Chapter 10 Celebrating Milestones #2
The kitchen door slams closed, and Elias blurts as he arrives, “So, the dairy hands just told me that there are aprons and boots that they use when they prep the cows for milking and shooting down the milking parlor.” Mud splatters his pants—correction, that is not mud.
Everyone in the room roars with laughter, including myself.
Jessica walks back in behind him and wrinkles her nose.
“Did they not tell you where the boots and aprons were?” she asks.
Elias growls. Jessica pinches her lips together, stifling her laughter.
“Come on, Elias. We used to work on the dairy all the time when we were kids,” Chris says.
“I guess he forgot.” The King chuckles.
Tater hands Elias a plate of cake, and he sits next to Chris, who cries out, “Ugh, you stink!”
“Shut up and eat your cake,” Elias grumbles. Jessica walks to the breakfast nook, hugs Elias, and kisses him on top of his head.
“Thank you for helping at the dairy. I’m saving up to buy a new software program and some equipment. Hopefully, I won’t have to ask the dairy hands for help like this in the future.” She pats his shoulder.
Elias’s cheeks turn pink as he mumbles, “It’s not a problem. Just been a while since I did any work there.”
“Did you sell any more songs?” Chris asks Jessica.
“DMI bought six of the songs I wrote and composed a couple of months ago,” she replies.
“How many more songs do you need to sell before you earn enough for what you need?”
“Those songs should more than cover it. I’m just waiting for the check.”
She hasn’t gotten paid yet? I need to look at her contract.
She could request more money if she has ownership of her music, unless she is under a “work made for hire” clause with her label.
I plan to talk with the Luna Queen and Anders.
Then, an idea comes to mind. Would they let me be her lawyer?
Well, after I pass my bar exam. I have all the connections she needs to ensure her career is successful.
A hand on my shoulder sends an electrical sensation down my spine. I turn my head as Jessica places a gift bag in front of me.
“Open your gift!” Emily shouts from the other end of the room. “C’mon, Mr. Valedictorian, Harvard Law graduate. Open it!”
Jessica flashes me a sweet smile, and she looks down at her shoes. I watch the blush bloom across her cheeks.
“Technically, I don’t graduate for another few weeks.”
“You’re not planning to go to graduation anyway. Just open it.” Emily bounces up and down on her toes. I look to Anders, who grins and juts his chin toward the bag.
I remove a hunter-green velvet rectangular box. Inside is an emerald-green pen engraved with the guard crest on the cap and my name—Shadow—in italics along the base. I hold a custom-designed Montblanc.
All three of the Leads have one. Over the years, I've seen them use theirs many times. I turn it over, admiring its beauty, and remove the cap, revealing a fountain pen tip with the intricate Montblanc engraving.
“We thought you could use a special pen for all those papers you will sign,” Chris proclaims.
I replace the cap. “This means a lot to me,” I say, my voice husky with emotion.
“We’re proud of you, son,” Anders adds, not quite looking directly at me.
“Thank you.” I shift, looking for my jacket, before I remember I didn’t bring one with me today.
I pat my shirt, but it doesn’t have a front pocket.
Reluctantly, I place the pen back in its box and reach for the second box in the gift bag.
Opening it, I reveal a Cartier watch. My eyes shoot up to Emily’s.
This watch could buy ten Montblanc pens.
“There are two cards in the bag that come with the watch,” Emily says. Frowning, I retrieve and open them. One is a congratulations card filled with signatures from every recruit I brought to the guards since I started in this position, including my guard class.
“How?” I ask, looking back at Emily.
“Luke, Charlie, and Ean tracked them all down. They’re all very proud of you and wanted to be a part of your celebration.”
I didn’t expect anything like this. Carefully, I place the cards back in their envelopes and nestle them next to the pen. I caress the beautiful Cartier watch and then look at the one already on my wrist. My father gave me my brother’s watch after he died. I wear it every day.
“Jessica noticed you don’t wear a guard ring, so no one knows you’re a guard. We thought a watch with the guard emblem would be...” Emily pauses. “Shadow, I forgot.”
I don’t wear rings. I don’t like the weird, confining sensation.
It distracts me. Normally, I resist change, but I really like this watch.
Its simple design is one I would choose for myself.
