WILD RIDE (Rafe Cameron x OC) *COMPLETE*

Chapter Fifty-One (Rafe)

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Rafe

"Rafe, how could you?" Rose says with her face in her hands. "You let her go? You let her leave?"

"She's a liar, Rose. She's a liar and a user and... And I can't look at that girl ever again. No matter what happens. For as long as I live I'll never be able to look at her again. She's a Pogue, Rose. A good for nothing-"

"Rafe." Rose grabs my shoulders and tears stream down her face. Mascara leaving a stained streaked. "That girl is not a liar. She's not a user. She's scared and trying to please everyone around her. She wants John B to be okay because he's her brother. She wants you to be okay because you're her boyfriend-"

"Husband." I correct her unintentionally. Just completely out of habit and the moment the word slipped from my mouth I felt like an idiot all over again. "Well now I'm nothing."

"You aren't nothing to her." Rose tells me confidently. "I love that girl like she's my own child. If you ask me right now if I have a child, I'd tell you yes. That girl made me a mother the moment she came to stay in our house. The first night she slept in that guest room and I took her to pick up snacks for your night at the movies. That's the night she because my daughter, Rafe. And I knew from the smile on her face when you walked her out to the car that she loved you."

"Loved." I snort and shake my head. "Past tense."

"No." Rose argues. "She still loves you. It's plain for anyone to see that she's going through a hard time. You of all people should understand. She lost her mother at age two, her father was dog shit then died, her and her brother were forced to grow up so young and the poor girl... That poor girl fell for the wrong guy who made it impossible for her to show that she loves anyone. Until you came along."

I wait outside the door where my Dad is in bed resting. He got banged up pretty bag when him and John B got into a scuffle. Another reason to add to my list of reason to fucking hate John Booker Routledge. Another time that he's hurt my father- hurt my family.

"Rose, I really just want to go and see Dad. I want to check on him... It's still a shock that he's back."

"I know." Rose says. "But you need to find Alana and make up with her. It's for the greater good. Her entire life is changing."

"How can you still be so on her side?" I cross my arms and lean against the wall. "How can you seriously still give her the benefit on the doubt after everything she's done?"

"Because she loves you. She loves this family-"

"She loves her damn self." I cut her off. "Alana Routledge is selfish. I'm going to go and see Dad now."

"No." Rose stops me. "Go calm down first. He needs his rest, the last thing he needs is to wake up to you ranting about some bullshit. About the cross, the family, Alana... He doesn't need that right now."

"Whatever."

I head back to my state room and look at the bed. Alana left that stupid book behind that I got her when I found out JJ ruined her book from her mother. The happy cartoon couple on the front makes me want to gag.

There's tons of different colored tabs hanging off the pages. I open the book and see where she's highlighted and made her own notes. Underlined details and writing in the margins. Little hearts and flowers. Stars in the corners.

There's one part where the guy had the girl in the back of the Uber, listening to some stupid Taylor Swift song. Alana has it highlighted in pink and then wrote my song to Rafe which made me curious. I open my phone and play the song. It's poppy and not my style.

I look further down the page while listening to the song. He's... Damn he's finger fucking her in the car while all their friends are jamming loudly to the song and no one knows that he's bringing this girl to another dimension in the back of that Uber.

Rafe is better. She writes with a heart next to that tabbed bit. I zone out and start listening to the words again. The bridge is what gets me. It reminds me of Midsummers. She almost hurled all over Kelce.

For hours I play the song on repeat. Playing it until I learn all the fucking words. I find myself quietly singing along while I'm now reading the book. Reading all of Alana's notes that go along with it. She makes comments that sure, the guy in the book is cool and a "book boyfriend" but that I'm better..

She put it in writing.

All over the fucking book and that makes me miss her. It makes me realize I'm the biggest fuck up in the world and I just lost the girl of my fucking dreams. She's... She's everything to me and I blew it. Because I can't communicate.

Wheezie comes in and scares the absolute fuck out of me. I jump and toss the book onto the bed and wipe the tears from my eyes. The music still playing on my phone loudly and Wheezie looks at me with a rapid blinking.

"Are... Are you reading Icebreaker and listening to Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift? What the fuck happened to you-"

"Get the fuck out, Wheezie!" I shout at her and point to the door. But Wheezie doesn't leave. She sits on the bed and picks up the book. "You're too young to read that."

"Already read it. Alana let me. She told me to ignore the notes in the margins though." Wheezie shudders. "I miss her."

I say nothing.

"Did you get to her favorite part of the book?" Wheezie asks. I shake my head. "I'm only a few chapters in."

"The epilogue. That's Alana's favorite part of the entire book. She wrote a whole long thing in the back... Her dream of it being like that with you. You should skip the rest of the book and just read that." Wheezie gets to her feet and heads to the door.

"Wheeze..."

She blinks at me and waits for me to speak.

"Did I mess up?"

She laughs loudly and nods. "You fucked it up, Rafe. You fucked it up really bad. Rose actually might hate you now. And Dad? He's bullshit. Not because he thinks Alana will betray us... But because you let her go. You let her leave your life and leave this family when she's truly become part of this family. You made her my sister when you married her. You made her Dad's bonus daughter... Rose calls Alana her very own daughter. You destroyed this family when you hurt her, Rafe."

Wheezie walks out and I feel it all come over me. I curl up in the bed and that damn song is still playing. My eyes hurt from how much I've cried. My stomach is tight and there's nothing left for me anymore.

Without Alana I have nothing.

She's my air. Without her...

Fuck.

I take Wheezie's advice once I've calmed myself down and I flip to the epilogue of the book. Alana has it tabbed in a bright pink color and all of it is highlighted pink too. All I want with Rafe is written at the start of it.

Guy comes home from work; he hugs and kisses the girl. They have a dog now and the dog is excited to see him. Alright... Alana wants a dog. I can do that. I can get her a dog and- the girl is pregnant now. Alana highlights and underlines it. Rafe doesn't want kids. So not this part. But even the handwriting seems sad.

The notes go back to a happier note when he takes her to the beach and proposes to her. A beautiful diamond ring.. A moment between the two of them. Alana wants a dog and a ring and a normal life.

Rafe doesn't want kids. So not this part.

I can give her everything she wants. The dog. The ring. The house. The normalcy. I just need to win her back. I need to find her and... I'm going to get rid of this cross. I'm going to be a better man. For her. I love you, Bonnie. Avocado. I write on the very last page of the book.