Текст книги "Bastard"
Автор книги: J. L. Perry
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Текущая страница: 29 (всего у книги 30 страниц)
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Seven months later…
Carter
“Carter,” I hear Indiana screech from beside me, shaking me out of my sleep.
“What?” I whine, opening one eye. I’m fucking tired. She better not want sex again, she’s worn me the hell out. Normal Indiana was insatiable, but pregnant Indiana, fuck me. As much as I love having sex with my beautiful wife, my dick’s exhausted. It needs a few hours break at least.
The last few months she’s even been sneaking into my work for a quickie between clients. Even our lunch breaks are spent in bed fucking each other’s brains out, and then we have to scoff down our food before going back to work. Honestly, I fucking love it, but if I’m gonna keep this up, I need rest. Time to replenish my stamina.
“My water just broke,” she says as cool as a fucking cucumber.
“What?” I practically yell in a panic as I bolt upright.
“My water just broke,” she repeats, like I didn’t hear her the first time. I fucking heard her. My gut starts to churn. I thought I’d prepared myself for this moment. Wrong. I’m not even out of bed yet and I’m already a bundle of nerves.
“I can do this,” I mumble to myself as I try to calm the fuck down. Jumping out of bed I make my way around to her side, extending my hand.
“Stop panicking, Carter,” she says.
“I’m not panicking,” I lie. I’m fucking panicking.
“It’s okay,” she says in a calm voice. How can she remain so composed? Helping her up, she wraps me in her arms. “It’s going to be okay. Take a deep breath,” she says trying to reassure me. It’s not working. I’m a fucking mess. Shit. We’ve practiced this a hundred times. Why was I so cool and calm then? Get your shit together Reynolds. Your wife needs you. I should be supporting her, not the other way around. When she lets go of me and doubles over in pain, I almost lose it.
“Let’s go,” I say leading her towards the door.
“We need to get changed first. We can’t go in our pyjamas.” Shit. She’s right. Okay. I can do this. Who am I kidding? I fist my hair in my hands. “Clothes.”
“Look. Get yourself dressed. I can dress myself,” she says heading towards her drawers and rifling through them. I do the same. I throw a T-shirt over my head and strip out of my pyjama bottoms and slip into a pair of sweats. See, I can do this. I look over at Indiana as she struggles to slide on her pants. Who am I kidding? I can’t do this.
Moving towards her, I help her get dressed. When she doubles over again, I clutch my head in my hands. Running over towards the bedside table, I retrieve my phone. I search Ross’ number. He picks up almost immediately. It’s 4:00am. I guess he knows it’s important. We’ve all been waiting for this day to come.
“It’s time,” is all I say. I don’t even give him a chance to talk. “We need you to come. We’re leaving for the hospital now.”
“I’m on my way,” he replies. Thank fuck for that. I don’t even take into consideration he’s a two-hour drive away. I’m on my own. It’s up to me to get her to the hospital safely. Shit.
Finally we make it down to the car. “My hospital bag,” Indiana says once I have her seated in the passenger side. Fuck me. I had the routine down pat. What the hell is wrong with me? This is the real deal, I guess. I need to pull myself together if I’m going to get either of them to the hospital in one piece.
I run back upstairs and grab it. Throwing it in the back of the car, I get seated. “How are you feeling, babe?” I ask as I turn the keys in the ignition.
“Apart from the contractions, surprisingly okay.” Of course she is. I reach the end of the street and put my left indicator on. “The hospital’s that way,” she says laughing, pointing to the right. I’ve driven this route twenty times in the past few weeks, doing my practice runs and now I can’t even remember which way to go.
Following Indi’s instructions, I turn right. “Are you still alright?” I ask, briefly turning my head in her direction. She has a huge smile on her face.
“I’m faring a lot better than you by the looks of it.” I’m glad she finds this amusing. “Take some deep breaths. Like they taught us in the birthing classes.” I look at her like she’s lost her mind. I remember thinking when we went over the breathing techniques in class, how ridiculous it was. “Just do it,” she says rolling her eyes. “It will help.”
I follow her lead as she starts panting and doing those stupid-arse breaths. I feel like a dick, but I copy her. Within minutes I start feeling myself relax. Surprisingly it does help. Who knew?
