Lost and Found (36 page)

"It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Kingston. Gideon? So it's a
family name. I love when family names are continued on from generation to generation."

"Yes ma'am, three generations. Cash and I, and little Gideon
over there."

I have an odd look on my face, because I had no idea that
Cash was a Gideon as well. He noticed the look on my face
and rolled his eyes.

"Yes Liv, we are all three Gideon Cash Kingston, except I'm
the 2nd and Gideon is the 3rd."

I laugh at him, because he seems embarrassed. Amelia
announces to everyone that it’s time to start the party and
everyone starts heading to the dining room. Claudia comes
up to us and shoos Cash away, so she could talk to me.

"Quick, O! Will you stomp on my foot or something, so I
can leave? Or how about you kick me like you did Cash!"
She is truly panicked and looks scared and I don't know whether to laugh or be concerned, because I've never seen her like this.

"Claud? I'm not stomping on your foot OR kicking you.
You can't leave, because it would hurt Eden's feelings. What is your problem?" She looks at me like I'm an idiot.

"Are you kidding me? What do you think my problem is?
One word! Caleb! He keeps grinning at me and it's
driving me crazy! I have to leave. NOW!"

"Am I kidding? How old are you? You're acting like
you're scared of him. What's the deal?"

"Olivia! You don't understand. I was so mean to him in
school and I took advantage of how he felt about me. He
was like the size of a 15 year old then and it flattered me of
course, but I had no interest in him. But now? If I would
have known that he was going to end up looking like,
well, a freaking Greek God with blonde hair, I never
would have been that mean to him!" This reminds me of a
conversation we both had a few weeks ago.

"Hmmm. So, I couldn't run away from Cash, but you can
run away from Caleb? I. Don't. Think. So. Tuck that tail
between your legs and let’s go celebrate Eden’s birthday
party, which happens to be going on right this minute, young
lady!" If looks could kill, I would be dead.

"I am so paying you back for this! And it's going to be a
very big payback!"

Lord help me. But it's nice to be bossing her around for
once and I tend to love watching her squirm from time to
time.

***********************

Eden ended up with tons of presents and with every present she opened; she graciously thanked everyone for each gift.
Gideon on the other hand was such a boy about everything he got and would yell "cool" and "yes" and "awesome".

No one would have ever thought that their father was a
billionaire and could give them anything in the world that
they wanted, because they were so gracias and thankful for
what all they got from everyone.

I would give Cash the credit, but looking at his parents
cuddling with each other on the back porch swing, I would
have to say that they deserve all of the credit.

Amelia noticed me watching them and waved me over.
Claudia and I have been spending time with Eden in her
playhouse, while she was playing with her new toys. I tell
them to give me a few minutes and that I'd be back.
As I'm walking towards Amelia and Gideon Sr., he gets up
leaving me an open spot on the swing next to his wife.

"I'll let you too ladies chat, while I go play some ball with
the guys. It's time for this old man to show them up."

He winks at me and heads towards the brothers, who have
been helping Gideon hit the ball. I'm just glad that they seem to have buried the hatchet.

"Please sit with me, Olivia. Are you cold? I can grab us a
blanket from inside the house." She starts to get up and I
wave her down.

"No, I feel fine and the weather is perfect."

I sit down next to her and we start slowly rocking, and I
look out at the beautiful scene before me. I hear Eden and
Claudia giggling in the playhouse and all of the guys
showing Gideon the correct stance for holding the bat. I
chuckle, because all three of them are standing differently
and Gideon is looking at all of them and shaking his head. I
notice Amelia taking it all in as well.

"I've got to say, Olivia. I have never seen anything so
beautiful, as to have all of my kids and grandkids under the
same roof and playing outside and getting along. I wish I
could pause this moment in time and watch it in slow
motion. It's all because of you, Dear and I just wanted to tell
you thank you, from the bottom of my heart." She looks at
me with happy tears in her eyes and grabs my hand and
pulls it close to her heart.

"Oh, I wouldn't say it was all me, Mrs. Kingston, but it is
such a beautiful picture I must say."

"Honey, don't sell yourself so short and please call me
Amelia. We are family now, because I know that you are in
love with my son, and don't deny it! I can also tell that he
is in love with you as well. I didn't miss the exchange
between you and my boys. I thought Cash was going to kill
Caleb right there on the spot and you handled it quite
gracefully I must say. Thank you for that." She has the
same deep blue eyes as Cash, but an extra twinkle in them,
as she's smiling back at me.

"They do have some things that they need to work through
privately and hopefully it will be a calm conversation for
the both of them." My comment has Amelia chuckling.

"Oh, if I know my boys it won't start out calm. They used to
be the best of friends, until Vanessa died and Cash went invisible on us. Did you know I hadn't physically seen him for
almost a year, until the day I met you? The only reason I
knew he was alive was because he would call me back
occasionally. I was praying he was going to be home after
the kids told me about you and that wretched nanny getting
kicked out BY YOU!"
Wow! I knew he had shut out the world, but his own
mother as well?

