Logan
My stomach was hurting so bad from all the laughing. We all sat out on the patio around the fire pit, drinking a nice cold beer and enjoying our late afternoon. Sophie's birthday was a blast. She loved every bit of it, and I was so glad that everyone took the time to come celebrate with her. She's had it rough these past weeks, and it pained me to see her so down.
Nothing is the same when she's not smiling. She always makes the house seem so alive and warm when she's happy. Even if it was sunny outside, just having her feeling down makes the day feel gloomy.
We had just had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, and we all decided to relax for a while outside.
I smiled, taking a sip of my beer and looking at her. Nathan had fallen asleep with his head on my lap, and my mom came to cover him up with a warm blanket, knowing that if he was moved, he'd wake up cranky. So, we decided to let him be, enjoying our night and each other's company.
"I'm telling you, that guy had it coming. He was acting so sure of himself, thinking that they had beat us. I passed the ball to Martinez, and he kicked it straight into the goal. That goalie didn't even have time to react, it was epic." Aaron talked about his last match before going off to thanksgiving vacation. I was so happy for him and my sister, they make a good couple. But the most important thing is that he makes my sister happy, and he loves her, treats her good, and respects her.
No other guy has treated her like that, and I was glad that they both seem so level-headed. They don't care about going out to parties, or wasting their time on superficial events that will only take time away from what really matters their future and education.
I don't get tired of hearing people say I act like an old man, and have an old soul because I didn't party my college years away. In my defense... Steven partied enough for the two of us.
"That's my boy, he was born to shine in the field." Mr. P proudly smiled at him, patting him on his shoulders. "Don't fill his ego dad, his head won't be able to fit inside his favorite ball cap. Oh, and which is it? That's right, Lakeview football. Guess who got the captain's title this year? Me, son, me." Jason beamed with enthusiasm, flexing his biceps. Everyone chuckled at their brotherly rivalry.
I can't believe these two became such good players. I recall when I used to help babysit them with Sophie while her parents were out. They would bombard me with questions about the latest video games and ask me to play a friendly game with them out in their backyard. Mrs. P always had the backyard beautifully maintained. It was like falling on top of pillows when we'd fall on the grass.
My phone began to ring, I carefully moved my arm from over Sophie's shoulders and got my phone out. I glanced at the caller ID and saw Steven's number on it. "I gotta take this, babe, help me out yeah?" I asked Sophie as I showed her the phone, and she immediately scutched over, taking my seat, and laid Nathan's head on her lap.
I walked to the far-left side of where we sat, sliding the phone to answer and placing my free hand over the rail as I looked out towards the trees. "Hey, honey, what's up? Miss me already?" Steven chuckled on the other end, sighing deeply right after. "Yes, baby I miss you. When are you coming home?" he responded playing along, making me burst into laughter.
"What's up? How was your Thanksgiving dinner?" I asked him, though I knew he had to be on duty this year, hence the reason he didn't come along.
"So here's the thing... I need your help, asap. How much longer are you guys staying up there? I need to talk to you in person, Logan. You were right, fucking hell, you were right." he says, sounding happy, but I could tell he was crying as well. It made me unease, Steven has been my best friend since I came to Lakeview as a kid. We have been inseparable.
"Well, we were thinking of staying up here a few more days. Steven, what's going on man? What exactly are you talking about? What was I right about?" I said looking towards Sophie. She ducts down, placing a gentle kiss on Nathan's forehead and covering his exposed shoulder. It made me smile at how beautiful she looked. She's an amazing mom.
Steven goes on, unable to wait for me to return to Tennessee, and begins telling me about the confrontation he just had with Roxanne and her mom. My suspicions were correct, Roxanne is hiding lots of things, and thanks to her mom, Steven is now a hundred percent sure that Kaitlyn is his daughter.
"Please, Logan, you have to help me get custody of my daughter. I need her Logan. You have no idea how pissed off I felt when Roxanne said she didn't want her. She's a snake, bud, and I can't have my daughter around her. All she does is belittle her, acting as if they're not even related. I mean, who fucking does that, man? She's her daughter, for fucks sake. My heart hurts for that little girl, Logan. You have to help me, I don't care how much it costs, I need to make sure she has a stable home and a better future." I was distraught by his words.
Steven may be the biggest man whore in all our town, but he's caring and very responsible. "Steven you don't even have to ask. You can always count on me. Roxanne will pay for all the damage she's cost Kaitlyn and you. We'll go over the procedures and I'll get started on the paperwork soon as possible. But you gotta relax man, you can't go the rest of your shift all pissed off. Believe me, shit goes wrong every time your mind is clouded with anger." I said trying to calm him down.
His voice made it evident that he was bothered and very pissed off.
"I know, it's just...grrr," he grunted in anger. I chuckled, picturing him pulling his hair and his cheeks flared with anger. I could hear his patrol radio going off. He lowers the volume and sighs.
"You have no idea how much I regret everything that's happened, Logan. I should have never messed around with her. She's a horrible human being. The only good that came from it was my daughter. I'll be damned if I let her stay in her life, filling her with her venom. Kaitlyn deserves better, and I can provide that for her than I'm willing to do whatever it takes to give her that life she deserves." I smiled, kicking a small rock on the floor and sighing.
"And I'll be there for the two of you. Now, get your ass out there deputy, and make sure everyone else in town is safe. I'll see you when we get back home, stay safe out there, ok bud?"
Though I intended to hang up and go back to my girl, Steven and I ended up talking for another thirty minutes. We finally hung up when he was called in for a 1054. I began to laugh at his irritation, "Damn it, I bet you old Jenkin's cattle broke through that old fence again. Oh well, gotta go round up those cows and bring them back to his farm. I'll talk to you later, bud." he says hanging up the phone.
I nod my head in enthusiasm and place the phone back into my pocket. The sun had long gone down, and the days were getting colder. My eyes averted quickly as a snowflake landed on my shoulder, then another, and another. The first snow of the season. I smiled and saw everyone was noticing, they all stood up and began to pick up. I quickly went over, picked up Nathan in my arms, and cuddled him. Sophie smiles placing a kiss on my lips.
"Everything ok?" she asks, rubbing off the lipstick off my lips from her kiss. "Everything is great babe. Let's get inside, it's starting to snow." I say as we both look up. A single snowflake falls right in the middle of her cheek. I kiss it away, making her cheeks blush.
"I love you," I whisper in her ear, making her cheeks blush again. "I love you too," she responds, making my heart content. I'm so lucky to have her. To have a second chance with her. I look forward to our future when I can see her finally walking down an aisle, wearing a white gown and making her Mrs. Spencer.
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