As Long As I Have You

[callyha]

Thank you so much for the comments! I do appriciate them so so much and I'm so annyoed with myself for not updating all the time! I love writing this story and I have so many things to put into it, I just suck at posting! I apologige so much and hope I still have some readers

Chapter 50

“In the films they always show the builder making this up so easily” Casey grumbled as he read the instructions for the fifteenth time “why do they never show what actually happens?”

“Because if they did, babies would be sleeping on the floor all the time” Brax replied, walking over to his younger brother and smirking at how frustrated Casey looked “Well, I’m no expert, but I’m sure the baby will be a little longer than that” Brax smiled, looking at the length of the cot, which was barely long enough to fit a baby in

“Well, all the instructions say is ‘fit B into slot C and tap together’. I did that” Casey placed the leaflet on the floor and looked to the small crib “I’ll just start again”

“Maybe you should start putting the curtains up on the rails and I’ll do this” Brax said as he began to take the screw out of the top part of the crib

“Shouldn’t you paint the wall first?” Casey questioned “So you don’t get paint on them”

“Well, get painting then” Brax replied

“Where is the paint?” Casey asked “And when did you buy paint?” he questioned

“The paint is in here” Brax walked to the closet in the hall “And I bought it around the same time I got this” Brax reached into the back of the closet and pulled out a small box “here”

Casey took the box from Brax and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw the ring inside “Brax”

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Brax questioned

“Yea!” Casey replied eagerly “When are you asking her?” Casey looked to Brax

“Asking her what?” A voice said from the stairs

“Sh-” Brax took the box from Casey and placed it back onto the shelf “Mum” Brax looked behind her to see if Charlie was there “Where’s Charlie?”

Cheryl walked closer to her son “She’s asleep, poor thing. I only went into the kitchen to put my cup away and when I came back, she was asleep” Cheryl placed her hand on Brax’s arm “did something happen that I don’t know about?” She asked, concerned for Charlie and the baby, as well as Brax “you can tell me you know”

“I know” Brax weakly smiled, feeling the stinging sensation in his nose as he tried not to cry

“So what’s happened?”

~*~

Ruby looked out at the beach and watched as people enjoyed the day. A tear rolled down her face as her eyes met the place on the beach where she had once spent the afternoon with Charlie, Brax and Casey. That moment seemed like a lifetime ago: so much had happened, and yet there was still so much more that could happen.

Three more days.

Three more days was all she had left before she would have to go to New Zealand and be taken from Charlie once more. A part of her resented Sally for taking her away from a family she never knew she had, but the other part of her understood why. In her head, moving to New Zealand made sense; she was a Young and where her family went, she went. But her heart was telling her something different. Something in her connected with Charlie; she wasn’t sure if it was the bond of mother to child or whether it was as simple as something as sharing something in common.

“Hey, Ruby!” Ruby turned to face the voice that had knocked her out of her thoughts “I thought you were going to New Zealand?”

“I am” Ruby replied sadly “In a couple of days”

“I thought you’d be excited to go” the boy said, sitting beside Ruby and getting comfortable

“I can honestly tell you that I really, really don’t want to go. I’d rather stay here” Ruby turned to face Mark

“Why? Things with you and Casey are nothing more than friends, even though you love him so much” Mark mocked Ruby, he had heard her say a few times that she really liked Casey, but he saw her nothing more than a friend

“It’s not that” Ruby shook her head “It’s something else”

“Like what?” Mark asked, intrigued

“It’s complicated” Ruby looked to Mark and tried to stare him out of pushing for the reason

“Come on. Tell me. I know I’m not Casey, but I’m just as much a friend of yours as he is”

“I found my birth mother” Ruby blurted out

“Eh?” Mark was stumped “Where did that come from”

“I found out that I was adopted when I was three months -Casey helped me figure a few things out- and I met her. I met my birth mother and I have a baby brother or sister on the way and I’m been taken away. I’ve learned so much about her and who I am and why I was adopted and why I wasn’t told or meant to be told” Ruby wiped her face “I don’t want to go. I’ve got this whole new part of me to explore, a part I never thought I’d ever have or find”

“You were adopted?” Mark asked “I go on vacation for a couple of weeks and all this happens” Mark scratched his head “Have your mum and dad met her?”

