Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
he was glad when both boys seemed to get changed without too much of a fuss. he knew jare was exhausted and he could relate so he wouldn't hold it against him. tae on the other hand was a little harder to distract and get to cooperate but eventually he'd pulled a giggle out of the boy and he'd gotten ready just like his brother. he hoped that once they got into the pool they'd relax, then they could shower off, have something to eat and get all three kids into their beds without too much of a fuss tonight. then hopefully they'd be up at their usual time in the morning and then the day could go as planned. of course the odds were their plans would go out the window, one of the kids would sleep in for hours, the other would be up extra early and the last one would wake up in between and the crankiest of all. if that happened though, he was sure they could all handle a day on the couch watching movies and stuffing themselves with gelato or pasta.
he almost felt lexi jolt when he touched her back and to be honest he hadn't even been planning on it, it had just been a subconscious move he'd made but it felt like is sparked something in his finger tips and he let his hand linger there. it had been so long since they'd touched each other, really touched each other like they used to. they were an affectionate couple, all over each other and not afraid to show each other how much they loved each other and then this whole thing had happened and it had broken something between them, there was no longer casual touches between them, there was hardly any deliberate touching either and there had been few times where they'd been more than intimate in the last few months. but the feeling in his fingers spread further into his body and he couldn't hide the fact it felt amazing enough he let his fingers linger against her back for as long as he could.
he smiled a little as lexi suggested the boys head down to the pool ahead of them. both boys were water smart, they'd been around and in water since they'd been old enough to go into the pool and they knew not to get too close and what to do if they did fall in. they lived near the beach, had troughs and watering holes on the property and creeks and rivers close to them. water safety had been so important when they'd been little. his smile softened as tae took jare's hand and followed him out of the room without too much of a fuss. he did an internal fist pump at the small step their youngest son had just taken to leave the room without them and he let out a breath. "i need to change too." he said with a small smile as he walked through to the main bedroom with her.
he moved to his case and took in the room they were staying in. he'd been in it before but this time it felt slightly different. the last time he'd been in here he couldn't wait to throw lexi down on the bed and enjoy it with her in a totally different way but this time .. the desire to be close to her was there but he wasn't sure about throwing her down on the bed, well gently throwing. he stooped down to open his own case and he pulled out his swim shorts and he quickly changed out of them and tossed his plane clothes towards the bathroom door, something he did at home too that he was sure annoyed his wife but it was a habit he hadn't managed to break yet. "i'll go get rory." he said as he glanced at her while she changed into the bikini. he hesitated for a second and he paused to press a kiss to her cheek quickly before he walked out of the room. it was the small things right? that's what it was going to take. small steps to build up the courage to take the bigger steps. that's what he was hoping anyway.
he headed down the stairs to where they'd left rory sitting peacefully in her carrier still, just looking around the room she was in now she'd woken up and he touched her cheeks gently. "look at you. such a quiet kid." he said as he undid her from her restraints and he pulled her to his chest, cradling her close as he picked up the carrier and he took it outside with them. he didn't want to leave her in it but he wanted it with them in case both him and lexi wanted to get into the pool, they could put her back into there so she was safe by the water. he grinned wide when he saw his two boys and he set the carried down and then he looked at them. "okay! in you jump!" he said with as huge a smile as he could muster and he saw down on the edge of the pool, pulling rory's shoes off and tossing them next to the carrier so she could splash her feet in the water if she wanted while she was sitting on his lap.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
james grinned a little and snapped his fingers slightly, looking down at himself between snaps and then he gave damon a dissapointed look. "sorry, no matter how hard i try i can't turn into her." he said with a little smirk as he leaned back in the chair in the booth. he was glad that the trip had gone well too, it had healed something in his and lexi's home. it had given them back something they'd lost and it was feeling well and truly like things were getting back on track and close to old times. there were still things they'd need to talk about, still things that needed to be said so they could both heal but they were both in a much better place than they had been. it was like the world had shifted on it's axis and things were slowly roating back into pattern. "if you ever piss ashley off, whisk her away to italy. it'll work wonders i promise."
well the main thing was he'd brought it back. he chuckled a little as he thought about it and it was true. he didn't know who he'd understand more if they drove each other crazy. his loyalty would always lie with his sister but he could understand why people went crazy, love was one of the best things to drive a person over the edge, it was such a fine line between passion and insanity that there were times it was a little difficult to see where the like was. "if you could find him, i'd ask you to shoot him." james said with a grin, knowing where this was probably headed from the moment damon mentioned his father. would he say no to him? not really. was he going to make him sweat a little. yes. it was his duty as a big brother to put the fear of god into the person who spent their life with his sister and he was going to do it.
he listened and then he put a careful look of concentration on his face as he brought his beer up to sip his drink casually before he licked his lips and set the glass back down onto the table. "sorry, but no." he said as seriously as he could. he tried to keep the face for more than a few seconds before he couldn't keep it up anymore and he let it fall into a grin. "i mean of course you can ask her, like she'd listen to me if i said you couldn't." he said with a laugh as he reached his hand out to shake damon's hand. "i'm fairly confident i'll know what her answer will be so i'll just shake your hand now and congratulate you in advance."
