Runaway Pt. 04

Authour's Note:

This is the finale of Runaway. After a romantic evening in Toronto, Lacey and Noah reach Montreal to discover her family has fallen apart while she's been gone.

Chapters have been marked throughout the story.

Special thanks to the team of people who beta-read and edited this story: BarryJames1952, Bebop3, norafares, OneAuthor, and Steve M. This story would not be possible without them. Any remaining errors—factual, grammatical, or otherwise—are my own.

**

"So, Noah. Where are you from, exactly?"

I looked up from cutting my steak at Sean. Noah swallowed the bite of food he'd taken.

"I grew up in the Kootenays. Cranbrook, BC, mostly."

"And now?"

I tried not to glare at Sean.

"A little bit of everywhere. Going back to Toronto in the fall for work."

"Oh, what do you do?"

"Got a carpentry background. Gonna be working on a construction site downtown, I think."

It probably shouldn't have surprised me how easily Noah could talk around those questions without specifically lying. I knew he didn't like talking about his past, so answering the way he had still afforded him some privacy while satisfying Sean's curiosity. My mom, on the other hand, wasn't so easily pleased.

"Do you still have family in Cranbrook?" she asked.

"A few aunts and uncles, I think."

"What about your parents?"

"My dad died when I was a kid. My mom and I aren't close."

Mom had the decency to look slightly ashamed. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Thank you."

I thought that was it for the conversation and took another bite. As usual, I was wrong.

"So what were you doing on the train when you met my daughter?"

"Heading up north. Figured I'd work on the patch or something for a few months."

"Do you switch jobs often?"

Noah smiled politely. "I've been trying a few different things out."

"You must have been doing well to be able to drop everything and help Lacey. What did you do before?"

I swallowed my bite of steak barely chewed, almost choking on it. "Mom, come on."

"I'm just trying to get to know Noah," she said smoothly.

"Was out east working on a boat. Figured I'd try fishing." Noah smiled tightly. "Wasn't for me."

"So you just up and left without something else lined up? Or did they let you go?"

"Mom!"

"What, Lacey? It's a fair question!"

"You're interrogating him."

"Noah doesn't mind, does he?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"No, ma'am." He clearly didn't mean it, given that his tight smile grew even more tense as he clenched his jaw.

"Well, I personally would hate working on a fishing boat," Rick cut in. "I mean, I'm sure being surrounded by hunky fishermen all day would be just dreamy, but I can't imagine the smell."

"That's where your mind goes?" Sean laughed. "Being surrounded by a bunch of seamen?"

I nearly choked on my wine as everyone burst out laughing.

"How did you two meet?" I asked Sean when I managed to stop coughing.

"My boss was designing a house with Sean's firm," said Rick. "Damn guy has more money than he knows what to do with but couldn't care less what his house looks like. All, 'whatever, Rick, ask Aspen what she wants in the house.' And she's all, 'I don't care, Rick, I'm barely home. Make sure the bedroom has a bed in it.' So of course, I had to step in and decide how to spend their money."

"He was a nightmare to work with," said Sean. "Doesn't know a thing about architecture but wanted everything laid out just so. I think he was secretly doing it so he had an excuse to spend more time with me."

"Oh, it wasn't a secret, everyone fucking knew that except you," Rick said to another round of laughter. "Theo was so pissed when he found out I'd added two extra rooms and a pool just so I had more excuses to talk to you."

"We finally finish the project and Rick goes, 'Hmm. Maybe you could design a house for me now.'" Sean rolled his eyes. "A year later, we moved into it together."

I was itching to ask how Sean had managed to get a degree in architecture and pay for it after being kicked out at 17, but didn't want to risk the light-heartedness that Rick had so thankfully provided. Instead, I smiled at Sean.

"You guys are so great together. I'm so happy for you."

He blushed, beaming proudly as he patted Rick's hand. "Thanks, sis."

"So, sorry Rick, you mentioned something about being a glorified servant. What is it that you do?" I asked.

"His best friend's famous and Rick's his assistant," Sean answered for him. "He's a professional best friend."

Rick rolled his eyes but took the comment in stride. "He didn't hire me to be his best friend, he's just paying me for all the years I was his best friend for free."

"I swear, I'm going to get you business cards with 'Professional Best Friend' on them."