“Yea, Dan and Issy haven’t though. I want them to but, now we’re moving, they won’t meet. They never will”

“So what are you going to do?” Mark asked after a moment or two of silence

“I have no idea” Ruby shook her head as she leaned into Mark, resting her head on his shoulder and sobbing.

~*~

“Why the big secret Daryl?” Cheryl asked; slightly hurt by Brax’s actions “I mean, it’s not as if I’m not going to help” Cheryl moved closer to her eldest son “Charlie is the closest thing I have to a daughter, you are my son and I have a grandchild on the way; I want to know everything that is going on, I want to be a part of everything to do with my grandchild”

“You will” Brax smiled as he looked to his mum “Thanks”

“No worries son” Cheryl winked “Now what’s the problem here?” She asked, looking into the baby’s room and seeing the crib barely made “Okay. You do realise the baby is going to be bigger than that?”

“Yea” Casey replied “the instructions aren’t that clear” Casey explained, handing the instructions to Cheryl and standing back

“Right; you two paint, and I’ll build this”

~

Charlie opened the door after hearing someone lightly knock on the other side. She squinted as the sun burst into the house and tried to make out who was stood on the other side “Liam?” Charlie sleepily asked

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Liam asked as he saw Charlie yawn

“No” Charlie shook her head before looking at the messy state the couch was in “well, yea but I’m glad you did” Charlie smiled “What’s up?”

“Bianca and I have being talking about how I’ve being treating you ever since Angelo and everything” Liam scratched his head “I want us to go back to how things were before we had this weirdness between us, I mean, for ages people thought you and I were a couple” Liam looked to Charlie

“Can we not talk about this now” Charlie said as she took a step out of the house “Brax’s mum is here somewhere and I don’t want her hearing any of this” Charlie closed the door behind her and made her way down the path

“Sorry Charlie” Liam offered the first sign of a peace offering “for everything”

“I’m sorry too Liam” Charlie placed her hand on Liam’s arm

“Why are you sorry?” Liam asked, confused “I treated you like sh- like crap. I mean, I gave you the hardest time after Angelo died; I made you feel like you were the worst girlfriend in the world. Angelo was a jerk, I get that; but I also get that him being a jerk wasn’t your fault. You weren’t happy for the longest time and I ignored that. I’m so, so sorry Charlie; Can you forgive me?” Liam stopped dead on the path leading toward the beach. He looked to Charlie and found his eyes lowering to her stomach -her bulging stomach.

Charlie noticed Liam’s eye on her stomach. Instinctively, she placed her hands on her stomach, worried that something bad might happen “I can forgive you Liam” Charlie answered, looking at Liam whose gaze was still on her stomach. He nodded, letting Charlie know he had heard what she had said “Liam?” Charlie questioned, looking around at her surroundings before looking back to Liam, who hadn’t moved an inch “Liam” Charlie said, slightly more loudly than she had said previously

“Is it Angelo’s?” Liam asked, pointing to Charlie’s stomach and lifting his head up so his eyes met Charlie’s

Charlie closed her eyes for a brief moment, squeezing a tear out “yea” she sadly replied, wiping the tear away from her face “doctors have told me when I’m due, and it coincides with an Angelo night”

“What’s Brax said about it?” Liam asked

“That he loves it anyway. That the baby is his no matter what” a smile appeared in the corner of her mouth

Silence fell between the two estranged friends as they continued to walk. Soon they found themselves near the doors of the diner. It seemed months since both of them had gone out together for a friendly coffee; nothing to do with Angelo, or things for the club. It was to do with Charlie and Liam: friends.

