Thank you guys for the reviews. I know there have been bigger gaps between updates lately and unfortunately I dont see this changing anytime soon. I am really busy at the moment so the little time I find is what I use to write. I will still be trying to get you updates once a week but they may at times be a few days late or longer. I was thinking maybe I should concentrate one one story and then carry on with the other after I finish, but it's up to you guys so let me know if you would prefer it that way :)
Wrote this chapter in a short time and I can honestly say I'm not to pleased with it but dont want to keep messing about with it. But still hope you guys enjoy it :)
She stood straight and turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears of overwhelming joy "Have I ever told you how much I love you" she said bringing her hand to his chest, as he wound his arms around her waist
Brax nodded with a smile "Once or twice"
"Well I'll tell you again. I love you with all my heart Daryl Braxton"
…
"Ignore it" said Brax as he softly dragged his lips over Charlie's neck, hers arms clutching his back as she pushed into him. She relaxed into him as her phone stopped ringing, a heavy breath escaping her lips as Brax's lips ventured downwards
"Babe," she sighed relishing in the way he made her feel, but as her phone rang out again he felt Brax groan, his breath vibrating against her skin "Babe it might be important" reluctantly she pulled herself from under him and swung her leg off the side of the bed as she saw it was Ruby calling
"Rubes" she said "Is everything ok?" Charlie closed her eyes and bit into her bottom lip as Brax wrapped his arms around her, his lips on her neck
"I thought you guys were supposed to be back yesterday" spoke Ruby
Charlie nodded, trying to ignore Brax's administrations "Yeah, we err… decided to stay one more night. We're gonna be home tonight" answered Charlie. As Brax slowly grazed the edge of her shoulder with his teeth she sucked in a breath and tried moving from him, unsuccessfully "Why?" she asked trying to keep her voice natural
"Just checking" spoke Ruby "We didn't hear from you so you know… we were worried" Charlie could sense there was another reason that Ruby had called but she was too worked up to pay it much attention
"Ok well we'll see you later" not giving Ruby a chance to say bye, Brax pealed the phone from Charlie's ears and flung it onto the other side of the bed
"Now where were we" he spoke with a grin, his lips still pressed to her shoulder before he pulled her onto the bed, under him
…
"I don't want to leave" Charlie stuck her bottom lip out as Brax packed the last of their things.
Brax chuckled as he zipped up his bag and turned to Charlie "Well if you want I can go and book the room for the whole week. We won't even have to leave these four walls if you don't want to" he grinned at her suggestively and Charlie laughed
"You would love that wouldn't you" she said
Brax nodded his head a smile lifting one corner of his mouth. Walking over to her he placed his hands down on the bed either side of Charlie before lowering his head to hers "I would love nothing more" he gave a full grin as he took her lips in a gentle kiss
"Umm" Charlie pulled back, running her tongue over her bottom lip "Keep kissing me like that and I might just take you up on your offer"
"I better keep kissing you then" Brax took her lips in his, lowering himself as the kiss deepened. Charlie's back hit the bed, her arms wrapped around his neck.
Both pulling back in need of air, Charlie leaned forward and placed a trail of kisses on Brax's neck. She pulled back to look at him and felt her chest tighten at the love she could see in his eyes
"Babe" she spoke "We should leave now or we'll never leave" her fingers toyed with the hairs on the nape of his neck "And we've been gone three days already. You need to check on the restaurant"
Brax sighed and hung his head forward, his forehead leaning against Charlie's "What if I sold the restaurant and we stay here forever" he said and Charlie chuckled
"Well that wouldn't be good. You see I'm only with you for your money so you sell your restaurant and I'll be forced to go find a richer fiancé" her smile grew at her word. He hadn't been the first person she had referred to as her fiancé but somehow it felt different as it rolled off her tongue; it sounded different
Brax grinned down at her, his arms still locking her under him "Well I can't have that now can I? I guess the restaurant stays"
Charlie nodded her head "Good choice"
Brax shook his head, stealing a quick kiss before pushing himself up with his arms. He held his hand out and pulled Charlie to her feet as she took hold of it "Come on then. Before I lose all self-control and we never make it home"
Charlie giggled and blushed as she slipped on her flat pumps. She looked up as Brax closed in on her; his arms slowly wrapping around her waist, resting on the small of her back. She tried to hide her blush but Brax placed his thumb under her chin and slowly lifted her head up to look at him
The sincerity, love and adoration she could see in his eyes almost brought her to her knees, only causing the blush on her face to deepen
She watched him watch her before his eyes looked down at the ring now on her finger. The hand he had used to lift her chin, now went down to her hand and he ran his thumb over her finger on which her engagement ring resided, a smile adorning his face. He looked back up at her, his thumb still running along her finger
"You know there's nothing that could possibly happen that could keep you from me now, right?"
