Taking Chances (Blackrock Book 2) (38 page)

“Shit Bailey no one has
ever made me cry on my birthday,” He croaks in my ear trying to
compose himself.

“I’m sorry I’m
just going to miss you” he keeps me close as we dance and cry
together.

“I
love you darlin” pulling his face out of my hair he smiles at
me and I dry his eyes with my hand.

“I think we need another
drink,” I laugh and he agrees. I sit with Paige while Knox
talks with Max getting our drinks.

“You
ok trouble?” she asks.

“Yeah thanks” I watch
Knox and Max huddle together both have an arm around each other
talking then they walk over to us.

“Hey we have to do gifts”
I say reminding Paige who jumps off her chair “Yes” she
grabs a backpack Chase stashed behind the bar for us and runs back to
her chair clapping. “Ok me first” she squeals taking out
two boxes handing them to the guys we watch as the pull open the
paper to find videos games making them laugh.

“Thanks
Paige” Knox hugs her,

“Thanks
Angel” Max kisses her while I dig in the bag pulling out two
small boxes and one bigger one. I hand over the small ones and they
rip them open.

“What
the fuck Bailey?” Max laughs opening his watch I got them the
same one each.

“Wow
darlin you didn’t have to do that” Max hugs me and Knox
kisses me holding onto me a little longer. Paige taps Knox.

“I
have another gift for you guys but it’s at home so we can stop
by later” Max and Knox look at each other and nod.

“Ok this is more of a going
away gift and I will warn you I opened it because I had to work my
magic on it” I smile handing Knox the box, we all watch as he
unwraps it shock on his face as he looks up at me.

“Bailey
what..” he trails off looking down at his new iPad “So we
can video chat” he grabs me off the chair hugging me.

“Thank you darlin I don’t
know what to say,”

“You
just did” I kiss him.

He
puts the iPad away telling me he will open it when we get home, we
dance some more and bring out a cake making Billy play happy birthday
for us.

We
leave Chase to close up, walking back to the apartment all smiling;
following Paige into hers while she waves at the gift on the floor
Knox nods at Max to open it.

He pulls off the paper revealing
a games console “What the heck?” Knox laughs at him
“Thanks Paige” he hugs her again.

“Ok
I am taking my woman home” Knox says hugging Max “see you
in the morning bro” we wave leaving them to mess around with
the video games.

Knox and I walk across the
parking lot in silence when we get home I wash my face while he
watches then we climb into bed with his iPad neither of us wanting to
sleep.

“I
put a few apps on it for you” I laugh as he swipes the screen
and I point to the guitar and piano apps he laughs.

“Thanks darlin” he
plays around on it for a while then puts it away,

“I put something else on it
but you can’t watch it until you are on the plane or in your
room but use headphones” he nods pulling me down to him he
starts to say something but kisses me instead.

We
stay up most of the night making love and talking. By the time we
have to leave for the airport we are both tired. Max drives us in the
truck Knox and I sit in the back his hand never leaving mine.

After
he checks in his bags we meet up with his dad and three other
students who are on the internship, Max talks with his dad for a few
minutes Knox wraps his arms around my waist “Tell me to stay
Bailey” he whispers bringing tears to my eyes.

“Don’t
be silly babe you will be home soon and you can call me any time even
if its the middle of the night.”

We
hold each other and cry again “I don’t want to let you go
darlin” I can’t speak my sobs drown any words.

“We have to go son”
Knox nods as I step away so he can hug Max “take care of her
for me bro” Max nods trying to keep his own tears in.

“I
will don’t worry.”

Knox grabs me again “I love
you Bailey stay safe and I will call you when I land ok”
nodding he wipes my tears with his thumbs.

“I love you too,” I
whisper to him then his dad pulls him away.

“Bye kids” he says to
us and hugs Max again. I wait until he goes through security and
waves again before he disappears from sight.

Knox

Walking
through the airport I feel raw my emotions are laid out for all to
see, my dad helps me through security because I am out of it.

