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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: MORE DELAYS
Earlier in the day...
The girl woke up on the sand. Her body was covered with a jacket, and beneath her was a beach towel. She glanced up and saw that the sun was still rising. The sky was a pale shade of blue mixed with orange.
Emma looked next to her to find Rafe sleeping soundly, his hand wrapped around her waist. He looked very peaceful in his sleep, not like how he usually was. He was different. Calm. At peace. She smiled at the sight.
When she tried to sit up, he subconsciously held onto her and pulled her back down. Then, his eyes opened and the first thing he saw was her.
"What time is it?" He mumbled drowsily as he let go of her and sat up. She did the same.
"I honestly don't know." Emma shrugged. She pulled out her phone to check. "It's six." She told him.
"I can't believe we slept here." Rafe rubbed his eyes to adjust his vision. He then put his shirt back on. "Let's get back." He got up and reached for her hand.
"I want to stay, though." She replied as she lay back down.
They were at the beach by Figure 8 that Rafe took Emma to. They spent the night laughing, talking about their personal lives, and taking a million pictures. They felt like they knew practically everything about each other now. Rafe told her about his father, and how he felt like Ward loved Sarah more than him and Wheezie. He told her that he did everything for his father's approval, but he just never got his attention. It was always Sarah, in Ward's eyes.
In return, Emma told him about how she felt that way with John B and her father, before he disappeared at sea. Big John loved them both, yes, but his attention was mostly on the younger boy. He always taught him boy things, like fishing and how to play football and even how to drive the Twinkie. He didn't teach Emma these activities until she begged him for it. Still, when she complained to her father about not feeling the same attention he gave her brother, he told her he loved them the same and he was trying his best.
That was until a few months ago. Big John had barely paid any attention to his children. He was always focused on the gold and where it was. He'd lock himself in his office and research for what seemed like days, as if he forgot he had an actual house and real kids. It made Emma feel bad. It made her feel neglected and she felt like she didn't have a father. That's aside from her absent mother, who left their family before she even got to raise them. Three years on Earth wasn't a long time to get to know her mother.
