Junior For The Mountain Man

by Crowne, K. C.

  “Thank you.” Like always, it didn’t feel adequate. And before I could stop them, the tears started falling from my eyes. Grant turned toward me, dropping the shoes to the ground.

  “What’s wrong, Piper? Everything’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not, but I can’t talk about it here. Take care of him for me, will you? I’m going to get cleaned up.”

  I hurried to the bathroom, trying not to let any of the other kids see me crying. I was so grateful for Grant and everything that he did, but I still wasn’t sure if I should give him my heart. Was he ready for that level of commitment?

  But the tears weren’t just for him. I was just so scared of losing Caleb. The phone call with William was embedded in my heart, digging in my mind like a mole.

  I locked myself into the bathroom and let myself cry until I couldn’t cry anymore. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Grant.”

  I flinched. “I’ll be right out. Can you keep an eye on Caleb for me?”

  “Tabby’s got the kids in a game right now,” he informed me. “Thought I’d check on you.” He was silent for a tick, then asked, “Is this about last night? If so, I’m sorry…”

  I sighed. He wasn’t going to leave easily. I opened the bathroom door and stepped out, wiping away the tears on my cheeks. “This has nothing to do with last night.” Only a partial lie.

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “My aunt and uncle are insisting on visitation this evening.”

  “Tell them no.”

  “William, the lawyer, told me it would be in my best interest to work with them, and I think he’s right.”

  “You do?”

  I told him all my fears about how they could take him away, not allowing me to see him again if I didn’t try to work with them. And that maybe I as being unfair. Maybe they really did care about Caleb and I shouldn’t keep him from them. I unloaded everything on him, and by the end of my tirade, I felt a lot better.

  “I trust you to do the right thing. If you think this is right, then I support it.”

  “Thanks, Grant. And about last night, I know we shouldn’t have—”

  “That’s not what I was apologizing for.”

  He stopped me. “Then what?”

  “The way I talked to you in the hallway. I had no right to speak to you like that. I was just scared, and as much as I hate to use the word, triggered. I’ve lost people before because they wanted to help and weren’t capable of doing so. I don’t want to lose you for that reason.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. “Grant, I—I don’t know what to say.”

  “No need to say anything,” he said, shrugging. “If you don’t forgive me, I understand.”

  We were in public, at the daycare, so I couldn’t kiss him. But God knew I wanted to. Instead, I placed my hand on his chest to silence him. “I forgive you.”

  “I know it’s not easy, I know I’m messed up, but I don’t want to hurt you with my issues.”

  “Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay?” I smiled at him, and he nodded. “Right now, I need to prepare Caleb to spend time with complete strangers.”

  His face softened. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  I thought about what I was about to say very carefully. “Maybe come and keep me company? To keep me calm. Tabby can be a bit of a loose cannon and feeds into my angst and anger. I need someone to keep me grounded. I can’t risk losing my head.”

  “Sure, I’d love to, but God knows, I may not be the best person to keep you grounded. I can lose my head pretty easily too.”

  “I know,” I said. What I didn’t say was that just by being around him, I felt like everything would be okay. His presence calmed me like no one else could. “But you’re still better than Tabby, trust me.”

  He chuckled and ultimately agreed. It was nice knowing I didn’t have to face my family alone.

  Ooo000ooo

  I was given the choice of meeting places, and since I’d recently been given permission to enter Andy’s house, I chose there. Caleb would feel more comfortable at home with his things. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, Caleb perked up, recognizing his home immediately and getting excited.

  Grant had driven us; my nerves were too shot to drive. His pickup truck looked out of place beside the BMW and the Mercedes sitting out front already.

  “Ready to meet your aunt and uncle, Caleb?”

  Caleb didn’t respond. He was looking out the window at his home.

  I’d tried to hype it up, make it sound like it was exciting, not something he should worry about. The snow had started falling, and Grace had mentioned wanting to play in the backyard. I’d bundled Caleb up in preparation for some snowy fun. The weather was supposed to turn bad pretty quickly, but thankfully, we were in the clear for now.

  I got out of the truck and unbuckled Caleb just as Grace and John climbed out of their car. I had the only keys to the house, so they’d been waiting outside for us. Thomas and Nadia got out of the other, with Michaela remaining in the vehicle.

  Grace rushed us, reaching for Caleb as he clung to me for dear life.

  “Come here, sweetie. Give your auntie a hug,” she said.

  Caleb looked at me. It was my job to stand up for him. “Give him some time. He’s always a bit shy when he first meets someone.”

  Grace pouted. “Well, I think you should teach the boy some manners. He’s supposed to hug his family when he sees them. You shouldn’t coddle him, Piper.”

  I gritted my teeth. “I’m sorry, Grace. I don’t consider it coddling to teach him about bodily autonomy and allowing him to have boundaries, but we’ll have to agree to disagree.”

  I was shocked at how well controlled my answer was. It took everything in me not to snatch Caleb away to protect him forever from these people. But it would be better if we could work together, as William had instructed. Maybe, in time, I could get Grace to come around to my way of thinking.

