18. Thayer
Chapter Eighteen
Thayer
The next few months pass with a flurry of activity. Our relationship grows more substantial as our family watches as One and Lea hurdle obstacles to remain together.
Lea has three children of her own; Aksel is her oldest at twenty, he’s been married to Emmerson for two years. Hawkins is nineteen. He’s been with his girlfriend, Willow, for several years now. And Latham is the youngest at eighteen; his girlfriend is Ryver.
Over the last few months, spending time with these fantastic people has proven what a great job Lea has done with her children. One immediately fell in love with them all. We’re pleased to be an aunt and uncle.
Every day we spend together, we become more and more inseparable. Rest assured in the love we share, knowing the foundation we’re building will last a lifetime. Confident in our love, we open our hearts to life.
When you see one of us, the other is close by.
We spend as much time together as humanly possible.
Out for a drive one day, we find a narrow, dirt road.
Wanting a few stolen moments for a quickie, we follow the path down to a clearing.
A small pond sits to the left of the field.
The brim is in abundance waiting for a hook, perfect for a relaxing day of fishing. Private enough to mess around.
We slip away from time to time to go down to Still Creek.
We picnic and play chase. We catch butterflies and watch the fireflies, hoping to bottle their magic for the future.
Yes, we talk about our future, making plans for all the things we want.
Talking for hours on end, Lulu playing in the field and chasing grasshoppers while we lay in each other’s arms. Falling deeper in love with each passing minute.
These moments at Still Creek become a must as our day-to-day lives become hectic.
Mayhem ensues around One and Lea, dragging everyone within arm’s reach into the melee.
We sneak away from the world to forget all of our troubles by going to our private oasis every chance we get.
Finding our own piece of happiness in the little clearing by the pond.
One’s business is under scrutiny; site accidents have us all under the microscope.
The state wants to pull his permits, but they haven’t found a thing we’ve done wrong.
Someone seems to be out to harm either One or Lea.
One’s recent hotel fire is being investigated, pulling the entire family under the scope.
Lea had a car accident which seems to be no accident.
The months continue to pass, and still, we are front and center for Lea and One as they struggle to hold on to one another. Showing us what real love can endure and teaching us that love means different things to different people.
Like a runaway train, the strength it would take to stop love is immeasurable. It’s been said before: the heart wants what the heart wants. You may very well be damned for interfering in love as strong as One and Lea’s.
If love could be harnessed, it wouldn’t be as wild and crazy as it is. Never-ending and never dull. It flows and ebbs like the ocean. Calm one minute and raging the next. Trouble brings crashing waves, threatening to take you under. Suffocating you as it holds you to the bottom of the ocean.
Love rolls calmly onto the shore. Fresh and new, with every wave bringing with it the hope of a new day. Pushing and pulling until the sunrise brings warmth and a renewed spirit. Deep blue waves frothing into a white softness, calming all the dark skies.
It can lead you through many storms in life. Love can also hurt you so deeply, you can be left feeling you may never recover. Fighting a world that seems hell-bent on keeping two people apart when it is obvious they are meant to be together.
Love and scars were never meant to be hidden; they both can show that you have lived a full life. Filled with happiness and heartbreak. Surviving what was meant to break you. Cutting you so profoundly, survival is fleeting.
Our family continues to grow with the arrival of their twins. Harlyn and Wren are born several weeks early but are absolutely perfect. One is bursting with pride.
Before we can all settle into ordinary life, though, Lea and One are once again thrown into the fire as we stand watching, our hands tied. We both feel helpless as our family is ripped apart. We hold tight to one another while the events around us prove to be so trying.
One is held hostage by a stalker, hell-bent on revenge.
A woman once involved with One’s real father came to take his life.
Revealing she had killed his father when he was only six months old.
Not long after, One and Elise met Cal. Cal, my biological father, raised One as his.
Not many realize One is my half-brother.
Never tell us that, though; we don’t recognize the half word in this family.
Thanks to Lea, she realizes who has taken him and rushes to save his life. Never a moment of hesitation to rescue her love, her life. Lea stands for One when he can’t, believing in their love.
And soon, their impending nuptials send all of us into a tizzy of activity. Lea had dreamed of their beach-side wedding when she had given birth to their twins. Reminding One, she had loved him through the storm. She busied herself in making the wedding exactly as she dreamed.
Looking back on the past few months, love grew all around us.
We watched from the front lines, learning what it takes for love to survive all that can come against it.
Wave after wave, death, and destruction pounded the shore where Lea and One stood, holding onto each other.
Praying their love was strong enough to last. To withstand each storm, no matter the cost.
Their love is full of scars. Scars showing the hard-fought battle they endured to get here, at this appointed time, to love one another forever. Both carrying bruises from past lives, Lea and One are the epitome of love. Never hiding the black and blue marks but sharing them.
Allowing others to see it’s okay to be different, to need extra love. Everyone deserves love. Lea fought it for so long, thinking she wasn’t worthy of One. Believing she wasn’t worthy of love. Yet, One stood firm, proving to her she was worth it and so much more.
A love which is yours and yours alone. Crafted to fit your heart, your soul. Understanding and easy or fast and unyielding. Your love is the love you need. Whether it comes suddenly, in a whirlwind, or slow and easy. No one can write your love story except you.
If someone tells you it came too fast. Tell them you love fast cars.
If they say, you’re taking too long. Remind them how much you love long walks on the beach.
If they argue it’s not worth the fight, show them how the waves fight one another to reach the shore.
Never allow another person to tell you how or who to love.
It may be imperfect, but to you, it’s the love of a lifetime.
Seven months’ pass in a blur. It seems like yesterday, One was fighting for his life with Lea by his side. They’ve fought the good fight, and they have arrived at this appointed time.
Envisioning the same love for ourselves, our scars making us who we are. A love that will endure all hell, we’ll fight the good fight to end up in one another’s arms for eternity.
Even if the water breaks their banks and the flood comes, we’ll stand firm, knowing our love will survive. Seeing tomorrow in each other’s eyes, we, without a doubt, will weather the storm. Never wondering where we’ll end up. We’re home.