Chapter 10 #3
Telling everyone goodbye, he hated to see them go.
Marshall and Sharon were going to be spending the night, as it was a long drive back to their home.
It was late, and Emmie said she’d feel better with them spending the night rather than to chance going home with a newborn.
Emielia didn’t care. So long as her butt was dry and her belly full, she didn’t care where she laid her head.
In the end, Beth and her husband Carl decided to spend the night as well.
It was great to have all the family under the same roof for a change, and he couldn’t wait to see them all around the dining room table like old times. He was glad that after all this time, April was still their cook and a good friend to boot.
When he and Emmie went up to bed around midnight, they talked about having the family around the house. It wasn’t like they were lonely without having the older two there. They did have four other children who filled in their time.
After Emmie fell asleep, he made his way downstairs to watch the fireflies as they made a beautiful show in the summer night.
It also got him thinking that he’d been a lucky man in all that had happened to him over the years.
His being in the service, now that he thought about it, it was small wonder he’d even been alive now.
The chances he took and the way he was one gunshot away from getting himself killed all the time.
He thought that was why he enjoyed being at home all these years, because he’d been so lucky in not getting killed when he’d been overseas.
He’d wanted to see his children grow up from the time they were born.
“Hello, Dad.” He looked up at Marshall when he came into the living room with him. “I thought you’d be up. We had some of the best conversations in the middle of the night when you couldn’t sleep. Do you still have nightmares?”
“Not for a long time now.” He sat down next to Cullen and hugged.
“Your mother still has them on occasion, but I think it more than likely has to do with her stress levels. I tried hard not to let things bother me once you kids started coming along. It made my life easier once I understood that you weren’t going to break when I held you guys. ”
“You’ve never treated Beth and me any differently than your other kids.
” He told him it was because he was his child, too.
“Only on paper. But it never mattered to you and Mom. I sometimes think about what would have happened to us had the two of you not adopted us when you did. I know that we’d more than likely not be alive.
They would have eventually killed us the way they treated us all the time. ”
“My heart never cared that you were only my son because of a piece of paper. I think I might have mentioned that to you before.” He nodded and looked out the window.
Cullen did as well as he continued. “I’m glad that you mentioned the adoption.
You’ve never made me feel like you were anything but my blood-bonded child.
Neither one of you has treated me any differently than a dad who loves you for all time. ”
“Other than that one time I threw it back in your face. It was when I wanted to go on that trip when I was sixteen, and you wouldn’t let me.
Remember that?” He smiled and said that he did.
“I was a mean bastard that day. And I’ve never forgotten the look on your face when I said you weren’t my real dad and couldn’t keep me from going. ”
“I remember that.” Marshall nodded and looked at him. Cullen did the same. “You nearly got arrested, if I remember correctly. The group you were with had no intentions of keeping to the law, and they thought that you’d make a great scapegoat. You were lucky.”
“I was lucky that you were my father. You never brought it up again, how I was nearly sent to prison.” He told him there was no reason to bring it up again; he’d learned his lesson. “Oh boy, did I ever. I was never so terrified in my life as I was then.”
Nodding, he knew that the fear that Marshall had was nothing compared to his own fear or that fear of his mother. A man had been killed, and they thought that Marshall would take the blame as they were all ‘good friends.’
“You simply asked me if I did it and then took my word for it when I told you that I’d not.
That night and every night afterwards, I never took either one of you for granted.
Nor did I go on trips that you forbade me to go on.
Not that I think there was ever a time when I wanted to go on those kinds of trips again.
” The two of them laughed, and Marshall wiped at his tears.
“I have never loved another person like I did you that night. Nor was I ever so proud of having you as my dad than I was then, either. You could have left me to rot in jail, but you didn’t.
You believed in me from the start, and I can’t thank you enough for having my back. ”
“You’d never lied to me before, and I believed you when you told me that you’d not killed that man.
It helped that you had been a good boy up until then, but the most help was that you weren’t afraid of turning in the kid that you knew actually did it.
” He said that it occurred to him that he’d be in trouble for the rest of his life if he didn’t stand up to the bully and turn him in.
“I’d like to think that was partly my raising you to be a good kid. ”
“It’s all on you that I turned out to be not just a good kid but a great adult too.
I wouldn’t be here today without you by my side.
” Cullen thanked him and told him that he was glad that he’d taught him something.
“You did at that. You and Mom taught me everything that I needed to be a good person. I’ll never forget that for as long as I live.
And I hope I can raise my own children the way that you did us.
They talked all through the night. Sometimes they would laugh, other times cry. It was good for him to find out that Marshall had thought of him often when he’d decided to marry Sharon. He wanted his opinion on things, and Cullen gave him honest answers as best he could.
“Before I met your mom, I had decided that if my mate came along, I’d love her with all that I was, but I couldn’t get past the fact that I had nightmares.
I just figured that she’d run screaming into the woods one night and never return.
Then, just like the fates knew, as soon as she came into my life, not only did my nightmares lessen, but they went away altogether, too.
I have them when I’m very stressed, which wasn’t often after you kids came along.
Then one morning, I woke up and realized that I’d not had one in months.
Probably more like years. It was then that I realized what I’d been missing all my life, and that was my own family.
” He said he had his own family. “Not like my parents and brothers, but someone who depended on just me. Some people who would love me for what I was, not because I was born to them.”
“You’re talking about Beth and me.” He said that he was. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life simply because you took me to your heart and never caused us any worries. You treated Beth and I like we were your own children, even though you didn’t have to.”
“I had to because I loved you. And you were a part of your Aunt at the time.” He nodded but didn’t look like he believed him. “You own as much as my heart as any of the rest of the children of my body do. I can’t explain it any better than that.”
“You did it perfectly.” After the talking wore down, Marshall went to bed. He had to get up early in the morning with the baby. Apparently, they took turns with the child just like he and Emmie used to do with their own children.
By the time the sun was coming up, he decided that he was going to take a short nap before they all came down for breakfast. He would enjoy that to no end and would keep the memories close, too.
Getting out his phone, he decided to take pictures of everyone and go back over them soon.
Standing up, he made his way to the bedroom he shared with his mate and laid down.
It was just what he needed. The love of his life and a nice, firm bed.
Life couldn’t have been better than this.