if everything was okay. Slamming the door to your room, you sighed and tossed your purse on your bed. You made your way to your closet, there was only one thing that was going to calm you down at this point. You dug through an old box and found your old bong and at least three ounces of weed. You grabbed a bottle of water and your lighter and made your way out to your balcony, groaning when you saw Rafe already standing out there.

“Everything alright?” Rafe asked, leaning against his balcony railing.

“How much did you hear?” You asked, filling the bong with the water and packed it.

“Enough to know you’re upset.” He shrugged.

You lit the bong and brought it to your lips, inhaling sharply.

“I’m fine.” You exhaled.

“Do you want me to beat his ass for you?” Rafe’s offer made you laugh.

“No you probably shouldn’t, he’s still my business partner, I don’t need you scaring him off.”

“Please, you and I both know you could run that business without him.” Rafe scoffed at the suggestion that you actually needed Mark.

“Maybe, but he does handle like half the shit I don’t want to deal with.” You shrugged and set your bong down on the table.

“Sofia told me the two of you went to lunch today.” Rafe said, looking down at his hands.

“She say anything else?”

“Just that the two of you had a good time.”

“Well, she certainly had a good time.” You mumbled, playing with your bracelet. “How’s the deal going with Hollis?”

“Oh, I decided to back out. I realized what you said was true. We don’t know what kind of game she’s playing.”

“Did Sofia tell you to back out or did you come to that conclusion on your own this time?”

“No, I made the decision last night. The clarity dawned on me sometime between leaving the bar and when you were lying on top of me.”

“Wow, you actually came to a sound conclusion without your girlfriend, way to go Rafe.”

“You’re mean when you smoke weed.” Rafe said, his face dropping.

♡♡♡

You sighed as you sat in the café waiting for Sofia. She had agreed to meet you here when you told her you needed to speak with her. You were sipping on your latte when she walked and sat down at the table you were sitting at.

“I know you didn’t talk to Rafe.” You sighed and pulled the envelope out of your purse, setting it down on the table.

“So, why are you still giving me this?” She asked, looking down at the envelope.

“Because I felt like donating to charity.” You said before you stood up.

“I don’t need this you know.” Sofia called out as you started to walk away. You turned back to her and chuckled lightly.

♡♡♡

You groaned as you felt your phone vibrating under your pillow, waking you up from your dreamless slumber. You checked the time quickly before you picked up the call from John B.

“John B Routledge, do you know what time it is?” You said as soon as you picked up the phone, your morning voice doing very little to hide your annoyance.

“I know I’m sorry, y/n, but I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.” John B sounded panicked on the other line, making you sit up so fast you thought you were going to get whiplash.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, already getting out of bed and throwing whatever t-shirt on that you could find in your closet and a pair of shorts.

“It’s JJ, he got hurt.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” You said before hanging up. You slid on your closest pair of shoes and ran downstairs grabbing the keys to your car.

You raced to the hospital, every possibility running through your head as to what could have happened and the worst possible outcomes. You were just glad you got JJ on your insurance as soon as you could.

You pulled into the parking lot, not bothering to lock your car as you ran inside.

“Where is JJ Maybank?” You asked the nurse at the front desk.

“Are you family?” The nurse asked, cocking an eyebrow at you as she looked up from whatever paperwork she was doing.

“No, I’ve just decided to come to the hospital at the ass crack of dawn to see a stranger.” You were pissed that she would even ask the question, you thought the urgency of your question was evidence enough that you were here to see family. “Yes, yes he’s my little brother.”

“Y/n.” John B said, stepping out into the waiting room. He looked worried and it only made you panic more.

“Oh, John B, thank God. Tell this woman I’m JJ’s sister.”

“She’s good, she’s good.” John B told the nurse as he ushered you back to where JJ was. “Kie’s here, too.”

When you got to the bariatric chamber room you couldn’t believe your eyes. Your brother sat up and sent you a small smile and wave, like he knew he would be in trouble when he got out. Now that you were certain your brother was okay, you were mad. You turned to John B with your arms crossed.

“You are gonna tell me what the hell happened in explicit detail. Do you understand me, John B?” You said, jabbing your finger into John B’s chest.

“Okay, well this old guy approached us to find this like really old amulet on Blackbeard’s ship off of the coast of Goat Island-” John B started, but you cut him off before he could continue.

“Blackbeard’s ship? The one that’s eighty feet below the surface? The one that’s protected by the Coast Guard?” You could feel yourself getting more angry as John B continued explaining how JJ ended up in the hospital.

