Claiming What's Mine

by Holt, Leah

  “I knew it,” she said, her mouth full of food.

  “How did you know?” Jayden asked.

  “Well,” she started to say, then held up a finger as she swallowed. “You look like me.” Using her thumb, she brushed the small bump in the center of his nose. “We match.”

  Smiling, Jayden chuckled as he agreed. “Yes we do.”

  Bliss kicked her feet back and forth as she finished her lunch. “So, now what?”

  “Now we get to know each other,” Jayden answered. “I need to learn all about you, everything.”

  “That'll take some time, I'm a complicated person.” Bliss tilted her head, raising her brows high as she opened her eyes wide. “I hope you have a lot of time.”

  Jayden laughed, shaking his head as if to agree with her. “I have all the time in the world.” Holding out his arms to accept her challenge, he had this smile on his face that made my heart melt.

  He looks happy, really happy.

  “Why don't we go outside and let them talk for a minute,” my mother said, tapping Bliss on the shoulder and standing up.

  “Oh, good, Gram, I want to show you this gross bug I found.”

  Bliss ran out the door, my mother following. “Great, should be fun.” Giving us a wink, she let the screen door bounce shut.

  Jayden stood up from a crouched position, his smile thickening as he stepped towards me. “I'm sorry, Blue.”

  “Sorry? You don't need to be sorry for anything, you didn't do anything wrong.” My eyes opened apologetically, ready to accept full responsibility for keeping him in the dark about Bliss. “I should have told you, I'm an asshole for not.”

  “No.” Reaching for my hands, he pulled me to my feet. “I shouldn't have stayed away this long, I should have come back a long long time ago.”

  “Jayden, you can't put any of this on yourself.”

  Wrapping a strong arm around my waist, he yanked me into his chest, his eyes burning with need. “It doesn't matter anymore, I've made peace with all of it. All that matters is that I have you now, that I have my daughter now. I don't need anything else.”

  With light fingers, he brushed the loose strands of hair away from my face. Lowering his lips to mine, he kissed me gently.

  Holding my chin with his thumb, he tipped my head up and looked into my eyes. “You two are all I'll ever need in this world. I hope you know that.”

  Nodding, my eyes welled up with more tears, tears that came from a happier place. “I know. I feel the same way, you're what's been missing from my life, Jayden. You belong here with Bliss and I, in this shitty town, drinking shitty coffee, and shopping at the shitty market up the street.”

  “You're right, I want to walk down the road and be able to tell our daughter all the crazy, stupid things we did as kids. I'm never leaving again, Blue, not ever. This town is stuck with this Henry whether they like it or not.” Laughing, Jayden, scooped my entire face into his palms, holding my cheeks firmly. “I love you, Betty-Sue Fable, I've always loved you, and I'll never stop loving you.”

  Pressing my hand against the side of his face, I stood up on my toes. “I love you too, Jayden Henry.”

  Crushing my lips against his, I kissed him. I kissed him like I've been kissing him for years, I kissed him as if we hadn't lost a decade together.

  Jayden dipped me slightly, deepening our kiss. And as we found each other again, I knew I would never leave his side.

  We could live anywhere in the world, and as long as we had each other, it would always be home.

  Because home was where your heart belonged, and my heart belonged to Jayden Henry.

  Epilogue

  Jayden

  One year later

  “Here we go!” I yelled, swinging the sledge hammer with all my strength.

  A giant hole exploded through the sheet rock, creating a window into the living room. Standing proudly for a moment, the destruction sank in, permeating through my skin. Aside from burning the fucking place to the ground entirely, renovating it was the next best thing.

  It felt so fucking good. Like I was breathing new life into the home, releasing all the negativity from my father, and rebuilding the place my mother had grown up in and loved.

  The idea to rebuild came from Blue. Beth and I were arguing one day about selling or keeping the property. We both wanted it to stay in the family, but neither of us wanted to live there with how it was.

  There were too many horrible memories for me to ignore. Every hole in the wall, every cracked tile or broken cupboard made me relive a memory I wanted to forget. I could smell the scent of stale hops as if they had soaked into the wood floor.

  My father was gone, but his presence still filled that house. I couldn't live there—I wouldn't live there, not like that.

  Renovating was a brilliant idea. The house would stay in our family, but it wouldn't be the home that either of us associated with our father. It would be totally different, with four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a sun room, and a huge kitchen that was open to the living room. Every last inch of that place would be new on the inside.

  Beth was going to get her own place above the detached garage. We were adding a little apartment for her, a single bedroom, with everything she'd need.

  Finally, after painfully waiting for months for all the permits to go through, we got the go ahead from the town to start working on our family's farm house. I couldn't wait to get started, building houses was one thing I was really good at.

  When I left home at eighteen, all I had were my hands to offer. I didn't have a diploma from high school, let alone a degree from college. I didn't have any work history other than working on the farm with my father, or little odd jobs around town like sweeping, painting, and cleaning gutters.

  But my hands, my hands had already seen a lifetime of work. Baring the scars of long days, the skin was cracked and calloused, giving my hands the feel of sandpaper.

