Searching For Answers (We Can Make This Work sequel)

Chapter 43

**Jacob's P.O.V. **

"Thanks mom, yea I will, okay, bye, love you, bye" I smiled as I hung up the phone

"You're lucky to have found her Jake" Kelsey smiled

"I just wish it had been sooner" I sighed as I made my way to the kitchen

"You know she had her reasons" Kelsey said as she followed

"Yea I know, I just think if she had of been around I might have been a better person that's all" I mumbled as I began to boil the kettle

"Don't say that Jacob!" Kelsey said sternly

"You know it's true Kelsey! Casper was never there, he never cared and I found those traits, I went down the wrong road and you were the only one there to save me, even at that you didn't deserve the shit I gave you" I looked away, ashamed of the memories that now flooded so vividly

It was almost a given that I would follow the same path as my "dad". He was never around and when he was he was drunk or with some whore, so when I was a teenager it was all I knew how to do. I skipped school, and any time I was there I just caused trouble, and if they tried to contact Casper he couldn't give two shits! So I fell into a crowd of guys with the same problems as I did and all we did was drink and smoke weed all day.

When I met Kelsey I was an obnoxious bastard who had no regard for women. She saw something in me and to this day I have no idea what that was. She was one of the good ones, a good student, a great daughter and was involved in everything. The guys dared me as a joke to ask her to prom and I did, I clearly thought she'd reject me straight away but she was more than happy to go with me. But me being me I had no intentions of showing up and so I stood her up. And that was the first and certainly not the last time I broke Kelsey's heart.

About a week after that I met her in the corridor in school and she couldn't even look at me. Before then every time I passed her she always had a smile on her face, she was so warm and friendly and I never noticed how much I really liked that until the day she turned cold. She was the only one that ever paid any good attention to me. For some reason a soft streak hit me. I went out at lunch and bought her a rose and left it in her locker with a sorry note. Cheesy I know but it was all I could think of. I guess I learned something from the movies.

Later that afternoon when school finished I found a note in my locker simply saying "I forgive you". And to this day I keep that note in my wallet. After that we passed a few notes and then I decided to give her my number. She called me and we spoke for hours. Casper killed me when he got the phone bill but it was worth every punch. SHE was worth every punch. And I soon realised that. When people started seeing us together around school more, and I started attending more, my "friends" had enough of me so they gave me a beating and told me they didn't want to see me again. I couldn't care less because I felt like I had found the love of my life.

But old habits die hard and sure enough this time I was caught up in a new group, and smoking weed turned into dealing and worse. I started sleeping around because I was so strung out I couldn't care less. And that was the second time I broke Kelsey's heart. She broke up with me and I didn't even give a fuck. I got kicked out of school and if Casper saw me hanging around at home all day he'd throw me out so I didn't have much choice other than to wonder the streets all day.

One day when I was out I met into a bunch of guys I used to hang around with. They weren't too happy to see me and so I got another beating. It was pretty bad and I didn't know what to do I just sat on the corner of the street until it was ok to go home. After an hour of sitting in the rain the only person that happened to walk by was Kelsey. She couldn't leave me there. She took me to her parent's house, they were working all day so it was ok, and she patched me up. Her soft, kind, hands felt so gentle touching my skin. All I could do was stand there and stare. She was amazing.

After she finished plastering me up she simply looked up at me and whispered

"I can help you, you know"

And I just broke down in her arms. The years of pain and putting on a show just became too much. She was the first person I felt safe with. And so from there I never looked back. I cut all ties from anyone I knew before, however that did come with my fair share of beatings, but she was with me every step of the way. I changed school and I passed my finals and from there she helped me get accepted into college where I found my love for computers.

But Kelsey is my saviour and for that I am eternally grateful

"Sure we've had our bad days Jacob but I wouldn't change that for the world, you opened my eyes to so much more and look where I am today because of you! If I had never taken a chance on you I'd be stuck in some shitty office working for my father but because of you I'm doing what I love with the friggin F.B.I." she smiled as she wrapped her arms around me

"You mean the world to me Jacob Reid and don't you ever forget that!" she grinned as she kissed my lips

I didn't quite know what to do in the moment but I know I could never let this woman go. No person could ever love or understand me the way she does and I could never let her slip my reach. I needed her.

Without much thought, and zero planning, I slowly pulled myself from her and began to kneel down on one knee and I took her hand gently

"Darcy I know this is out of nowhere and I don't even have a ring yet but I'm hopeless so I'd rather you choose your favorite, and now I'm rambling but my point is I love you Kelsey Miller and no one has shared the times we have had! I could never see you with another man and I never want you to be in anyone's arms but mine. You're my entire world and I don't see a future without you there right by my side. I know we're only 22 but we both know that this is forever. So Kelsey Marie Miller will you do me the huge honour of marrying me?" I poured my heart out

She stood silent for a moment. Her hands flew to her mouth and she stared in shock. Fear set in that this was all too much for her and that she would reject me.

But she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around me

"Of course I'll marry you Jacob Reid, ring or no ring, marriage or no marriage, we are forever and my future is no future if it's not with you" she cried happily

as our lips locked and we sealed our forever