The guard crest rests on the dial, and only a few jewels adorn the face—emerald at twelve o’clock, white diamond at six o’clock, and obsidian in the center.
It's perfect, just like it was made just for me. Well, it was made for me.
I turn to Jessica. “This was your idea?”
She nods, chewing on her lower lip. “I didn’t know. You don’t have to wear it.”
I shake my head. “I love it.” I thumb my brother’s watch.
“My brother got this watch when he graduated from law school. He was my hero. I wanted to be just like him. So, I told my dad that when I graduated from Harvard Law, he better buy me a watch, too—a better one.” Everyone chuckles.
“Looks like I got a better one,” I confirm.
“Can you help me put it on?” I ask Jessica.
I see Emily’s eyes glitter with unshed tears. She knows how hard it is for me to part with my brother’s watch.
Jessica slides off her stool. I hand her my new watch, and she waits for me to remove the old one. My hand trembles. Jessica places her hand over mine, and I instantly feel calmer.
“I have an idea,” she says quietly. “Do you trust me?” I nod in response. She gently unfastens the watch around my wrist. She watches me closely. I smile and give her another nod.
She abruptly leaves the kitchen, taking both watches with her. I look around the room. Everyone stands, staring at me in question.
Anders reaches out, as if to pat me on the back, but thinks better of it and drops his hand. “We are all so proud of you, son. You’ve come a long way.”
I duck my head. “Thanks to you, all of you. You accepted my weird behavior and helped guide me to who I am today.”
“It was our pleasure, Shadow.” I quickly glance over at the Alpha King and bow my head in gratitude.
When Jessica returns, I release a long breath of relief that she will save me from the awkward attention on myself.
She fastens the new watch on my wrist and steps back.
I reach for her. I need her here. I need her closeness.
I roll my arm this way and that, admiring the way it looks.
When I flip my wrist over, I notice a small part of the band doesn’t quite match the rest. It’s a piece from the old band.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I thought you might feel better if you still had a piece of your brother’s watch.
” She gives me another shy smile. “Anders spoke to your parents about our gift idea. Your father immediately wanted to contribute. So, this is also from your family. I didn’t know.
Funny how these things just kind of work out. ”
I tighten my grip on her arm, wanting to pull her in and hold her. Instead, I squeeze my eyes shut. “You have no idea how much all of this means to me.”
A strange emotion I never felt before swells in my chest.
We linger in the kitchen a little longer, making small talk before everyone returns to their duties.
Anders gives me the go-ahead to speak to Jessica about the guard’s recruiting process and to schedule a time for her first interview.
Her and Emily are chatting animatedly, so I decide to take a walk around the mansion’s grounds and call my father to thank him for my gift.
“Of course, son. We are so proud of you and how far you’ve come. I’m glad Anders called when he did. I almost got you one myself since that is what you asked for. But things have changed since then, and I didn’t want to put pressure on you.”
“Well, I appreciate your contribution. As it turns out, it’s exactly what I wanted. Knowing you contributed brought tears to my eyes.”
“You're wearing it?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’m wearing it right now. My little friend put a small piece of Toby’s watch on it, making the change more bearable...”
“Your little friend, as in...”
“The Princess.”
The line is silent for a moment before my father continues. “Tyler...” He sighs.
“Yes?”
“You… you sound different. Are you doing okay?”
I chuckle. He stopped asking me that a long time ago, so used to my expressionless face and the drone-like speech pattern. “Yes. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“Did you just laugh at me?”
“Now that I think about it, maybe I did catch a virus. Tearing up, laughing, and enjoying music is a bit out of character for me. Maybe I shouldn’t come to see you for dinner. It might be contagious.”
Silence fills the line again.
“I’m kidding. Bad delivery? Okay. I’ll try harder next time...”
Still, my father doesn’t say anything.
“I will still come to see you for dinner tomorrow night. Dad?”
He clears his throat. “I’m still here. I just... I didn’t think I would ever hear you make a joke again,” he chokes out. “You used to be quite the jokester as a boy.”
I used to do a lot of things before. I’m still a far cry from who I used to be. I’m just about to round the corner to the front of the mansion when I hear a shrill screeching voice shout. “Dad, I need to go. Something is happening at the Alpha King’s home.”