••••
Three hours have passed and still no baby. Poor Indi is in so much pain. I’ve been rubbing her back for the past half hour. I wish I could trade places with her. I hate that she has to go through this. Our parents and my grandmother arrived ten minutes ago. They’ve been in to see her, but are now outside in the waiting room with Meg and Jax. I called them to let them know Indi was in labour, and they both came straight here.
We’re waiting for the doctor to come back in to check on her. She wasn’t fully dilated earlier, but I’m hoping by now she is. I want this to be over for her as soon as possible. I want to meet my child. We’ve been waiting a long time for this day to arrive.
I stand when the doctor enters the room. I help Indi roll over onto her back. She’s been crouched on all fours while I’ve been trying my best to relieve her back pain. She clutches her hand in mine while the doctor checks her over.
“It’s time,” he says making eye contact with her. “As soon as your next contraction hits, I’m going to ask you to start pushing.” She nods her head at him before making eye contact with me. She looks exhausted the poor thing, but manages to give me a brief smile.
A few seconds later I see her face screw up in pain. This contraction hits hard as she moans loudly. Up until now she’s been pretty quiet. She’s so fucking amazing. So brave. I’ve heard the lady in the delivery suite next door practically screaming the damn hospital down for the past hour, so I know Indiana is playing this down.
Her grip on my hand tightens as the midwife moves into place next to the doctor. “Push,” he says. My girl does exactly as he asks. Another loud moan escapes her and a lump rises to my throat.
“You’re doing great, babe,” I encourage, wiping the sweat off her brow with the cool cloth the nurse gave me earlier. She’s had no drugs whatsoever. She refused them. I’ll admit I’ve taken a few pulls of the happy gas when she hasn’t been looking. That’s some good shit, that is.
When her next contraction hits, the doctor tells her to push again. This time she screams, and fuck me I almost lose it. “You’re doing great, Indiana,” he says. “I can see the head.” His gaze moves up to me. “Come take a look.” I don’t want to leave Indi’s side, so without letting go of her hand I lean forward and look between her legs.
The baby’s tiny head is turned to the side, giving me a glimpse of the most angelic profile I’ve ever seen. A magical feeling hits me right in the chest. Tears brim my eyes. That’s my child.
“You’re almost there, babe,” I say, moving back beside her and leaning down to kiss her forehead. “I’m so proud of you,” I whisper. She starts to do her breathing exercises when the next contraction comes. When she bears down again, she lets out a loud moaning sound. She’s in fucking agony. It’s so hard to watch her go through this. It tugs at my heart. I wasn’t prepared for this shit. I knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, I’m not that naive, but to see the woman you love with all your heart in so much pain, it’s fucking heartbreaking.
“One more push,” the doctor says. It’s her last one. The baby slips out and into the doctor’s hands. Relief floods through me. It’s finally over. We decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Although every time we went in for an ultrasound, I think we were both tempted, but we held strong. “It’s a boy,” the doctor announces. Leaning down, I press my lips to Indiana’s mouth.
“Thank you,” I whisper against her lips. I have so much to thank her for. She saved me. Saved me from myself. She gave my life meaning. She gave me her, and now a son. A chance to right all the wrongs that were committed against me all those years ago.
Fuck me, I have a son. I’m a dad.
Words cannot describe how incredible I feel right now. After I cut the cord, the doctor places our boy on Indi’s chest. Tears fill my eyes as I look at the perfect picture in front of me. My wife. My son. My whole life. Indiana has tears streaming down her face as she lifts her head slightly and places a kiss on his forehead.
“Hello little man,” she whispers. “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.” Raising my hand towards my face, I wipe away my own tears. I thought the day Indi became my wife was the best day of my life, but this moment definitely tops it. I have a family. My son has a father who’s going to love him and be there for him every second of every fucking day. He’ll never experience what I had to as a child. He’ll never know what it feels like not to be wanted.
Indi is going to be a fantastic mother. I only have to look at the love and affection she showers on me to know that. Her tearful eyes meet mine as her hand extends out to me. I lace our fingers together as she pulls me closer to the bed. “I love you,” she says as I lean down and place my lips on hers.
“I love you too,” I say against her mouth. Pulling back, I brush her hair back off her face before cupping her cheek in one of my hands. “I’m so proud of you. Thank you for giving me a son. For giving me a family. For loving me unconditionally.”
Because she always has.
Once Indi is cleaned up and we have a little time alone with our boy, I head out to the waiting room to tell the others. My mum and Meg both cry. Even Ross gets a little teary eyed when he shakes my hand and pulls me into a hug. “Congratulations, son,” he whispers.
