Chapter 22

"Ah, there we go." Bonnie lets out a sigh of relief at the sight of smoke over the hill in front of them. Bonnie and Edith had been travelling for days with no sign of Bonnie's family, and he had begun to worry they had missed his sisters altogether.

"Hmm?" Edith stirs beside him, turning to rest her head on his shoulder.

"There they are." Bonnie replies, pointing over the hill, Edith following his hand with her eyes. "Finally."

"You were worried there for a second, eh, love?" She teases, sliding her arm through his as he lets out a chuckle.

"Nah. Course not." Edith lets out a laugh of her own, rolling her eyes as she tucks her body close to his.

"Are you not tired?" She asks, bringing a hand up to his face to brush his hair back from his forehead. "We've hardly stopped in days."

"I'm ok." He assures her, squeezing her thigh once and giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll get some food in me and have a nap when we get there. Care to join me?"

"I'd love to." She replies, pressing a light kiss to his jaw as she settles back in the seat, the pair content to sit in comfortable silence as they continue on their last leg of the journey.

"You nervous?" Bonnie whispers as he helps Edith down from the caravan, hands resting lightly on her hips as she raises her eyebrows at him.

"Me? Never." She replies teasingly, rolling her eyes as he takes her hand tightly in his, guiding her over to his family.

"Bonnie!" His youngest sister Nelly races across the field towards them, Bonnie dropping Edith's hand to catch his sister as she launches herself at him, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, little one." He coos, swaying her in his arms, bringing one hand down to pull his other younger sister, Annie, to his body as she runs to greet them, throwing her arms around his legs.

"Hi, you must be Edith. I'm Gwen." Bonnie's oldest sister greets Edith with a hug, the young girl timidly hugging her back. "And this is Iris." Edith smiles warmly at Bonnie's older sisters as she accepts a hug from Iris.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Bonnie's told me so much about you both." Bonnie wraps his arm around Edith's waist, pulling her close as his sisters laugh.

"All good things I hope!" Gwen jokes, Bonnie rolling his eyes in response.

"Come and get something to eat, you must be starving." Iris suggests, leading the young couple over to the fire where they settle on to the ground, gratefully accepting the steaming, hot bowls of food.

"Edith's great with the girls." Gwen comments as Bonnie helps her prepare dinner later that evening, the two of them watching as Edith chases Bonnie's younger sisters, niece and nephew around the field. "Nelly and Annie already love her."

"She's got lots of nieces and nephews." Bonnie replies with a smile. "She's had a lot of experience looking after them all while her brothers are at work."

"I have to say Bon, she's not at all what I expected."

"What do you mean by that?" Bonnie asks, pausing to look up at Gwen who shrugs.

"Well, I've always heard the Shelbys are hardened gangsters, all rough round the edges, swearing every other word. Edith's not like that at all. She's well put together, well spoken, she seems like a really sweet young girl. Not what I'd expect from a family a gangsters."

"Edith's not like her brothers. Her Aunt brought her up while her brothers were at war." Bonnie says, returning to chopping the vegetables in front of him. "Edith hates the life her brothers live. It kills her to see what they do. Which is why we decided to leave for a while. Get away from everything."

"How long have you been gone?"

"A few weeks." Bonnie replies, resting back on his heels to watch Edith with a smile as she swings his sister into her arms, spinning in circles with her, before gently lowering her to the grass again, the youngest Gold taking off running again. "We're lucky to have caught up with you."

"Are you going back soon? Or are you travelling with us for a while?" She asks, rising to place the pot of food on the fire.

"I think we'll travel with you for a while." He says, brushing his hands on his trousers as he stands. "It really is doing Edith a world of good already to be out of the city and away from the family business for a while."

"You really love her, don't you?" Gwen says gently as they settle beside the fire.

"I do." He replies, nodding as his eyes find Edith again.

"When are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"Wha- Gwen! Where did that come from?" Bonnie chokes out, eyes wide as he turns to his sister who smiles at him, eyebrows raised.

"You're going to, aren't you? You gave her that ring Bill made you, didn't you?"

"I did."

"So the next step is an engagement ring."

"We're not there yet Gwen." Bonnie states gently.

"You're not?" Gwen questions, looking at him in shock.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem like you are. To me, anyway. And Iris." She states. "Annie even asked if Edith was your wife when you turned up."

"She did?"

"Uh huh." Gwen hums, nodding her head. "So, how about it? When's it going to be?"

