𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | RAFE CAMERON

Forty Seven | G O A T I S L A N D

     I woke up to the sound of little footsteps pattering outside my bedroom door. "Mommy, Mommy!" Tommy exclaimed, bursting into the room with a big smile on his face. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, hearing Rafe was already up and about.

"Good morning, baby!" I said, scooping Tommy up in a big hug. He was dressed in his favorite superhero tee and jeans, his curly dirty-blonde hair sticking up in every direction. I kissed the top of his head.

Rafe sauntered into the room, "Good morning, beautiful," he said, dropping a kiss on my forehead. "I've got a surprise for you and Tommy today."

I raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Rafe just winked. "You'll have to wait and see. But get dressed, we need to get moving."

I rolled my eyes jokingly. Rafe loved surprises lately, and I had learned to just go with it. I tossed on a pair of jeans and a comfy sweater, running a brush through my hair to get prepared for the day.

Once that's done I go down in the kitchen, Rafe had set out a spread of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit. Tommy dug in, making a mess as usual. I laughed, pouring myself a cup of coffee and taking a sip.

Once we'd finished breakfast, Rafe ushered us out the door, "Where are we going, Daddy?" Tommy asked, bouncing up and down.

"You'll see," Rafe said, grinning.

We piled into the car, Rafe driving us through the quiet morning streets of Kildare. We eventually pulled up to a park I'd never been to before, the sign reading "Kildare Equestrian Center".

Tommy's eyes went wide as we got out of the car. "Horses, Mommy! Horses!" he squealed, tugging on my hand.

And then I saw it, a beautiful chestnut horse, saddled up and ready to go. "Meet Starlight," Rafe said, placing a hand on the mare's neck. "This is where Tommy will be staying."

I was taken aback, but Tommy was over the moon. He'd always been fascinated by horses, and the thought of riding one was almost too much for him to handle. Rafe helped him up onto Starlight's back, adjusting the helmet and showing him how to hold the reins.

As we dismounted Starlight, the instructor, named Margret, came to say hello, "This must be Tommy who will be staying with us for a few weeks."

Rafe nodded. "Yep." Then he turned to me, "I figured instead of sending him to that intervention program we'd have him here to learn new skills and how to relax."

I hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yeah that's a good idea." Horses seemed better than whatever the intervention program had to offer.

Margret taught Tommy how to hold the reins and communicate with the horse. She showed him how to use gentle pressure to guide Starlight, and how to use his legs to signal her to turn or stop. Tommy was fascinated by the way the horse responded to his commands, giggling as Starlight trotted around the ring.

As we approached the end of the lesson, Margaret helped Tommy off the horse, "He's a natural especially at his young age!" she exclaimed, patting Starlight on the neck. "The camp starts next week, I'd hope to see Tommy at the inauguration."

Tommy threw his arms around Margrets waist, hugging her tightly. "Thank you! That was the best day ever!"

Rafe and I exchanged a happy glance. As we drove home, Tommy fell asleep in the backseat, exhausted but happy. Rafe reached over, taking my hand in his. "You know, I think that was one of the best surprise I've ever given Tommy," he said, smiling.

I smiled back, "Definitely," I agreed. "We should send him there."

Rafe cranked up the stereo, blasting our favorite song, "Tongue tied," as we cruised down the highway in his Corvette.

Thirty minutes flew by until Rafe finally took a turn off the main road, onto a winding dirt path. "Where are we going now?" I asked.

"To show you, your surprise." He said. The scenery shifted from urban to rural, with hills and towering trees giving way to an expanse of water.

Rafe slowed the car to a stop, and a smile spreaded across his face. "Welcome to Goat Island," he announced, gesturing to the breathtaking view ahead of us.

My jaw dropped as I took in the scenery and got out the car. Goat Island was a stunning, Rafe stood confident, taking Tommy and Is hands as we stepped out of the car. "This is it, guys," he said, leading us around the property. "This is my latest investment. I've always thought we could have a place to escape to, where we can relax and have some fun on the weekends maybe."

As we walked, Rafe pointed out the various parts of the island, Eventually, Rafe led us to the edge of the water, where we stood together, gazing out at the view.

Rafe turned to me, "I want to share this with you, Scarlett," he said, "I want us to make memories here, as a family. I want this to be our special place."

"This is incredible, Rafe," I said, "I'm so proud of you for making this happen."

Rafe smiled, squeezing my hand. "I did it for us, Scarlett," he said. "I did it for our little family, so we can always have a place to call our own."

As we drove home, I tried to explain to Tommy what the ranch with the horses was all about. "It's a program that helps kids with their behaviour, Tommy," I said, "Rafe has read all about it and it will be great for you."

Tommy nodded, taking it in. "So, it's like the place daddy went to?"

I shook my head, laughing. "No it's not a mental hospital. It's where you can play games and learn about how to manage your anger, your dad has never been there but he could've used it when he was a kid, right honey?"

Rafe nodded, "Yeah I sure as hell was a handful when I was younger."

We arrived home and decided to take a dip into the pool.
Rafe jumped out of the pool, shaking the water off his hair, and plopped down beside me on the lounge chair. Tommy was splashing around in the shallow end, having the time of his life. We both watched him, mesmerized.

"Hey, Scar," Rafe said, turning to me.

"Yeah babe what's up?" I say, smiling

"I was thinking of talking to Sarah tomorrow about making amends." He nods.

I raised an eyebrow, "What made you decide that?"

Rafe shrugged. "I don't know, it just feels like it's been long enough. This feud has gone on for too long. I think it's time we try to work things out."

I nodded, "I think that's a great idea, Rafe. I spoke with JJ so the Pogues know that we are cool now."

Rafe's eyes locked onto mine, "I was hoping you could talk to Sofia about making up with her too. You know, so she can start babysitting Tommy again?"

My heart raced as I thought about Sofia. We'd had our differences, to say the least, but seeing how much Tommy loved her, and how good she was with him, made me realize it was time to put her stealing my ring behind us.

"I'll talk to Sofia," I said, making a mental note to reach out to her. "And Rafe, I forgive her. I want what's best for Tommy, and if that means Sofia being back in his life, then I'm okay with that."

Rafe's face lit up and he leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Thank you, Scar. That means a whole lot to me."

— A/N short, boring chapter today but
trust me it gets so much better from here
on out. I have a huge surprise in the next
chapter for something that was requested
by my love, Elsie 🤍

- love hoplessromanticlove