Rafe Caemron Angst - Tumblr Posts

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 28

As Jessie was getting ready to leave for the restaurant, Rafe came into the bathroom as she was brushing her hair. Rafe wrapped his arms around Jessie's waist and pulled her in close.

"Where's Charley?" Jessie asked as she looked at Rafe through the mirror.

"She's playing in her room." Rafe answered. Jessie simply nodded and went back to getting ready.

"She called me daddy this morning." Rafe said simply with a small smile on his face. Jessie stopped what she was doing once again and looked back at Rafe with a grin.

"Seriously?!" Jessie asked with wide eyes.

"Seriously." Rafe replied through a slight laugh. "She said it this morning when she woke me up wanting breakfast."

Jessie couldn't help but be filled with tears of joy. This was more confirmation that her and Charley would be just fine following Rafe back to OBX or wherever they needed to be. No matter where they went, Jessie knew she couldn't split up their family again. Jessie couldn't choke out any words, instead she opted to wrap her arms around Rafe's neck.

"I'm so glad baby, you deserve that." She whispered as she buried herself further into Rafe.

"Thank you." Was all Rafe could say as he breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly they both heard little footsteps coming to the bathroom door.

"What we doing?" Charley asked with knitted eyebrows. She was already ready to go in her yellow sundress and high pigtails. Rafe bent down to be eye level with his daughter as Jessie went back to fixing her hair.

"We are going to find you some shoes to wear." Rafe replied as he pointed at Charley and booped her nose. She giggled and ran away to her room, clearly anxious to pick out a pair of shoes. Rafe simply followed behind her, but not before giving Jessie one last loving look.

- - -

"We ready to go?" Jessie asked as she slipped on her converse and met Rafe with Charley on his hip at the door.

"Yep." Rafe responded as they walked out the door and towards the bar downtown. Living in Manhattan everything was within walking distance, which Jessie loved. It was always a great way for Charley and her to get some fresh air and a little exercise. Plus, it saved on gas. Jessie didn't even have a car until after a year of living there, with the help of Mama and Tom getting her a job and hooked up with a friend selling one for a good price. However, she couldn't part with the small motorcycle she brought with her from OBX. That was all she had besides a few other belongings when she left. She left both her small car and motorcycle parked in the parking garage connected to their building.

The three of them had finally made it down to the small local dive bar. If Rafe would have blinked he would have missed it. He almost did, thankfully Jessie knew where it was and side stepped him just in time. Jessie had a key to the door of course but also told them she was coming and that she was bringing a friend. Considering they were stopping by before they opened she knew they wouldn't mind. They never minded having Charley there either. Many a night has been spent bartending with Mama while young Charley slept in the back room in a cot built just for her under Tom's desk.

"Hey Mama!" Jessie exclaimed enthusiastically as she let Charley down to run to her grandparents.

"Hey darlin!" Mama replied as she bent down to accept the impending bear hug from Charley. Soon after Tom rounded the corner.

"I thought I heard my favorite girls." The bearded burly man said as he came out of his office and around the counter to give Jessie a hug.

"Hey sweetheart." Tom exclaimed as he hugged Jessie and gave her a kiss on the head. Before Tom was done with the motion he eyed Rafe up and down. "Is this the guest you were talking about?" Tom asked with knitted eyebrows. At the same time Mama came walking up behind Tom with Charley in tow.

"Yes! This is Rafe. Rafe, this is Mama and PopPop. But you can call them Maci and Tom if you'd like." Jessie proclaimed as she introduced the two parties. Rafe stuck his hand out nervously with a soft smile towards Tom. Rafe couldn't belive how nervous he was. He had done billion dollar deals with gun wielding maniacs and their goons surrounding him with no nerves and yet this had him shaking.

"Nice to meet you." Rafe blurted out with his hand still extended. Tom looked down at his hand and back up at Jessie, still trying to decide if he was going to shake it or not. Tom saw the plea on Jessie's face and decided to go with it.

"Nice to meet ya Rafe." Tom said simply in his grisly tone he always has. Thankfully, Mama decided to break the very clear tension.

"Well, y'all want something to eat or drink? It's almost lunchtime!" Mama exclaimed as she made her way back behind the counter hoping everyone would follow.

