Chapter Twenty-Two

Wheels

WITH THE WOMEN gone except for Nanny, now is the perfect time to talk to Gavin. The guys are either outside watching Kyler and Jethro race around the yard together or in the house with their children. Scorch is one of the guys inside with his daughter in his arms as he talks to Nanny. Laughter from Kyler fills the house since Anguish opened one of the windows in the kitchen so we could hear what's going on out there. My heart fills with love at the small change in Kyler from one interaction with Jethro. I definitely see a dog in our future. Maybe a puppy Kyler can grow up with. Seeing him with Jethro makes me feel as if this decision is the right one and it's something we'll have to talk about as a family later tonight or tomorrow. I won't just spring bringing a puppy into our home on everyone with all the changes we currently have taking place.

Sitting on the couch next to my best friend, I don't hesitate to begin the hard conversation we need to have.

"Gavin, you need to talk to me. What's goin' on in your head?" I ask him, my voice low so only he hears me.

"I can't even begin to process it all, Jayce. I went from havin' a relationship with my dad in the future as he heals and learns to deal with his grief over losin' my mom to that bein' yanked away from me. I've already mourned him once and now I'm goin' through it all again. Only this time we have Kyler and Mia to take care of. I feel as if I'm fuckin' drownin' and there's no safety net to pull me out of the water pullin' me deeper and deeper," Gavin tells me, tears filling his face as he looks up at me.

My best friend is a fucking wreck. He hasn't shaved his face since the day he got the call from Mrs. DeGraw. The beanie he always wears is pushed back on his head farther than normal and I can see the short strands of hair sticking up all over the place. His clothes have been changed, but they're wrinkled and look as if he's been wearing them for days instead of since this morning when we left to come back home.

Yeah, we made the trip that should've taken us into tomorrow to get back to Odin's Gap today. We pushed ourselves and the women but not a single person complained. The kids were really good for Fetch in the SUV and when we pulled over to grab something quick to eat and stock up on snacks while filling up the vehicles, the parents checked on their kids and made sure they had everything needed for the trip home. Fetch said most of the kids slept during the drive and he kept an eye on them at all times to make sure nothing happened while under his care. I'm pretty sure at this point, all of them who went shopping are running on fumes, but Kyler and Mia need someplace to sleep tonight, so there was a bit of urgency involved. The fact that the ol' ladies decided to get the other stuff amazes me, but they're a strong group of badass women, our wife included.

"I get that, Gavin. But you need to pull your head out of your ass. I'm not sayin' don't grieve and to do what you have to do as you mourn your loss. Take the time you need. But we have two kids who need us and you're part of that. If anythin', you're more important than Brooklyn and myself because you're their blood brother and they're gonna turn to you. Kyler has been watchin' you when he's awake and not watchin' out for Mia and Brooklyn. Every single time he looks at you, his eyes almost close as they fill with tears and he frowns. You're makin' that kid believe you want nothin' to do with him and this isn't his fault. You need to be there for him and help him navigate how to get through everythin' he's feelin' right now too. Brooklyn and I can only do so much, Gavin," I state, as he looks at me with shock on his face while his eyes move toward the back door where Kyler, Fetch, and Jethro are entering the house after playing outside for a while. "When you feel like you're drownin', we'll pull you out and get you away. Other than that, you need to be present for these kids."

Kyler grabs his motorcycle from the kitchen table and makes his way into the living room where Gavin and I are sitting. He sits on the floor right in front of us and begins to roll the bike over the carpet. Every few seconds, Kyler looks up at his big brother before turning his eyes away again. I nudge Gavin and he finally closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before getting down on the floor with his brother.

"Hey, Kyler," Gavin says softly as Kyler stops rolling his bike around the floor and looks up to his brother. "Did you have fun playing with Fetch and Jethro?"

"G-G-Gavin," Kyler says, tears filling his eyes as they spill over and roll down his face. This is the first time Kyler has cried that we know of since being told about his parents.

