"Hey Rach?" Puck questioned, looking up from the picture in his hand. She gave him a questioning look. Over the last week things had gotten better for her. She had been informed that her mom was doing better but she still wasn't out of the woods yet and that it was still a long road ahead for all of them. "'S good to see that ya grew into that nose of yours," he teased. Rachel looked down at her lap, the smirk Puck wore was gone and he was right by his girl's side, feeling bad for the comment he had made. "Baby, I love your nose," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Rachel sniffed, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears away.
"Thanks for that, Noah. But it wasn't the comment that hurt. It's just that day," she sighed, looking at the picture. She was standing in the middle of her parents, in front of the monkey's exhibit at the Zoo. Puck glanced at the picture seeing the smiling faces that looked back at him. Nothing about the picture screamed you messed up my life.
"'Bout what?" He asked, removing the picture from her hands sitting it on the table, taking her hands in his.
"That was the last day we were a real family. They took me to the Zoo and when we got home, they sat me down and told me the best way possible for a 6 year old to understand that my dad wasn't going to be living with us any longer, that he had found someone else, who turned out to be Leroy. I didn't understand how he could love anyone but my Mom. I couldn't grasp the concept that he liked men. That was the day that my parent's divorce was legal and he left us, alone in the city sad," she paused, licking her dry lips, dropping her head to his shoulder. One last good memory before things changed. Hiram and Shelby had been high school sweethearts, married after college because it made more sense to wait. "It took me months to forgive him. It wasn't until I was forced to visit him during the summers when we became friends that I forgive him because I missed him. And he was happier with Leroy than I can ever remember him being when he was with my Mom," she finished, closing her eyes. She hadn't thought about that day in years now.
"Ya can't resent Leroy for breaking up your family, Rach," he stated. Rachel tensed, pulling away from him, a fight clear in her brown eyes. As quick as the fire came into her eyes, it was extinguished just as fast.
"I try not to, but I can't help it," she sighed. "He broke my parents up, ruined my family."
"No, he made your family better, Rach. He cares about you and loves you like you're his own," Puck soothed, pulling her back into his side. "Your family is better now than it was then. Don't you see that?" He asked. "Besides if they would have stayed married, you…me…it…" he trailed off finding it hard to voice his thoughts.
"We may not be together now or have the past we do, but in the end, we would be together," her voice soft, her hands warm against his cheeks. "I believe that because you will get out of this town with or without me. You Noah Puckerman are meant for great things." He never blushed, it wasn't cool to be caught blushing, but when Rachel praised him like that, he couldn't stop the blood from rushing to his face.
"So uh," he cleared his throat. "The song for glee," he said. Rachel nodded; he had yet to say what song it was he had in mind. "I have this rule that I only sing songs by Jewish musical icon's in glee, but I can overlook that small fact this once, because this song," he was saying, handing the sheet music to Rachel. Technically it would be the second time he overlooked that rule, because it was Rachel and she made him do things that he wouldn't normally do.
"But I really do feel as if it's the perfect song for us to sing. Sums us up pretty perfectly," she rattled off, scanning over the lyrics on the paper in front of her. He nodded, watching as her eyes shined just as bright as the star she was going to be one day. She smiled looking up at him and that's all it took for him to close the gap, he lips brushing against hers.
"Can't you two get a room?" Clint asked disgust in his voice as he walked into the kitchen. "This is where we eat and I would like to keep my food down," he retorted sending a smug look at his sister.
"How is that?" Rachel asked. "Having a gag reflex that is?" She questioned further. Clint shook his head, leaving them be and Puck sat staring at her with his mouth agape. That shit was hot, how in the fuck did he forget about that? Rachel giggled, closing his mouth. "You know this Noah," she pointed out, getting up to put the pictures away.
He straightened himself out. Yeah he knew that and it was hot! "There's this petting Zoo this weekend, maybe we could take Beth," he suggested, needing his mind to be elsewhere.
"I'd like that," she smiled softly at him. He smiled, following Rachel up to her room. She wanted to work on the song, but he had other things on his mind, things that had to do with them on her bed with her laying on top of him as their mouths did all the work.
They were at the bottom of the stairs when there was a knock on the door. Rachel pulled the door open, Puck standing behind him. He tensed up seeing a mini version of him. "Hello," Rachel greeted in her cheery voice.
"Hey," he responded, his eyes trained on Puck.
"I'm Rachel and this is my boyfriend, Noah," Rachel continued on, not noticing the tension that was building around her.
"'S Puck," he stated, jaw tense. "How's the ol' man?" he growled, stepping back.
"Jake," he replied looking at Rachel with a smile. "Thought you could tell me," Jake muttered. Rachel looked between the two of them. Her mind racing at the possibility that Puck had a younger brother. And from the looks of it they knew the other existed to an extant.
"Jake dude, come on," Clint yelled from the top of the stairs. Jake pushed passed his half-brother and rushed up the stairs, happy for this escape.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel asked, closing the front door turning to look at her boyfriend.
"No," he growled, going up to her room. He paused half way up, but it suddenly felt weird to be under the same roof as the brother that stole his father way. He stalked outside. Rachel was ready to follow him, but heard the soft cries of Beth. Rachel dashed up the stairs, getting Beth. She quickly got Beth ready and took her outside; handing her to Puck who she was surprised was still leaning against the side of her house.
Puck relaxed holding his daughter, a smile overtaking his features as her little fingers wrapped around one of his, a smile on her face as her hazel eyes took him in. He placed a soft kiss upon her blonde locks. Rachel smiled, walking back with the stroller. Puck placed his little girl in, buckling her in. Rachel stepped aside letting him push. Rachel didn't push him to talk and he was thankful for that.
"Heard 'em fightin' one night, somethin' 'bout another family an he bailed on us. That shit hurt," Puck spoke, letting Rachel in on it. Seeing Jake in the flesh pissed him off even more. To know that his no good for shit father, had a second family out there, that Jake got to do all the shit he wanted to do with his ol' man. That shit wasn't kosher. He didn't even entertain the idea that ol' shit abandoned another family like his.
"Now that you know about Jake, maybe you can build a relationship with him. Get to know your brother," Rachel suggested. He wasn't going to blow her idea off, not to her face anyway. But he didn't think that would really work out. It just wasn't likely for them to bond as brothers.