"Chicken nuggets!" Charley quickly demanded as she ran alongside Mama.

"We'll just take whatever you make." Jessie answered as they sat down at the bar, Tom opted to stand alongside it beside Rafe, still unsure of the man he was looking at. For Tom, no man was good enough for Jessie. Jessie was not looking forward to telling Mama and Tom about her and Rafe's history.

"Can I get you anything to drink, baby?" Mama asked Rafe as she got Jessie started with a Moscow mule, remembering it was her all time favorite.

"Oh I'm okay, water's fine." Rafe replied, politely putting a hand up.

"What, you don't drink?" Tom asked with his eyebrows furrowed. This kid was seeming more and more peculiar to him.

"Uh... just not feeling it today, it's only lunch." Rafe joked looking at Tom for any semblance of understanding.

"Oh come on." Tom bantered as he slapped Rafe's arm with a little too much force for Jessie's liking. Thankfully, Rafe wasn't phased, his strong arms could definitely withstand the blow. "Little whiskey won't hurt ya. Put a little hair on your chest. Get him a whiskey and coke, Mama." Tom insisted. Jessie gave Rafe a look as if to silently apologize. Rafe reciprocated with a soft half smile as if to tell her it's okay. Mama gave Tom a look of disapproval but continued to make a drink for Rafe and slide it his way. Jessie tried to brush it off as best she could despite Tom's best efforts to intimidate Rafe.

"Sooooo..." Jessie began as she stretched her hands across the bar and look around bashfully. "There's a reason that I wanted to come and meet with you guys today."

"Uh oh, here we go." Tom joked as he finally took a seat at the barstool beside Rafe. Charley at that point was playing contentedly in the corner but Jessie wondered if she should redirect her to Tom's office.

"So, Rafe is actually... um... Charley's father." Jessie explained as she gripped Rafe's hand over the bar. "And we're... m-back together." Jessie didn't have the heart to tell them they were already married. She thought that would be way too much too soon. She knew eventually they'd get around to that conversation though. Mama and Tom just exchanged looks that neither Rafe nor Jessie could quite interpret. Were they angry? Confused? Surprised? Did they expect it? Probably a combination of all those things.

"This..." Tom began as he pointed at Rafe. "This is the guy you left home for? And this is the guy you had to protect from Charley?" Tom asked with a dangerous calm in his voice. Rafe couldn't let that slide.

"Hey man you don't even know me." Rafe spat as he immediately stood up from his chair and looked at Tom dead in the eyes, who had also stood up at the same moment to meet them. Despite Tom being slightly shorter, his gaze was just as fierce. Jessie didn't expect that to escalate so quickly, but she thought maybe she should have considering Rafe was never one to accept insults.

"I know enough." Tom answered with just as much vengeance in his voice. "I know that you were the reason Jessie had to leave wherever she came from. I know that you were the reason she felt she and her baby were unsafe. I know you were the reason she came here with no money and nobody to rely on." Tom continued, never breaking his death glare up towards Rafe. At this point their faces were mere inches away from each other. Rafe was trying to prove to Jessie that he had changed, but he still wasn't going to let disrespect slide.

"Yeah well that was the old me, okay?" Rafe replied. Tom just scoffed.

"You may be fooling Jessie with that but you're not fooling me alright I'll be damned if-"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Jessie interrupted, loud enough to get the point across but not loud enough to disturb Charley from across the room.

"Alright, come on now. Your daughter and your granddaughter is in the room right now." Mama spoke up as she went to grab Charley and take her to Tom's office to play with the toys they always kept in there.

"Yeah, and you're lucky she is." Tom retorted, narrowing his eyes at Rafe once more. Rafe was finding it increasingly difficult when a man was judging him so harshly without getting to know him first. Still, he had a point to prove. He remained stolid, not fuming, but he made it clear he was not afraid. Jessie decided to butt in before Rafe had a chance to say what he was really thinking.

"Tom, I promise you nobody is being more cautious about this than I am. I could never forget the reason that I came here, and I could never forget what you and Mama did for me..." Jessie trailed off as she wedged her way in between the two most important men in her life. "... but it's time for me to give Rafe another chance now that he knows about his daughter and is willing to change for us. Okay? Can you just trust me on this?" Jessie said as she looked up at Tom with hopeful eyes. Rafe had softened his look slightly and had un clinched his fist despite him still being angry deep down.