"Don't seem to mind so much when it keeps you rolling in steaks and bottles of wine."

"You said those were gifts!"

I couldn't stop laughing as they teased each other, sharing a quick kiss before going back to their plates. Noah listened quietly, and I realized the conversation was making him uncomfortable. There didn't seem to be anything we could talk about that everyone was all right with.

I apologized to him after dinner, going to his room under the guise of looking through the rest of the boxes.

"It's fine," he said.

"You were uncomfortable."

"Lacey." He stopped what he was doing, looking at me intently. "I'm not gonna pretend like this is what I'm used to, but it's fine. I just don't know what to say to them that won't cause issues for you."

"I don't want you to think you have to hide who you are."

"We come from different places." He returned to his backpack, digging for his soap and toothbrush. "Never stayed in a house like this before. Dunno what to do or what to say. Your family wants to judge me for my background, that wouldn't bother me. I'm used to it." He looked up again. "You're not. You've gone through enough this week, you don't need more drama because of me."

"Don't leave."

"Promised you I wouldn't."

I bit my lip. "They just... we all just need time, I think."

"You don't trust me? I promised I wouldn't go, I won't go."

"That's not what I meant." I glared at him. "And you know damn well that I trust you."

He shook his head and laughed.

"Careful, Lacey. That's the third or fourth time you've sworn today. Gonna have a mouth like a trucker soon." He crossed the room and kissed me. "Gonna take a shower, clean up a little. Rick said I could use their washing machine so I'm taking him up on it. Can't leave without my clothes, you know."

**

Everyone turned in relatively early that night.

Between the travelling, emotional breakdowns, and startling revelations, all of us were fairly tired.

I put on fresh pyjamas after showering, grateful for the feel of clean, fresh clothing against my skin. When I finished, the upstairs was quiet and the rest of the house was dark, so I went into Sean's office, said my nightly prayers, and laid on the futon. It was extremely uncomfortable, hard metal bars jutting through the thin cushion, and I made a mental note to tell Sean his futon sucked.

I tried for a long time to get comfortable. My body was tired, my mind numbly exhausted. If it weren't for the discomfort of the futon, I might have fallen asleep before the thoughts of worry and frustration invaded my mind, but that wasn't the case. Soon, not only was there a metal bar running across my kidneys, but I was staring at the dark ceiling with annoyance as the day's events played over and over in my head.

When I finally had enough, I told myself to go try sleeping on the sofa. Honestly, I did. I rolled off the futon, my body aching like I was in The Princess and the Pea, and went to the door. Cracking it open, I checked the hallway. There were no lights on, and no cracks of light under any of the door frames. Silently, I crept from Sean's office and down the stairs, thankful the house was new enough that nothing seemed to creak yet.

And then I walked by the sofa and continued towards the basement.

A golden line of light glowed under the door frame to Noah's room. Quietly, I tapped on the door, then turned the knob and let myself in.

"Was wondering if you'd do that," Noah said quietly.

"I couldn't sleep. That futon is terrible."

He was lying in bed shirtless, a few pages away from finishing the tattered novel. Putting it on the table next to the bed, he reached towards me as I scurried across the room.

"I'm glad you're still up."

"Couldn't sleep. Got used to having you close by. It felt weird."

I crawled in next to him as he turned out the light. Moments later, he was hugging me close to him, powerful arms that made me feel so small, so infinite, and so safe all at once.

"Should we talk about this now?" he asked softly.

"Probably."

Quiet moments passed as neither of us were willing to actually talk about it.

"I don't want to lose you," I finally whispered.

His lips found my forehead. "Me either."

A long time passed without either of us speaking. Whether intentional or not, we both fell asleep.

**

"I figured you'd end up hating the futon."

I froze in the doorway to the kitchen. Sean was sitting at the table, a steaming coffee in front of him as he grinned at me.

"Um... don't tell Mom?"

He chuckled quietly. "I won't."

"I didn't think anyone would be up yet."

"Rick's a late sleeper. Habit from working with an entertainer. Mom was probably up late crying again. And Noah..."

"We didn't do anything." I walked into the kitchen and sat across from him, helping myself to the coffee in the French press on the table. "That futon just really sucks."

"I know. Rick hates it, too."

I poured enough sugar in the coffee to make Sean wince. "Why don't you get rid of it?"