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
we have been having more vegetables that normal .. nah, he's just getting lazy in his old age. maybe he's decided you're starving him so he's supplementing his diet with cotton and synthetic?
he had to bite his lip and he had to bite it hard as he saw the grumpy look on his sons face. he knew it wasn't the time but it was so adorable and it was so much like looking in a mirror. jare was his spitting image and he'd been born with the same ability to be cranky more than most. even though jare was an easy going kid he had his moments and getting up early to fly to italy was more than enough reason to be cranky. he'd put up with so much the last few weeks and james was so proud of him. he'd taken james and lexi being so worried about tae so well. he seemed to know that his brother needed his parents and had let them do what they needed with his brother, but that didn't mean james was about to take it for granted, or punish him when he finally showed a little unhappiness. they were just so lucky he'd been so chilled until now. "please?" he added softly as he crouched down next to the case jarad had put down onto the ground and he opened it, rumaging through it until he found the bathers his son would need to get into the pool. "here bud, put these on and we can head down to the pool." he said as he stood up and he ruffled his sons dark hair.
he looked over at where lexi and tae stood next to the wall, pointing out the animals on the wallpaper. he smiled softly as he watched the two golden heads bent together as they looked at the different creatures there were. he walked over to tae's suitcase and crouched down at it, rummaging through it for his bathers just like he had for jare and he set them down on the bed tae would be sleeping in, reaching his hand to touch lexi's lower back lightly to let her know he was there. he watched as she bent to put tae down and he could see the lip start to quiver and he grabbed the bathers off the bed, crouching down and pulling the waist band of the shorts over his sons head with a smile. "is this how they go?" he said as he looked over at jarad with a smile and then back at tae, who as grumpy as he was, let out a soft giggle as he tried to push the pants off his head. "nooo." james grinned as he pulled them off his sons head gently and he handed them to him quickly. "you show me how they go then." he said as he stood up and he stepped around him to stand next to lexi.
tae didn't want to go into the pool, he was tired and he wanted to go to sleep but he knew that jarad really wanted the pool. the animals had been a good distraction for him until his mother had lowered him to the ground and his lip had quivered without him being able to help it. it was a strange place, even though he'd been here before. the memories were fuzzy and he couldn't see it all clearly but there was something familiar about it. he giggled, despite himself, when his dad pulled the short over his face, trying to push them off as he did. he looked up at his dads smiling face and he relaxed a little. his parents were more relaxed here and that made him relax a little too. he wasn't worried about why they were worried, why they were scared and why they were snapping at each other. it had left him unsettled and upset with no way of knowing why. he scratched at his forehead where his hair bounced against it and he did what his dad said and he put the new clothes on so they could go into the pool. "ready."
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
he did regret the fact that he hadn't made more of an effort to keep up communication with damon. even before he and ash had moved away he'd never really been that keen on getting to know his sisters boyfriend. it had been easier with lily because he'd known luke since he'd been a kid and at the time lily had been his cousin and while he loved her, she'd had two brothers to protect her. he knew the logic was flawed but he'd felt that he'd needed to stay this unknown entity in ashley's love life so that he could scare the daylights out of anyone that had hurt her. but now they were back he'd made more of an effort. he'd talked to him more, caught up with him with the kids and even without the kids and he'd really grown to like the guy. he also liked the way ashley looked so happy with him and how great he was with josh, that was the most important thing.
"and i'm better company? are you trying to flatter me or butter me up?" he grinned as he settled into the booth. he was sort of glad he'd beaten damon to the punch when it had come to ordering the drink. he knew that it had been part of the deal to coming out tonight but he'd never liked other people buying his drinks, though he had no problem shouting other people. "i promise i'll have more than one." he said as an offering, though he left out the promise to let damon buy it. that was a discussion for another minute. "can't complain. everyone is still kicking." he said with a grin as he leaned his arms down on the table. "it was brilliant. just what we all needed." he said with an honest smile. it had helped them more than anything and it finally felt like they were on the right track. almost back to how they were before jack had come into their lives. even tae was more relaxed, though his brothers and damon were helping with that, dropping in at randoms times to interact with the kids as much as they could. he owed his family everything for that, there was no price on the smile and the sense of ease they were giving tae. "has my sister driven you crazy yet?"
