Hello lovelies! Reasonably long chapter for you guys! Thanks for all the support!

Enjoy xo

Chapter 38

The next morning.

Brax's point of view

I was running in from the surf when I seen Charlie jogging along the beach. Of course she totally snubbed me and kept running. "I'm assuming, you and Buckton aren't on good terms?" Heath had followed me out and seen this.

"You could say that" I shrugged.

"Whatcha do to make her so pissed off?" He chuckled.

"Didn't tell her about the crop…when she found out she went ballistic" I told my brother as we walked up the beach, towards the surf club.

"And people say I'm the dumb brother!" Heath shook his head. "I even told Bianca about it…no more lies between us" He continued.

"Yeah if you don't mind I'd rather not take advice from you. I'll sort it all out myself" I snapped before walking off.

"So you and Charlie didn't sort things out" Ruby was waiting for me in the restaurant.

"I tried" I walked past her and behind the bar.

"No you didn't, you hardly tried! You are both as stubborn as each other!" Ruby got off the stool and went to leave.

"You are exactly like your mother" I mumbled under my breath as I watched her walk down the stairs.

Ruby's point of view

"Case, we need a plan to get the two of them back together! Charlie is just going to turn into a miserable old cat woman and Brax is going to turn back to all the bad stuff he used to do" I sighed as Casey and I both walked to school.

"If only we could look them in a room together and not let them out until they sort thing out" Casey suggested.

"YOU'RE A GENIUS!" I smiled before jumping up and kissing him. I had an idea.

That night.

"Charlie…can you please come and pick me up from Angelo's…Casey and I…we had a fight" I tried my best to put on a fake cry.

"Oh sure honey! I'll be there in a couple of minutes" Charlie sounded all sympathetic.

"She fell for it!" I smiled at Casey as I hung up and tried to get our plan underway. Before Charlie got here my plan was to lure Brax out onto the balcony, then when Charlie arrived Casey would tell her that I was on the balcony getting some fresh air. Charlie would walk out and then I would rush back in and lock the glass doors leaving them out there until they sorted out their differences. "Brax can I talk to you?" I walked up towards the bar and pointed to the balcony.

"Um sure" he shook his head confused as we walked out to the balcony together.

Charlie's Point of View

As soon as Ruby had called I rushed down to Angelo's, to make sure she was all right. The Braxton brothers needed to stay away from my family, all they did was hurt people and I knew Bianca would be next. "Ruby?" I rushed upstairs only to find Casey pacing. "Where is she? What did you do to her?" I asked angrily, not seeing her anywhere.

"She's on the balcony, she needed some air" He pointed towards the glass doors. I walked out only to find Ruby and Brax talking.

"Ruby? Are you ok?" I rushed over to her and hugged her.

"Yeah I'm fine…but you two on the other hand have stuff you need to sort out" She quickly broke away from me and rushed inside, closing the glass doors and locking them, before smiling and waving at us.

"RUBY!" Brax yelled before seeing Casey walk up behind her smiling. "Casey…open this door right now!" Brax bashed on the door.

"Not until you two sort everything out!" Casey smirked.

"I'm going to kill her!" I mumbled, shaking my head at the smiling, evil girl. "Did you know about this?" I asked Brax, wondering if he had anything to do with it.

"Do you really think I'd be that immature to pull a stunt like this?!" He looked at me like I was stupid.

"I honestly don't know Brax!" I shouted. Ruby and Casey closed the blinds on us as we started to fight.

"Look Charlie, I don't want to fight!" He gave up on banging on the doors.

"Just tell me something Brax, did you really think that me telling you I loved you complicated things between us?" I asked seriously. He looked out towards the ocean then at me.

"I don't know…I was angry with you Charlie, I was angry with myself! I don't know what I meant and didn't mean." He said in frustration. "The reason why I said 'yeah' when you told me because I was in shock! No one has said they loved me since Tegan and even then I was so hesitant to say it back! I was in shock Charlie; I didn't think anyone would say those 3 words to me again" He sighed. I looked at him before shaking my head.

"Ok so tell me why you lied to me about the fire?" I continued with the questions.

"I was worried about how you would react. I didn't want you thinking I was getting into all that stuff again. I've tried so hard to get my boys and my family out of this life I led them into, ever since I met you. At first it was because I didn't want to get arrested but then it was because I wanted to be with you." He gave me a small smile. I turned around and paced.

"You still lied to me" I mumbled.

"Oh don't talk to me about lying! You've been lying to Ruby her whole life!" He practically yelled. I quickly pushed my hand over his mouth.

"Shut up!" I spat at him through gritted teeth, worried, Casey and Rubes were listening on the other side of the doors.

"Make me!" He grinned. I pulled my hand away in disgust before walking away from him.

"How are we going to get inside?" I sighed, looking at the thick glass doors.

"Kiss and make up?" He suggested with a smirk.

"In your dreams" I snapped back at him. He just stopped and looked at me before smiling. "What?" I asked.

"When did you realise you were in love with me?" I stopped and looked at him wide eyed. "Seriously, tell me" He chuckled

"The exact moment?" I asked.

"The exact moment" He moved closer to me.

"I suppose it was the night you told me that I made you want to become a better person" I nodded strongly.

"Interesting" He smirked.

"How?" I asked confused.

"Because turns out I fell in love with you the morning after" He chuckled.

"How convenient" I replied back sarcastically.

"Fine, don't believe me, but believe this Charlie…when you opened up to me about Ruby and your rape, I realised that we needed each other because we are just as fucking up as each other! Charlie, I have nightmares about my dead ex girlfriend and you have kept a huge secret from your daughter her entire life! We are both as broken and damaged as each other! And Charlie…I love you because of that" He shouted at me.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?!" I yelled back.

"Because I'm a guy and I'm afraid of showing my actual feelings…and because I'm idiot and I thought you'd never feel the same way about me! When you told me you loved me, I froze up and I got nervous and I just didn't know what to say and I'm sorry…but this is me telling you now…Charlie, I fucking love you" He chuckled. I couldn't help but laugh back at him.

"For a guy who's not good at expressing his feelings, you sure are doing a good job right now" I laughed as I stood there. "Now that we've sorted all that out can we go?" I went to go knock on the door.

"Wait!" Brax stopped me. "I have an even better idea, to get back at these kids!" He smirked before walking over to the balcony.

"You're not going to jump are you?" I asked. He just nodded.

"Its not that far down! I'll jump down first and then you can jump down and I'll catch you" He sounded so sure of himself. Before I knew it Brax had flung himself over the side of the balcony and landed on his feet perfectly.

"You are crazy!" I yelled down to him.

"Charlie, just jump and I'll catch you…trust me!" He smiled up at me.

"I don't trust you, that's the problem!" I told him.

"Isn't loving someone about trusting them?" He replied like a smart arse. I shook my head with a smile before climbing over the edge and looking down.

"I can't do this Brax!" I closed my eyes.

"Yes you can, Charlie, you're a cop, you take risks every day…you took a risk with me and did it pay off? Maybe not right now, but just trust me when I say I will catch you!" He laughed.

"OK, fine…on 3 I'll jump…1…..2….3!" I took the leap only for Brax to catch me, before falling to the ground.

"See, not so hard?" He chuckled, looking up at me.

"Thanks" I quickly got off him. "Well I'll see you around then" I went to leave.

"Charlie…what are we? We just got so much out in the open and now you're running away from it all?" Brax raced after me.

"Brax, we are nothing. We are too people that can't be together, no matter how much they love one another…I'm sorry" I leant up and kissed his cheek before rushing off to my car.