Eyes On The Prize

21 | James

As much as I wanted to stay and check on Riley, I knew that A) I was not as welcome as I wish I was and B) I had the responsibility of Brody and Piper at home
I walked into the house only to hear it completely silent. Which is enough to ring alarm bells for me

When I got to the kitchen, I could see the back door open meaning fingers crossed they were both outside.
Sure enough that suspicion was proved correct the moment I got to the door
But they weren't alone

"Beth? What are you doing here?" I asked making all three of them turn around and look at me
"Jay!" Piper giggled coming over and running to me making me chuckle as I hugged her
"P B and Jay back together" Brody smiled

None of them answering my question

"Brody and Piper came into the Cafe this morning seeing as someone didn't come home last night?" Beth warned me
"I already told them I wouldn't be and I made the arrangements meaning they were taken care of" I assured her

"Hey I'm not here to attack you James, I'm merely here because I was trying to help" She said making me nod as Piper walked back over to the pair

"Did you have anything planned today?" Beth asked but I shook my head, part of me was only coming home to check on my siblings before shooting back off but I'm beginning to think that would be a bad idea
"Can we all go out like we used to!" Piper asked looking between Beth and I
"I don't know Pipes, I'm sure Beth has other things to do" I warned Piper
"Beth please?" Piper asked flashing her usual pout making Beth chuckle

"I'm free if you do want to?" Beth asked looking at me making me shrug

Beth has always been a big part of Brody and Piper's life and that isn't going to change just because I called things off. She was there when we all hit our rough patch and she's done nothing but help them at any point she could

She helps keep Brody grounded and makes sure he isn't getting too big for his boots, she tends to sort out our arguments for us when they arise
She also helps settle Piper, there are times that I can't help Piper as much as I would like to, but Beth seems to know exactly what she needs

"I guess that is settled then" I said offering the three of them a smile

—

We took Brody and Piper over to the pier we used to spend most of our evenings at. Back when it was just Brody Piper and I, Beth would always be over
She would help them when my head was in the darkest place you could imagine

"It's been a long time since we've been here" Beth said eating some of the cotton candy while the pair of us sat on the bench watching Brody and Piper run off into the arcade

"Thanks for um, looking after them" I said making Beth smile
"I made a promise when they left James, I wasn't going to just abandon you all because there is another girl on the scene" She chuckled
"She isn't really on the scene right now. It's gotten a lot more complicated then I had anticipated" I explained making Beth look at me confused

"I think this was a sick game that Hunter had started? Oh don't tell me you fell head over heels already?" Beth teased making me roll my eyes

"Oh my god James, you do don't you? You love your little posh princess" Beth said making me chuckle

"It's a long complicated story. It started as the game but the more I learnt about her the more invested I got until I fucked it all up" I explained
"How did you fuck it up?" Beth asked
"I told her about Spencer cheating, I constantly made digs at her when she cut things off with me. Beth is was vile to that girl, I doubt she would ever give me the time of day again" I confessed making Beth smile before sighing

"I think you'll find you have more of a chance with the girl then you think James. Her and her sister come into the Cafe with that boy of theirs" She said
"You make it sound like they are sharing a guy Beth" I laughed
"Regardless, you seem to be a reoccurring topic James, that boy is certainly rooting for you at least" She said making me shrug

"I think you need to give the girl time and space, then maybe revisit it? But if she's just gotten out of a relationship James maybe it isn't the best idea to try and pressure her into another one" Beth asked placing her hand on top of my knee offering me a supportive smile making me nod

I hadn't thought of it like that. When I told Riley about Spencer I knew that she would shut me out, I knew that I was in the wrong but I didn't ever think about the fact that every was about to change for her
I managed to make her entire world come crashing down
And I was the cause of it all

Sure Spencer had a key part in it but she would still be oblivious to the fact if I hadn't said anything, I could have waited and found a better way to tell her

"But when it comes to you two sorting things out, I know that you both will be unstoppable but for the love of god James, don't be a moron about this" Beth said making both of us chuckle leaning back against the bench

"You know, I had never anticipated this would be where we'd be 3 years ago" Beth said offering me a smile, I nodded placing may arm on the bench behind her

"Isn't it crazy how things can change like that" I asked making Beth nod

"I can't thank you enough though Beth, for everything you've done for the three of us" I said making Beth smile
"I'd do it all again if I had to James, you guys are like a little family to me. You were there when I needed you to" She said making me nod

Beth hasn't had the smoothest sailing in life either, it was sort of a team effort most of the time
But like I said, the amount of time and energy she puts in to helping both Brody and Piper, cannot be beaten

"Here to whatever the future holds then?" Beth asked making me nod with a smile, I pulled her in a little closer into a tight side hug making her roll her eyes as she hugged me back

"Careful James, your soft side is showing" She teased making both of us laugh