They follow me back into the room. After our parents have a hold of their grandson, my mum sits my grandmother on a chair and passes the baby to her. I watch on from the other side of the bed. It’s such a bittersweet moment. It reminds me of everything I missed out on when I was a kid. When I see a tear fall down her cheek as she looks down at my son, a lump rises to my throat.
It makes me wonder if that was the same reaction my grandmother would’ve had if she wasn’t denied from seeing me when I was born. Her head suddenly lifts as her eyes seek out mine. She gives me the most amazing smile as another few tears leak from her eyes. I get the feeling she was thinking the same thing I was.
My little guy’s future already looks promising. He has so much more than I did the day I was born; two parents, grandparents, and a great grandmother that not only love him, but I know are going to make him the centre of their world. I want that for my children, because that’s all I ever wanted for myself when I was a child.
EPILOGUE
Eight weeks later …
Indiana
I can’t believe how excited I feel on the drive back home to see our parents. Well, technically it’s no longer my home, but my dad and Carter’s mum are still living in Sydney, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. My home now, is wherever my husband and son, Jaxson, reside. We named our son Jaxson after his Uncle Jax.
Sydney was where I was born, where my mum took her last breath, where Lassie lived, played and unfortunately died, where I met Meg, and then Carter. Although growing up in my hometown came with incredible highs, and lows, I can’t regret any of it. Ultimately, it led me to where I am today. It has shaped me into the person I’ve become. It’s given me the incredible fulfilling life I lead. My boys are my world.
My six monthly check-ups have now turned into yearly ones. The doctor is pretty confident that the cancer won’t come back. Nobody knows for sure I guess, but it looks promising. All I can do is keep going to each examination, and pray that I keep getting good results. I do experience the occasional headaches, just like everyone does I suppose. I will admit when they first come, it worries me. I don’t think that feeling will ever go away. The cancer is always going to be in the back of my mind. As soon as the headache is gone though, I know that’s all it was. A headache.
When we pull into the driveway of my dad’s place, excitement broils in the pit of my stomach. It’s only been three weeks since we’ve seen each other, but I miss him. He and Elizabeth have been coming up to Newcastle every few weeks since the birth of their grandson. Every visit is special. This is our first big trip away from Newcastle as a family.
Although my dad worked such long hours whilst I lived here, meaning we didn’t get to see each other as much as we would’ve liked, he was still close by if I needed him. Now that he lives hours away, I struggle sometimes. I hate that he’s all alone. Before I moved away with Carter, it was just the two of us.
Well, he has Elizabeth next door, I suppose, which gives me some comfort. They’ve bonded since her husband’s death. They’ve become great friends. Nothing romantic, just companions you could say. They occasionally have dinner together or go to the movies. When they come down to visit, they usually travel together. That kind of thing. It makes being so far away a little easier for me.
“You excited?” Carter asks as he brings my hand to his lips, planting a soft kiss on my knuckles.
“I am. Our parents are going to be so happy to see Jaxson, and surprised to see how much he’s grown in the last three weeks.”
“They will,” he says smiling before turning his head to look at our son in the back seat. I love the look Carter gets when he looks at Jaxson. He rarely frowns nowadays. He’s come so far. He’s an amazing father.
“Can we quickly go and see if dad’s awake before we go over to your mum’s house?” Our parents weren’t expecting us until next week, but we thought we’d surprise them.
“Of course,” he replies, giving my hand a light squeeze before getting out of the car. I watch my gorgeous husband as he walks around the front of the vehicle towards my door. I traded my car in for an SUV. We needed something bigger now we’re a growing family. Carter still has his Monaro. He’ll never get rid of that, but when we go out as a family, this is the car we use.
I smile at my handsome husband when he extends his hand to me, helping me out of the car. He’s such a gentleman and treats me the way any girl would dream of being treated; like a princess, like I’m the centre of his universe, his existence. That’s exactly how I feel towards him as well. I can’t put into words just how happy we both are. We’re perfect for each other. A marriage made in heaven.
There’s no doubt about that.
Sure, growing up he did some pretty horrible things to me, but I’m grateful I had the sense to see straight through him, grateful that I was given the opportunity to see the real Carter Reynolds. The one he did a good job of hiding from the rest of the world. From the second I met him, I suspected deep down it was all a facade. Like a protective armour to save himself from getting hurt. I was right.
