Lead On (Complete)

~ Chapter 14 ~

                “Do you remember that spot by the lake that we would go to late at night?”  Rose gave Jeff a look.  Yes she knew the spot pretty well.  It’s when he first snuck her off to on their first night of sneaking out, it’s where he first kissed her, and it’s where they first had s*x.  So yeah, they both knew the place well and Jeff knew that.

                “Why are you asking?  You know that stupid tree has our names carved in it and I got the scar from when you tried having s*x with me against it.”  Jeff made a face and then he laughed.  “Oh, did you freakin’ forget that?”           

“Yeah, I kind of did.”  Rose rolled her eyes but turned her attention back outside.

                “Why are you asking anyway?”

                “I thought that would be a good place to talk.”

                “Last time I recalled that you took me out there to talk, not much talking got done,” she told him and he held up his hands before then turned down the dirt road.

                “Promise that is not on my mind tonight.  I just think you and I need to talk, and sadly, I think it’s long overdue.”  They bounced around in the truck, catching every dirt hole before Jeff finally pulled up to the spot and cut the engine.  Rose looked out her window and then finally opened her door and climbed out, making her way to the back and dropping the tail gate.  If this conversation was going to be as intense as she felt it was, she wasn’t going to stay around in the cab of the truck.  As she jumped on, he walked out and joined her.

                “It’s been a while since I’ve been out here,” she finally spoke out.  His eyes looked around then up at the sky before landing on her.

                “It sure is way more quiet and peaceful out here than in Austin.”             

“Oh, the big bad city becoming too loud?”  She knew her tone was nasty but she refused to say anything like a ‘sorry’ about it.  Instead she looked down at her hands, her fingers playing with the sleeves to her jacket.  “I came out here a lot when you first left.  And after I filed, there were plenty of nights I’d drive out here and get drunk.  To me, this was always our spot and I felt closer to you.”  Jeff let out a breath, knowing the next hour or so was going to be rough, and she agreed.  She also felt things were long overdue for it anyway.

                “Rose,” he started and stopped.  She glanced at him and could agree this wasn’t as easy as talking about some school problem they had.  She almost wanted to laugh at those memories.  They thought they always had problems, but looking back, it wasn’t anything to deal with as an adult.  She often got annoyed with her mom because her mom would always laugh at her and her small problems and she couldn’t understand why, but oh f*****g boy did she get it now.  And she knew, much like things in the past, she was going to have to speak up now.

                “I’m sure Jimmy told you after he left that I went to Austin.  He seemed might pissed that he didn’t know or that you didn’t know.”  She paused and played with her sleeves again, not sure what else to say to that.

                “Yeah, Jimmy came speeding his ass down the road and I swear he wanted to punch me, not that I could blame him.  Rose, after everything though, I never really thought you would go back to the city.”

                “So why the hell did you go there when you knew I hated it?”

                “Deep down I was hoping you would swallow all of that pain and come with me.  I know, I was a fool, I won’t deny that.”

                “A fool?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.  “No, a fool doesn’t cut it.  I get that you were hurt here in Skyville, that you had nothing but me keeping you here, but what the f**k was so bad about it?

                “And even better yet, what was so God damn important in Austin?  What was more important than me?  Than the one woman you claimed to love so strongly?”

                “Don’t do that Rose.  I have always loved you, that was never a problem and you know it, no matter how much you want to deny it, your heart is telling you the truth.”

                “How can I believe that when I go there after just six months and you are in the arms of some two bit slut?”  Jeff eyed Rose and Rose would fully admit to her jealousy, then and now.  Jeff was supposed to be hers and what did she find out?  That she was sharing and that was something she didn’t like.

                “That two bit slue is my sister.”  Rose’s next words died on her tongue and she stared at the man.  “Well, half sister, I guess.”

                “W…wh…what?  You…have none.  Unless you were lying to me.  Oh, my God, is…”  Jeff cupped her cheeks and she stopped rambling.

                “Take a breath and no, I wasn’t lying.  Guess I should start this from the start.”  Rose blinked at Jeff, not noticing when he jumped off the truck and stood before her.  But she watched as he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and she couldn’t help but notice the bicep covered in ink.  Mentally she had to shake her head so that she could focus her attention on his words.  “Do you remember the day I told you I was leaving?”

                “Yeah, although I try to forget it, but that painful memory likes to come back and haunt me, why are you asking?”

                “I got a letter from Arlene, my sister, the woman you saw hugging me.  In fact, if I can pick out the day you were there, that’s the day my dad died.”  Rose just started at him, less of this making sense.  She ran her hands over her face and let out a whoosh of air.

                “You are talking about the dead beat dad who wanted nothing to do with you or your mom right?  Because I am having a really hard time understanding why you would leave the wife you loved and be with a man who didn’t even know you existed.”  Rose was struggling, these thoughts not making any sense at all.  And though she told him they could talk, she was really thinking of jumping off this tail gate and running down the road, hoping someone else was driving that could pick her up.

                “Yeah, that was the story I was given my whole life but that was not the truth.”  Rose narrowed her eyes as her hands clutched tightly to the tailgate.

                “What the f**k do you mean?  Were you adopted?  Or f*****g kidn*pped?  Hell, f*****g abandoned and your mom took you in or….something?”

                “I know what this may sound like, but yeah, in a way, I was kidnapped.”  Rose had nothing to say to that so she stayed quiet and let him go on.  “The letter I got from Arlene talked about my dad, how he was upset that my mom left, just took off without saying anything.  He loved my mom but his family didn’t like her, and my mom’s family didn’t like him.

                “My mom hated the small town life so she left for Austin when she was young and met my dad, whose name was Joey.  Their romance was a whirlwind and they both fell in love quickly; sounds like someone else huh?”  Rose just smiled at that because it sounded like them.  They fell hard and fast in high school and even early on they knew they were meant for each other and would get married.

                “Okay….and then what happened?”

                “I guess things got ugly with the families and my mom couldn’t handle it so she took me and split.  According to my dad, he got to spend the first six months with me and loved every minute of it.”

                “Why didn’t you go live with your dad when things happened with your mom??”

                “My aunt wasn’t going to tell me who my dad was.”

                “So, what about a birth certificate?”

                “It was changed.  My grandparents and aunt helped my mom get a new one that had nothing to do with my dad.  I was always told he wanted nothing to do with me and I always believed it.”

                “Why did your aunt hate your dad so much that they would make your life a lie?”

                “My dad, and his family, were…well are…well to do.”  Rose recalled his grandparents briefly but she did know his aunt, they were lovely people, but they always viewed those who were wealthy as cold hearted sinners and disliked them greatly and she could never quite understand why that was.

                “Wow, okay, so how did Arlene find you?  It’s not like you were from Skyville and you said you and your mom moved around a lot.”

                “Well, that becomes the funny part.”  Rose lifted her brow again, not seeing how any part of this was funny.

                “Yeah, you might want to clear that up for me.”

                “Do you remember the contest; it was an auto contest, talking about cars, makes, even some of the older cars?”  Rose made a face and the nodded.

                “Yeah, it was something random you saw in the paper and won, you got two thousand and a trip to anyplace in the US for a weekend stay.  What was so special about it?”

                “My dad’s auto shop put it on, trying to find some good mechanics.”  It took Rose a moment to process that.  When they had looked up the people holding the contest, they were amazed to see that it was the Joey and family business and was one of the largest shops throughout Texas.  Rose snapped her eyes to his and it dawned on her that being a mechanic was in his blood.  But that as a son to that man, he would be a heir to a good amount of that.  s**t, everything just changed in her eyes.