Once a Missing Child

Chapter 9

Addison's P.O.V

The next morning was here and the dreadful feeling of being torn apart from Jace was growing stronger by the second. I knew he could feel it too but tried to cover it up with his ridiculous jokes and bubbly personality. But then my parents came back for a short time to say their good mornings to me. Mom stayed with me while dad took Jace back to the house so he could get ready.

Once he came back Jace had on his jacket and bag, ready to leave. Ready to leave and be on the other side of the country. I forced a smile, trying to hide my overwhelming sorrow but I was already tearing up and my lip was quivering.

"Don't make that face." He tried to joke, grinning but I could tell he was on the edge of breaking down too.

I let out a small giggle at his attempt to be silly but the waterworks were already breaking. Before I could try to stop them my tears were falling down my face uncontrollably.

"Aspen..." He dropped his bag fast, causing it to thud loudly on the ground so he could come over to me.

Jace carefully wrapped his arms around me, holding me close but not trying to rub against my wound. I clutched onto his shirt the second he enveloped me in his warmth, beginning to bawl as I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Aw, baby." Mom came over to try and sooth me.

When Jace and I pulled away his thumbs rubbed my cheeks to wipe away my tears, to help keep them from falling because he didn't want me to see me in this state.

"Here, I forgot to give this back to you." He pulled out my locket that Blake gave me from his pocket, "I wanted to throw it away but I know you're still...still trying to get over them."

Slowly I took the locket from his hands, my thumb brushing over the silver designs like I did when I first got it. I could almost feel Blake standing behind me as I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt his hands behind my neck as he put the new necklace around my neck.

I brought myself back into the room and closed my hand around the necklace, "Thank you."

"But." He held up his finger to me then went to his bag.

I watched him as he bent down to reach into his bag. Then his hand pulled out a tiny gift bag.

He walked back to me and held it out with a bit of color on his cheeks, "We got this for you."

"We?" I ask as I took the mysterious gift from him.

"We all got this for you." Dad added as he watched me open it.

My eyes were filled with excitement as I reached into the cutely sized bag, pulling out a small box with a bow. Inside the box hung a silver heart locket. Engraved on the front was, 'We love you to the moon and back'.

My heart swelled up with joy as I showed my real smile, "Aw..."

"Look inside." Jace points, biting his thumb nail.

I went ahead and opened up the locket, seeing pictures already placed inside of it. One one side was Jace and I, laying in the pillow fort and making silly faces. Then the other side was the four of us together, sitting on the couch as I was squeezed in between all of them. The locket was a replacement for my old one so I could always be reminded of the new family and life I have. But my hand was still clutching onto the old necklace I was afraid to let go of.

"It's so beautiful." I say, laughing at the silly pictures inside but then I started to tear up again, "You're not making this any easier though."

"I know."

Jace wrapped his arms around me again, kissing my head a few times. Then he took the box from my hand and took the necklace out of it to put it around my neck. The pendant fell against my heart like the locket was my new heart with the new people I love now.

Jace's fingers rubbed along the chain, "Now you'll be able to keep us in your heart."

"But I want to keep you here." I whimpered, taking his hand in mine again.

He smiled and kissed the back of my hand, "I know, but you can't."

He leaned in and our lips met in a short kiss. I didn't even care if my parents were still there to see us, the kiss was still magical and the entire world melted away just like the first time. He hugged me again, savoring the last touches we would have for each other.

"I love you too." I say as I pulled away to look directly into his eyes, "I never said it back to you last night."

"I love you too...too."

I giggled at his cute joke, sharing another small kiss and connecting our foreheads again. That painful sorrow was growing in my heart again.

"Here." He pulled away again to grab another thing out of his bag, a white t-shirt this time and he handed it to him, "Keep this so you will have something of mine."

I took it from me, fiddling with it in my lap, "Thank you."

"And this has my number on it." He handed me a piece of paper, "So whenever you get a proper phone, you can call me all you want."

I couldn't help but laugh at his past reference, remembering how he always thought my flip phone was old and how it was a shame I was deprived of a smart phone.

He leaned in to give me another sweet little bunny kiss with our noses rubbing together and our lips met again for what felt like the hundredth time. We didn't want to let each other go but we were being forced to.

When we pulled away my parents gave Jace their own hugs, starting to get emotional themselves.

Mom held his face in her hands and kissed his forehead, "I can't thank you enough for bringing our little girl back to us."

"Of course." He nodded, "It was important to her to find you and I knew something was off."

Once Jace was done saying his good byes to my parents he came over to me again, giving me one last hug and kiss before he went away. He wanted to be the last one to touch me before he finally left.

"I love you." He whispers into my ear, his warm breath fanning over my neck.

I sob into his, gripping the sleeves of his jacket tight, "I love you too."

Then he really did leave, picking up his bag from his floor and went out the door and down the hall. I held his shirt to me tightly like it was the last thing I had left in the world. My heart literally broke right then and there. I knew his did as well.

Thank you for reading! Please comment and tell me what you think.