I still occasionally see his insecure side, but it no longer upsets me like it used to. Thankfully, with some help from me, he’s embraced who he is. He now sees in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a silly, meaningless word. A word that only has the power to define you if you let it. Technically he may be a bastard, but to me he’s a beautiful, kind, sweet, caring, incredibly loyal, and loveable bastard. His list of qualities are endless. Despite the life he’s led, I’m proud of the man he has become. I wouldn’t have him any other way. I know I make him happy, just like he makes me.
After Carter lets LJ out of the car, he leads him down the side of the house, letting him loose in the back yard. He’s such a great dog, and so protective of the baby. When Carter makes his way back towards me, he slides his arms around my waist. Pulling me against him, he plants a soft kiss on my lips. I don’t think I’ll ever lose this feeling I get being in his arms. He still has the power to send my heart into a flutter.
“You okay?” he asks smiling down at me.
“Couldn’t be better,” I reply. Tightening his embrace, he presses his lips to my forehead.
“Yeah, me too, baby.” Letting go, he opens the back door and grabs our little man out of the baby capsule. Carter immediately buries his lips into the soft, chubby cheeks of Jaxson’s face. It warms my heart watching them together. “Are you ready to see your grandparents again, little champ?” he whispers to our son.
That’s what he calls him, ‘little champ’. He’s amazing. He strives to be everything he dreamt of having when he was a young boy. We’re already talking about trying for another one.
Smiling over at my boys, I fish my keys out of my bag as we walk up the front steps. I don’t knock just in case my dad’s still asleep. The house is very quiet when we walk through the front door. I presume he’s still in bed. Walking quietly, I lead Carter towards the kitchen. I can feed Jaxson while we wait for him to wake.
When I round the corner, I’m stopped in my tracks. Carter walks straight into my back, nearly bowling me over. I hear him chuckle from behind me when he sees what I see. I’m sure my chin is now resting on the floor. I softly elbow him in the stomach to quiet him.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
Right in front of us, is our parent’s. Let’s just say in a very compromising position. My father has Elizabeth sprawled out over the surface of the kitchen table. Holy fucking crap. I suddenly feel the need to bleach my eyes. I guess their friendship has grown into something more. Friends with benefits. By the way they’re gazing into each other’s eyes, I’d say it was a little more than that though. They look pretty smitten to me.
Shit, Carter. I’m waiting for him to shove me out of the way and attack my dad for what he’s doing to his mum. Hesitantly looking over my shoulder at him, I’m surprised to find him smiling. Not a small one either. He’s beaming. I guess he’s okay with this.
As horrified as I am at the sight before us, it brings a smile to my face as well. Truthfully, I like the idea of them together. In my heart, I’ve secretly wished for this. They’re perfect for each other. Reaching up, my hand instinctively covers our sons face. He’s just a baby, but I still don’t want him to see what his grandparents are up to.
They’re so lost in each other that they don’t even notice we’re standing here. I flick my head at Carter gesturing for us to leave. I don’t want to disturb them. Carter being Carter though, has other ideas. He clears his throat loudly. Both our parents swing their heads in our direction in unison. Elizabeth’s face turns bright red. My father on the other hand, looks absolutely horrified. It’s priceless. “Busted,” Carter says, and we both laugh.
Oh. My. God. Busted is an understatement.
Eleven months later …
Carter
Stepping out of the car, I head inside. “You look lovely,” I say leaning forward and placing my lips on her cheek when she greets me at the door.
“And you look very handsome,” she replies, placing her frail hand on the side of my face. “Doesn’t my grandson look handsome,” my grandmother says, turning her head towards the cute carer who’s making her bed.
“Yes he does,” she says smiling at me. She gives me a look that says she’d like to rip this suit off me with her teeth. I give her a look that hopefully says, sorry love, I’m taken. I have the only woman I’ll ever need waiting for me at home. My soulmate, my wife, my baby’s mumma.
“Ready to go Grandma?” I ask smiling down at her. I can’t describe the feeling I get having her in my life. I only wish it had been for my whole life, not just the past few years. She’s such an amazing woman. My grandfather robbed us all of so much with his stubborn, pig headed, narrow-mindedness. I hate him for that.
But today is a day for new beginnings, a time for looking forward, not backwards. Today my life takes a turn for the better, because my mum is marrying Ross. In a little over an hour, he’ll officially become my dad. The dad I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for. I couldn’t be happier for me, and my mum. She’ll finally get the man she deserves, and I’ll get the father figure I’ve always wanted.
