Page 105 of Never Too Late

He’s attempting to stay calm in his seat, not wanting to overwhelm me. I can see by the tapping of his feet he wants to stand. I hesitate at first but then I lift my head, offering a sad smile. Before I can speak, he’s throwing himself towards me and wrapping me in his arms.

“I’m so proud of you, Dax,” he says quietly against my ear.

I think I’m proud of myself too.

He pulls himself back from his embrace, “Have you told Jae?”

“No, but I will. I think.” I sigh. “I have to.”

I take my hand and close my fingers around the dog tags on my neck.

“She’d be proud of you, too, you know.” I start to disagree with what he’s saying but he quickly cuts me off. “Don’t, Dax. We both know she would.”

Fuck, I hope so.

Ty’s phone starts to ring. Novah’s name flashes on the screen. He quickly moves over to answer it, telling her he’s almost finished here and will make his way over to the bar soon.

“You can come with me if you want? There’s a cool stage area. I’ve been thinking about maybe seeing if Jazz would allow me to do some open mic nights.” I notice his face as he’s talking. He’s excited. He’s always loved being in the shop with me, as soon as I mentioned the idea, he was straight onboard. But since he’s started playing music, a new lease of life has come to Ty and I’m excited for him. He’s spent all his time protecting me and making sure I did what I wanted, it’s time he did what he wanted for himself.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll go walk over to the florist. I think you should speak to them about the open mic night, it sounds like a good idea.” I force a smile on my face. I am happy for Ty, I really am. Just right now, my mind is overtaken with worry of what I’m going to tell Jae.

“Do you need any help locking up?”

I shake my head. I’ll be leaving soon after him anyway. It won’t take me long to lock the store.

He stands, putting his jacket on and grabbing his guitar bag, “If you need anything, you know where I am, yeah?”

And just like always, he’s proving he will always have my back.

Chapter fifty-five

Jae

“The stars have decided to take pity on us and have finally aligned. We've found each other amongst them.”

Bernie walks over to the pot outside the shop entrance and picks up a small white flower. “This little flower here is called a snowdrop, they are wildflowers, so people overlook them. Betsy loved them though. Always put a smile on her face when they bloomed, they did.” He chuckles. “I renamed them as Betsy's smile after she’d gone. Made sure my whole garden was full of them. They’re beautiful little things.” I recognise the flower from Dax’s side and part of me feels guilty. He has new flowers tattooed on him which I haven’t asked the meaning for, so I’ve made an attempt to ask Bernie about them when I’ve seen them in the shop.

“What do they mean?”

“Hope, rebirth, overcoming new challenges. I think people overlook them because they’re so small. People don’t really appreciate their beauty.”

And I agree. They don’t.

I take a seat on the stool by the front door. The weather is nice today, it isn’t too hot, isn’t too cold. I’ve appreciated the hot weather a lot more now I don’t have to wear a heavy uniform. Bernie comes and sits on the stool beside me, taking his cap from his head to wipe with his arm. “What’s on your mind son? You look lost in thought.”

Am I that obvious?

I’m scared my partner doesn’t see how amazing he is. I’m scared I’m going to push him away when I’m trying to help him. I’m scared he’ll resent me for wanting him to see a doctor. I’m scared he’ll hate what the doctor will say. I’m scared he doesn’t know how beautiful he really is even when I try to remind him everyday.

“Hypothetically, if someone you loved needed some extra help and the only way they could get that help would be by seeing a medical professional, how do you ask that of them? How do you tell them you think this is the right idea when deep down, you’re scared it could be the worst.”

He lets out a sigh, followed by a smile.

“When Betsy started getting sick, I had to convince her to go to the doctor. She was having none of it. I don’t think it’s because people are scared to go to the doctor themselves, I think it’s because they’re scared of what the doctor may or may not say. They’re scared of the truth, what it might mean for the people in their lives. And, son, all we can do is make sure the ones we love know we’ll be there for them no matter what. It’s important to find out the truth, which is why we go to the doctors in the first place, but it’s just as important having someone to lean on when you need to, too. In my experience, you just gotta tell them straight. Tell them you’re trying to help. And you’ll be there by their side every step of the journey.”

He goes to carry on the conversation, but we’re interrupted when the doorbell chimes and in walks a guy with his hood up, covering his face. Bernie notices who it is even before I do.

“Dax, you’re going to give an old man a heart attack if you come walking in like that. I thought you were going to try to rob me.”

---