Charlie let every part of her feel his words, praying with all she had that he was telling the truth. Nothing seemed better than having him with her always
"Good. Because I wouldn't let you leave even if you tried" she simpered up at him and stood on the tip of her toes before very gently brushing her lips past his. She smiled as Brax impatiently pulled her lips in with his, deepening the kiss
…
Walking into the house Charlie smiled. Although she hadn't wanted to leave the city she had to admit she was glad to be home and three days or not she had missed her daughter. Brax dropped their bags on the floor and shut the door behind him
"Are they out? He asked as he dropped the car keys onto the coffee table
Charlie opened her mouth to answer but stop as a loud giggle erupted from the hall followed by Casey's name. Her eyes widened as her jaw slacked in recognition of who the noise had come from. Another squeal had her shudder before she practially ran to the door, grabbing Brax's hand
Brax frowned as he shut the door behind them, no doubt as to what they had just come home to "How drunk am I gonna need to get you, to forget that" he asked
Charlie looked to him and frowned "I don't think alcohol is going to do much for this" she shuddered as he walked down the drive way "Can we go to Heath and Bianca's?" she asked not turning around to face him
Brax chuckled and nodded "Sure" he glanced back at the house and grinned, he was most definitely going to make Ruby and Casey aware of this situation no way would he pass this up
"And if you're thinking of even mentioning this to them…don't" Charlie still had her back to him and Brax pouted as he ran to her
"But babe…"
Charlie cut him off and hit his chest lightly "I mean it Brax. No making fun of them"
Brax sighed "No fair" And Charlie shook her head and chuckled before she laced her hand through his, the both of them making the walk to Heath and Bianca's
…
Heath's laughter echoed through the living room and Charlie glared at him "Glad you find it amusing Heath" she rolled her eyes
Heath, straightening himself up, chuckled a few times before speaking "You should have busted them. Could you imagine their faces if you had just walked into the room…"
"Heath" Bianca nudged his knee, but Heath was too busy laughing to notice
"Sorry Buckton but you've got to admit, it's kinda hilarious"
Charlie's eyebrow knitted together "Oh yea, in what way?"
Heath sighed, his laughter dying down "Ok maybe not for you"
"Yeah maybe" Charlie replied sarcastically as she threw a pillow cushion at him and sighed "I'm hungry" she said as she stood to her feet and made her way into the kitchen
Heath cocked his head "Yeah make yourself right at home Buckton" he spoke with as much sarcasm as Charlie had
Popping her head back round the corner Charlie grinned at him "Oh I plan to" she winked as she continued into the kitchen
Rolling her eyes Bianca stood to her feet and followed Charlie through to the kitchen. She smiled at Charlie who was peeling off a slice of cold pizza that Heath had left in the fridge. She looked down at the ring on Charlie's finger and stepped forward perching herself on one of the stools at the center counter
"So you have a good weekend?" asked Bianca
Charlie nodded with a full mouth and dragged the pizza box with her to the counter before sitting on the second stool. Swallowing she smiled and answered "Yeah it was really nice to just have some uninterrupted time alone" she picked at some meat on the pizza popped it in her mouth before she continued talking "Don't get me wrong, I love having Ruby and Casey in the house but it makes it difficult to get in some fun time" she winked and Bianca laughed
"Fun time?" she questioned with a cocked eyebrow and Charlie nodded with a grin
"Yeah fun time. You have no idea how good it felt to be able to do whatever we wanted without having to worry about Rubes or Casey or even Heath walking into the house" Charlie and Bianca laughed "And it was kinda sexy jut being able to walk around naked"
"I'm not too keen on the thought of you naked but Brax naked…" she nodded in approval "I think I could deal with that"
Charlie's jaw dropped and she laughed loudly before swatting Bianca's arm "That's my fiancé you're talking about. And in case you've forgotten you're already taken"
Bianca scoffed "You should be happy I approve of your man and as for being taken no one said anything about looking. I seem to recall touching was the issue"
Both girls laughed once more. Her laughter subsiding, Charlie glanced down at her ring and sighed, one of contentment and hope
"I keep thinking I might wake any minute" she said and Bianca frowned unsure what she was talking about
"What do you mean?" asked Bianca
Charlie closed the lid of the pizza box and looked to Bianca "Sometimes it doesn't seem real" she said
"What, being engaged?" asked Bianca and Charlie shook her head
"All of it" she replied "The cancer, Brax…" she looked down at the ring on her finger "And this" she ran a finger offer the diamond that seemed to brighten up any room she walked into "I keep thinking I might wake and I will still be in the army, no cancer, still with Angelo" Charlie's brows knitted together as she said Angelo's name and Bianca could only image the discomfort she now felt thinking about the man she had once loved