They both had huge reservations about getting married. Only because Indi and I were already together, so they thought if they tied the knot it would be taboo. What a crock of shit. Indi and I discussed it for all of a minute. We wanted this for them. They’re perfect for each other. I’d grown up my whole life without a father, and Indi only had her mother for a few short years, so this was a win-win for all of us. They get to live out their days happy, in love and together. Indi and I both get to have two parents. How could that be taboo?
“I’ll just grab my purse,” my grandmother says. When she comes back to me, she links her arm through mine as we walk towards the door. My grandmother now lives in a retirement village. Well actually it’s more like a luxury apartment building for people over sixty. She has a two bedroom fully self-contained unit. It has a community dining area and a staff of carers that live on site to look after the residents. She got tired of living in that big-arse house all on her own.
She still has her independence here, but also plenty of company from people her own age. To be honest, I never felt comfortable visiting her in that other house. Here, I have no qualms whatsoever.
As we make our way down the corridor, an older man walking towards us smiles widely when his eyes land on my grandma. “Well don’t you look lovely, Evelyn,” he says stopping in front of us. He reaches for her hand, bringing it to his mouth, and my grandmother giggles like a schoolgirl. Looking down at her I find her blushing. I feel my lips turn up into a smile. This old dude is very suave, a real ladies man, I can tell. My grandmother seems very taken with him.
“Thank you, Arthur,” she replies with a flutter of her eyelashes. Fuck me. Do women still do that shit at this age? Standing in awkward silence, I watch on as these two make googly eyes at each other. I hate to break up their moment, but we need to get going.
“We really should get going, Grandma,” I interrupt clearing my throat.
“Will you be back in time for dinner?” Arthur asks, his hopeful eyes locked with hers.
“No. I’m afraid not. I’m going to my daughter’s wedding. I won’t be back until later tonight.” I have to hold back my laugh when his face drops. He definitely has a thing for her. I’m not sure how I feel about that. “I’ll be here for breakfast in the morning though.” Okay, now he’s smiling again. It’s kind of nice, and kind of creepy. Aren’t they too old for this shit?
“I’ll save you a seat,” he says as I guide her away. I have to refrain from rolling my eyes at them, but it’s nice she has company when we aren’t around I suppose. She seems to be extremely happy living here. When I look down at her, I find her smiling happily to herself. Seeing her like this makes me so happy. I know firsthand how wonderful it feels to be in love.
“Do I need to bring my shotgun back here, Grandma?” I ask as we head towards the front entrance where the car is waiting. Not that I even have one, but I know she understands the meaning behind my words when she playfully swats my arm and laughs.
“Don’t be silly. Arthur is a lovely man. A real gentleman. He’s always looking out for me.” That may be the case, but I’m still going to be keeping my eye on him from now on. Looking over my shoulder, I see he’s whistling as he shuffles away from us. I smile, shaking my head.
Arthur, you’re officially on my radar, buddy.
••••
When we arrive back at the house, I help my grandmother out of the car and lead her down towards the back of the property.
Indi is my mum’s bridesmaid today, and Ross asked me to be his best man. This morning Ross and I erected a large marquee in the back yard for the reception later on today. They’ve hired caterers that are already in the house preparing the food for the reception that will follow the ceremony.
We also set up a white gazebo by the lake. That’s where they’re exchanging their vows. Megan came over while mum and Indiana were at the hairdressers, to help decorate it. She lined the outside edges with white tulle and a long garland of white silk roses to make it look more wedding-ish, I guess.
Every time I’m down by the lake near the dock, it brings back so many memories for me. It was the place that Indiana gave me her greatest gift—her virginity. In return I gave her my heart. It’s also the night things changed for me, forever. Thinking back now, me leaving was the best thing that could’ve happened to us.
If I had stayed, I’m not sure we would’ve lasted. My head was in a bad place, and I was consumed with anger. Moving away gave me the chance to grow. The chance to see just how much I needed her. By the time I came back, I was ready. I was a better man—more worthy.
My mum sold Fuckwit’s house six months ago and moved in with Ross. I wasn’t the least bit sad to see that place go. At least when Indi and I come home to stay now, I no longer have to feel uncomfortable. Ross even packed up the room that he used to share with Indiana’s mother. It’s been converted into a nursery for his grandchildren.
