The Right Fit
Chapter 3
"So what brings you to Africa?" she asked taking another drink, Harry looked at her and smiled.
"Charity, I've been coming here since I was a kid, my mom loved it here" he said, she smiled "i helped found the charity, which Cole works with" he watched as she brought her drink to her lips, and took a drink
"i can see why he loves it here" she said looking out at the savanna. Harry glanced over at her again, taking in just how peaceful she looked in that moment "are you going with us to Jeffreys Bay?"
"if you don't mind" he said, she looked over and smiled
"why would I mind?"
"I don't know, wasn't sure if you wanted alone time with your brother or not"
"nah, just being here with him is enough for me, I don't care who comes along. We can even take the mischievous monkeys that sneak in through the sliding door" Harry laughed from his gut, when he stopped he took in a deep breath and looked over
"I know what its like not to see your brother for awhile" he glanced back at the sunset and she looked over at him
"do you not see your brother often?" Harry chuckled
"long story"
"good thing im here for a month then" she said taking another drink, Harry grinned and met her eyes. Her green eyes sparkled like he had never seen before, her eyes told of fear, and sadness. Something he was use to when he looked in his own mirror "I miss my brother, he is my best friend"
"you guys have a sister too don't you?"
"yeah, Lacey.She's alright. she's older than us, we like her" she said with a smile "she just did her own thing growing up so Cole and I stuck together, do you have a sister?"
"not blood" he said with a shrug "but my brother is married. Catherine and I are pretty close so she's like a sister to me, and she has a sister" he said with a shoulder shrug "I often wonder what life would be like if I did have a sister"
"a whole lot different" Blakely chuckled, she blushed slightly as he smiled at her.
"I have a lot of cousins that are girls though, and I do have a step sister, Laura but we don't see her often, she's a artist and married now"
"Lacey is married now too, so I don't see her much either, though she is watching my dog Bailey while im gone and im kinda nervous about it"
"why?"
"ah, she isnt much of a animal person, but her husband wants children so she thinks taking care of Bailey will get her ready" Blakely giggled "I have my brother in law keeping a close on her and also my best friend" Blakely smiled and looked out at the view
"your brother told me why you wanted to come here" Harry watched as her facial expression changed, and he wondered if he crossed a boundary "being here helps me feel closer to my mum as well" she slowly turned to him "she loved Africa more than anything in the world, besides me and my brother of course" she smiled, she wasn't exactly sure what to say so she took in a deep breath and looked into his green eyes, her newly died brown hair dancing in the wind.
"how long did it take?"
"for?"
"for you to...." she paused looking for the right words "for you to be somewhat ok?" Harry shrugged
"im really not sure" he said,his eyebrows narrowing "i lost track of time. At first it was one day at a time, sometimes it still is" he shrugged and took a drink, Blakely following. "its been 19 years, my biggest regret is not talking about it"
"how did you handle it?" Harry looked at her, she frowned and looked down at her lap "im sorry"
"no, its ok" he said
"you were so young, you and William both" Harry smiled, she knew
"thank you"
"for?"
"treating me like a normal guy"
"you are" she said with a shrug "to me at least" Harry smiled, he could kiss her, in this moment as he stared into her eyes, it felt right and he wanted to kiss her, but he had only known her about 2 hours so instead he sat back and smiled.
"behind closed doors I cried and I screamed. Will and I both did, but we knew once we stepped out, that we had to put on a brave face"
"that had to have been so hard"
"it was"
"its not fair"
"its a part of who I am" he said with a shrug
"she is beautiful" Harry smiled at her choice of words. She is, instead of She was. He looked over at her
"that she is, how long....since your dad?"