“Well, yes, but anyways, we got the coordinates of the ship and we went out there last night and JJ and Kie decided to dive to find the amulet. But, when they got down there someone else showed up and-and attacked them-”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“A guy attacked them and they couldn’t stop at their safe spot for three minutes and they came up too quick and they sort of got the bends.”

“I told you to stop the treasure hunting. I told you it was dangerous, John B. You’ve finally been able to settle down and start a business and now you’re back throwing yourself into danger! I mean what on God’s green Earth could have possessed you to take this job?”

“That’s the other thing…JJ kind of bet our last gold nugget on himself at the Enduro, which we were gonna use to pay our property taxes, but since he lost, we kind of have no money to pay our property taxes.”

“Why…why did you not just come ask me for help? I mean I would’ve given you the money. How much is it?”

“Thirteen thousand…”

“Are you fucking kidding me, John B? I spend more than that in a weekend in Paris! Why did you not just come to me?”

“Because, we want to do this on your own. This is our chance to show everyone how serious we are.”

“And you’re willing to put your lives on the line for that? God, do you people ever think? Did you even get the amulet?”

“Yes, yes, we did.” John B said, a smile starting to spread across his face.

“Good, because as soon as Kie and JJ get out of here you are taking that fucking thing to the old man on Goat Island and getting your money. Do you understand me?”

“Y-yes ma’am.”

“Text me when they’re out.” You muttered, taking one last look at your brother and Kie before leaving.

♡♡♡

You sat in your office, finally reading that contract Mark sent over.

“Yeah, this is great Mark, I’ll sign everything as soon as we get off the phone.” You said into your phone. “Mark, I really don’t want to talk about us right now.”

“Ms. Thornton.” Lily announced herself, walking into your office.

“I gotta go.” You sighed, hanging up your phone. “What’s up?”

“Um, Mr. Cameron is here, he’s pretty insistent that he sees you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You said, looking at your phone.

“I’m taking the deal with Hollis.” Rafe announced as soon as the door shut behind him.

“What? Why?” You asked, putting your phone down.

“I talked to Sofia-”

“Oh my God.” You chuckled cutting him off. “So now you’re taking business advice from her? Tell me where did she get her business degree? Oh, wait, that’s right she doesn’t have one.”

“She just said she thought it would be a good idea, a good opportunity.”

“Did she also say it was great chance to make friends and collaborate with your peers?” You said, the sarcasm dripping off your voice.

“God, what is your problem?”

“What’s my problem? I’m looking out for you Rafe! A random woman, who we haven’t seen in years, suddenly comes up to us and offers this ‘amazing’ business opportunity, demanding two hundred thousand dollars, with no business plans, no contracts, she wants everything done under the table. And you think it’s a good idea all of a sudden because your girlfriend told you so? Why are you even here telling me this?”

“Because…”

Rafe knew why he was here. He wanted you to talk him out of it. He wanted you to tell him that you needed him for the offer the two of you were gonna put on Goat Island. God, he just wanted to hear that you needed him.

“You can’t even tell me why you’re here. You know what, do whatever you want Rafe, I’m going through with the offer, with or without you.”

Your words broke Rafe a little. You had needed Rafe for so long, you each thrived off one another’s presence, he knew it and you knew it. But, now that you didn’t need him anymore, that you could live without him in your life, it broke his heart just the littlest bit.

But, the truth was you did need him, you wanted him, but you couldn’t admit that yourself, much less to Rafe.

“Oh, and, Rafe, if you tell Hollis, or even suggest to her that I’m putting an offer on Goat Island, you will never see me or hear from me again.”

It was an empty threat, you knew and Rafe knew that if he told Hollis, you would march right up to him and tear him a new one. Because, like Rafe said, fighting was your love language.

♡♡♡

“Hey.” You said to Sarah with a smile as you walked into Poguelandia. “I got your text, is everything okay?”

“Do you know what this is?” Sarah asked, handing you a piece of paper. “Some guy just handed it to us and we have no idea what it means.”

You took one look at the paper and saw zone change.

“Well you royally pissed someone off, and you’re gonna need a lot more than thirteen thousand dollars.” You explained, tossing the paper down on the counter. “I can try talking to my grandfather, but everyone knows Topper’s his favorite. I can’t make any promises, especially since I would be asking for a favor for pogues.”

“Wow, thanks.” Sarah muttered.

“You know that’s not what I meant. He’s gonna see what the zone is for and that it has to do with The Cut. I’m just saying I can’t make any promises.”