"Jesus, does it even taste like coffee once you're done with it?" he asked, watching as I added a healthy amount of cream.

"I don't know. I don't really drink coffee on its own."

He rolled his eyes. "Rick tries to throw it out, I bring it back inside. It was the first piece of furniture I ever bought. Can't bring myself to get rid of it."

"Oh."

Sean smiled. "It's weird to hold onto it, I know. But it reminds me how far I've come."

"You've done incredibly well. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm proud of you, too. You've grown up a hell of a lot since I left. I missed so much."

"If it makes you feel better, most of that has been in the past week."

We sat quietly, sipping our coffee.

"Why don't you like Noah?" I asked suddenly.

Sean sighed. "I do like him. It's just overprotective big-brother mode turning on."

"Why?"

"He didn't seem like... he seemed kind of rough, you know?" Sean stared down at his hands. "I shouldn't judge, especially not just by sight. I know that. Rick and I talked about it last night after we went to bed. He said Noah's a smart guy, really down to earth. And he clearly cares a lot about you. How something like that happens in a week, well... I guess weirder shit has happened. I prayed about it last night."

"You still pray?"

Sean laughed. "Yeah. And I've been going to church again. Rick's even coming with me these days."

"Even after..."

"Yes, even after Dad." Sean took another sip of coffee before proceeding. "He took something beautiful and made it into something terrifying. What Dad does isn't religion. It's to control people through fear." He looked at me steadily, eyes earnest and searching. "If you feel like you're a little lost, I understand. I went through it, too."

"It's very confusing," I whispered. "I just don't know how... how to follow the rules anymore."

"You know the important rules. The rest is just humans thinking they understand God's plan." Sean smiled encouragingly. "Come to church with me and Rick on Sunday. Noah, too, if he wants."

"I don't know if Noah would."

"That's okay. Church-goer or not, he's still a good person."

I bit my lip. Sean's words should have made me feel better, but he didn't know about Noah's past.

"Can I tell you how we really met?" I asked softly.

"Please."

"And you won't judge?"

"Of course not."

Drawing a breath for strength, I told him about the drugged drink on the train and how Noah had stepped in. Then I told him about how Noah had refused to leave me on my own because he was certain I'd end up dead in a ditch if he did, about him being there after my father's first phone call, and how he talked me through the panic attack in BC when we realized we were going the wrong way.

"And there's more, but..." I stopped, staring at my coffee cup.

"But you're about to tell me he's a convicted criminal."

My eyes shot up. "How did you know?"

Sean's face faltered and his eyes went wide. "Shit, Lacey, I was joking! Are you fucking serious?"

I felt my face going red as my mouth dropped open.

"You're not joking. Holy shit, you're not... what... please tell me he's not a murderer."

"He's not!" I hissed. "He... he used to..."

"Assault? Rape? I'll kick his fucking ass if he hurt you."

"Sean! I just told you about all the selfless things he did for me and that's where your mind goes?"

Sean stopped, his face red, breathing unsteadily. "You're right. You... this is why you didn't want to tell me." He took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Lace. Really."

I took another sip of coffee, trying to calm myself down.

"He used to be into drugs," I said softly. "A long time ago. Six years, I think he said. He got in with a bad crowd of people, got caught stealing someone's truck, and hasn't stopped paying for it since."

"And then he stole a car last week."

"Sean—"

"I know. Fuck." He shook his head.

"He knew the guy he took the car from. He did ask to borrow it... just not for how long he ended up having it."

"And you were okay with that?"

"No. After they confronted us, I gave them my necklace to make them go away. The girl, she... she just wanted to do something to hurt Noah. So that was good enough for her."

My coffee was almost gone. Sean poured more while I continued talking, adding cream and sugar without needing to ask.

"I left him in Hinton. Took the bus to Edmonton by myself to catch the train there. And you want to know what happened?"

"What?"

"My backpack got stolen."

"What?!"

"Between the bus and the train station. I left it with the shuttle driver and someone stole it. I didn't even know until we were at the train station and it wasn't there."

"Shit, Lacey. What did you do?"

"Sat on a bench and cried."

He snorted. "Really?"

"Yeah. My phone, my wallet, everything was in there. I couldn't even call you. I would have had to call home for help."

"Oh."

"Noah found it."

"I thought you left Noah in Hinton."