It’s all I can do not to
break down, turn around and run back to the girl I love “Come
on Knox keep moving” my dad tells me after I retie my boots and
put my belt back on.

We
walk through the airport to our gate with the three other interns
behind us, two guys and one girl I didn’t say hello to them or
acknowledge them at all, the only thing on my mind is Bailey and the
urge to get the fuck out of here and back into her arms.

I
sit down, staring out of the window at the planes coming and going.
The guys waving those red cones as they taxi the plane into the
gates, my dad finally introduces everyone.

“Ok guys this is Annalise,
Gerry, Adam and Knox” he waves at us all and we nod to each
other.

Annalise looks like she spent
five hours getting ready for the plane journey she has on a pinstripe
grey skirt and a cream blouse with a face full of makeup and her
blonde hair sitting on her shoulders in a razor straight line.

Gerry
looks pretty much the same as her all business in his slacks and
shirt. I think myself and Adam are dressed for travel, both in jeans
and a t-shirt where I am biker he is a skinny jean wearing Emo dude.

“That
your girl back there” he asks hiking a thumb over his shoulder
I just nod because I don’t want him to talk to me about Bailey
or anything else but he continues.

“Yeah
mine was the same last night I had to stay in the hotel across from
here just to get my ass on the plane” I just nod again.

Then check the time on my new
watch she gave me last night for my birthday “dad what time to
we take off?” I ask turning to him.

“About an hour why?”

Standing
I kick my backpack under the seat beside him “I need a drink”
I say taking off.

“Hey dude wait up”
Adam calls tearing after me.

We
walk in silence to the bar and I take a seat at an out side table
rubbing my face in my hands I order a beer from the waitress who
flirts with us batting her eyelashes and giggling at us, “I
hate that shit” I mumble when she walks away.

Adam
frowns at me “What shit?” grabbing a handful of free
chips I cram them into my mouth chewing and swallowing.

“That
giggling shit thank god Bailey doesn’t do that” I shake
my head and grab more chips. Adam shrugs taking some chips too,

“Yeah I don’t mind it
under the right circumstances.”

The
giggling waitress brings back our beers and tries to make small talk.

“So you guys here for
business or pleasure?” I snort taking a pull on my beer as she
places her hand on my shoulder.

“I’m taken,” I
announce shrugging her hand off me as her cheeks turn pink and she
scurries away.

“Shit” now I feel
like a dick, Adam laughs at me.

“Wow you got it bad huh?”

“Yeah
too fucking bad” holding his bottle up I clink mine to it.

“To the next few weeks of
celibacy” he says and I laugh. I am starting to like this guy
we chat for a while over our beers about school and what we are doing
here I hate to tell him my dad offered me the spot, after he tells me
all the essay’s he had to write to even be considered.

My
phone beeps with a text from my dad “Lets go we are boarding in
a few,” I say standing and leaving ten bucks for the waitress,
only because I feel bad for being rude to her. While I have my phone
out I text Bailey.

Me:
We will be boarding in a few, miss you like fucking crazy.

Bailey:
ok babe just home I miss you too be safe and come home to me soon.

Me:
Damn darlin your killing me I love you good luck with your exams next
week I will video chat as soon as I can xxx

Bailey:
Thanks babe xxx I love you too and you better VC me soon or I will
hurt you lol.

Me:
never you love me too much to hurt me talk soon beautiful.

Bailey:
ok love you way too much.

I
put my phone away when I sit down beside my dad in business class
looking around I don’t see the others. I guess they got stuck
in coach, after we take off I grab my new iPad out of my bag turning
it on.

“Where’d
you get that?” my dad asks looking at it from his seat.

“Bailey got for my birthday
and my watch” I shake my wrist at him and he smiles.

“Nice how can she afford
that if she doesn’t work?” I frown at him,

“Dad I don’t ask her
personal business about money she doesn’t have to work her dad
helps her out” he nods at me.