“Thank you, y/n, truly.”

♡♡♡

You paced around your living room as you fought on the phone with your grandfather, Judge Thornton, about this stupid zoning thing. Everyone was out of the house, so it was just you.

“I gotta go.” You muttered when you heard someone knock on the front door. You hung up the phone and opened the door. “What are you doing here, Rafe?”

He was obviously drunk, he could barely stand up straight.

“Ugh, you smell like the bar.” You grimaced, looking over him.

“I-I came to talk to you.” He slurred, leaning one arm against the doorframe as the rest of his body slumped over.

“You need coffee.” You said, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, leading him inside. You shut the door behind you and made your way to the kitchen, sitting Rafe down in a chair at the counter. “Please tell me you didn’t drive here.”

“I didn’t. Sofia did.” Rafe hiccuped, leaning his head down on the counter.

“Sofia drove you here? Willingly?” Your eyebrows shot up in shock as you started brewing the cup of coffee for Rafe.

“Yup.” He responded, popping the ‘p’ at the end.

“Drink this and then I’m taking you back to your house.” You handed Rafe the cup of coffee and he just stared at it.

“I don’t want to go there.” He muttered.

“Rafe, you can’t stay here.”

“Why?”

“B-because, you know why. It’ll just make things more confusing than they already are.”

“But that’s what you like though. Confusing, irritating, complicated things. That’s why things didn’t work between you and that Mark guy, right? He was too nice?”

“H-how do you know about Mark?” You asked, your face faltering.

“Please, your mom’s the biggest loud mouth once you get a few drinks in her.”

“You fed my mom alcohol to find out information about my personal life?” Your voice sounded annoyed, but really you found it almost comforting that Rafe was still so interested in you that he went through your mom to find out even the smallest details about your life when you were away for school.

“It didn’t take much, Laura really is a lightweight.” He chuckled. “At first she would talk about how she thought you and I would get married one day and that when we broke up a piece of her died that day. You know, it really was nice of you not to tell her the full story.”

“I didn’t want you thrown in jail for the rest of your life, Rafe.” You sighed and looked down at your hands.

“I knew it. I knew a piece of you still cared about me.”

“Of course I still care about you Rafe, God, I’ve known you practically my entire life and you thought I was just gonna stop caring about you?”

“Then why didn’t you reach out to me? Why didn’t you come home once?”

“Because Rafe I needed time away from you, away from these people, away from this place. I needed to find out who I was before I felt like I could come back.”

“Did you? Did you find out who you were?”

“Yeah, I did, actually. Someone who doesn’t need you anymore.”

You watched as Rafe stood and moved in front of you, placing his hands on the counter on either side of you, practically trapping you in place.

“Are you sure?” His voice was barely above a whisper. He was so close to you, you thought you were going to lose every bit of sanity and strength you had left.

“Absolutely positive.” Your voice came out a bit shakier than you would’ve liked but you were just glad you could get the words out.

“You don’t want this at all?”

You closed your eyes for a second before coming to your senses. Rafe was right about one thing: you did like the confusion, the irritation, the complications of it all. He always knew you like that, he knew you too well.

You put your hands on Rafe’s chest, hesitating for a second, before you lightly pushed him away from you.

“No bad decisions, remember?” You said quietly, recalling your own words from that night two years ago when the two of you kissed for the first time, the first time you showered together, the first time he saw you naked.

“Yet, somehow, whenever I’m around you, I only make bad decisions.” Rafe said quietly, staring at your lips.

“Come on, we need to get you to bed.” You grabbed Rafe’s hand and pulled him towards the stairs, turning the light off in the kitchen in the process.

“So I can stay here tonight?” Rafe’s voice sounded hopeful as he let you pull him up the stairs.

“Only because I don’t feel like having to get you over to your house. Trust me, I would much rather just hand you off to Sofia, but I’ve decided to be nice tonight.”

“Fuck that bitch.” Rafe muttered, looking at the ground.

“Nope, those are mean words and we don’t talk about women like that.” You corrected him.

When you reached your room, you could see Sofia standing on Rafe’s balcony through your window.

“Shit.” You whispered, stopping for a second. “Get down.” You pulled Rafe to the ground with you, squatting just outside your bedroom door.

“What? What?” He asked in a panicked whisper, looking at you like you were crazy.

“Just wait here.” You whispered before you crawled into your room. You closed your curtains painfully slow, trying to not get Sofia to notice that you were closing them, because you figured if she saw you close them then that you meant you had something to hide. And, truly, you did. You were about to let Rafe Cameron sleep in your bed, with you.