Well it’s Jaxson’s room for now, but he’ll be sharing it with his baby brother, Levi, when he’s born.
If I have my way they’ll have to extend the house with all the grandchildren I plan on giving them. Jaxson was only a few months old when I knocked Indiana up again. I can’t explain the feeling I get seeing her carrying my child, but I fucking love it.
“Dad-da,” Jaxson squeals from Ross’ arms when he sees me. When Ross places him down, I extend my hands to him as he walks unsteadily towards me. He’s still trying to find his feet. He only started walking a few weeks ago.
Ross grabs hold of my grandmother’s hand, leading her towards the chairs that are set up near the gazebo. “Thanks, Dad,” I say smiling at him. He asked me if I’d call him dad the day Indiana and I got married. I didn’t hesitate. It’s one of those poignant moments in your life that you never forget; like the day Indiana became my wife, the day my son was born, and the day my grandmother welcomed me with open arms. It’s right up there with them.
“Hey, champ,” I say as I scoop my little boy into my arms and bury my lips in his soft, chubby cheek. I love this little guy, so hard. My real dad doesn’t know what he missed out on when he walked away from my mum when she was pregnant. Nothing beats the feeling of being a parent. Nothing.
Jaxson looks so cute in the little suit my mum had made for him today. I’m smiling as I stare down into his big green eyes. They’re exactly like Indi’s. “No,” he squeals, tugging at his tie in frustration. I hear ya buddy. I fucking hate them too.
“You have to leave it on until Nanna and Pa get married,” I say calmly, removing his chubby little hand from the death grip he has on it.
“No,” he snaps, scrunching up his face and frowning at me. It makes me chuckle. Not only did he inherit his mother’s looks, he also inherited her temper and stubbornness. It’s close to his nap time, so that doesn’t help his mood either. I pull his dummy out of my pocket, remove the cover and stick it in his mouth. I always carry one with me. It’s a fucking godsend sometimes. Walking towards the chair, I pick up his teddy bear and hand it to him. He cuddles it into his chest. Hopefully that will distract him until the ceremony is over.
“They’re ready,” Meg calls out as she walks towards us before taking Jaxson out of my arms. She blows a raspberry on his neck to distract him when he tries to protest. I watch as she walks towards Drew, who’s holding their daughter Isabella. She was born four weeks after Jaxson. Indiana cried tears of joy when Megan named their little girl after Indi’s mum. It was very touching.
“You ready, Dad?” I ask as I grasp his shoulder.
“Never been readier,” he smiles as we both walk over and stand by the marriage celebrant. There’s only about thirty guests here today; mainly the guys from Ross’ work and a few neighbours. They wanted to keep it small and intimate.
When the music starts to play, my eyes move to Indiana as she waddles towards us. She still takes my breath away after all this time. Her hair is pulled into an up-do on top of her head, with a few loose curls falling down over her pretty face. She’s wearing a soft pink strapless dress, accentuating her spectacular rack. It then falls loosely to her knees accommodating her large stomach. Levi is due to come into this world sometime next week.
We’re both looking forward to his birth. Her smile widens when her eyes lock with mine. “I love you,” I mouth when she gets closer. It’s not until she’s standing opposite us that my gaze then moves to my mother. She’s wearing an ivory dress that’s covered with lace. She looks beautiful, and so happy. It warms my heart to see her like this. I turn to look at Ross, whose teary eyes are glued to my mother as she walks towards him.
The love he has for her is radiating off him. It brings a lump to my throat. I love this man so much. I think I’ve been looking forward to this wedding just as much as I was my own. Finally, my mum not only got the wedding day she deserved, but the man as well.
••••
Once the vows are exchanged, calmness settles over me. I know I’m right where I should be, where I was destined to be. Everything I’ve endured over my life was meant to happen. It helped mould me into the man I am today. It makes me appreciate everything I have now, so much more.
For the majority of my life, I only knew the love of one person, my mother. Now I’m surrounded by it. I feel like the richest man in the world. Finally I’m whole. It’s taken twenty-six years to get here, but I’ve finally arrived. From this day forward I no longer consider myself a bastard. I have a mother and a father who love me just as much as I love them. I have the woman of my dreams by my side, my son Jaxson whom I adore, and our second child on the way. Life couldn’t be sweeter. My heart is so full, there’s no longer any room for the darkness that once consumed me. Thanks to my sunshine, Indiana, I’m filled with light …
