Chapter 180 Road Trip

"Don't be so upset. We are together every day, and I promise that after this, I will be by your side, okay?" Kate comforted Joseph like she was talking to a child. She looked over at him and added, "I want to be with you every minute!"

**

The next morning, one of Joseph's drivers took Kate and Joseph to meet Lisa, Nick, and Noelle.

"Kate! Kate!" They shouted as they ran toward the black bus.

With a disappointed tone, Joseph commented, "It seems that someone is going to steal my girlfriend today."

"Come on! We are all going to be together, okay?" Noelle grabbed Joseph's hand.

After loading the bags on the bus, they were getting ready to leave when Lisa said, "Wait a minute, someone hasn't arrived yet!"

"Who else is going?" Kate asked since it looked as if everyone was there.

Lisa replied with slight embarrassment, "Last night, Rowen and I were having dinner when you called. I was so thrilled that you invited me that I let it slip and sort of invited him."

Kate wasn't too worried; she smiled and said, "That's okay! The more people, the better. We will wait!"

However, Lisa noticed the apparent anger on Joseph's face. Lisa quickly pulled Kate aside, "Will Joseph be upset?"

"I don't think so. Joseph knows that Rowen and I went to school together. And, Rowen knows that if he causes any problems for Joseph and I that we will no longer be friends," Kate was confident that everything would be fine.

Lisa nodded, "Yes, I'm sure Joseph knows that you only love him! But he is jealous of Rowen because he loves you. It's not a bad thing, yet he should see that you have no feelings for Rowen."

A short while later, Rowen finally arrived. When he saw everyone waiting, he quickly said, "Sorry to make you wait so long!"

Joseph became cold and unfriendly when he saw Rowen, and even more so when Kate smiled and replied, "It is okay, you didn't keep us waiting. We will leave when everyone is ready!"

"Thank you, Kate."

"You are welcome."

It was just an ordinary conversation between two people, but Joseph was furious. He put his arm around Kate, pulling her close to show his dominance.

When Lisa saw Joseph's reaction, she was worried that a war would break out between him and Rowen before they even got in the car. She rushed to Rowen's side, took his hand, and said, "You sit with me!"

"Okay…" Rowen had wanted to sit with Kate, even though he knew she was Joseph's girlfriend.

Nick looked nearly as cranky as Joseph; he touched Lisa's hand and whispered, "I thought you said that you would sit with me?"

"Did I?" Lisa pulled away from Nick but continued to hold Rowen's hand.

"Sit with you? You will sit with me, okay?" Kate smiled at Noelle.

Joseph didn't want to be away from Kate, but Noelle was family, and Kate wanted to spoil her, so he didn't argue. He was thankful, though, when Noelle announced, "No, I have been a third wheel before! It is okay for me to spend time with someone else today!"

After that, he turned to Rowen and asked, "Can you sit with me?"

Lisa was anxious, but considering it was Noelle, she had no reason to refuse.

"Sure!" Rowen replied.

Kate was relieved; she didn't want anyone to fight or feel left out. Because it was a four-hour drive, Kate was worried that Noelle might get motion sickness, so she asked Rowen to keep an eye on her.

Joseph noticed that Noelle seemed to be flirting with Rowen. He said, "Noelle, behave yourself. You are only young!"

Noelle sat up straight and kept some distance from Rowen, pretending to listen to Joseph's concerns. However, as he walked away, she stuck her tongue out at him.

Rowen looked over at Noelle, feeling a little awkward.

Lisa was feeling frustrated as they took their seats. She invited Rowen to join them so she could get closer to him, but Noelle stole him away. She tried to plot how to get time alone with him later in the day; Noelle was no competition; she was a child in Lisa's eyes.

"Lisa, do you want a drink of water?" Nick offered when he realized she was focused on Rowen. He kept talking to her, trying to get her attention, but Lisa just elbowed him. Nick was hurt and whispered, "Okay! I get it!"

Joseph was afraid that Kate would feel sick on the bus, so he wrapped his arms around the moment they sat down. He used his coat to cover her up and said, "Sleep if you can; the time will go faster that way!"

"Do you object to me suggesting we take a bus?" She asked. Kate wanted to take the bus so that everyone could appreciate the view. In the past, if she had to travel alone, she always wore earphones to block out the noise, and looking out the window made her happy.

"Of course not!" He kissed her forehead, "There is no reason not to fly!"

"You are very reasonable!" Kate laughed.

"Aren't you afraid of getting sick, though?"

She shook her head and said, "I won't get sick when I am happy. Plus, I seldom travel with you; why would I waste my time sleeping?"

Joseph smiled and kissed her forehead again, his eyes filled with love.

"Oh my! Can you two not display your lovey-dovey love in front of us? I feel sick! I am so hot!" Noelle stated.

Although Kate and Joseph were whispering, Rowen was sitting in front of them and could clearly hear everything. His heart broke to listen to their loving words. He realized he would see Kate showing affection toward Joseph on the trip, but he still wanted to see her. Even if he were near her from a distance, it would make him happy.