You stood up slowly and made your way out to your balcony.

“Oh, hey.” You said to Sofia with a small smile, feigning surprise.

“Hey.” She responded, before sighing. “Is Rafe still over there?”

“Oh, yeah, he kinda passed out in my living room.” You chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Sorry, I kind of dropped him on you. He was insistent that he saw you. Like, he wouldn’t get out of the car unless I let him go over to your house. I tried to tell him that you didn’t want to be bothered.”

“It’s fine, I’ve dealt with my fair share of drunk people passed out in my living room.”

“Was he…Was he like this with you?”

“Well, not really. He did kill someone six months into our relationship, so different circumstances.”

“Is that the reason why you broke up? Because he killed Peterkin?”

“It-it was a big factor, yeah.”

“Well, I should head inside, get some sleep.” She said, before turning around.

“He’s not a bad guy, he’s just been dealt a bad set of cards.” You told Sofia, sending her a small smile, before heading back into your own room.

“Is it safe?” Rafe whispered peaking his head into your room from the hallway.

“Yes, it’s safe.” You sighed, turning on your closet light so there was at least some light in the room. “Sit.” You pointed Rafe towards the bed and went back into your closet, trying to find a shirt for him. You pulled the shirt from the first night you slept in his room out and threw it on the bed.

“You still have this?” Rafe smiled as he picked up the shirt.

“Well, I was planning on burning it, but I just never quite got around to it.” You said from the closet as you searched for a pair of Rafe’s old sweatpants that you knew you had in here somewhere. When you finally found them, you turned the light off in the closet and went back into your room, where you found Rafe struggling to unbutton his shirt. You smacked his hands away and started unbuttoning his shirt for him. “It always was my favorite, though.” You muttered, before taking his shirt off and tossing it onto your desk chair.

“At least take me to dinner first, Thornton.” Rafe joked, and you tried hard to hide your smile.

You helped Rafe pull the shirt on over his head and Rafe kicked off his shoes. “Up.” You helped Rafe stand up off the bed. “Think you can handle your belt?”

“I want you to do it.” He said quietly, looking down at you. You closed your eyes and sighed before making quick work of his belt, adding it to the desk chair pile.

“You know she cares about you, a lot.” You muttered as Rafe took off his pants and pulled on the sweats you found.

“Who?”

“You know who I’m talking about.” You said, walking back into your closet to find yourself something to wear. You changed quickly and went back into your room.

“Do you like her?” Rafe asked, sitting back down on your bed.

“Does it matter?” You stood next your bed, taking your jewelry off and throwing it into a little bowl on your bedside table.

“Do you like her?” Rafe repeated, grabbing your waist to force you to look at him.

“No.” You answered honestly, looking down at Rafe.

“Why?” His grip on your waist tightened a little bit.

“You know why, Rafe.” Your voice was the one barely above a whisper now. You knew why you didn’t like Sofia. It had nothing to do with her as a person, Rafe knew that. It had everything to do with the fact that she was who he called ‘baby’ now. That she was the person who slept in his bed at night, not you.

“I want you to say it.” Rafe pulled you in between his legs and your hands went his shoulders. “Say those three little words and I’m all yours.”

“Rafe…” You said quietly, looking down at him. You wanted nothing more than to say those three words, to tell him that you loved him. “Go to sleep.”

You stepped back away from Rafe and he dropped his hands from your waist.

“We agreed, no bad decisions.” You muttered, pulling back the covers for Rafe.

“No, no you said we wouldn’t make any bad decisions.” Rafe said, moving to lay down in the bed and you pulled the covers over him.

“Exactly, we agreed.” You walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed in, keeping your distance from Rafe. Rafe watched you carefully, never taking his eyes off of you. “Go to sleep, you creep.” You joked, pushing his face away from you.

“But, it’s so cold and lonely over here.” Rafe whined. He always did get so needy when he was drunk and tired.

“Fine, but you can hold my hand and that’s it.” You huffed, lacing your fingers through his. Rafe took this opportunity to pull you closer to him, so close you were practically lying on top of him. “Rafe.” You warned, but you weren’t moving away from him.

“We’re just holding hands.”

“I’m lying on top of you.” You said flatly, looking up at him.

“Yeah, and I can tell you aren’t wearing a bra.” He smirked.

“Go to sleep, you perv.” You muttered into Rafe’s chest.