Colleen was the first to see the estranged pair enter the diner. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened and the dishes clattered on the floor as her hands shot up in surprise “Liam Murphy. Charlie Buckton. Aren’t you two a sight” she finally spoke

“Hi Colleen” Charlie smiled as she walked over to the counter “how are you?”

“I’m fine thank you for asking. Although I can’t say the same for my poor mobile home; the winds we had a few days back have knocked my plant over and it has cracked the window. I need to get that fixed”

“I’m sorry to hear that Colleen” Charlie replied, trying not to show the smile that was forming on her face

“Well, thank you” Colleen smiled “So. What would you like?” she asked, surprising both Charlie and Liam

“Erm, can I just have a large glass of juice please” Charlie asked, thinking how proud Brax would be of her for ordering a large drink

“Same” Liam smiled as he looked to Colleen, who couldn’t help but stare at Charlie’s ever present stomach “thank you Colleen” Colleen nodded before heading off to the kitchen to get their juices. Liam and Charlie couldn’t help but laugh as they watched Colleen walk into the kitchen “she’ll be in there now, telling Irene and Leah about how she is feeling about this”

“And how she doesn’t agree with me being with a man whilst pregnant with another man’s child, and I’m sat with a third” Charlie smiled

“Well, if she wants to be pedantic, you and I were together first. I knew you before Angelo and Brax” Liam said, soon ending the smiles and laughter

“I do want us to go back to how we were before, but, all I can see is that last time you and I were like this” Charlie placed her hand on her leg; in the exact place Liam had done only months before when Brax saved her form being smacked “and it scares me” Charlie looked to Liam “I got the impression that most of what happened between us was sometimes you and not Angelo”

Liam looked to Charlie and nodded his head, his heart filled with shame “I thought I’d go up in Angelo’s estimations if I used my head more; I thought that by showing authority with you, Angelo would know I was in the business for sure” Liam looked away for a brief moment, hoping to compose himself “and then when he asked me to get you that dress for the fight night, and I saw how gorgeous you looked in it and how unhappy you were with the whole thing, I knew that I had brought you down. That I helped strip you from this amazing, young, vibrant 21 year old woman to a remorse filled 27 year old” Liam sniffed as a tear ran down his face “I know Brax is there for you, and I know Leah and Bee are there too. But I want to be there as well Charlie; you’re like a sister to me and I want to make up for the years of pain I have caused. I love you Charlie”

Charlie looked to Liam and saw how the words he spoke were fully and whole heartedly meant. Unable to control her emotions, she let herself go and cried tears of happiness. She opened her arms and leant into Liam, receiving him happily and resting her head on his shoulder. Laim closed his eyes and hoped that this moment would stay like this for as long as possible.

He had got Charlie back into his life.

[Danni02]

Sally continues to make me angry and she wasnt even in that chapter. Poor Ruby . Liked Casey and Brax trying to make up the cot. Haha. Glad Liam and Charlie sorted things out.

Update soon

[soph1303]

Great update - glad to have you back !!!

Had to laugh at Cheryl being the only one who could put the crib together !!!

Awww Brax bought an engagement ring !!

Glad Charlie and Liam are friends again !!

More soon please

[RoRo90]

Great update

yay Brax is going to propose

Casey not being able to put the crib together had me laughing especially when it seemed Cheryl could

Someone needs to get Sally to change her mind... she needs to stop being selfish

Glad Angelo and Charlie have sorted things out

Looking forward to the next update

[Inactive User]

Great chapter And welcome back, Callyha

Grrr Sally! Hope she changes her mind!