  Despite the rough edges, my hands were tender and delicate, able to capture butterflies and hold baby crickets without hurting them. I could hold my daughter if she was upset or got hurt, I could gently lift Greg into his wheelchair.

  These were the hands that loved Blue, my woman, the girl who has owned my heart since I was twelve years old. She would beg me touch her, to caress her, to run my hands all over her body, because she loved how they felt against her skin. My hands could do so many things.

  The side door flew open, creating a whoosh of wind that kicked up dust and dirt from the sheet rock. Looking over my shoulder, Bliss was charging through the doorway, her smile so big and infectious, I smiled instantly.

  “I want to try that!” Bliss yelled, snatching a pair of safety glasses off the floor and slamming them onto her face. “Dad, let me do it. Can I, Dad? Can I do it?”

  That will never get old. . . Smiling to myself, I just watched her for a moment, not giving her an immediate answer. I loved hearing her call me Dad. Every time the word came out, I could feel it run through my body, filling my soul.

  My little girl. My daughter.

  The first time she called me dad, I stopped in my tracks as my heart swelled and tears sat behind my eyes. It was something I'd never forget.

  Bliss was sitting at the table, her eyes squinting as she read the back of the cereal box. Letting out a short giggle as she spooned another bite into her mouth, her words were unmistakable. “Hey Dad,” she said, her eyes never looking up, the word seeming to roll off her tongue with ease. “Why did the student eat his homework?”

  I remember I stopped in the middle of the room, almost wondering if I heard her right. Before that I was either Jay or Jayden. Once she had called me Papa Jay, and Blue laughed out loud. But not Dad, not once had I been Dad.

  Neither of us wanted to push Bliss to do something she might not be comfortable with. Yes, I wanted her to call me dad, but that was only if she wanted to. She was a child, a child who was suddenly face to face with the man who gave her life.

  We left it up to her, givin
g her the choice to call me what she wanted to.

  I sat in this silence, peering at her with twinkles in my eyes and my heart about to explode. That word had finally come out on its own, she had chosen to use it.

  And I felt privileged to be her father.

  Bliss lifted her face to mine, still chewing as she asked me again. “Dad, why did the student eat his homework?”

  Dad. She actually called me dad.

  “I don't know, why?”

  “Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake!” Blurting out the answer, her head fell back as she laughed hysterically.

  After that moment, she never called me anything else, I was just dad. And I loved it.

  “Alright, you want to do it?” I asked, leaning on the handle of the sledge hammer like a cane. “You want to try and use this?”

  Bliss nodded yes as Blue walked in behind her, carrying a tray of coffee. “Be careful,” she called out, setting the coffee down on the counter. “That thing is bigger than you are.”

  Holding out her hands, Bliss wriggled her fingers for the sledge hammer. “Please, please, let me do it. I'm ready, gimme gimme gimme.”

  “Alright, alright, calm down.” Holding the sledge hammer just out of her reach, I looked down at her as she tried to grab it. “Are you sure you want to try this? It's not as easy as it looks.”

  “Yes, yes, let me try.” Her fingers wiggled faster, moving back and forth swiftly.

  “And you know where to hit?”

  “Yesssss.” Drawing out the word, her eyes were gaping as she tried to jump and snatch the hammer. “I can do it, Dad.”

  “Bliss, you're not doing anything unless you listen to your father. He'll tell you how and you'll do what he says. You can really hurt yourself ,or someone else, if you're not following directions.”

  “I know, I'm listening to him, Mom.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “It's not rock science you know.”

  “Rock science?”

  “Yeah, rock science.”

  Blue smirked, nodding her head in agreement. “You know you're right, it's not rock science.” Her lips turned paper thin as she flicked her eyes to mine. “I guess she's got this.”

  “Alright,” I said, lowering the handle so she could take it. “All you need to remember is hit it hard, and don't miss the wall.”

  Bliss grinned as her thin fingers wrapped the wooden handle. Taking it with two hands, she attempted to lift it off the floor, but wasn't able to get it past her hip. Her small muscles popped in her arms, her face contorted and crinkled as she dug deep for every ounce of strength she had.

  “Argh!” she grunted out as she swung the hammer. The head struck the wall, creating a large crack, but no hole. “Oh come on!,” yelling, she set the hammer down and pointed at the wall. “I hit it so hard and it didn't break.” Dropping into a chair, she looked so disappointed.

  “Don't worry, that happens. You can try again after, there are a lot of walls coming down.” Taking the hammer back, I leaned it against the wall and walked over to Blue. Wrapping her in a hug, I kissed her softly. “Hello, Lovely, thanks for the coffee.”

  “It wasn't my idea, it was this one's.” Glancing down at her belly, she cupped the growing bump. “He decided he wanted a caramel mocha swirl, with two sugars and an extra shot of caramel.”

  Blue was five months pregnant with our son, but we hadn't decided on a name yet. We knew his middle name would be Greg after her father, but his first name hadn't come to us yet.

  Leaning over, I kissed her belly and whispered. “Good, job, buddy.” Grabbing my coffee by the lid, I leaned against the counter and looked at the wall. “Hey, Bliss, want to try something else?”

