"Did you get lost?" Charles teased once Helen entered the gazebo. Helen shot him a playful glare as they sat down. "No, Sadie just distracted me," she shot back.
Charles just chuckled at her and patted the seat next to him on the bench, prompting Helen to sit down. "I need to tell you something," he said. Helen's heart immediately began to race, but she forced herself to stay calm.
He pursed his lips, letting out a breath. "Before...everything went down, Hosea had approached me to talk." Helen's brows furrowed a little, but she didn't say anything. "He said that...his anxiety about the job was what made him talk. I had never seen him so worried before."
Helen nodded, sitting up a little straighter; Charles looked like a mix of emotions - serious, sad, determined, nervous - but he didn't stop. "He said that he loved you and made me promise him something."
His gaze turned on Helen, his dark eyes locking with hers, and he pulled her closer. "He made me promise that I would take care of you and watch over you, in case something happened to him."
Helen's eyes slowly widened, and she leaned back a little to look at Charles. Her eyes watered a little, and she sniffled, but she tried not to cry. "He...h-he said this...?" she asked shakily.
"Just before we split off...it's like he almost knew that this robbery wasn't going to end well," he told her honestly. Helen turned away when her vision blurred with tears, and she clenched her jaw. "I shouldn't have made that promise to him, though." Excuse me?
Helen looked back at Charles, her expression a mix between sadness and slight irritation, which made him smirk. He reached out to her, wiping away a tear she didn't know had fallen, and he cupped her cheek. "I should have made that promise directly to you."
Her irritation instantly melted away, and her heart began to race again in anticipation. She leaned into him, her forehead touching his lightly, and her hand landed in his lap.
"I...really care about you, Helen, I think that much was obvious," he told her quietly. Helen felt herself begin to smile almost childishly, so she opted to bite her lip.
"I care about you, too...been a little while now," she confessed. Charles let out a hum, nuzzling her lightly and making her smile. "As long as I'm around, nothing will ever hurt you again." He pulled away a little to look at her, his hand slowly moving to the back of her head.
Eagerly, knowing what was about to happen, Helen leaned forward and gently kissed him. Wow.... His lips were plush and soft, and she could taste the beer he had been drinking.
Her hand glided up his neck and tangled in his hair, keeping him in place. That earned her a hum, and his hand grabbed hold of her thigh. The two of them finally pulled away to breathe, Helen's nose brushing against the side of his. "Took us long enough...."
~~~~
SOMEBODY GET THE CONFETTI
YOU ARE READING
Family in Shambles
FanfictionShe had been going it alone for three years, since her mother had passed away. She had been learning to survive and doing what she NEEDED to do to survive, no matter the consequences. She knew how to lie low and hide from the law, and she became a v...