"3 years" she said taking a drink "3 years, 1 month, 2 weeks, and a day" Harry frowned and studied her face, she smiled and looked over at him "Heaven needed a hero" she chuckled and took in a deep breath "I miss him everyday. Cole tells me all the time that I remind him so much of dad, sometimes I wonder if that's why my mom distances herself from me" she said softly "I remind her of my dad, kinda how you remind the world of your mom" Harry smiled
"did you follow him into the military like I followed my mum to Africa?" she chuckled
"I did" Harry's eyes met hers "we were the first father/daughter aircraft duo" she said with a smile "when his plane went down, I was in the plane behind him"
"you, you were in the military?"
"United States Navy, Class of 2005. I went in right after I graduated high school. I was in until about 6 months ago, i'm now reserves" she said. Harry stared at her, why didn't Cole tell him this? "10 years in service. I did 2 tours in Iraq, both with my dad. He would have retired this year"
"why, why did you get out?" he asked, he watched as she took in a deep breath, she was searching for the words to use
"I was forced"
"by?"
"my family. My mom and sister. Cole told me to follow my dreams but mom and Lacey,they where so distraught over what happened, and what happened to my dad. I felt horrible"
"I was in the army" he said, Blakely smiled "I flew helicopters.I also served 2 tours in Afghanistan. I founded the invictus games in 2014"
"I know" she said with a smile "I was in Orlando this year for them"
"did you compete?" he asked, his eyes getting wide
"no, no" she chuckled "I went to see a few friends, and to watch USA take home the gold in wheelchair rugby" she said with a smile, Harry chuckled
"where you going to go all month not telling me you knew who I was?" she shrugged and smiled
"im not really sure"
"hey, hey" Cole said walking out "what are you guys doing?"
"You're home!" Cole smiled at Blakely before looking at Harry
"just talking" Harry said with a smile. Cole leaned down to kiss the top of Blakely's head and smiled
"drinking too I see?"
"Jack and coke" she said with a smile
"im going to start making dinner, you guys want to help?"
"sure" she said with a smile
"I actually should get back to work on the project im working on, but I'll hang out with you guys" Harry said standing up. Cole watched as he walked inside before looking at Blakely who couldn't stop smiling. For the first time since their dad died, her smile finally hit her eyes.
"Charity, I've been coming here since I was a kid, my mom loved it here" he said, she smiled "i helped found the charity, which Cole works with" he watched as she brought her drink to her lips, and took a drink
"i can see why he loves it here" she said looking out at the savanna. Harry glanced over at her again, taking in just how peaceful she looked in that moment "are you going with us to Jeffreys Bay?"
"if you don't mind" he said, she looked over and smiled
"why would I mind?"
"I don't know, wasn't sure if you wanted alone time with your brother or not"
"nah, just being here with him is enough for me, I don't care who comes along. We can even take the mischievous monkeys that sneak in through the sliding door" Harry laughed from his gut, when he stopped he took in a deep breath and looked over
"I know what its like not to see your brother for awhile" he glanced back at the sunset and she looked over at him
"do you not see your brother often?" Harry chuckled
"long story"
"good thing im here for a month then" she said taking another drink, Harry grinned and met her eyes. Her green eyes sparkled like he had never seen before, her eyes told of fear, and sadness. Something he was use to when he looked in his own mirror "I miss my brother, he is my best friend"
"you guys have a sister too don't you?"
"yeah, Lacey.She's alright. she's older than us, we like her" she said with a smile "she just did her own thing growing up so Cole and I stuck together, do you have a sister?"
"not blood" he said with a shrug "but my brother is married. Catherine and I are pretty close so she's like a sister to me, and she has a sister" he said with a shoulder shrug "I often wonder what life would be like if I did have a sister"
"a whole lot different" Blakely chuckled, she blushed slightly as he smiled at her.
"I have a lot of cousins that are girls though, and I do have a step sister, Laura but we don't see her often, she's a artist and married now"
"Lacey is married now too, so I don't see her much either, though she is watching my dog Bailey while im gone and im kinda nervous about it"
"why?"
