Hello! I'm back (we've been back approximately thirty seconds and I'm meant to be helping with the unpacking of the cars)! We had a pretty good time- apart from the rain. There was a freakin' thunderstorm before we reached the highway! I was seated next to the brother closest to my age, while our two younger brothers fought. The entire way. Nine hours of 'MUM! HE'S ON MY SIDE OF THE SEAT!' and 'I AM NOT MUM HE'S SUCH A LIAR!' Of course, this would prompt Dad to bellow 'DO YOU WANT ME TO PULL OVER?'
Which he would never, ever do because of the traffic. Twelve hours, it took us, instead of nine. And the radio died so we couldn't even listen to the cricket- Dad and my brother closest to me were in horrifically bad moods the entire way.
Read and review, please!
Rhyleigh xoxox
PS: There's not much longer until we get to meet baby Barton!
"Mum?" Jake said uncertainly, a few days later. Ruby and Julie were home from the hospital, and the others were still busy cooing over her. That particular day, however, Rachel was at Jake's place with Grace and Alex.
"Yes, darling?" Grace said. "Are you okay, Jake? You've been unusually quiet for a couple of days".
"Quiet for Jake or quiet for a normal person?" Alex said cheekily, grinning at Rachel. Rachel smiled at Alex's sense of humour, punching him gently on the arm.
"Alex", Grace smiled.
"Continue, Jake", Alex said importantly.
"Um..."
"Jake, spit it out", Grace said cheerfully.
Rachel reached for his hand under the table. "Mum, guess who I saw in town the other day?"
"Who?"
"Guess".
"Keith Urban", Alex guessed, out of the blue.
"Close".
"Jake", Rachel said.
"Sorry, sorry. Any ideas, Mum?"
"No idea, hon. Just tell us".
"You might want to sit down".
"Jake, I am sitting down".
"Sorry. Are you sure you want to know?"
"Jake!"
"Okay, okay". Jake sighed. "We saw Dad. Who wants cake?"
"WHAT?" Grace roared.
Jake flinched.
"Dad?" Alex said in disbelief. "As in the estranged father that left when I was born? That Dad?"
"No, Keith Urban's dad. Yes, that dad!"
"Why?" Grace demanded.
Jake shrugged. "I told him to get the hell away from us because we don't consider him a part of the family any more. He hurt all of us, Mum. I wasn't about to let him just waltz back into our lives!"
"Why'd he leave?" Alex wanted to know.
"I don't know, sweetheart". Grace reached out to cover Alex's hand with her own.
"He didn't say", Jake admitted quietly.
Grace held one of his hands, and Rachel held the other comfortingly.
"Come on", Jake said, when Rachel yawned so hard her jaw almost cracked. He helped her off the lounge, and guided her to his bedroom. Grace smiled, at the total adoration her son displayed, and always had.
Jake made sure Rachel was comfortable, before settling down next to her.
"I'm glad you told your mum", Rachel said, resting her head on his chest.
"So am I. I don't think Dad will be, though! The only thing he did, really, was get me into football. Remember? Mum thought it would be too dangerous. I only knocked out one tooth and had a couple mild concussions".
The couple of 'mild concussions' had landed Jake in the emergency room both times, Rachel by his side.
"Yeah", Rachel said, smiling at the memory. The first time he stayed in the hospital overnight, they were both seven and Dave had to drag Rachel away, screaming her little lungs out.
They were close.
"We didn't really fight, did we?" Jake asked.
"We had our first fight when we were twelve", Rachel remembered, suddenly wide awake.
"Oh yeah. It was like, our first and only fight".
"We had our first kiss at fifteen".
"Australia Day, hey?" Jake grinned at her and kissed her cheek.
"And you first punched Brian in the nose when we were eighteen". Rachel laughed.
"Hey, I didn't like the look of him! And besides, I never stalked you when you went on a date to the movies!"
"I didn't like the look of Belinda, okay?"
"You almost got us kicked out of the cinema".
"True".
"And I smashed out Daniel, remember?" Jake laughed.
"Of course I remember! How could I forget? He was admitted to the hospital, Jake".
"Now Daniel I didn't like the look of. I couldn't stand Daniel".
"I know. And I never started shrieking like a banshee when you fell over playing footy!" she added.
"No, you just came running out onto the field!"
"You weren't getting up and it scared me!"
"I had Camel sitting on me, how was I supposed to get up?"
"And Mum and your mum just laughed and said we'd get married".
"I'm glad we didn't listen to them", Jake said cheekily.
Rachel kissed Jake gently on the lips. "We never listened".