"He was on the bus. He saw me, I didn't see him. He left me alone and would have respected me not wanting to see him, except he saw the kids who stole my backpack and got it back from them. Then he got over to the train station, gave it back, and went to leave again."

Sean's face was stoic, watching me carefully.

"I asked him to stay. I asked him to promise he wouldn't keep any more secrets or do anything like that again. He promised."

"And you trust that?"

"Completely."

He considered me for a long moment.

"Okay. If you trust him, I trust him."

"Thank—"

"Just answer one thing."

I stopped, looking nervously at him. Sean leaned forward, lowering his voice so much I had to lean forward to hear him.

"Are you two fucking?"

"Sean!"

He laughed. "You are?"

My face was burning as I sipped my coffee. Sean continued to stare at me, waiting for an answer.

"Yes," I growled miserably. "But that was my choice."

"Was he... you know, your first?"

"I can't believe you're asking me this."

"I know for a fact there was no way you got a sex talk from Mom and Dad. So yeah, I'm asking you this."

I stared at the wall behind him, willing the floor to open up, a meteor to hit, anything to get me out of that conversation.

"Yes."

"You were safe?"

"Yes."

"Was he good?"

"Sean!"

He nearly fell out of the chair laughing. "What? It's not my fault your boyfriend is hot. All dark and mysterious with that killer jean jacket."

"He's not... I don't know if he's my boyfriend."

Sean raised an eyebrow at me.

"I don't know," I repeated. "I... I didn't want to talk about it."

"I understand."

"He was really sweet, Sean." I couldn't look at him as I spoke. "We got... well, things kind of happened, but not like, totally happened when we were on the train. When he found out I hadn't... he was so concerned. And in Toronto, he... the night I called Daddy, I wasn't... I embarrassed myself. I left in the morning without saying anything. He committed to going back to Toronto to work that job like he said, even though he hates Toronto, and came to find me. He took me on a real, actual date, and to dinner and a hotel and... He got me a new necklace because I gave mine up in Hinton."

I finally looked up at Sean. "I can't even tell you how much his past doesn't matter. That's not who he is."

There was a mix of emotions on Sean's face. Worry was certainly there. But so was something else, something warmer.

"You really like him, huh?"

I nodded.

"You're pretty special, Lacey." He smiled and got up to make more coffee. "Noah's lucky to have you. And you're lucky to have him."

"So you approve?"

"I can think of a million reasons not to." Once he had refilled the French press, he came over to set it on the table while it was brewing. "Most of them revolve around you being my baby sister and me not wanting to accept that you aren't the kid I left behind at home. Some of them are because you've known him for a week and he's your first... whatever you want to qualify him as. But that would make me a huge hypocrite. Rick was my first boyfriend."

"Really?"

Sean nodded. "I did nothing but focus on school and work after I left home. Didn't have time for guys. Then Rick waltzed into the firm one day. I knew he was the one the day I met him. I just missed all the signs he was throwing at me saying he thought I was the one, too."

"Did he really add two rooms just to keep talking to you?"

"No. It was three rooms, a pool, and he made me redesign the entire second floor."

We laughed quietly.

"How did you afford to go to school on your own?"

"I had some help from Mom," Sean admitted. "She sent some money. The rest was loans."

The little flare of anger I'd felt the previous day when Mom had talked about seeing her children pushed away returned. I realized very suddenly that it was because it shouldn't have taken both of us being disowned for her to leave. Seeing Sean kicked out should have been enough.

I didn't say anything about it, just nodded.

"Now, what are you going to do?" Sean asked.

"I still don't know."

"You know you can stay as long as you like."

"I feel like you'll have your hands full with Mom."

Sean snorted. "Yeah, I don't know what her plans are. Maybe you two can settle here somewhere. Mom said you want to be a teacher. There's lots of teaching jobs around here."

"Maybe."

"Give yourself a couple days to recover. I'm sure whatever the next step is, it'll come to you."

I nodded. From above, we heard someone begin walking around.

"Sounds like we're about to get company," Sean said.

"Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

I stood up and hugged him tightly, much to his surprise. He hugged me back.

"Any time, sis."

**

The day was going so well.

After coffee with Sean, I'd gone back upstairs and gotten dressed. When I returned, Rick was in the kitchen making breakfast, Mom was at the table drinking coffee, and Noah was just coming up from the basement.