Alyssa gets up and stirs pots checks ensure everything is going well, and then returns to the table. Helen seems to have the most stories, which is understandable after all she had eight children. There is a few that I didn’t know about Kathryn that really make me laugh until Kathryn punches me in the arm. I hug her and say, “Just think about all the stories we’ll have to share about our kids growing up, including the one where we found our Princess Sam underneath an Oak tree.”
I’m not sure why but I get up and pull Kathryn along with me something tells me Samantha is about to wake up. I excuse us on our way up the stairs. We just reached the bed as Sam comes awake. She comes off the pillow straight into Kathryn’s arms. Then her eyes fly open and she says, “Mommy, I had the best dream. My real Mommy and Daddy told me about you. That you’re going to be my Mommy from now on, and you’re going to be my Daddy too. They are Angels now watching over me. Even my old Mommy she says she was so sorry for letting him hurt me, she said she was going to make him stop that he killed her. Is that true?”
With a sad expression I say, “Yes, Sam it’s true it looks like he did kill her.” Then I brighten and say, “It’s also true Sam that we’re going to be your Mommy and Daddy from now on.”
Kathryn smiled brightly and says, “Thank you Angel Mommy and Daddy for helping us watch over Sam.”
Sam whispers something to Kathryn. Then as Kathryn walks towards the bathroom with Sam in her arms, Sam waves over Kathryn’s shoulder at me and says, “Back in a second Daddy.”
I wait patiently for my Love and my new daughter I hear water running, the toilet flush, and lots of giggles from both Sam and Kathryn. Now walking beside Kathryn, Sam has a hold of Kathryn’s hand. When they reach me Sam holds her arms up for me as she comes into my arms very naturally. When she’s at my shoulder she takes a deep breath and says, “I smell food.”
With a chuckle I ask, “Are you hungry Sam?” I get an enthusiastic nod yes and a stomach growl in return from Sam. I say, “I guess it will be all right to feed you a little bit. I don’t want you growing up too fast on me Sam. Can I keep you a little girl for a year or two?”
Then Sam giggles brightly and says, “I will be four soon, July eleventh. That will make me a big girl Daddy.”
With a chuckle I say, “Well I can’t keep you from getting older, that’s not something I want to stop ever. So you’re going to be a big girl, what does Princess Sam want on her birthday?”
Giggling merrily Sam says, “I got it already. I wanted a new Mommy and Daddy.”
I smiled brightly and say, “Sam you got us, and a whole lot more. Want to meet your new great grandma, and grandmas?”
Still giggling Sam asks, “I get a family, a really big family?”
Kathryn says, “You sure do Princess Sam. You get eight aunts, and five uncles, a grandpa, three grandmas, a great grandma, and a great uncle too.”
Sam’s eyes go wide she says, “That’s a lot of people to get to know.”
I chuckle and say, “Let’s start with the grandmothers. They are downstairs in the kitchen making you some dinner.”
Sam giggles again, “It smells good.” Sam’s stomach growls, and mine growls in return causing Kathryn to laugh.
Kathryn says, “It looks like I have a hungry family.”
I shift Sam so I can carry her with one arm and hold Kathryn’s hand she pulls me to the elevator and pushes the button she says, “Sam we have an elevator.”
Sam’s eyes go wide as the doors open and we step in. When the doors open again on the kitchen and we step out Sam says, “I like the elevator, it takes me to the goods smell.”
Three grandmothers and great-grandmother laugh hearing Sam statement, they stand and walk to us. Mom is first to reach us and I introduce Sam to her, “Sam this is your grandma Maggie.” Sam giggles and leans over to Mom and Mom takes her into her arms and Sam gives her a kiss. Mom smiling brightly as the day I asked Kathryn to marry me, She doesn’t smile like that very often, but more recently she really likes the idea of being a grandmother.
Mom then takes her over to Helen and says, “Samantha this is your grandmother Helen.” Sam again goes from Mom to Helen giving her a kiss too.
Helen then turns to grandma before she can even say anything Sam reaches for her and says “Great Grandma” then goes to her giving her a kiss.
In a moment or two grandma with a tear in her eye reluctantly hands Sam back to me, I walk up to Alyssa who has return to cooking not sure of what she should do. I ask Alyssa, “Mom says you’re staying right?”