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
after the weight i put on in italy, i'm surprised she hasn't. if anyone ate it it's phoenix cause some of it was still around his neck. did you forget to feed him last night? lol
he liked lexi's parents well enough, thought of them as family now. he'd fought them when he'd first joined their family through lexi. they'd been warm and loving and over the top and he hadn't known what to do with that. it had scared him at first, that it was all a ruse to build his trust so they could crush it by telling him that he wasn't good enough for their daughter. it hadn't been rational but it was his reality. he'd never had parents who had done that, the hands that had been supposed to comfort had hurt him instead, their words instead of loving had been harsh. so he for a long time he hadn't known how to accept it, how to take their words as truth rather than a lie, that when her father reached for him he wasn't going to knock his block off and the kiss her mother offered him wasn't one with a hidden meaning. it had taken him years to see they loved him just the same.
he wondered whether lexi had told them about the last few months. told them everything that had happened between them, with the man pretending to her brother and then everything that had happened between his arrival and now. he knew that he hadn't acted the best throughout but he'd been trying to protect his family the only way he'd known how, by barring his teeth and holding onto them as tightly as he could. it had shattered them, everything that had happened over the last few months. they were working through it but there was still something there that was broken. they didn't hold each other like they used to, their passion for each other was smaller, the conversations sometimes awkward and instead of spending every night wrapped up in each other's arms they slept apart, together but apart. he didn't know how to fix it but he wished he did. he missed having her in his arms, having her hair almost suffocating him at night, feeling her breath on her neck while he listened to her breathing in the dark, her soft hands running over his back when she couldn't sleep. it was the little things he missed most of all, he just missed her.
he chuckled as jare grabbed his case and he stepped forward, reaching over his son's shoulder to take the weight of the case for him. he saw the pointed look his son gave him and he held up his free hand in surrender and he grinned down at him. "i'm hurrying, lead the way boss." he said as he rested his hand down on jare's shoulder softly as they made their way up the stairs to where the boys would be staying. they'd have their own rooms here too, just like at home. he wasn't certain they'd stick to those rooms but he knew jare was more independent than tae was, so if anyone was going to stay in their own room all night it would be their oldest. "isn't this cool kiddo?" he said as he opened the door to the small rom jare would be in, glancing around at the animal paper, the bed with the matching bedspread.
tae was close to tears as he held onto his mother's neck, so desperate for sleep yet so unsure about being in a place he hardly remembered that he couldn't nod off against his mother's shoulder. he sniffled as he watched his brother and his dad head up the stairs without him and lexi and he held onto the heck of lexi's shirt a little tighter. he listened to his mother's words, focusing on the softness in her voice and he lifted his little face to look up to her and he twisted his mouth a little as he thought about what she said. he brought one hand to wipe it against his nose as he sniffed again and he nodded a bit. "otays." he said, the grumpy tone still there but more willing than before to listen to her. he held onto her neck as they walked up the stairs and he looked around a little curiously as the walked into the room and his gaze followed his mother's hand to the animals that were painted onto the wall. he reached his own little hand out to touch one of the face of the tiger that had been painted there. "tiger."
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
well that was something that would take a heck of a weight off their shoulders. he spotted the little red car in the drive and he smiled at the thought of lexi being a teenager, running around in that with the music blaring, not a care in the world as the wind whipped the hair around her face with the hot sun baking down on her. it was a stark difference to the memory he had of him driving around when he'd been a teen with the rain, snow and grey skies of ireland. "thank you." he said with a genuine smile as he thought about how easy it was going to be to get around now. although he was going to check the tank when they were gone and if it was full he was going to need to find a way to thank them for that.
he saw his oldest perk up a little at the mention of the pool and he nodded quickly. "oh yeah there's a pool." he said with a bit of a chuckle as he reached to ruffle his hair gently. he'd known the idea of that would perk jare up more than a little and when tae was more awake and less cranky he'd be happy about it too. rory also but she had a little less freedom in the water than their other two did. as he stepped through the door he shifted rory in his hands so he could grab the stroller lexi's father had already got from the back of the car and he flicked it open carefully and then he leaned down to settle rory into it so she could keep napping while they got settled into the house. she was usually a good sleeper so it wouldn't matter if she slept and then had to sleep again later tonight.
james rested his hands on jare's shoulders gently as he watched lexi bid goodbye to her parents and he nodded his own as they left the small villa. it was then he took a quick moment to breath and just enjoy the fact they'd made it with all their luggage, all their children and not a squabble between any of them. even though james wasn't sure that would continue he was going to count it as a win that the three kids didn't try to kill each other while stuck in a metal bird. "alright!" he said as he looked down at jare. "if we get everything unpacked really quick, we can find your swimmers and you can go for a swim?" he wasn't against using bribery to get the boys to help unpack. "no packsing" he heard tae grumble sleepily from his mother's shoulder, his arms still hugged around her neck. "i sweepy." he saw the yawn and he looked at lexi quickly. it was going to be a fine line of keeping the boys awake long enough so they slept tonight and risking letting them nap now.
