“That’s little Lockie, Stacey’s nephew.”
“He’s so young, that poor thing. Does he understand?” Jackson looks over at me, his heartstrings being pulled.
“Enough for that age. The funeral helped, and anytime he sees the kangaroos he thinks it’s them checking in on him.”
“And they want to leave all this?” Jackson continues to ask.
“The older kids do. They’ve been getting bullied by their friends because of Oscar. That things have changed for them, that their once safe space no longer feels safe.”
“That’s sad,” Charlie adds.
“It is, but maybe the change will help them thrive.” I shrug.
“It will let them be whomever they want to be. That might be the best gift for them,” Jackson says quietly as the car comes to a complete stop.
Stepping out of the car, I stretch my body. “We made it, thank fuck.” Stacey and Oscar’s eyes widen, and I hear the kids giggle. “Oh, sorry, little ears, forget what Uncle Derrick said.” Then my attention turns to Stacey as I rush over and pull her into my arms. “Oh my god, look at you. You look radiant.”
“I’ve missed you.” Stacey tearily hugs me back.
“I know, my sugar plum. I’ve missed you, too. I hope Ragnar has been looking after you?”
“Ragnar?” Amelia looks at me with a confused look.
“It’s Derrick’s nickname for me. He’s a famous Viking god,” Oscar explains to her.
Amelia frowns. “You’re a Viking?” I think I’ve just opened a can of worms. “I was born in Germany, my parents are Swedish,” he explains.
“So, you speak other languages?” she continues to pepper him with questions.
“Yes. German, Swedish, and English. I know a little Norwegian and Danish, as it’s close to Swedish.”
“I never hear you speak them,” she tells him.
“You will when my family arrives. Sometimes when we get excited, we slip back into Swedish instead of English,” Oscar explains to her.
“Will you teach me how to speak your languages?” she asks Oscar.
“You want to learn them?” He seems genuinely surprised by her question. She nods enthusiastically. Oscar’s face lights up. “Okay. Maybe we can find a language school in LA, and we can start teaching you.”
“I’d love that. Thanks.” A smile beams across her face.
The sound of the other cars pulling up pulls my attention away from Stacey, and I see Charlie milling around as Jackson and Oscar catch up. Shit. I’m a bad boyfriend.
“Stacey, you remember Charlie.”
“I remember, welcome to the chaos.” She grins.
“Thanks for having me.” Charlie smiles, giving Stacey a hug.
“He’s moving to LA,” I tell her.
“You are? So, this means you two are official?” Stacey asks.
“Yep. I love him, and he loves me, and we are going to live happily ever after.” I gush. Stacey seems surprised.
“He’s stuck with me forever. I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Charlie adds.
“Aw. You two are adorable.” Stacey squeals.