"I guess, sweetheart, whatever you want." Tom sighed as he looked at Jessie lovingly, then back up to Rafe with a hardened glare once again. "But if you step one toe out of line-"

"I'll handle it myself, like I always have, pop." Jessie interrupted with a knowing stare. Tom knew she was right, and so did Rafe. Jessie really hadn't changed that much in four years, she was still that strong, independent, snarky, know it all that was perfectly fine with taking care of herself. Rafe still appreciated that about her... that freedom she always found within herself to live life and not be afraid. Tom sighed in agreement.

"Lets eat you two!" Mama butted in, trying once again to break the tension— and the death glares— between the two men. Jessie moved from her spot back to sit at the bar, the others doing the same as Mama platted everyone's food, including Charley's, who had now re entered the room.

"So is Rafe who you were going to see last week?" Mama asked as she ate over the bar counter in front of them.

"Yeah, actually. I met him in the Bahamas to... tell him about Charley." Jessie answered. Her and Rafe both knew that was a lie, but they couldn't exactly tell the truth. How do you casually mention that you went across the world to take half of what you rightfully own as the wife of a murderer, drug addict and convicted thief of your own brother? Mama and Tom, despite how close they were to Jessie, never truly knew her history, and there was clearly a reason.

Tom put his fork down and swiveled in his chair closer to Rafe. "So what do you do for work son." Tom asked, this time a little friendlier, but not by much.

"Oh, I uh, run my dad's company. He passed away not too long ago so I'm kind of in charge of it now. Cameron Enterprises." Rafe answered, returning the same tone to Tom, friendly, but still not letting his guard down.

"Cameron? Oh! We heard about your dad a couple of weeks ago! Yeah, he was the one who..." Tom began, then realizing what he was about to say.

"Killed himself by blowing up his own boat, yeah." Rafe finished the sentence for him with a calmness in his voice that showed he was oddly un phased. To distract himself from the thought he took a sip of the whiskey and coke in front of him... well, more like a chug.

"Well, we are so sorry, honey." Mama spoke up, putting her hand on Rafe's with a sympathetic look. Jessie knew Rafe never liked pity looks, besides, he never had the best relationship with his father anyways so the loss wasn't as hard as the world may think.

"I appreciate that." Was all Rafe could muster as he pursed his lips together. He really wanted to say it was no big deal, but clearly that would raise some red flags. Instead he opted to grasp the small glass even more firmly. Jessie seemed to be the only one who noticed.

"Yeah, well, that's the main reason I needed to see Rafe. I knew his dad had just passed and as hard as it was to go back and see him, I felt it was only right that Rafe finally know what happened to me and that he had a daughter." Jessie took the moment to capitalize on her story. Truth is, as hard as it was to lie, she knew that Mama and Tom would probably never know the full story, that's just the way it goes when you're tied up with treasure hunts and ruthless tycoons like Ward Cameron.

"And I'm glad she did... she really pulled me out of the pit there." Rafe half smiled as he placed a hand on Jessie's thigh. That was the truth.

"Aw, well we're glad you two have found each other again." Mama simply stated and Tom nodded half heartedly in agreement. It was clear Tom was still fishing for information and looking for something to be wrong. Jessie didn't blame him, it was in Tom's nature just like it was in hers.

"Yeah, about that..." Jessie sighed as she grabbed Rafe's hand, she couldn't tell if it was for his support or hers. Regardless, Rafe squeezed her hand back. "I'm... well, we're... moving back home... to be with Rafe." Jessie finished, almost wincing not wanting to see the look on their faces in response.

Mama and Tom just paused in thought and looked at each other. Tom was quicker to speak than Mama of course.

"What do you mean? You can't be serious. You're gonna go back with the man who you ran away from four years ago just like that? Come on, Jessie, you know better."

"Pop... he's changed. He's not who he used to be. We're going to just try it out. What happened was four years ago. If I can see past it surely you can." Jessie insisted, this time with a hint of annoyance. Tom looked down at his plate and sighed. He finally nodded in agreement, knowing that at the end of the day it just mattered what Jessie wanted and what she felt was right for her and Charley.

