A/N Sorry about the long wait for this one, I was unsure what I was going to do with this chapter but I hope you like it!
The kids were asleep by the time we got to where we were going, James and Lily cuddled up on the backseat and Benjamin curled up in my arms. "You're sure you wanna go there, love? It won't take long for your husband to work it out." Alfie asked as we turned into the darkened estate. "I'm not hiding, Alfie. I just need some time away." I replied, shifting Benjamin slightly. "Follow the edge of this field down to the river." I told him, seeing the camp in the distance.
The men were already congregating at the edge of the camp as we approached, I could clearly make out Duke and Uncle Raz in the front. I hopped out of the car as it came to a stop, Alfie grumbling something about pikeys next to me. "Evie, girl. What're you doin' here?" Raz asked, his eyes shifting between me and the car. "I need to see Aunt Zee, Uncle Raz. Me and the kids need somewhere to lay low for a little while." I told him as he came to a stop in front of me. "That husband of yours?" he asked, gesturing towards the car. "No, a friend. The Shelbys don't know we're here. I'd like it to stay that way." I told him, shifting Benjamin in my arms as he looked at me. "I really need to speak to Aunt Zee." I added as his eyes went to the car again.
He nodded, gesturing for Duke to go get our things out of the car. I smiled at Uncle Raz as I handed him Benjamin. "I just need to speak to Alfie. Can you get the kids out of the car as well?" I asked, he nodded again and gestured for my cousins to help Duke. I went around to the drivers side of the car, Alfie staring directly ahead at the camp, watching. "You'll be alright here, yeah?" he asked, watching my family moving around. "We will be. They're family." I told him and his eyes came to mine. "Listen, love. I won't tell them where ya are or anything. And what he's done, yeah, is fucking appaling and you deserve better. But you gotta look at yourself a little, love. You ain't no fucking angel yourself, Evie. When I met you I said you had devil eyes, right? Seems that you've got the devil in you just as much as me and those Peaky Blinders, you're just a little less murdery and a bit more sexual. Take this time to think about what you want, love. John, Michael, Thomas. They're nothing if you don't know yourself." he told me, his eyes intent on me. I was taken aback for a moment, not sure how to react. "Take care of yourself, Evie." he told me before pulling away. I watched the car disappear from sight, still digesting the words he'd said. "Your aunt will see you now, Evie girl." Uncle Raz said from behind me.
We'd been at the camp for little over a week now, the kids had settled in well and were enjoying the more relaxed environment. I hadn't told Aunt Zee why I was there but something told me she already knew. She was like Polly in that way. It felt weird knowing the Shelbys were just a few fields away but they didn't know I was there. Lily and James were running around the yard, playing with some of their cousins with Aunt Zee watching over them from a seat beside her caravan. I wandered over to her, sitting down on the steps next to her and watching the kids. "They're happy here." she commented, still watching the children. "They are. I don't think they've ever been so free." I replied, smiling as Lily laughed loudly. "You keep them locked up in the house too much. They need air in their gypsy lungs." she told me, not accusingly but stating a fact. "I have no choice, Aunt Zee. It's too dangerous for them." I explained, bringing my eyes to the woman. "It is too dangerous because of the situations your husband and his family find themselves in. It is no environment to raise children, Evelyn." she told me, finally looking at me. "I know. I'm doing what I can. You know what Tommy is like." I replied. "I do and I know what John is like. But if you feel like they cannot protect your children from their mistakes, how can you allow the four of them to grow up around them?" she asked, searching my face. I paused for a moment. "I have three children, Aunt Zee." I reminded her, brows furrowed. She raised her eyebrows at me, giving me a knowing look. My face went slack as I realised what she was saying and a thousand thoughts went around my head. She frowned slightly as she saw the panic in my eyes but before she could say anything, Lily caught our attention.
"Uncle Tommmmeeeee!" she squealed and we both looked up as she ran into Tommy's arms and he lifted her up onto his side. Johnny Dogs was looking very sheepish beside him and James was running in circles around Tommy's legs. Tommy's eyes met mine as I stood, he was unreadable and I was trying to fight back the emotions from what was just revealed. "Evelyn." he greeted, watching me. "Thomas." I replied, unmoving. "I think we need to have a chat, don't you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I nodded, looking beside me as Aunt Zee stood. "Give me the children, they do not need to be involved in this." she said, walking over to Tommy and taking Lily from his arms before shooing James away as well.