"ah, she isnt much of a animal person, but her husband wants children so she thinks taking care of Bailey will get her ready" Blakely giggled "I have my brother in law keeping a close on her and also my best friend" Blakely smiled and looked out at the view
"your brother told me why you wanted to come here" Harry watched as her facial expression changed, and he wondered if he crossed a boundary "being here helps me feel closer to my mum as well" she slowly turned to him "she loved Africa more than anything in the world, besides me and my brother of course" she smiled, she wasn't exactly sure what to say so she took in a deep breath and looked into his green eyes, her newly died brown hair dancing in the wind.
"how long did it take?"
"for?"
"for you to...." she paused looking for the right words "for you to be somewhat ok?" Harry shrugged
"im really not sure" he said,his eyebrows narrowing "i lost track of time. At first it was one day at a time, sometimes it still is" he shrugged and took a drink, Blakely following. "its been 19 years, my biggest regret is not talking about it"
"how did you handle it?" Harry looked at her, she frowned and looked down at her lap "im sorry"
"no, its ok" he said
"you were so young, you and William both" Harry smiled, she knew
"thank you"
"for?"
"treating me like a normal guy"
"you are" she said with a shrug "to me at least" Harry smiled, he could kiss her, in this moment as he stared into her eyes, it felt right and he wanted to kiss her, but he had only known her about 2 hours so instead he sat back and smiled.
"behind closed doors I cried and I screamed. Will and I both did, but we knew once we stepped out, that we had to put on a brave face"
"that had to have been so hard"
"it was"
"its not fair"
"its a part of who I am" he said with a shrug
"she is beautiful" Harry smiled at her choice of words. She is, instead of She was. He looked over at her
"that she is, how long....since your dad?"
"3 years" she said taking a drink "3 years, 1 month, 2 weeks, and a day" Harry frowned and studied her face, she smiled and looked over at him "Heaven needed a hero" she chuckled and took in a deep breath "I miss him everyday. Cole tells me all the time that I remind him so much of dad, sometimes I wonder if that's why my mom distances herself from me" she said softly "I remind her of my dad, kinda how you remind the world of your mom" Harry smiled
"did you follow him into the military like I followed my mum to Africa?" she chuckled
"I did" Harry's eyes met hers "we were the first father/daughter aircraft duo" she said with a smile "when his plane went down, I was in the plane behind him"
"you, you were in the military?"
"United States Navy, Class of 2005. I went in right after I graduated high school. I was in until about 6 months ago, i'm now reserves" she said. Harry stared at her, why didn't Cole tell him this? "10 years in service. I did 2 tours in Iraq, both with my dad. He would have retired this year"
"why, why did you get out?" he asked, he watched as she took in a deep breath, she was searching for the words to use
"I was forced"
"by?"
"my family. My mom and sister. Cole told me to follow my dreams but mom and Lacey,they where so distraught over what happened, and what happened to my dad. I felt horrible"
"I was in the army" he said, Blakely smiled "I flew helicopters.I also served 2 tours in Afghanistan. I founded the invictus games in 2014"
"I know" she said with a smile "I was in Orlando this year for them"
"did you compete?" he asked, his eyes getting wide
"no, no" she chuckled "I went to see a few friends, and to watch USA take home the gold in wheelchair rugby" she said with a smile, Harry chuckled
"where you going to go all month not telling me you knew who I was?" she shrugged and smiled
"im not really sure"
"hey, hey" Cole said walking out "what are you guys doing?"
"You're home!" Cole smiled at Blakely before looking at Harry
"just talking" Harry said with a smile. Cole leaned down to kiss the top of Blakely's head and smiled
"drinking too I see?"
"Jack and coke" she said with a smile
"im going to start making dinner, you guys want to help?"
"sure" she said with a smile
"I actually should get back to work on the project im working on, but I'll hang out with you guys" Harry said standing up. Cole watched as he walked inside before looking at Blakely who couldn't stop smiling. For the first time since their dad died, her smile finally hit her eyes.