"I think we're just... shocked is all. It was like one day you were perfectly fine with the life you had and now..." Mama explained.

"It's all changing. Yeah, I get it." Jessie sympathized. "And I know it's going to be hard and I know there are a lot of things we haven't thought about yet but we're just going to try. We're gonna start by visiting Outer Banks as a family... that's where I used to live." Jessie answered with a soft tone in her voice.

"You used to live steps from the beach and yet you chose to come here?" Mama joked. Jessie and Rafe just laughed.

"Yeah, this was the place I knew I could disappear. You know that, Mama."

"Yeah, I remember darling. I'm just glad you guys are getting another shot at being a family. Pop and I always wanted that for you, but we weren't quite sure it was ever going to happen." Mama ended her sentence with a giggle looking over at Tom. Tom chuckled as well.

"Of course we want the best for you, and hope everything works out, but you better come back and see us!" Tom exclaimed.

"Of course we will! I couldn't imagine a life without you guys." Jessie reassured as she went to give Tom a hug. Rafe sat there with a content smile on his face, silently thanking them for understanding.

"I promise we'll come back to visit as often as we can, and you guys are more than welcome to come see us anytime, my treat." Rafe said as Jessie went to hug Mama also.

"Oh, Tom wouldn't a vacation sound so fun?! Maybe one day we might even be invited to a wedding!" Mama hinted with excitement as she held Jessie's shoulders. Jessie just giggled nervously while looking at Rafe. Rafe smiled and hung his head down as if to prepare for the news they were both about to break.

"Hehe, yeah... about that..." Jessie started as she looked around at Mama and Tom with a clear nervous look. Mama and Tom looked confused as they narrowed their eyebrows.

"We're already married." Rafe chuckled as he threw his hands out awkwardly and slowly nodded his head.

"You got married to this man while you were gone? Thats what you were doing?!" Tom asked as he looked back at Jessie with judgement written all over his face. Oh great, this was about to be the cherry on top.

"Um, no.... We got married four years ago... before things went sour and I left." Jessie replied sheepishly, her posture showing she wanted to physically retreat into whatever shell she could find. There was an awkward pause as everyone tried to collect their thoughts, thankfully Charley was still eating her chicken nuggets happily in the corner and completely oblivious. Finally Tom slowly turned his head back to Rafe with a clear look of anger.

"You let your pregnant wife leave you and you didn't even think to go after her and make this work four years ago?!" Tom exclaimed a little louder than he should have.

"Tom!" Mama whisper-shouted, signally that he needed to keep his voice down. Tom breathed out heavily in frustration but understood.

"I didn't know she was pregnant. Jessie didn't tell me. But either way don't act like you know me, okay? You don't think I tried to find Jessie in every corner of this earth? You don't think I loved her enough to try and find her? Don't insult me like that ever again! You don't know the sleep I lost and worry I couldn't get away from when she left. Hell, that never went away! I never stopped looking for Jessie. There was never a moment when I didn't want to find her." Rafe spat as he got out of his seat and hovered over Tom with a look in his eyes that could kill. Tom didn't take that sitting down- literally- he stood up to meet Rafe with just as much fierceness.

"Well clearly you didn't look hard enough!" Tom retorted, still a little too loudly.

"It's not like I made myself easy to find, Pop! I changed my number, changed where I lived, and everything in between! I knew Rafe wouldn't have let me go that easily, that's the very reason I didn't tell him I was pregnant. I would've stayed and we wouldn't have grown up! But we're adults now and we can handle this! Rafe isn't to blame for all this. I left! This is the last time I'm going to let you fault Rafe over something that happened years ago!" Jessie demanded. Despite all that Rafe had done to Jessie and to many others, Jessie always saw something in Rafe that nobody else did. Rafe was always her Achilles heal, and that's exactly why she left years ago.

"Tom, she's right. You need to settle down." Mama said with a much more serious tone in her voice. Tom took the hint and sighed as he sat back down.

"I'm sorry, Jess, I just-"

"Don't be sorry Pop." Jessie said as she went around the counter to give Tom a hug. "You're like a father to me, you know that. I appreciate that you care so much... but you've gotta trust me on this one." Jessie assured. Tom nodded in agreement and quickly tried to change the subject to something more hopeful.

"So, when you leaving?"