“A
trust fund baby huh?” he teases, which makes me scowl at him.

“So what if she is?”
holding up his hands in surrender he laughs.

“I am only teasing son I
know Frank very well and I know what he does for his kid.” I
close the cover on the iPad turning in my seat to him about to ask
what he is talking about but I just drop it.

I
open the cover and turn on my new gadget courtesy of the best
girlfriend in the world.

I
scroll through the apps she bought for me plugging in my headphones I
play a little on the piano laughing as I do, my hands are too big to
use both so I play one handed tunes.

I remember she told me about
something she put on it for me in the movie section, after some
searching I finally find the little clapboard symbol and tap on it,
music starts, it’s me singing to her and then the photos flood
my screen one after another as the songs play in a loop.

I watch all of our memories fade
in and out some have funny captions and some have little messages on
them like the very first picture of us, that night she came in the
bar with her black leather skirt.

The caption
‘see
something you like darlin?’
making
me laugh. I watch as our faces blend and swim before me realizing I
have tears falling down my face.

My dad hands me a tissue shaking
his head at me, pulling out my headphones I look at him “What
ashamed to see your grown ass son cry like a little girl?”

“No
not at all” I hand him one of my headphones plugging the other
back in my ear and restart the mini movie, we watch Bailey and I on
the screen and a few of the four of us, my heart aches as I watch.

Once it’s over my dad has
glassy eyes handing me back my headphone “You sing like your
mom” he smiles then goes back to his book. I put away my new
toy and close my eyes against the onslaught of emotions assaulting
me, wanting these weeks to be over already.

Bailey

Just
as I walk in the door Knox texts me telling me he is boarding the
plane, I miss him already. Crawling back into bed I shove my hands
under his pillow as I lay down on it feeling something hard.

I lift up the pillow to find and
envelope with my name in Knox’s script, smiling I sit up and
pull his pillow against my chest so I can smell him.

Hi
Darlin,

If
you are reading this then I know you so well,

I bet you were sniffing my
pillow my little stalker.

Right
now I am sitting on our bed trying to put into words, how much you
mean to me and how much I will miss you make sure you have fun
beautiful and enjoy your summer vacation although I won’t be
here.

I have left you a few notes
around the apartment but don’t look for them all this week
leave your hunting for days or nights when you are missing me and I
can’t hold you the way I want to.

Max
is feeling down too he is in the kitchen moping around, do me a favor
and hang out with him I know it’s hard for him because we have
never been away from each other like this. I bet when we are old and
grey we will live next door to each other ha ha, I will try to call
you as soon as I figure out what’s happening over there I don’t
know if dad will have me working harder than the others just because
I am his son, probably.

Ok
I am going now because I can see you walking through campus wiping
your eyes and it’s killing me, knowing that I am making you cry
but know that I am probably crying like a little girl too.

Love
you darlin; see you in a few weeks.

Yours
forever, Knox.

I
read the letter a few times, and yes I am, smelling the pillow but I
smile through my tears at this guy who so completely owns my heart it
hurts. In such a short time frame we have been through hell and back
all that bullshit with Lindsey and Stacey, Roger, my mother and now
Ben and we still have stayed together.

It
makes me kind of sad to think we have been through that at all but
happy that we survived and want to be together.

He
is my happy ending and I just wish Summer could have met him.

The
next few days drift by and on Wednesday I have dinner with Paige and
Max to celebrate his real birthday but he is kind of sad too.

Paige
tries to cheer us up but we are both robots sitting there going
through the motions she eventually gives up and ignores us for the
rest of the night.

After
dinner I study, which I do every night just to pass the time and not
feel lonely but I can’t help it. Friday is coming whether I
like it or not and my emotions are running at an all time high.

I
am up and then I am down, I have already received an email from the
Anderson’s asking if I was going back to Grove for the
memorial. My heart hurt when I replied no and told them what Ben did
at spring break and I had no intention of going back anytime soon.