"Not yet. Ok? Let's get this drama with her family out of the way and then I'll go for it. It's not likely that her brothers would say yes at the moment anyway. They're probably holding Edith leaving against me."

"Well, don't leave it too much longer. There's a lot of love for you in that girl's eyes. And for her in yours. She's a good'un. Keep her close." Gwen states, cupping Bonnie's cheek with her hand.

"I will." Bonnie agrees, his smile widening as Edith and Annie rush past him in a fit of giggles, chasing after his youngest sister Nelly.

"Bonnie!" Nelly shrieks, doubling back to run towards her older brother. "Help me!" Bonnie lets out a laugh, scooping Nelly into his arms as she passes him, taking off across the field.

"Would you like me to braid your hair?" Edith calls softly to Nelly as she wanders over to the fire after dinner, looking around for a place to sit. Nelly responds with a grin and an enthusiastic nod, Edith pulling herself out from under Bonnie's arm and patting her lap for the younger girl to sit down.

"Have you got brothers and sisters, Edith?" Nelly asks as she settles into Edith's lap, the older girl brushing her fingers through her hair to section it off to start the braid.

"I do." Edith replies, continuing to run her fingers through Nelly's hair. "I'm the youngest, like you."

"Really?" Nelly gasps, twirling her fingers in the fabric of her night dress. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

"I've got four older brothers and one older sister."

"Woah!"

"I know!" Edith says with a laugh, her giggles reverberating through the young girl's body making her laugh too.

"Do you miss them when you go travelling with Bonnie?"

"Mmm, I do." Edith hums in response.

"Me too." Nelly sighs, her body relaxing against Edith's. "I miss Bonnie."

"He misses you all too. That's why we're here, to travel with you all for a while."

"You are?" Nelly exclaims, turning to face Edith with a grin, the older girl nodding, laughter twinkling in her eyes.

"Will your brothers and sister come travelling with us too?" Nelly asks, peering up at Edith who gives her a soft smile, pausing to think before replying.

"You know what, I'd like that. Maybe one day they will." She says finally, turning the little girl's body, continuing to pull her hair gently into a braid.

"I'd like to meet you brothers and sister." Nelly states.

"Maybe you'll get to one day." Edith repeats gently, the two girls letting silence fall between them.

"Daddy says I look like Gwen, do you look like you're big sister?" Nelly ask, her head filled with questions to ask the older girl.

"Hmm, not really." Edith replies, resting her hands back in the grass behind her to lean backwards. "My ma always said, I have my brother Tommy's eyes, my sister's smile, but I look most like my brother John."

"Where is your ma? Does she live with your brothers and sister?"

"No. My ma passed away, just like yours." Edith says gently, allowing Nelly to rest her body against her chest.

"Oh. That's sad." Nelly sighs, pausing to look up at the stars. "Daddy says my ma is living up there now. With the stars. Is that where your ma is too?"

"I'm not sure, maybe." Edith replies gently, tilting her head up to look at the sky. She glances over to her left when she feels a presence over her shoulder, smiling at Bonnie as he slides closer to the pair, having caught on to the conversation they were having.

"You ok?" He mouths to Edith, nodding his head towards his younger sister, his girlfriend replying with a gentle smile and a nod of her head. Bonnie sits back again, close enough for Edith to still feel his body heat radiating off his body on to her, leaving the two girls to carry in talking.

"I don't really remember my mama." Nelly says looking back at Edith who gives her a small smile, raising her eyebrows. "Daddy doesn't like to talk about her. It makes him sad. But sometimes Bonnie does."

"I bet Bonnie tells you the best stories about your ma?" Edith asks, Nelly nodding enthusiastically in reply.

"And sometimes I dream about her." The young girl replies, Edith smiling softly at the innocence of the conversation they were having.

"I do too." She whispers, rubbing Nelly's arm gently. "It's probably time for your bed time, eh?" The young girl groans, tilting her head to the side, searching for Bonnie who immediately appears beside her, teasing smile etched on his face.

"Edith's right, little one. It's time for bed." Nelly groans again, allowing her brother to lift her into his arms nonetheless. "Say goodnight to Edith." He says, allowing Nelly to reach down, wrapping her arms around Edith's neck in a hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Night night, Edith."

"Night night, Nelly." Edith repeats, blowing her kisses as Bonnie rises again, carrying his sister off to bed.