WILD RIDE (Rafe Cameron x OC) *COMPLETE*

Chapter Seventy-Three (Alana)

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

Alana

I was going to ask Limbrey to reschedule our monthly tea that was coming up this weekend when Rafe got into the bike accident at the race but suddenly the next day he felt good enough to go to a party to celebrate Topper's win.

Rose came by to watch Leah and Wheezie came with her but these days she just completely ignores Leah.

"I'm not touching her until she's old enough to not shit in her diaper and pick her nose." Wheezie says. "She doesn't even speak English yet."

Rafe rolls his eyes. "Wheeze... She's just over a year old. She doesn't speak anything but baby language."

"Exactly." Wheezie says. "How am I supposed to talk to her? Bond with her?"

"Watch Encanto with her and give her some snacks and she'll like you. I promise." Rafe says as we're getting ready to head out the door.

He stops by Leah and gives her a big hug and kiss but I hang in the kitchen while Rose starts prepping snack plates and dinner for Leah. Rose is actually an amazing grandma but she doesn't like to call herself a grandma. She says she's too young and far too pretty. Rafe scoffed at that and called her a Glam-Ma and Rose hated that even more.

So, for now... She's just Rose until Leah decides on what to call her. "Thank you again for coming over to watch her. I didn't really want to go knowing tomorrow I have to head in to Charleston but Rafe never gets out of the house anymore."

"You made him a homebody." Rose teases. "That's good.. Just... Don't let him get too carried away."

"I know." I smile and grab my laptop. "At least it's at the country club so I can just grab a table and work on some emails while him and Topper do shots til they puke."

"Always working." Rose grins as she slices us some fruits in bite sized bites for Leah.

She loves fruit and especially when I take her to Heyward's to pick it up fresh. It's one of her favorite things. Plus, Heyward loves seeing Leah. He always gives her a cookie even though I don't like her having too much sugar like that.

-

We walk onto the dock where the bar is and get inside. I have my bag slung over my shoulder and Rafe is talking to Topper when a girl is standing in the corner. I see the way she's looking at me but then the way she's looking at Rafe.

"See that guy?" She says to the person she's with. "His dad shot Sheriff Peterkin and he only married that Pogue because he knocked her up. I heard.. it's actually his Dad's baby."

Rafe takes a step back. "What'd you say?" He says to her before taking a step toward her. I glare at the girl; I'm beyond used to the whispers at this point. Rafe and I knew this was going to happen by staying in Kildare but the only time it triggers him is when it's about Ward or Leah.

I ignore what people say and for the most part his does to but this one is a double whammy. Because she just brought up two people that you don't talk about when it comes to Rafe. I tell him all the time I don't care if people talk about me. He's started to let it slide but only slightly. But now it's his dad and his daughter.

"You got something to say?" Rafe steps closer to her. Her boyfriend or so I'm assuming he's her boyfriend pushes Rafe and tells him to back off. "Nah, nah... She has to something to say. I want her to say it to my face."

Topper pulls him away ever so slightly. He grabs a cup and then he mutters. "I just don't like when people talk about my dad or my daughter. My daughter." He looks at the girl. "MY FUCKING DAUGHTER."

My chest tightens and my lungs deflate and I reach for his wrist. "Rafe, enough."

For the rest of the night he just sucks down beer after beer. Glass after glass of whiskey until he's hardly able to form a coherent thought. I sit down at a table outside and pull out my laptop. At least he's in my line of vision and not acting like an idiot. He's just quietly drinking now that he's got that out of his system.

I open my emails to find one from a strange username. I click on it and attached is the article that was written about John B, myself, the rest of the Pogues and even Big John and Ward. We each had to give a little snippet about ourselves to give a little backstory. I remembered being interviewed for it and the picture I had them put for me was of myself, Leah, and Rafe when Leah was a newborn.

Before I can read the rest of the email I see a blonde woman approaching Rafe. He looks slightly uncomfortable talking to her and he continues to inch closer and closer to me. "Yeah, uh.. I grew up. A lot I guess. Uh, Hollis- this is my wife, Alana Cameron."

"Routledge." Hollis smiles at me. "I knew your father. Big John."

I flash my ring on my hand and give her a smile. "Cameron. Like my husband just told you."

She turns back to Rafe. "Anyways... I watch all your real estate moves. You built new condos and you sold that old Tanny estate with the church plot. Oh and the ones up in Charleston too-"

"Nah," Rafe shakes his head. "That wasn't me. That was all my wife. She's the brains and the mastermind. I'm the one who signs the papers and changes the diapers. I wouldn't have the success I do with that company if it wasn't for my wife. So.. You don't admire me. You admire my wife."

"Well.." She slides him a business card. "I'm looking for a partner so if you're interested... I'll gladly work with you."

Right in front of her Rafe drops the card into my hand. "Hear that, baby? You could have someone do your bitch work for you."

Hollis sneers. "I don't do bitch work, Rafe Cameron. And honestly, I imagined you to be more like your father. More... Willing to bend the rules. Kinder to those who are in your tax bracket. The people who grew up like you."

Rafe snatches the card from my hand and puts it back into hers. "You know what... I love my old man and I miss him terribly. He gave me really great advice all my life and the biggest piece of advice he gave me? Never let anyone disrespect the people you love. Do you think anyone ever disrespected Rose? Especially around him? No. The answer is no. So kindly, Miss Robinson, fuck all the way off."

"You've just made a big mistake, Mr. Cameron."

"Nah... I don't make mistakes anymore. I try not to at least." Rafe says proudly. "So you have until the count of five to step away from me and my wife... And I'm already on three."

"What happens if you get to five?" Hollis taunts him.

I rise to my feet. "You then have to deal with me. You certainly seem to know a lot about me so... Do you know what I did to Carlos Singh?"

Her eyes widen. "He died when the cave collapsed."

I shake my head. "Yeah... That's what they want people to think. I would step away Hollis.. Before you become a story of someone who just had some shitty luck and a cave collapsed on them."

Hollis steps away and I finally sit back down and read the rest of that email. Just when I thought my heart was not going to come to a complete stop it does. Below the attachment is a photo that someone scanned and uploaded. A photo of me and John B when we were little. Big John holding John B on his lap and me sitting on the lap of a woman. My mother... Julia.

I couldn't have been any older than Leah in that photo. Rafe circles behind me and wraps his arms around my middle and rests his chin on my shoulder. The scent of the whiskey on his breath enough to get me drunk.

"Is that you?" He asks. "Damn... I thought Leah was my twin but turns out she's yours."

I nod. "Yeah... That's me..." I scroll down and read the writing that was attached. Rafe is clearly reading it too and we both are just silent.

"Did I read that right or am I really fucking drunk? Julia Routledge emailed you?"