"Is that want you want?" Bianca asked somewhat with caution
Charlie looked up from her ring and to Bianca, her head shaking with certainty and conviction "Never" she replied "It scares me. To think that what I have now might not be real really scares me" she exhaled "Despite everything, ever bad and every single hurdle that as passed, I would for sure pass through much more if it meant having what I have now, being here like this with Brax" she smiled and Bianca couldn't help but smile with her
"Well I can promise you that it's no dream Charlie. All this is the real deal"
Charlie's smile widened "Good" she looked down at the pizza box "Have you not got anything else" she sighed and stood to her feet before she began rummaging through the fridge again
Bianca shook her head and Chuckled
…
Heath glanced down the hallway to make sure Bianca and Charlie were still in the kitchen before he turned back to the TV
"I still can't believe you'll be getting married soon" said Heath and Brax laughed once
"We haven't set a date yet Heath"
Heath scoffed "Please, women always wanna start getting things sorted straight away. I guarantee you she'll have you in a suit before the year is over if possible"
Brax smiled and shrugged "I wouldn't mind that"
Heath gawked at his brother "Right what is it? She most do some sort of weird kinky things in the bedroom to have you this whipped" Brax's hand flew back and hit Heath across the back of the head. Heath winced and frowned as he rubbed his head "What I'm just saying. She always as you grinning like an idiot"
"I love her. It's that simple"
Heath narrowed his eyes and nodded "I get that" he glanced back down the hallways again "Just don't have her polluting Bianca's mind with all this getting engaged stuff"
Brax chuckled "Polluting, Really Heath?"
Heath cocked an eyebrow "I'm being serious this is how it starts. She'll have Charlie down her ear about how life is so perfect since you guys got engaged and then I'll have her dropping all these not so subtle hints about us doing the same thing"
Brax rolled his head back onto the couch and laughed loudly "I should have known that's what you were worried about" he chuckled
Heath puffed "I have every right to be worried, I know how women think"
Brax glanced at Heath before looking back to the TV "This is the woman who accepted your invitation to move in together despite the fact you gave it less effort than what you would when digging into a steak" he chuckled "Honestly I think Bianca knows you well enough to not expect the big 'will you' question, at least not any time soon"
Seeming content with Brax's reply Heath blew out a breath "Good. I don't plan to walk down that path anytime soon"
Brax chuckled but didn't say another word. He knew both his brothers more than they knew and the one thing he knew about Heath was he cared and loved more than he would ever let on. If Bianca had the stammer to keep up with Heath's bullshit Brax had no doubt Heath was in it for the long run
…
Walking through the front door Charlie smiled as she saw Ruby and Casey sat curled up on the couch. Both their heads turned, smiles on their faces
"Hy guys" spoke Ruby and Casey in Unison
"Hy" replied Charlie as Brax walked into the house and closed the door behind him
"How was the city?" asked Ruby as she sat up straight, still leaning into Casey slightly
Charlie nodded "It was good. Nice to just relax" she smiled
"So did you guys go anywhere?" asked Ruby and Charlie smiled sheepishly as Brax replied
"Na, not enough time"
Casey and Ruby frowned "You were there three days?" stated Casey and Brax nodded
"Yeah and we had three days of uninterrupted time alone. So that left very little time for anything else" he grinned at the clear expression of distaste on Ruby's and Casey' face and Charlie glared up at him, hitting his chest as she tried to hide her smile
"What?" he shrugged "They asked, I answered" he turned to them with a grin "So what did you both get up to? Hope you didn't miss us too much?"
Charlie coughed loudly as she looked up at Brax, her eyes widened warningly. Brax looked down at her and sighed before looking up at Ruby and Casey who were now looking at him and Charlie with cocked eyebrows
Ruby shook her head at their odd behaviour and answered Brax's question "We didn't get up to much stayed home most of the time just relaxing and as for missing you no, I have to say I think we could get used to having the house to ourselves"
Brax nodded "Oh I bet you could" he chuckled as Charlie nudged him in the ribs
Ruby and Casey frowned, sensing there was something they were missing but before either of the two could ask, Casey's phone rang
"Hy Heath" he answered. He glanced up at Charlie and Brax before nodding "Yeah they just got home" he frowned clearly confused by whatever Heath was saying before his face flushed white and he looked over to Charlie and Brax wide eyed. "Shut up Heath" he said and with that dropped the phone
Ruby frowned "Case you ok?" she chuckled lightly
Casey looked back up to Charlie and Brax and then down to Ruby "Err they didn't just get home" he said and Ruby's eyebrows drew together
Brax stood with a wide grin, making a mental note to thank Heath later "Oh no, we got back this afternoon" he casually walked around the couch and sat on the one opposite Casey and Ruby "didn't you see my Ute outside?"