Glad Charlie and Liam sorted things out

Update soon please xx

[Spotd1]

YAY I am so happy you have updated, thank you! I am annoyed at Sally too, really hoping she lets Ruby stay!! Can't wait for Brax to propose! Please update soon! Xx

[callyha]

I have to be the WORST at this! I am so, so sorry for the massive delay with each chapter! everything is so chaotic at the moment and I barely have time to do anything.Thank you everyone who has commented/read/continued to read this, I do enjoy writing it (even though I am lapse at posting) and it does me a lot to me that you are still there (hopefully) I hope this is okay for you and I hope you can still follow the story. I have jumped ahead in time just a little (don't worry, nothing too major has happened)

Chapter 51

"I can't wait to see you Case, its been way too long" Ruby smiled as she left a message on Casey's voicemail, breathing deep as she continued to jog whilst speaking "call me back when you get this. Okay, bye" Ruby ended the call and put her phone into her pocket. She paused at the gate and looked hard at the house at the bottom of the path.

Nothing much had changed -with the exception of a baby stroller out front. Ruby opened the gate and proceeded to walk down the path, each step causing the smile on her face to widen with happiness and excitement.

"Can I help you?" A mans voice sounded, causing Ruby to jump

"Erm, no. I'm just visiting Charlie and Brax" Ruby continued to walk to the front door

"They left about half hour ago. They went to the beach. But then, you said you didn't need my help, so disregard what I just said" the man spoke ignorantly, looking down to Ruby as she turned and made her way back up the path.

Ruby tried not to look at the man who had been so rude to her, but something about him made her turn her head to the houses. He had gone, no sign of the man. Ruby was puzzled. Shaking her head, she turned her full attention to finding Charlie, Brax and the baby that she so desperately wanted to hold and talk to.

Soon Ruby was on the beach. Her long flowing maxi dress had turned into a bikini with similar designs on to that of the dress that had mysteriously disappeared. Thinking nothing of it, Ruby continued to walk down the warm sand; her sandals been replaced with nothing but her own two feet. Ruby stopped dead on the beach and looked around for a moment. Her eyes soon fell upon a tall man whose chest was covered in a tattoo which read 'blood and sand'. He rubbed the white suncream into his arms before placing them onto the back of a tall woman, who spun around and looked to the man.

Ruby smiled. She had found who she was looking for "Hi Charlie!" Ruby beamed as she placed her arms around Charlie and hugged tightly "suprise!"

"Ruby?" Charlie gasped, looking at the girl who had left many months ago

"Yep, its me" Ruby smiled "Where's the baby? what did you have? did everything go ok?" Ruby looked around, hoping to see the baby

Charlie looked to Brax, her eyes teared over "Carla has her" Charlie's voice broke

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed "How? Why?

Charlie swallowed back cries "she came back to settle Angelo's business and she saw me, heavily pregnant about to give birth, and she realised that the baby was Angelo's. When I had her, she did everything she could to take her from me; she suceeded"

"How?" Ruby asked

"I collapsed three days after having her. She told doctors it was due to me taking drugs again. It was her word against mine and because of my past with Angelo she won; Amy was taken from me and I haven't heard or seen from Carla since" Charlie wiped the tears from her face

"When was this?" Ruby asked, feeling guilty for not being there to help Charlie through this

"Seven months ago" Brax replied as he consoled Charlie

"I haven't being gone for that long. I haven't" Ruby shook her head. "I haven't" she repeated "What's going on? Charlie? Brax? Mum? Dad?" Ruby asked as everything around her went black. The noise of a baby crying filled her ears. The pain of having a child taken away filled her heart "Mum!" Ruby screamed as her world began to spin "Charlie!" Ruby outstretched her arm in an attempt to reach Charlie, who was stood with her hand on her flat stomach, looking at the stroller by the house with sorrow in her eyes.

"No! No! No!" Ruby screamed as she thrashed around; her eyes remained closed

"Ruby" Paul spoke lightly as he placed his hands on Ruby's shoulders "Ruby" he repeated, concious of people around him looking at Ruby, still asleep and calling out "Ruby" he said once more

"No!" Ruby suddenly woke "Dad! she was taken away, Charlie is a mess. Amy -she, she was taken!" Ruby cried into Paul's arms as the on-looking shook their heads indisgust as their peaceful travel had turned upside down

"Whoa, slow down" Paul said "Who's Amy? what are you on about?"