We stood looking at each other for a few minutes before he walked over to me, sitting on the steps I previously occupied and gesturing to the empty chair. I eyed him for a moment before sitting down. "John's been worried sick about you and the kids." he told me, lighting a cigarette. I scoffed. "How long did it take for him to realise we were gone?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at the Shelby. "Polly called him at the shop when we got back. Said you'd taken the kids and ran off with Solomons." he told me, watching me closely. "Ran off with Solomons? And what did John think of that?" I laughed, humourlessly. "He was fuming. Got in the car and went straight to Camden. I managed to calm him down enough to let me talk to Solomons, who told us he had no idea where you were." Tommy explained.
"So he gave up the search?" I asked, turning away from him. "No, he didn't. He went to Ada who said she hadn't heard from you or seen you. Went to the cottage. Searched half the houses in Birmingham. Polly was ringing everyone she knew. Even had the coppers looking." he replied, I could feel his eyes still on me. "But none of you thought to look at the bottom of your garden." I told him, looking back at him. "No. No one thought to look at the bottom of my garden where I let your family camp out." he admitted, sounding annoyed that he hadn't thought of it. "I assume he's on his way." I said, searching Tommys face. He just nodded at me.
"He'll be here soon, I gave him half an hour headstart before I came down here." he added. I breathed in deeply, letting the air go with a sigh. "I thought it would also give us time to have a chat." he continued. My eyes went to his. "About what?" I asked, chills going over my body. "About why John was so quick to believe you'd ran off with another man. Me, I knew that our Eves wouldn't do that. But John, your husband, believed it in a second." he told me, watching me intently. "Maybe because you trust me more than him or maybe he's projecting his own failures on me." I replied, barely missing a beat as the lie came easily. Tommy scoffed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Fifteen years with us Shelbys and still no better at lying." he told me, raising an eyebrow at me.
I kept my gaze steady as I looked at him, his cold blue eyes boring into my forest green ones. "What do you want me to say, Tommy?" I asked, taking a deep breath. "That the prospect of me taking the kids and running off with someone hasn't crossed my mind?" I continued, keeping my eyes level with his. I could see his mind whirring. "Or how I know that you are trying to work out if I mean with you or someone else?" I added, raising my eyebrows at him. "So you have been seeing someone else?" he asked, his cool demeanor holding well. "What do you think?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. "I think our John would kill for you." he told me. "I know he would and so would you and Arthur. But would he die for me?" I asked and Tommy's face faltered. "Exactly." I smiled, sadly.
"He's not the man I fell in love with, Tommy. Now and again, I see glimmers of the man he used to be but I fear he has changed too much. He's gone too far from me." I told him, fighting the emotion in my voice. "Pull him back. He loves you, Eves and I know he doesn't want to loose you but you are pushing him away and blaming him for everything. Pull him back to you. You've done it before and you can do it again." he replied, taking my hands in his. "You're going to need each other over the next few months. Trust me." he added, searching my face. I frowned slightly, confused at what he was telling me. Before I could ask him what he was talking about I heard a familiar voice echo around the camp.
"Just fucking tell me where she is, Raz. I want to see my fucking wife." Johns voice shouted. Fear flashed through me as Tommy slowly let go of my hands after giving them a gentle squeeze. We stood up as John came round the corner, I gave him my best stern face as he came towards us. "John Shelby, don't you think you…." I started, putting my hands on my hips but he quickly cut me off. "Shut up." he told me as he reached us, wrapping an arm around my waist and lifting me from the floor, my arms automatically going around his neck. His other hand went to the back of my head as he pressed his lips to mine. It was a passionate but quick kiss, John not giving me time to respond before pulling away and burying his face in my neck, his arms holding me a few inches from the ground and to his body.
We stayed like this for a few moments before he slowly lowered me to the ground, bringing his head down so his forehead was leaning against mine. I looked up at him as he slowly opened his eyes, the normal cheeky glint replaced by an underlying sadness. "Come home with me?" he whispered, tightening the grip on my waist slightly. "It's not that easy, John." I replied, trying to turn my head from his but he held it firm. "Me and you, Eve. We need each other." he told me, sincerity in his voice. "We can't just forget everything that has happened over the last few months." I told him, searching his face. "No, we can't. But I forgive you and I hope you can forgive me and we can put it all behind us. I love you, Evelyn, and I don't ever want to be apart from you again." he replied.
There was a long pause as I closed my eyes and argued internally with myself. I did love John, of course I did. But I had felt so hurt and betrayed over the last few months and I knew that I had betrayed him. Could we really pull this back from the ashes? Tommy's and Alfie's words echoed around my head. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, looking up into John's. "I love you, John. I forgive you." I whispered before I was pulled from my feet once more. John laughed as he span me round and I buried my face in his neck. Once he had set me on the ground once more, his lips found mine. We kissed passionately, like reunited lovers after the war. Through everything, John was mine and I was his.