Gavin doesn't hesitate to pull his brother up in his arms and hold his shaking body to him. I watch as my best friend breaks and cries right along with his brother. The two of them are silent as they shed tears together. Scorch and Goliath come in the room and block it off from anyone else entering. This is a moment needed between the two and no one needs to witness them breaking down. Not because it makes them weak, but because they need to form their own bond now, and while it's due to the untimely deaths, it'll hopefully help them start relying on one another.

After a long time, Kyler pulls back a little bit and looks up at Gavin as he wipes the tears from his face. My best friend takes a few deep breaths before he starts speaking.

"Kyler, I'm your big brother and I love you so much. You and Mia are gonna live here with us now and we're gonna take care of you. I know you've been through so much over the last week, and it's okay to cry, scream, yell, not talk, and all of that. If it gets to be too much for you, you have to promise me that you'll come to Brooklyn, Jayce, or me. We'll talk to you, listen to whatever you wanna talk about, and just get you away from wherever we are," Gavin says, more tears filling his eyes as Kyler stares up at him.

"You don't leave us?" Kyler asks, his little voice shaking as muttered curses come from several men in the house with us.

"No, Kyler. I won't ever leave you. Jayce and Brooklyn won't ever leave you either. Mia and you are with us and that won't ever change. We're gonna take care of you and make sure you have everythin' you need and want. All the men and women here will be there for you. And I know it's gonna take you time to open up and trust everyone else, that's okay. Just know that if you can't find one of us, these guys will always be here. Fetch especially. He's always around. And you'll see Jethro around the property too," Gavin says, as Kyler looks toward Scorch and Goliath with wary eyes until he notices Scorch holding a baby much smaller than Mia.

"Hey, Kyler. Would you like to meet my daughter?" Scorch asks him, getting down on his knees so he's more at Kyler's level.

Without a word, Kyler leaves Gavin's lap as he slowly walks closer to Scorch. When he's a foot away from the man, he stops and his eyes lock onto Adrianna as she sleeps in her dad's arms.

"Kyler, this is Adrianna. She's smaller than your sister Mia. Both of them are little princesses and we have to take good care of them, don't we?" Scorch asks Kyler as he remains staring at Adrianna.

"I watch out for Mia," he whispers. "I can watch out for her too," he says, reaching out to touch Adrianna's blanket. "Mommy said I was a good helper."

Now I hear a bunch of clearing throats. We may be former military, but this kid is breaking all of our hearts with what he's saying. Gavin's tears are still flowing, but I see a small smile cross his face as he watches his brother staring down at Adrianna.

"I'm sure you are a good helper, buddy," Scorch says, his eyes suspiciously damp and voice huskier than normal.

We all turn from the scene before us to give Scorch and Kyler some time to themselves. This is another private moment between them. Gavin gets off the floor and sits back on the couch with me as Fetch walks back over to us. He's got his arms full of a few things that he sets down on the floor in front of him.

"What's that, Fetch?" Goliath asks him as he picks up Dillion in his arms.

"It's a playmat for boys that I picked up one day when I was at the store. Figured the boys would like playin' with it. It's one of those ones that have all the roads and things like that for it. I've got a bag of road signs, those orange construction cones, and some more cars and bikes. I thought Kyler might like to play with it as we wait for the women to get back. Um, did you want me to grab somethin' for dinner for everyone?" Fetch answers, his cheeks turning a faint shade of red as he sets everything up on the floor.

"I play?" Kyler asks Scorch without taking his eyes off Adrianna.

"Yeah, buddy. You go play and maybe later you can hold Adrianna if you want," Scorch says, standing up from the crouched position he was in.

Kyler moves over to Fetch where he's just finished setting everything up and gets down on the floor. The two of them talk quietly as Jethro wanders in the living room and lays down on the floor behind Kyler. It's like he senses our boy needs him and he's gonna be there for him. I'm gonna owe that dog a damn steak dinner for what he's doing here tonight.

