Epilogue II

Epilogue II

Corey

Noneof us could have imagined what me and my boy knitting baby blankets would do for the ranch. What was supposed to be a simple way for us to spend time together bonding had turned into a whirlwind of press coverage. TV news stations had reached out to interview us and there was even someone wanting to write a tell-all book about the ranch since it had garnered so much interest from people.

Atticus hadn’t been fond of the book idea, but he did let a news crew come out with their cameras again. They showed up at the first market after the initial bout of press coverage. We showed them around and did mini interviews to share glimpses of the ‘why’ behind it all.

We really thought that would be the end of the excitement.

Boy were we wrong.

It seemed like each market grew and grew until we were barely able to keep up with people. We had to extend hours and there was even a shuttle of golf carts one of the people in town had invested in to offer people easy access back to their cars.

It had been the wildest fucking ride.

Today was another market day, and we’d been projecting big numbers for those showing up. Our vendors had told us they’d tripled what they had on offer to meet demand, and Harlan had been cooking all night to ensure as many people could eat as possible.

As much as we planned for things, there was still no way to keep up with all the people. Ean and Rhett had shown up with some of their friends to enjoy the experience, as well as give people something to talk about. There was always excitement when Ean was anywhere, despite him no longer acting like he had been.

The entire day was full of fun and surprises. We rolled with the flow of it all, never letting something derail us from enjoying the beautiful thing we’d all built.

When the last round of customers loaded up to leave, we quietly worked together to take the pens and tables down. We’d have left it for later, but we found that people would stick around if we didn’t start the breakdown process right away. It was like they thought they’d catch some last-minute sales or something. Never mind most people had sold out hours ago.

We’d only finished a few minutes prior, and we were all sitting around a freshly started fire when headlights came from the distance. We watched them amble down the driveway.

“Any guesses?” Beau called out.

“Not it!” Elton shouted. “Can’t be my family so who knows?”

Bobby Allen muttered something about murder as Atticus stood. “Whoever it is, they’ll have to be disappointed. The market is done for the day.”

The car parked a little bit away from us, then the passenger door opened. A figure moved across the headlights, their steps slow and sure.

It was hard to tell who they were or what the heck they wanted from a distance. I called out before anyone else could. “The market is closed down. Sorry you missed it.”

“Sorry I did too,” the man replied once he was close enough.

With the firelight now casting on his face, it became clear to us all who the man was. It had been nearly a year since we’d seen him but none of us could ever forget him.

“Gerald?” Atticus’s voice was gruff as he took a step forward. He stopped before getting any closer. “You’re here.”

Gerald nodded slowly. “I am. I hadn’t planned on it, but it was hard to ignore you guys when I saw you popping up everywhere around me. I figured it was time to come clear the air.”

“Are you coming home?” Travis asked him.

“This place isn’t really home for me anymore, Trav. It hadn’t been for a really long time. I’d like to stick around for a few days if that’s ok. I miss this place. Plus, I owe it to you to tell my side of the story.”

“You’re always welcome here. You’re family, Gerald. I hope you know that.”

He shrugged in reply. “I didn’t for a long time. I’ve gotten better though. I had some help along the way.”

I watched as he glanced back at the car. “You should tell him to come over too. He can’t sleep in the car all night.”

At my teasing words, he shook his head. He waved to the person in the car, then he turned back to us.

“Should we do this tonight or…”

“Whenever you’re ready. We’re just happy to see you,” Sean told him as he went to stand by Atticus.

Gerald smiled softly. “It’s a long story. I don’t even really know where to start. You’ve all only gotten bits and pieces over the years. Even my confession before I left wasn’t the full truth.”

I stood and walked over to him. At the same time, the guy from the car appeared behind Gerald. I recognized him right away as Robin’s brother.

“Is everything ok, precious?” His arm protectively went to Gerald’s waist. I watched the motion, then raised my brow at both men.

Gerald turned to him. “Everything is fine, sir. Atticus agreed we could stay. I was told I could invite you from the car. I’m going to tell them everything.”

The other man nodded. “I’m proud of you. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Someone ran to grab more chairs. Gerald and the man whose name I still didn’t know sat down in our circle of friends. Everyone piled together, our focus solely on them. Even the littles had ditched the playhouse to be a part of this.

My boy was tucked against my side, his arms wrapped around me as he gave me the support he knew I’d need. Seeing Gerald was a shock I hadn’t expected for the day. My equilibrium was off-balance.

Gerald rubbed his hands together. “It all began with…”

Want more Coleman Ranch?

Next up is Losing his Daddy,

which features Gerald’s story.

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