Grandpa
Morgan
It felt amazing to be out of lockdown. Creed was working less, slowly allowing Axton to take over, and he was spending every available moment with us. The first thing we did was get Addie new glasses and new shoes. Then we had dinner with my family, which went perfectly. My dad an uncle welcomed both Creed and Addie to the family. Then we took the boys to Walmart, which was a joke. They complained the entire time that someone would spot them in that low class store. Creed was quick to teach them that they didn’t matter as much as they thought. I loved Walmart and Target. I could go to one store and get everything I needed in one trip. We had to get the boys new clothes. Creed got them generic jeans, plain t-shirts, socks, and he was making them wear whitey tighty underwear just for fun. There actually was no purpose in that to be honest. He got them plain sweats, shorts, and swim trunks. While we were gone, Creed’s men threw out their expensive clothing.
The next night, Melissa kept Addie and Creed took me on a real date. We went to Clarity, ate at their nicest restaurant, then we went to see a movie, but didn’t make it out of his suburban before we had sex in the parking lot. Thank God for dark tinted windows.
There was so much that happened in a week. The boys started their days at 4am with Creed. He took them on a twelve mile run, endurance training in the lake, then to work out in the gym. They went back to their cabin and enjoyed an MRE for breakfast before heading to the training center for more PT and then to take a few classes. They took the sensitivity and respect course, the medic certification, and the military conduct training, then went back to the cabin to enjoy another MRE for lunch. School wasn’t starting yet, but I had them for an hour where I helped them make up some credits they were missing. It was pretty much summer school. After me they had to go to work. Karter had to clean all poop from the K9 training course, pick up all the shells from the shooting range, then went to the bike shop to learn how to work on bikes and clean up. Weston had to clean the pools, the locker rooms, do laundry, and clean all the bathrooms. After work they went back to their cabins and ate another MRE for dinner before heading out to the community center to help out the prospects with some errands. Creed assured me it wouldn’t always be so bad for them. They had goals to make and would eventually earn privileges like being able to dine at the community center and eat real food.
I knew what was happening. Creed was grooming his brothers for the military. That wasn’t a bad thing. After receiving their school records, neither of them had much of a chance to go to college. Really their only option would have been trade school, but neither had the discipline for that kind of training without the hard lesson Creed was giving them. The boys were pissed once they figured out what their parents didn’t know they were signing them up for, but Creed got guardianship. He could do whatever he wanted as long as their parents were on the other side of the country. The boys learned real quick they were not at some veterans retirement community or some outlaw motorcycle club. They realized a few days in they had become some elite operatives little bitches. Weston bunked with Rollins and Karter bunked with Grayson. They were the perfect matches and wouldn’t let them get away with anything. We were expecting some run away attempts and some meltdowns, but eventually they’d just give up and accept their fates. Karter especially didn’t have a choice. He had a daughter coming and his parents were not footing the bill. Nicole and Jonathan realized they created the monsters by spoiling them and they needed some tough love more than ever. Nicole did make it clear to us that she would not abandon her granddaughter and would make sure the girl had the emotional support she needed. I really wanted to be a fly on the wall to see that happen. That poor young girl, I really felt for her. She did not come from a wealthy family, so she didn’t have the same luxuries as Karter.
Creed was in his office having a Zoom meeting with his attorney’s. I absolutely hated what he was doing. His current will left everything to the Originals and the girl they saved when they were held captive in Afghanistan. He wasn’t changing that, but adding Addie and any child that may result from our relationship to it. He knew I was fine financially, and I did not want to be included. He resisted but finally understood my point. We were not married, and until we were, he was not to treat me as his wife. I earned everything I had, and I was proud of that fact. I didn’t need him for his money. I needed him for his love, and for a man that was not raised to express his feelings, he loved so perfectly.
I hated every discussion about his will, the power of attorney, and his last wishes. I wished he would have stopped worrying about it. I couldn’t keep going there in my mind. The thought made me physically ill, and I knew I wouldn’t survive without him. Ever since he met with Nicole in California, it was like he was making peace with himself. He somewhat forgave his mom, made sure his brothers had a better chance at life, made arrangements to meet his grandparents, had heart to heart talks with each of the Originals, and was writing letters to Addie. He promised they were not goodbye letters. Since he was going dark most of the time he didn’t want Addie to forget him. I was to read the letters to her once a month. The big tough guy fell hard and fast for our little Addie.
He had been acting odd. It was like he couldn’t go a moment without touching me and reminding me he loved me. If he wasn’t holding my hand, he was putting his arm around me. If he wasn’t doing that, he was making love to me. I slept wrapped tightly in his arms and he never wanted to let go. Then he gave us both digital frames that flipped through picture after picture of us all together. Every time I had a chance to actually take a shower alone, I cried. I already missed him, and he hadn’t even left yet.
After his meeting with his attorneys, we loaded Addie in the car and went to his grandparents. When we arrived, his grandparents were on the porch of their white farmhouse. Thankfully Kenny and Allison dropped everything to fly into town. Jake hadn’t arrived yet because he was on location, but would fly in for the weekend.