Unsure what else to do Charlie walked to Brax and sat beside him, she had no doubt Heath had just told Casey about her and Brax walking in on his and Ruby's relaxing time that afternoon
Ruby shook her head still oblivious "No we haven't been out today" and Brax chuckled earning a gibe in the rib from Charlie
Casey groaned and figure he may as well fill Ruby in on what Brax found so amusing "They came home and then left again… this afternoon" he looked at Ruby, his head slightly cocked to the side and his eyebrows raised. The red blush that could be seen travelling up from Ruby's neck to her face made it clear she understood what he meant. She quickly buried her head in his chest and groaned loudly wanting nothing more than to sink into the couch.
"I can't believe this" she mumbled into Casey's chest and this time Charlie couldn't help but chuckle, it wasn't often she saw an embarrassed or blushing Ruby
Ruby looked up from Casey's chest "You said you wouldn't be back until tonight" she accused Charlie and Charlie shook her head
"No I said this afternoon"
Ruby was the one to now shake her head "No, I know for a fact you said tonight"
Brax nodded "Actually babe you did say tonight"
Charlie sighed "Well why didn't you correct me then?"
Brax held his hand up "In case you forgot I was a little busy then. And what I was doing demanded all my focus" the grin on his face said what his words hadn't and Charlie felt her own blush making its way to her face
She turned to Ruby to see her cocking an eyebrow of acknowledgement at her "If you promise never ever to speak of what he just said, I promise we will never mention what we heard this afternoon" said Charlie
"Deal" Casey quickly spoke up as he and Ruby stood to their feet "And I think it's time to call it a night" he scurried down the hall, Ruby behind him
Brax laughed and Charlie shook her head trying to give him a stern look but unable to hide the smile on her face "Babe they looked so embarrassed. I thought Casey was gonna pass out" Brax laughed louder before blowing out a breath "You're evil you know that?" Charlie puffed
…
Unwrapping one arm from around Charlie as they sat on the couch, Brax reached for his phone that was vibrating against the coffee table. Seeing the name on the phone he sighed
"Hy Mike, everything alright? Mike was the manager at the restaurant and Brax sighed as he spoke
"What do you mean you forgot to take the cash to the bank. It should have been done first thing this morning" he sighed as Mike explained how busy they had been
"Well that's just great isn't it" he spoke sarcastically and Charlie looked up at him, her hand resting on his chest "Well you just said it, you have the day off tomorrow so I'll have to do it won't I"
He rolled his eyes "I got to go" dropping the phone he swung his head back and groaned "Babe I'm gonna have to go down to the restaurant and pick up this week's earnings so I can take it to the bank in the morning"
"Mike forget?" asked Charlie and Brax nodded
"Yeah apparently Sam and Lucy are down with a bug so they were short on staff meaning he didn't have time to go down to the bank, and he only just remembered now, hence why he called"
"Can't you get it tomorrow?" asked Charlie as she sat up slightly
Brax shook his head "I don't want to waste anytime having to go to the restaurant and then head into Yabbie Creek, I might as well pick it up now then go first thing in the morning"
Charlie nodded "Ok" watching as Brax stood to his feet she smiled as he turned to her
"How about I bring back a bottle of wine" he looked down to the beer she was drinking "I know you would prefer that to this"
Charlie nodded "That would be great"
Leaning over her, he placed a kiss on her lips before standing straight and walking to the door "Won't be long" he called before closing the door behind him.
…
Getting to the surf club, Brax took out his keys but cursed out loud as he saw the door's hadn't been shut "Are they trying to get me rubbed" he muttered under his breath making note to call Mike about it in the morning. Pushing on the door he walked into the surf club and shut the door behind him before sprinting up the stairs, he didn't want to be there longer than needed.
He made his way to the bar and pulled from the shelves two of the same bottle of Charlie's favourite wine before setting them both on the bar.
Fumbling with the little hiding place behind the bar he produced a key and unlocked the small compartment Mike had said he had left the money in. Seeing the sealed bag Brax pulled it out placed it on the bar before locking up the compartment and placing the key back in its place.
His movements stopped suddenly as a shadow passed from the corner of his eyes. He looked up, squinting through the restaurant that was only lit by the light coming in from outside. He continued looking ahead for a moment longer before exhaling and turning his concentration back to what he was doing. Making sure nothing was out of place he picked up the two wine bottles and placed them under his arm before picking up the grey sealed bag and making his way to the exit.
This time it wasn't a shadow that stopped him, rather what sounded like footsteps. He spun around to see a figure "What the…" before he could finish his words a heavy blow sent him crashing to the floor. One wine bottle smashing with the impact, the other rolling to the other side off the restaurant; Brax felt his vision blur unable to focus on anything
He felt the bag he had moments ago been holding onto, yanked from beneath him and just before he lost consciousness, he heard that one voice before he heard the sound of the persons footstep fading with speed down the stairs