  Twisting her body in the chair she was sitting in, she perched herself on her knees and held the back. “Yes,” she said eagerly, her smile wide as the Cheshire cat as she dug her fingers excitedly into the leather.

  “Okay, come on.” Ticking my head towards the side door, I walked forward and pushed it open. Holding the frame, I fanned my arm out. “After you,” I said, bowing my head as Bliss jumped from her seat and ran out the door.

  “I don't know how I feel about the look on your face right now.” Blue curled her arm over her belly as she took a seat. “No getting into trouble you two.”

  Flashing her a bright smile, my brows bounced up to my hairline. “What? Trouble? Not us. Right, Bliss, we don't get into trouble.”

  My daughter snickered, covering her mouth with her hands. “Yeah, Mom, not us. We're angels.”

  “Mh, hm,” she mumbled as she sipped her ice coffee and relaxed back in the chair. “I'm ordering pizza for dinner, so don't take too long, I'm starving.”

  “Yes, Ma'am,” I said, giving Blue a wink and taking Bliss by the hand, leading her out to my truck. Opening the door, I went into the glove box and sifted around until I found what I was looking for.

  Taking my daughter's hand, I slipped a small box into her palm and covered it with mine. “Do you know what this is?”

  “It's a jewelry box.”

  “Yes, but do you know what's in the jewelry box?”

  “Jewelry?” she asked, cocking a brow.

  “It's a special piece of jewelry.” Opening the top, the ring glittered and sparkled. “This is the ring I'm going to ask Mom to marry me with.”

  Watching her expression, her eyes glazed over and her smile emerged, spreading from ear to ear. “You are?”

  Nodding, I said, “I am.”

  “That's good, because grandma said you better put a ring on it before she croaks.”

  “She did, did she?” Bliss giggled and shook her head yes. “Well, do you want to help me?” Shaking her head yes again, I smiled. “Perfect.”

  Blue

  Where in the world did they go?

  Waddling to the window, I peered out through the cracked and foggy glass. Not seeing anything, I decided to go find them.

  They had been gone for almost an hour, and I couldn't imagine waiting one more second for food. I was starving.

  Walking outside, I could hear laughter coming from behind the house. Making my way around, I could see Bliss and Jayden in a small clearing. Bliss was running circles around him, her giggle finding the air easily and riding it outward like ripples in water.

  Jayden looked up first, spotting me as I came down the small hill. “Hey, there you are. I was wondering when you'd come looking for us.”

  “Mom!” Bliss yelled, running towards me. “Look at how many I have!” Holding up a jar with dozens of fireflies, she stuffed it in my face. “Check it out, Mom.”

  Pulling my face back, I took the jar from her hand and looked inside. “That is a lot honey, I think that's the most I've ever seen you catch.”

  “I didn't catch all of them, Dad helped.”

  “Well, he is really good at it. He did learn from the best.” Flashing a smug grin, I rocked my head proudly on my shoulders. Attempting to hand it back, Bliss pushed it back into my chest.

  “Count them for me? I want to know how many.”

  “Count them? Why don't you count them?”

  “Because you're quicker.”

  Jayden came up behind Bliss and rested his hands on her shoulders. “You should count them.”

  Rolling my eyes, I said, “Fine.” Looking into the jar, I started with the bugs on the sides. “One, two, three. . .”

  Wait. . . What is that?

  Something in the bottom glittered. It wasn't blinking, it wasn't a burst of light that snapped and disappeared. The color was different, it wasn't green or blueish, it was brighter, with more colors, sparkling like a disco ball.

  Is that. . .

  Oh my God, it is.

  Snapping my head up, Jayden wasn't standing anymore, but he was resting on one knee. The look in his eyes gave me chills, wonderful, incredible chills.

  “Are you?” I asked, covering my mouth with one hand as I held the jar.

  “I am,” he replied, gently sticking his hand into the jar
and pulling out the ring. Swallowing hard, Jayden bit his bottom lip, tugging on it slightly. “Betty-Sue Fable,” he said, taking my hand in his. “Will you marry me?”

  Tears had started fall down my cheeks as the realization set in that he was asking me to be his wife. Letting out a happy gasp of air, I sniffled and nodded my head. “Yes, of course.”

  Bliss started cheering as Jayden slipped the ring over my finger and stood up. Clapping came from behind us, causing me to whip around.

  My mother and father were up by the house, both of them with tears in their eyes. I could see the happiness in my father's face, I could see how proud he was of us, and the life we were building together.

  Wrapping me in a big hug, Jaydeb held me like he never wanted to let me go.

  And that was fine with me. Because I didn't want to ever be anywhere else.

  Fate had a way of finding you, my father was right when he said that. Fate wasn't always kind, it wasn't always filled with smiles and laughs. There was anger and hate, there was sadness and tears, fate had a dark side.

  But if you waded through the mud, if you found your way through that darkness, the sun would eventually shine.

  We all have stories, our pages mixed with good and bad. But it took all the pages, each and every one to make us who we were. Jayden was an incredible man, a wonderful, amazing father, and I was lucky to call him mine.

  I had been his for a lifetime already.

  And I was ready to be his for eternity.

  Happy Reading!!

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