Ruby calmed herself down as best she could "Charlie; she had the baby -a girl called Amy. Angelo's mum took her away from Charlie. She's seven months old, I haven't been away for that long have I?" Ruby looked through tears at her father, hoping for some explaination "please dad, let me go back. Charlie needs me, I need her" Ruby looked desperately into Paul's eyes

Paul sighed "I can't let you go Rubes" Paul storked Ruby's hair to comfort her as bit her trembling lip and rested her head on her father's chest; she was so sure that what she had seen was true. And now that she was in another country, she was worried even more about Charlie.

~*~

"Ow!" Charlie flinched as April pulled the zip up "I don't think it will fit" Charlie looked over her shoulder to April, who placed her hands on her hips and looked to Charlie

"It fit you last time" April replied

"Yea, but bub keeps growing" Charlie said as he rubbed her stomach, a small smile began in the corner of her mouth

"Is that Charlie I hear?" A voice said excitedly "it is!" Irene threw her bag on the counter and rushed over to Charlie, wrapping her arms around the stranger and not wanting to let go "how are you doing?" Irene asked, finally pulling away but keeping hold of Charlie's hands

"I'm really good. I'm so happy" Charlie smiled

"Good, I'm so glad" Irene smiled back "and what about that young girl? Ruby is it? Is she still here?" Irene asked, not knowing the full story but seeing a bond develop between the two over the few weeks they had together

"Erm, that's a long story Irene" Charlie looked down to her stomach, a wave of sadness washed over her "I'll tell you later, but today is about Bianca and getting things ready for the wedding; I don't want to take attention from her"

"You promise you'll tell me?" Irene asked, looking into her surrogate daughters eyes

"I promise" Charlie replied

"Where is Bianca?" Irene asked as she moved away from Charlie and sat on the couch, which was hidden by masses of dresses

"I'm here" Bianca shouted as she brought Leah into the room "I found Leah wandering around outside so I thought I'd bring her in"

"Oh my god!" Leah squealed as she saw Charlie, and of course, the bulge in front of her "you came out of hiding!" Leah rushed over to Charlie and wrapped her arms around her. It felt like years had passed since she last saw Charlie; and she had missed her "how are you?"

"I'm good. Really good" Charlie beamed

"Where have you been? we've barely seen you for ages" Leah asked the question everyone had on their minds

Charlie nodded her head. She knew everyone had the right to know why she had kept a low profile; after all, she was now six months pregnant and the last time she was out was when she was two months. A lot had changed in four months; Carla had come back, Ruby came back into her life only to be taken away, Angelo's business was now

Charlie's business, Cheryl had come out of hiding, Charlie was having Angelo's baby and Brax was going to raise it as his own, and finally; Brax had moved into Charlie's house. "I've just, I've not been ready to face anything"

"Charlie, Angelo is dead, you and Brax are together and you have the chance to be happy" Leah leaned forward and placed her hand on Charlie's "don't hide away"

"It's easier said than done" Charlie said under her breath "anyway. How well is the search for a wedding dress going?" Charlie asked, changing the subject and getting as far away from talking about herself as possible

"Its not" Bianca sighed as she slumped to the couch beside Irene "I can't find one that I love" she looked to the table that was littered with bridal magazines "They make me look huge and that is something I don't want on my wedding photos" Bianca added. Charlie nodded and placed her hand on her stomach; she knew Bianca meant nothing by it, she was just frustrated that she hadn't found a dress to wear at her wedding which was only three months away "oh god Charlie, I didn't mean-" Bianca suddenly felt awful for what she had said

"I know you meant about you" Charlie smiled "how about tomorrow we all go into Yabbie Creek and look for a dress for you" Charlie suggested, looking forward to the prospect of getting away from the Bay and spending time with the women she had missed so much

"That sounds like a plan" Irene beamed "I can pick myself something new out to wear"

"I thought you said you were going to wear that pale blue dress you had?" April pointed out, sitting beside Charlie "you know, because you didn't want to spend anymore money than you had to" Charlie smiled and looked to the young girl