  One could only hope.

  “Here, let’s go inside,” Grant said, breaking the tension between us as Grace scowled at me.

  I carried Caleb inside after Grant unlocked the door. When I put Caleb down on his feet, he took off down the hall.

  “Sweetie, come here,” Grace called out, sounding annoyed. She put her hands on her hips. “Are you going to let him run off like that?”

  I was already following him when she spoke, so I ignored her. Caleb had run down the hallway and pushed open a door that appeared to be his playroom. He was in the middle of the room, playing with his old toys like his life hadn’t been flip-turned upside down. I sat down beside him as he pushed some toy cars around on a mat with roads on it.

  “Want to take those into the living room?” I asked.

  He shook his head.

  “You can bring any toy you want out there.”

  “I don’t want to.” His voice was soft.

  “You don’t want to what? Go out there?”

  He shook his head. I smoothed back the hair from his face.

  “You know, they only want to spend a little time with you. Then guess what? We can stay here tonight, and you can sleep in your own bed. Would you like that?”

  He nodded.

  “What’s taking so long,” Grace huffed from behind me.

  I turned to find her standing in the doorway. She entered the room and sat beside Caleb, really close to him. Without even asking, she picked him up off the floor and placed him in her lap. He looked startled and struggled to get up, but she held him down.

  “See, that’s not so bad, is it? Just sit with me awhile,” she said.

  “Grace, please, if he doesn’t want to be held, don’t force him.”

  Caleb let out a soft cry which turned to downright sobbing. He fought against her even more, eventually breaking free. He ran over to me and fell into my arms, crying into my shoulder.

  “You think you’re the only one who can love h
im, Piper? You’re not. He’ll learn to love me, in time.”

  “Not if you continue treating him the way you are now.”

  Grace seemed to mull over what I’d just said. She stared at Caleb and I with pursed lips. “Fine. I’ll give him his space, but we have agreed upon visitation.”

  My heart clenched in my chest. Everything in me wanted to tell them all to go straight to hell.

  Thomas’s wife, Nadia, spoke from doorway. “It’ll be fine, Piper. I understand why you’re worried, and I’ll make sure Caleb’s boundaries are respected.”

  I knew Nadia, briefly, from before my mother died. She’d always seemed a lot nicer than Thomas. Almost too nice for him. She was quiet most of the time, but I never had any ill feelings toward her like I did the others.

  She came into the room and sat down on the floor beside me, a friendly smile on her face. “Besides, we’ll just be out back.”

  “Maybe you should stay here, with his toys. He seems more comfortable here.”

  Nadia nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Besides, the snow is really starting to come down. It might be getting too cold.”

  Caleb unlatched from me, and I turned his little face to me. “I’ll just be in the other room, if you need anything.”

  Caleb reached for me. “No! No! No!”

  His arms latched around my neck, preventing me from standing up. I looked at Grace and Nadia helplessly. Grant was now in the room as well and walked over to us. Caleb finally let go of me but only to reach for Grant, who lifted him into his arms.

  “I don’t think stressing him out like this is a good idea,” I said firmly. “You can visit him with me here. I won’t interfere.”

  “He won’t pay us any attention if you’re here,” Grace spat.

  Nadia jumped to my defense. “You know, Grace. She’s right. It’s clear the little boy is traumatized. I think we need to take these things slowly.”

  Grace made a noise that sounded like a growl under her breath. She wanted to argue, but Thomas had come into the room as well, which was large, but not large enough for this many people.

  “Nadia is right,” Thomas announced. “Come on, Grace. Piper has proven to be reasonable. We can set up short visits until he’s no longer afraid of you.”

  Grace turned her hateful eyes toward Thomas as she stood up. “That wasn’t the plan,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Well, the plan will have to change, won’t it?” Thomas raised his voice, and it sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t like his tone at all, and I immediately wanted them all to leave.

  Nadia stood up and offered me a friendly smile before motioning everyone out of the playroom. I didn’t even bother to get up off the floor, and Grant placed Caleb next to me. I heard the front door open, followed by some bickering.

  “Well, if you hadn’t screwed up by trying to force yourself on him,” Thomas scolded Grace.

  That was the last I heard from them. Grant walked over to the window and glanced out. “They’re gone.”

  “Thank God,” I muttered.

  “I have to say, you handled yourself very well. I’m impressed.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure that helped with bringing the family together.”

  “Caleb comes first.” Grant shrugged. “If they can’t accept that, social services will soon realize they’re not fit to be his guardians.”

  “God, I hope you’re right.”

  Caleb continued playing with his trucks, seemingly content now that the strangers were gone. I was relieved it was over, but I knew today wasn’t the end of it.

  They’d try again, and I had a bad feeling they would get more and more impatient.

  Chapter 17

  Grant

  “First night back home, huh? How’s it feel, champ?”