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
there was something comforting about the chaos that filled the air around them right now. there were kids running back and forth, happy laughter and joy from the kids and there was about ten pounds of sugar per kid being consumed at an alarming rate but it was all in good fun. with everything that had happened over the last few months he was glad to see jarad running around, having fun with his cousins and being more like himself than he had in a while. it was still a journey with tae, he thought to himself as he kept his hand against tae's back gently, just to offer some extra security to boy. if there was a child in the family that took longer to work his head around situations it was tait but the family understood and would do whatever they all could to help him feel safe and secure again. he chuckled as he watched logan pull out a fake pad and he nodded a little, reaching into his pocket and pulling out fake bills. "$1000 on two minutes, odds almost certain." he said as he looked down at tae and bounced his son a little with his shoulder. "because we all know uncle leo can't help it .. and uncle luke won't give up without a fight, don't we?" he said softly with a smile as he saw the shadow of a smile cross tae's face and he considered it a win.
he shifted a little on the chair as more people came to their little corner to join them. he watched lexi come out of the house, their daughter in his arms, and he couldn't help but watch her for a few seconds. the time away had done them all the world of good and while it hadn't been a long trip it had been so worth the time for both of them and the kids. he was already planning a surprise trip over for christmas this year, since the last few had been spent in england with his family he figured it was time they celebrated family with lexi's. he knew that ash and damon had arrived before they'd even walked out of the back door. his nephew burst out of the back door with the unmatched energy of a child and he couldn't help but smile wider as he watched him join in the chaos. he hadn't lived here his whole life but he'd taken to being part of a large family like a duck to water it seemed. he lifted a hand to wave to his sister as she came over to join them. he reached the arm that wasn't holding tae up over his head to give her a hug and he smiled. "sup? trying to be young and hip still are we ash?" he teased as she kissed tae on the head.
he sat up all the way now, feeling a little rude while he was all stretched out and lounging. it didn't make it easy to participate in conversation and as much as he saw his family all the time, they didn't really run out of things to say to each other. he felt tae squirm a little and he let him go, wondering if he was going to go sit with lexi now she'd joined them but he was a little surprised when tae clambered onto the chair next to chance and he pulled himself up all the way onto the chair and leaned against his older cousins side, eyeing the soda in his hands carefully. normally the kids didn't drink soda but it was something of a treat today. "yeah ashley, how're things going?" he said as he looked up at her, he couldn't pin it but there was something slightly different today.
james listened to them talk as they drove away from the airport, the traffic getting thinner and thinner the more they drove. while it was stressful travelling with the three kids, he did know that they needed to make the effort to come across more. it wasn't all that fair, the amount of time they spent with his family while lexi's parents didn't get to see them as much as they'd have liked. it had been hard for james to remember lexi's family at one time or another, because he was so used to just having his siblings they were the only family he'd had to think about. now there was lexi and the kids and her parents, it was a failing on his part and he knew it.
he heard them mention dinner and well it wasn't hard to see where their kids got their love of food from. he pulled himself from looking at the places they were passing and he shifted in the seat a little, making sure rory was still comfortable and he looked over at lexi and nodded lightly to her. it was fine with him if they went to her parents to eat tonight. that meant they could tuck the kids up early and settle into their first night there without too much stress of deciding to order in or go out to find food.
when they got to the villa james smiled a little and he nudged jare softly with his elbow, just to gently make sure he was awake enough to walk into the villa by himself. if he wasn't then james would come back and carry him in, because he doubted tae was going to let go of lexi for a little while. he hoped that being somewhere new would help him but there was going to be that time he took to get used to being there and james wasn't sure how long it would last. as he climbed out of the car, he heard lexi's father claim the bags as his job and he just looked over at him and smiled his thanks, adjusting the sleeping child in his arms as he walked to the door with lexi, going through the gates and trailing behind jare. "did you know it has a pool buddy?"
TWENTY FIVE | RACING INSTRUCTOR/PERSONAL TRAINER | LEXI SAFFI WHITE JARED WHITE | 6 TAITE WHITE | 4 RORY WHITE | 2