"That needed to happen! She was an evil woman and
every time I picture what she was about to do to Gideon, I
want to find her and punch her lights out! I'm sorry. I'm
really not a violent person, but when it comes to defenseless
children, I just lose it!"

"Oh honey, I'm not violent either, until you mess with my
family! Don't you ever apologize for defending my
precious grandbabies. I am so happy you came into their lives, because they needed someone to love them and I can
tell that you truly do. How long have you been a nanny, if you don't mind my asking?
Tell me everything about you; I want to get to know you
better."

She is such a sweetheart, but this is one reason why I hate getting to know new people and sharing my story. She's
not just anyone, though. She is Cash's mother and he and the kids
mean the world to me, as they do her.

"I've been a nanny since the day I started watching Gideon
and Eden, believe it or not." She looks shocked at my
answer. "But I have lots of experience with kids, because I
have... I mean had....three of my own. I am also a widow
like Cash. It will be two years in March since the car
accident that killed my husband and kids. I was driving and
was the only survivor."

I'm shocked at how I told her all of that so fast without falling apart. It has gotten easier to talk about, thank God.

"Oh, Honey! I had no idea. I just... I couldn't imagine how
you've managed to get to where you are now. I so admire
your strength. I want to give you a hug. Do you mind?"

I see genuine concern in her misty eyes, which has my eyes misting up and I nod and she leans towards me, cradles
me in her arms, and hugs me tight as if I were a child. She
pulls away and pats me on the cheek.

"Is everything okay here?" Cash. I should have known. I
look up at him and he has a worried look on his face and is
arching his eyebrows at me, silently asking if I'm okay and I
nod that I'm fine.

"Oh everything is fine here, Cash. Olivia and I were just
getting to know each other better." She leans up on her tippy toes and kisses him on the cheek. "You better treat
her right and don't mess things up with her, because she's a
keeper." Cash looks at me and his mom.

"Mother, she's a wonderful nanny to the kids, so don't
worry. She's not going anywhere." Nanny? He better just be pretending that there's nothing going on between us. I
wanted to keep the kids from knowing, not his family!

"Oh, don't pull that crap with me, Gideon Cash! I can see
with my own eyes what's going on between you two and
don't you dare refer to her as just the nanny again, she
doesn't deserve that! At least be honest with your own
mother!" He drops his head like a small child that has been
chastised.

"I'm sorry Mother, you too Olivia. You're right, I'm madly
in love with her, but we haven't told the kids yet and we
don't want to get them too excited, because everything has happened so fast. I've got a lot of making up to do as their
parent and I’m working on that before we go public." She
starts to say something, but she's interrupted by Caleb.

"Go public? That's funny. All anybody has to do is spend five minutes with you two and know that you two are
banging, do you think we're all..." Caleb didn't get to finish
what he was about to say, because Cash punched him right there in front of his mother, which got everyone's attention.

"Don't you EVER disrespect my Mother like that again by
talking like that in front of her and don't you EVER disrespect the woman I love AGAIN! Do you hear me,
Caleb? Are we clear?" Amelia is absolutely enraged and
by now Claudia has joined us, while Cash's father has
rushed the kids into the house.

"I've just about had it with you two boys! If you were
still Gideon's age, I'd make you guys hug and kiss each
other until you both couldn't stand it! Forget the past and
forgive each other and MOVE ON! You two used to be
best friends and you BOTH better fix this relationship!

I will never ever upset this woman. I thought Cash was scary when he was mad. I see where he gets his temper
from. Amelia's face softens and she puts a hand on each
shoulder of her two sons.

"Listen, both of you." She looks at Cash first and pats him on the cheek. "My heart has been just as broken as yours
Cash since Vanessa died. I loved her as if she were my own
daughter." I see both Cash and Amelia tearing up and
Claudia comes closer to me and grabs my hand. I feel like
we are intruding on a very private moment.

"Everyone loved her, all of us. But not only did we lose
Vanessa, but we lost you, too." He is very solemn now and lowers
his head with tears in his eyes. "We didn't have time
to grieve like you did, Son. Someone had to take care of the
children and show them some sort of a semblance of a
family."
Cash is offended by this and I know it's just because he
feels like she has shamed him in front of everyone.

"I'm not trying to throw it in your face like your brother
has." This is when my tears fall, because Amelia is bawling
now. "As a mother, when my babies hurt, no matter
how old you boys are? I hurt for you as well, which is why
I have spent so much time with the kids, because I knew
you didn't know how to deal with your grief." All of us are
crying now. "As for you Caleb. You have always worshipped your brother and the last thing he needed was
for you to kick him while he was down."
Caleb starts to say something, but she shakes her head at
him and continues.

"I know that you went to your brother's house last year out of genuine love and concern and not hate and animosity,
which is how your conversation ended up going." She's
standing closer in front of both of them and patting them on the cheek. "I also know that you were trying to wake your
brother up, because he was running from everyone and
wouldn't stop let us all grieve as a family. You BOTH
need to tell each other that you are sorry and please get
back to where you were before everything happened, because I want my family back!" Both brothers look at
each other, as if they were wondering if they can go back.