  Caleb was tucked into his own bed, a more suitable toddler bed with trains and adorable little animals decorating the room. Andy might have been an absentee father, but he’d sure spoiled his son. The kid’s room was larger than my master bedroom, and he had a separate toy room to boot. It was almost like he just kept buying his son whatever he wanted, hoping to make him happy since he couldn’t be around much.

  Caleb looked happy to be back in his own bed. He had a stuffed penguin under his arm, and five other stuffed animals that were apparently part of some cartoon he loved. None of them looked familiar to me. His eyes grew heavy with sleepiness.

  “Tell me a story,” Caleb asked. “Please?”

  I didn’t know any stories, none that were suitable for kids. I looked around the room, hoping to find a children’s book, but saw nothing of the sort. Piper was getting the rest of the house ready for us to sleep there, so I couldn’t ask her.

  “Uhh, well, I don’t know any stories, buddy.”

  “Please?” he begged again.

  My mind was mostly blank. I could only think of one thing. “There was once a little boy, not much older than you. He lived in a faraway land.”

  Caleb seemed content with the start of the story. So far, so good.

  I felt the tears stinging my eyes, and I cursed and told myself not to cry. I started the story, I needed to finish it - and I needed to be strong for Caleb.

  “When I first met him, he wasn’t scared of me like the other children were. I was a big, grown man. A stranger to him. But for some crazy reason, he liked me.” I sucked in a deep breath. “He would always wave when he saw me, as if me being there made him so happy.”

  Caleb’s breathing grew more even, signaling he’d fallen asleep.

  “Just like you, little guy,” I added quietly. I waited for a while, making sure he was fast asleep. Piper peeked her head in to check on us.

  “He’s out,” I whispered.

  “Good. Poor boy had a rough day today.”

  She came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked at Caleb like a mother would look at a son. I had no doubt in my mind that she loved him like she would her own child. She stroked the hair back from his face and leaned in, kissing his forehead.

  She rose and motioned for me to follow her out of the room. We walked down to the living room and into the large, spacious kitchen. Piper went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of beer, and handed it me. It was some expensive IPA. I chuckled as I turned the bottle over in my hands.

  “Typical Andy.”

  “Yeah, but I bet it’s good.” Piper dug around in the drawers until she found a bottle opener, but I’d already popped off the tab with the pocketknife I kept on me. I did the same to hers. She held up the opener then tossed it back in the drawer with a chuckle. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t need a fancy bottle opener.”

  “What can I say, you know me well.”

  She leaned against the other side of the counter, stretched across it. I closed the distance and kissed her. I caught her staring out the doorway of the kitchen behind me. I turned to see what she was staring at, but there was nothing.

  “What is it?”

  “Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking this house is almost too big. I don’t like being this far away from him. What if something happened?”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I just feel like I can’t hear him if he calls out to me, and the master bedroom seems so far away from his room and—”

  “Piper, it’s going to be okay. This is his home. He’s been safe here since he was born. The master bedroom is a bit far away, I agree, but there are monitors set up, right?”

  The master was on the other side of the house, which seemed strange to me. You’d think you’d want your kids close to you, especially when young.

  “Yeah, he has baby monitors still. I guess that’s how he could hear if Caleb needed him. I have no idea how he did anything.”

  “We’re going to do it our way, so his way doesn’t matter.” I took a long sip of beer; it was pretty good, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

  “Our way?” She cocked an eyebrow and grinned
at me.

  I shrugged. It was a slip of the tongue, but whether I’d intended to be or not, I was attached to both of them and not likely to go anywhere. I was part of Caleb’s life now and couldn’t leave him. I was in it for the long-haul.

  Piper leaned forward to kiss me again. This time our lips lingered, enjoying the feeling of each other’s mouths.

  She stepped back, and with the crook of her finger, motioned for me to follow her. I still had most of a beer on the counter, but God knows, I wasn’t able to resist her. She stared at me with seductive eyes, beckoning me with a promise of so much pleasure to come.

  She led me to the master bedroom, and my eyes watched her every movement. Her hips swished as she walked. She stopped when she got to the bedroom door as if listening for something.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I—I just want to check on Caleb again. I have a weird feeling. It’s probably nothing, just nerves.”

  She scurried to his bedroom, and I followed her. I assumed everything would be fine, but I understood Piper’s concerns. He was a bit far away for my liking too. I made a mental note to look at the other rooms closer to Caleb’s, to see if we could sleep in one of them instead.

  Piper had reached Caleb’s door first and turned the knob. When she stepped inside, I heard her say, “Caleb? Caleb, where are you?”

  Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I rushed down the hall. I prayed he was just hiding in his closet or under his bed. His bed was empty. His toy penguin was missing too, but the rest of his stuffed animals were scattered across the floor. I didn’t like the way this looked.

  Piper was frantically searching the other rooms. She was crying and her voice cracked as she called out, “Caleb, this isn’t funny. If you’re hiding from us, please come out now.”

  I studied the room. I hurried to the window, which was too high for the little guy to reach on his own. It was closed, but when I looked closer, I noticed the locks on it were broken. His dresser sat beneath it, and everything on the dresser had been knocked to the floor.