"I was. But then I heard Colleen say she was wearing a blue outfit. I'm sorry, but I don't want to look back at the wedding photos and have it said that 'you two were like twins' urgh, could you imagine?" Irene shuddered at the thought

"What about the bridesmaid dresses?" April asked "I mean, Charlie can't fit in hers anymore"

"Yea, thanks!" Charlie laughed

"I had a thought about that" Bianca said as she moved from the couch to the unit where she had a book "I saw this a couple of days ago, and I was planning on showing you before tonight Charlie, but I never got around to coming to your house" Bianca handed Charlie the book "I thought it would look nice and be comfortable for you to wear"

Charlie looked to the picture of a woman wearing a flowing maxi dress -similar to the wedding dress on the cover of one of the many bridal magazines on the table- black detail edged the white dress and a panel of black material ran down the back. "Bianca, its beautiful" Charlie smiled as a lone tear rolled down her cheek

"Aww Charlie" Bianca choked as she followed the path of the tear until it fell from sight "I didn't mean to make you cry"

"Its these hormones. I can't be happy without crying a little" Charlie wiped her eyes "The dress looks perfect"

"It will be if I could find it" Bianca replied "I rang the shop up and she said they had three left; only problem is, I have no idea where the shop is"

"Its in Yabbie Creek yea?" April asked

"Yea" Bianca answered

"Well, tomorrow when we go, we split up and search until we find the shop" April suggested

"April, tomorrow is about finding Bianca a dress. Not me" Charlie said

"Charlie, I know that by March next year I will be the same size I am now, you will be ready to pop" Bianca smirked "we get the dress tomorrow in the biggest size and you will still be able to fit into it by March"

"You know, I don't know why I came here. All I get is abuse" Charlie said, unable to say it without a small smile on her face

"You'd hate it if we didn't give you abuse" Bianca stuck her tongue out

"So; what kind of wedding were you wanting?" Leah asked

"Well. Liam wanted it entirely indoors" Bianca curled her lip up "I always wanted some part of it outdoors"

"Why not have best of both worlds?" Irene suggested

"Yea, but how?" Bianca asked

"Have a beach wedding, and then the night reception indoors" Irene continued

"That sounds good in theory, but where in the Bay is big enough to house the recption afterwards?" Bianca asked "We can't fit everyone in the diner"

"No" Leah shook her head "Colleen would throw a fit!" she giggled with the image of Colleen panicking

Charlie sat and listened to the suggestions of everyone. She had thought about somewhere that was big enough to fit everyone, provided everything they would need for entertainment, and the view was to die for. The only problem? The memories she had of that place.

~*~

A paper airplane was the final straw. Hitting her in the side of her head had been the last thing she could take from the obnoxious child who sat three rows back. She picked the plane up and turned around in her seat; making eye contact with the boy before screwing the piece of paper up in her hand and throwing it at the boy. Shocked by the paper getting him in the face, he sat down and remained still from the remained of the journey.

Soon the sign came into sight and she knew she had arrived in the Bay. She stayed on the bus until the last person had walked off the bus. She looked out of the window and saw the sparkingly water wash up on the golden sand a few seconds walk from where the bus was parked

"Miss?" The driver called as he stood at the front of the bus "we're here. You can get off now"

The woman simply smiled at the driver and complied with what he had said. She grabbed her bag from the overhead shelf and procceded to walk off the bus; instantly been hit in the face with the heat from the Bay

"Here" a man said, handing the woman one of bags of luggage "was there any other bags?"

"No. Only the one" the woman replied, lowering her sunglasses and smiling as she looked to the buildings that lined the beach road

"Okay. Well there is a caravan park in that direction. Its run by a bloke called Alf Stewart and his daughter Roo. They can set you up in a caravan at good prices" the man said, pointing in the direction of the park

"Thank you, but I have a place to stay already" she smiled, heading to the house she had left not so long ago.

