Bastard (54 page)

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 …

Right down to the very depths of my soul.

••••

After we eat, our parents head to the dance floor for the bridal waltz. They’re dancing to ‘Only you’, sung by The Platters. Indi and I stand beside the dance floor and watch them. They look so happy. I snake my arms around my wife’s waist from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder as I gently rub her belly.

“Are you happy?” I ask, turning my head slightly to place a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Extremely,” she sighs, lacing her fingers over the top of mine.

“Same.” My smile grows, because fuck me, I am. Indiana suddenly tilts her body to the right, as her gaze moves down to the floor.

“Shit,” I hear her mumble.

“What’s wrong, babe?” I ask following her line of sight. She doesn’t even need to answer because I can see it for myself. Panic rises within me.
Here we fucking go again.

“My water just broke.”

Oh fuck …

COMING SOON

Nineteen Letters

Nineteen.
There is something about that number that not only brought us together, but bonded us forever. For a time though, it even tore us apart.

The 19th of January, 1996. I’ll never forget it. It was the day we met. I was seven and she was six. It was the day she moved in next door, and the same day I developed my first crush on a girl.

Exactly nineteen years later, all my dreams came true when she became my wife. The love of my life—my soulmate. She was my everything. The reason I looked forward to waking up every morning.

Then tragedy struck. Nineteen days after our wedding day, she was in an accident that would change our lives forever. When she woke from her coma nineteen hours later, she had no memory of me, of us, of the love we shared.

I was crushed. She was my air, and without her I couldn’t breathe.

The sparkle that once glistened her eyes when she looked at me, was gone. To her, I was now a stranger. I’d not only lost my wife, I’d lost my best friend. I refused to let this tragedy be the end of us. That’s when I started writing her letters.
Stories of our life.
Of when we met. About the happier times, and everything we had experienced together throughout our lives.

What we had was far too beautiful to be forgotten.

Nineteen letters—that was all it took for her to see we were meant to be.

This is our story ...

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’m going to start off my acknowledgements by telling you a story. It was a poignant moment in the life of my writing career, and therefore I believe it needs to be acknowledged. Although it was a negative experience, I quickly turned it into a positive. I could’ve easy let it beat me, but I didn’t. I know in my heart that this moment is part of the reason I am where I am today.

A little over two years ago, I sat down to write my debut novel, My Destiny. Writing is something I’ve always wanted to do, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was something I was capable of doing. In saying that though, I’m the type of person that likes to challenge myself. I like to prove to myself that I can do something, even if I doubt that I can. I’m not afraid to give anything a go, even if it falls into the too hard basket.

When I wrote My Destiny, I had no intentions of publishing it. As I said, it was merely something I wanted to do, to prove to myself that I could do it. Only the people close to me knew I was writing. They were all extremely encouraging, except one. This particular person told me, “You’re wasting your time. You can’t do this. This will never amount to anything.” I’m not going to lie, hearing those words from someone I care about stung. It hurt me a lot. But, instead of using them to discourage me, I used them to drive me. If you tell me I can’t do something, you can be sure as hell I’m gonna do it, just to prove you wrong.
Or die trying
. LOL.

So that’s exactly what I did. Not only did I finish the book, I wrote part 2, My Forever, which was followed by Damaged, and Against All Odds. Bastard is my fifth published work. I’m already working on my sixth.

I’m not a vindictive or revengeful person, but I can tell you I got great pleasure in tactfully serving up this person, who shall forever remain nameless, a huge slice of humble pie, served with a delicious side of fuck you. Their reply, “No one will buy it.” Seriously!
Again they were wrong.

So the moral of this story is, don’t be afraid to dream big. Don’t let negativity sway you to give up. Like me, use it to inspire you, to spur you on. Even if people don’t believe in you, believe in yourself.
I believe in you, you can do this.
My parting words to this person are, “
I
can,
I
will and
I
did.” I am living proof that with a bit of hard work and a lot of determination, dreams can come true, because mine did.