His grandpa was already crying as we approached. He pulled Creed down for a hug and his shoulders shook as he cried.
“We are all so sorry.” He looked at me. “My boy is finally home.” The man didn’t want to let go of Creed, and I expected Creed to look uncomfortable, but I thought I might have seen some emotions in his eyes. When he finally did let go, the old man reached up and cupped Creed’s face. “I am so damn proud of you. From one veteran to another, thank you for your service, young man.” Mr. Meadows was not a small man in any way, but Creed still towered over him. His grandmother watched with tears in her eyes and her hand over her heart. She was in her seventies and still had beautiful red hair.
When Creed’s grandmother finally got her chance with Creed, Mr. Meadows turned to me.
“Its great to see you again, Mr. Meadows.”
He pulled me into a hug. “I’ve told you a million times, I’m grandpa to you, young lady.” He hugged me then looked down at Addie. “You must be Miss Addie. I’m your new great grandpa and I’m so glad to finally meet you.” He shook her hand and for once Addie didn’t shy away. Kenny must have filled his dad in about Addie. Only a few people knew Creed was adopting her, and that included Kenny.
Addie and I got the same greeting from Mrs. Meadows, and we were invited out back where Kenny was grilling steaks. I couldn’t help but to watch Creed as his grandfather told him stories. Creed might not have realized it, but he was smiling from ear to ear. He was genuinely happy with his family surrounding him.
Creed was like a different man than the bearded biker with a chip on his shoulder I first met. He never smiled back then, but now, he was clean shaved, looked younger and almost always smiling. I didn’t mind the beard, he was very handsome, but the man I was looking at seemed to be the true Alistair Creed. The man his father tried to mold him into, and Creed didn’t even realize it. Addie was sitting on Creed’s lap as his grandpa told him about being a teenager in the 1960’s to being drafted into the Army on his eighteenth birthday. He went on about meeting Creed’s grandmother while on leave then marrying her six months after he was discharged due to injury. He explained that the farm had been in the family since the nineteenth century, then also spoke about working in a factory.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner, then Kenny and Allison took Addie to the barn to see the new kittens and their cows and chickens. It was a wonderful visit, and before we left his grandpa gave him a wooden box. Inside it was his purple heart and every metal he won during the war. That just about brought Creed to tears.
Later that night, after we put Addie to bed, I had a conference call to California, and Creed went on to bed. I must have ended the call a little too early, because when I opened our bedroom door, Creed was sitting on the bed looking in that small wood box.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked as I sat down next to him, and he wiped a tear away.
“Nothing.” He shut the box, but I took his hand in mine.
“I need you to talk to me, Creed.”
He shook his head then suddenly he broke down and pulled me into his arms. “I can’t leave you already.” Alistair Creed was crying and holding on to me for dear life. “I love you so damn much and this feels like a cruel joke. I have everything, Morgan. A woman I want to marry, a little girl I want to be my daughter, grandparents, half brothers, an aunt and uncle, a stupid fuck for a cousin, and so many friends. How could God give all this to me then take it away? I always tried so damn hard to make a difference. To help people and I’ve rarely taken anything for myself.” He buried his face in my neck. “I’ve hung by chains, been stabbed and shot, witnessed the most horrific things, and lost my dad. I can’t lose you on top of all that, I just can’t let go of you.”
I pulled back and cupped his face in my hands. “Look at me, Creed.” He did and I used my thumbs to wipe his tears away. “I have waited for you my entire life. You are not going to lose me, and I am not going to lose you. God is not that cruel. He chose you to be one of his soldiers. You have fought evil to save thousands of lives. He is going to reward you. You will come right back home, become my husband and Addie’s father, then hold my hand as I bring your sons and daughters into this world. I will stand in front of God and pledge my life and love to you. I didn’t wait my entire life for you just to lose you. You have.. I don’t know how many operatives that have pledged their loyalty to you.” I put his hand over my heart. “You have my heart, my soul, and every breath I ever take is for you. I am your most loyal soldier, and will make sure Addie flies into your arms the moment your boots step back onto American soil. She will not forget you, no matter how long you are gone. You might not have adopted her yet, but you are her daddy.”
It was so hard to stay strong for him. I needed to break down and cry, but that was the last thing he needed. We made love, of course we did, since we did that almost every night.
The next day, I took Addie to the daycare and went to work. I had general education courses to teach in the morning, then the boys in the afternoon. After that I picked Addie up and went home to start dinner. The Originals all took a day off and went fishing in the morning, then went out of the gates for a ride on their bikes. Most likely they went to see Mrs. Hoffman for lunch and catch up on the gossip. When he walked in the door, Addie went flying into his arms. She couldn’t wait to show him the sticker she got for making it a whole day without making any nasty boys cry.
After dinner, we took Addie to the children’s movie night and Creed played poker while I enjoyed ladies night at the club. That was mostly how our days went, but time was moving too fast.
Later that night, while Creed was pounding me into oblivion, his phone began ringing. To say he was pissed off was an understatement. His brothers made their first runaway attempt, and it did not work out well for them.