~*~

Brax ascedned the stairs and walked along the hall. He stopped infront of the door where he had placed a bolt and lock on to stop Charlie from peering inside. Taking a deep breath in, he began to unlock the door and pushed it open. The darkness in the room vanished when Brax flicked the light on, revealling all the hard workl he, Casey and Cheryl had done over the last few weeks. Charlie's bout in hospital made Brax realise that he had to do something to help ready himself for the baby's arrival.

He stepped into the room and his eyes immediately fell to the crib in the centre of the room. A crib that in three short months, would hold his son or his daughter. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the top bar of the crib, wondering what it would be like to peer in and see his sleeping baby laying there; he wondered if the fatherly instincts would kick in as soon as he held his child.

Then suddenly all his happy thoughts vanished. What if he couldn't bond with the child? Afterall, Brax wasn't the biological father, Angelo was. What if Carla did come back? Would she be able to take the baby away from Charlie?

"Brax!" A voice snapped Brax out of his thoughts. Brax blinked a few times and looked back to the empty crib, hoping that he was having one of those dreadded 'dad' moments

"What?" Brax called as he walked down the stairs "what the hell?" Brax smiled "when did you get back?"

"A couple of hours ago" Heath answered as he and Brax shook hands "I've just spoken to mum" Brax exhaled and shook his head "I'm proud of ya mate" Heath patted Brax on the back "Angelo was a tool and everyone could see that"

"She hasn't told you the full story though mate has she" Brax replied as he broke away from Heath and walked to the kitchen "Charlie's pregnant"

"Whoa! Congrats man" Heath smiled as he headed to the kitchen, but the smile soon left his face "is it yours?" Heath asked, knowing by the look on Brax's face that he wasn't the father

"Nah" Brax shook his head as he grabbed a beer from the fridge "Charlie told me she was pregnant when I woke up after the fight. I thought the baby was mine and I thought about what he or she would look lilke" Brax looked to Heath "I saw my life happening, and I thought that, that was something I wasn't gonna get. Ever. But, Charlie; she told me and I never even thought about Angelo. He was dead and he wasn't apart of our lives anymore. That was when I realised I couldn't be the dad" Brax felt himself well up, but determined not to show any tears, he drank half his bottle of beer

"Isn't there a test or summat you can do? I mean, the amounts of times I had to get girls to do the test-"

"There's no point" Brax shook his head "the due date is March 8th next year which means Charlie got pregnant in June. She was with Angelo, not me"

"Brax, having the same DNA as the kid doesn't make up for the love you give the kid" Heath suprised himself by his own words "you see what I'm saying?"

"I know that man" Brax replied "its just, after everything that has happened, you'd have thought that we would have a baby of our own together"

"Yea, and you still can" Heath replied "you know mum wont just let you stop at one kid; she'll want at least three from each of us"

"Aye" Brax laughed

"So, speaking of Charlie. Where is she?" Heath asked

"She went around to Bianca's to discuss wedding things" Brax replied "she's chief bridesmaid for 'em"

"He organised a stag do?" Heath saw the chance to get girls to the bay. Not local girls. Out of town girls. One night where the women of the bay didn't mind there being women of a different working class in the bay. Heath had a lightbulb moment

"Ah no. no, No, no" Brax saw the cogs turning in Heath's mind "That's up to Sid and Miles to organise. They are his closest friends"

"What?" Heath saw the women disappear in his mind, vanishing just a quickly as they had appeared. He sighed "well, when the hell are you getting married? I want this stag do I got planned in my head"

"I have to propose first!" Brax replied

"Well get on with it!" Heath joked, not thinking that Brax was planning to ask Charlie. And ask her soon.....

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Whoa did I read right that Ruby had left Australia for New Zealand?? I wonder what had happened in the last few months...

More soon please xx

[Spotd1]

THANK YOU so much for updating, love this story! I can't believe Ruby has gone Can't wait for more, please update soon! Xx

[JoJo1602]

Awesome chapter!! Cant wait to see where it continues

Update soon