When Mia starts crying from her car seat in the kitchen, Gavin gets up and goes to take care of her. Nanny helps him change her diaper before handing him over a bottle so he can feed her. My best friend doesn't look at anything other than his baby sister as Nanny and Anguish talk to him just low enough that no one else can overhear them. Nanny shows Gavin when to burp Mia and she lets out a loud belch that makes us all laugh because it's the last thing we expected to hear from such a little girl. Mia honestly isn't much bigger than Adrianna is and there's several months between the two girls. We'll have to get Doc here to check the kids out. No, I'm not saying Carrie and Gavin's dad didn't take care of their children. I believe they took very good care of them. At least to the best of their abilities when it comes to Mr. Calhoun. Plus, Doc can help us with getting their old medical records so we have those baselines moving forward.

As we all continue to sit around the house, Fetch leaves long enough to grab several pizzas, wings, and garlic bread from our favorite pizza joint. Brooklyn messages me and lets me know they're on their way home so we're ready to help them unload everything. I have a feeling our wife put a small dent in the joint account we have set up. She can spend it all as far as I'm concerned because I really don't give a shit about money. As long as the kids have what they need to be comfortable here, Gavin and I can earn more money any day of the week.

"The girls are on their way back. Fetch and them should all arrive back here at the same time. Jethro is gonna have to go outside or somethin' because we'll be in and out of the house with everythin' they bought," I inform the group of people in our home.

"Good. The women can eat while we bring everythin' in. Brooklyn is gonna need to tell us where everythin' goes. I don't think you've picked out which rooms will be the kids' yet," Anguish says, as he looks around at us all.

"No. She didn't even go upstairs when we got back here. We'll figure it all out. Um, Gavin, I just got a message from the funeral home. I think you need to come here for a minute," I tell my best friend, looking down at my phone.

Gavin brings Mia with him as he walks over to find out what's going on. I turn my phone to show him the message as the rest of the guys step closer to us. None of us know how he's going to react and I'm the only one who knows what this says.

Director Oswald: I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Sord. We've had a donation in the name of Carrie and Craig Calhoun. Someone donated a tree to be planted in memory of them. No one came out to collect the few ashes we do have from them for the kids. We can add the ashes to the tree and have it sent to you if you're not still in town.

Gavin reads the message and I watch to see what his reaction will be. For the first time since all of this started, he doesn't shut down and close himself off. Gavin looks at me with tears in his eyes and nods his head.

"Tell them to please send it here. We can plant it behind the house for Kyler and Mia. Maybe add some flowers around the tree in a sort of memorial for our parents. I can make a plaque or somethin' to put out there, maybe a bench," he says, rocking Mia in his arms as I hear one of the SUVs pull back up to the house.

"Okay, Gavin. I'll get everythin' arranged and taken care of," I assure him as I stand from the couch and head to the door to see who's here.

Me: Thank you, Director Oswald. We are back home in Odin's Gap. If you could please add the ashes and have a way to transport it here safely, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Director Oswald: I will have it transported by my nephew. He does this all the time and knows how to keep everything alive and okay until it's delivered. Make sure you plant the tree immediately when he drops it off to you.

Me: We will. Thank you for making this as easy on us as possible.

Director Oswald: You're very welcome. I'll be in touch when the tree is on its way to you.

Looking out the door, I find the women getting out of the SUV they took and grabbing several bags each. Letting the guys know they're here and need help, I make my way outside as Fetch pulls up with dinner. While the women eat and get the kids taken care of, the rest of us unload the truck and SUV. Kyler watches on with wide eyes at everything we bring in the house. Tonight is going to be a long night, but with the help of everyone here, I know we'll get through it quicker than if the three of us were alone. It's good to have a large family at your back regardless of if they're blood or your chosen family.