Worth Fighting For | Book #1

Chapter 48

It wasn't long before the silence was eating me alive and I was finally pulling up outside the familiar structure of Josh's beautiful house. "Is your mom home?"

I'd remembered how she was towards me, thinking that I was just one of the very many girls that Josh brought through the door. "She's leaving as soon as I get back," he placed a comforting hand on my knee after our once strained conversation, "don't worry."

Nodding, I followed his lead as he climbed out and made his way to the door, not before wiping any signs of him ever fighting just minutes before. He pulled his jacket on tighter, hiding the small traces of blood prominent on his white shirt.

"Where have you been? My date has been waiting for twenty minutes!"

Josh's Mom, whom I'd yet to learn the name of, was rushing around the foyer of the house as soon as we walked in. She paused, however, once she saw me step in behind him. Her eyebrows rose a little, almost as if she was measuring me up and realising that this wasn't the first time I'd been here. "Hi."

She easily ignored me, managing to shake her head away from me and instead, place her hand against the door, ready to leave. "Beth's bedtime is in an hour, make sure you give her a bath before she sleeps." Those last words were followed by the opening then slamming of the door behind her, silencing the four walls around us.

"Savannah's back!" The four year old girl I'd remembered so clearly ran from where I'd remembered her playroom to be. She practically dodged her brothers legs before jumping up to my arms. "Are you here to play with me?" She was grinning as I lifted her into my arms, holding her closely onto my hip.

I'd completely forgotten that Josh was even there, my whole mind being filled with happiness at seeing Beth again. It simply reminded me how much I actually wanted children when I was older, I couldn't imagine a life without them. "Of course I have."

She immediately began pushing herself back down to the floor, only to grab my hand and pull me towards her playroom. Josh chuckled to himself and followed along, throwing himself down on the couch as I sat down opposite Beth.

"What are we playing?"

She began mumbling to herself as she set up various toys around us, placing a small tiara onto my head and a crown onto Josh's. I motioned my hand for him to sit down beside me, to which he rolled his eyes and eventually joined me.

"That wasn't too hard now was it?"

"Bath time soon, Beth." Josh spoke, ignoring my taunting.

"No, Josh. Not bath time." She silenced him with her finger, something I pushed into the back of my mind to use one day when he needed silencing. "We are going to play castles!"

She began running around, shouting at various dolls and teddy's, holding the queen's crown on top of her head. There wasn't much Josh and I could do except listen to her orders and play with the dolls beside us, attempting to understand what exactly we were playing.

"It really is bath time now, Bethany," Josh couldn't help but grin as he lifted Beth into his arms, holding her to the side and tickling her. She giggled loudly, crunching her body to stop him.

"Can Savannah stay?"

"She will help you with your bath, and then she's going home."