Alyssa answers without turning, “Yes, I think it’s best if I do.”
I say brightly to her, “Great, now that I know you’re staying I need to tell you something; only family lives here and I’ll not have you live anywhere else. Because your family, now turnaround and meet your granddaughter.” Alyssa turns around quickly with a bright smile she wraps both Sam and me in a tight hug. After kissing her on the cheek I say, “Sam this is your grandmother Alyssa.”
Sam kisses Alyssa and says, “I’m going to love your cooking grandma, it smells good!”
Just as easily as that, Sam has stolen the hearts of her new grandmothers. I know she had Kathryn and mine five seconds after we met her. Kathryn comes over and gives Alyssa a hug too. We all have happy tears running down our cheeks. With a giggle Alyssa says, “I better get back to cooking.” Sam stomach again growls causing Alyssa to giggle. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint my granddaughter on the first meal I fixed her.”
Giggling Sam says as her stomach growls again, “I don’t think that’s going to be happening.”
Alyssa turns with a smile she gives Sam a kiss on her cheek. Then Alyssa turns back to her cooking and wipes tears with a dish towel.
To distract Sam I say, “Sam let me show you the rest of the house.”
“Should we start with downstairs Love?” I ask Kathryn as I lead her to the elevator.
Downstairs the elevator opens onto the family room. One wall of the family room is completely made of glass with a single doorway through to the solarium and our pool. Sam’s face shows her excitement with wide eyes at seeing the pool. She excitedly asks, “Daddy, Mommy can you teach me to swim?”
Looking her straight in the eyes with a serious face I say, “Yes, Princess Sam we’ll teach you how to swim. I need to teach you first what you need to do to be safe around the pool. You never go in by yourself. You understand Sam?” Sam shakes her head yes so I continue, “Mommy, Daddy or one of your Aunts or Grandmas has to be with you or you can’t be in the pool. You understand Sam?” Again more headshaking and I continue, “I really don’t want you to even be in the room by yourself. We’ll make sure you get to spend a little time ever day in the pool. Okay Sam?”
Sam’s reply is a happy, “Okay Daddy.”
Now I let Sam in on something else, “If you go in there by yourself Sam, I won’t let you swim for a whole week. Somebody always has to be with you when you are near the pool.”
Sam asks, “Okay Daddy. You won’t just hit me?”
I set down on the sofa and Sam stretches across both Kathryn’s and my lap and she leans against Kathryn. I gently begin to explain how I will punish Sam if I ever have to. “Sam I never want to hit you, so if we ever have to punish you, you won’t get to do something like go swimming or ride your bike for a day to a whole week.”
Sam looks at me questioning so I continue, “If I spanked you Sam how long will that hurt? If I made you give up something you like for whole week. Would that be better or worse?”
Sam shuffles then says, “I don’t like being spanked, but I think having to give up swimming for a whole week would be worse.”
Kathryn giggles and says, “We’ll make sure you know the rules very well before we punish you ever. But if Daddy has to punish you I will not change it. If I have to punish you Daddy won’t change it either. Okay Sam?”
Sadly Sam says, “Okay.”
Now I tell Sam, “Sam if you remember what we tell you not to do, and don’t do that I’ll never have to punish you. I’ll never punish you for asking questions or something I haven’t told you not to do, or just being Sam.”
Sam giggles brightly now, “If I’m good I get to swim all the time.”
Kathryn I both say, “All the time Sam.”
I say “Now let’s show you the rest of the house.”
Sam hops up and pulls on both our hands, “Daddy, Mommy show me.”
We explain to Sam, she can go anywhere in the house but the pool by herself. I show her the home theater and the big-screen TV, the game room and the TV there. We show the big safe room, we tell her this is where you go if bad things are happening, like a tornado.
We walk back upstairs; the rest of the family has return from the fireworks, even the Judge, Marshall and Misty along with Michelle Collins. Of course all the Edwards are here now too. Sam looks at me and asks, “Are all these people my family?”
With a chuckle I say, “Yes my Princess Sam, they are all our family.”
Story-tellers note:
I realized there’s very little sex, and romance in these chapters, but dealing with the subject matter I thought it best to leave that out for couple chapters. I promise in upcoming chapters there’ll be plenty of hot Romance. JJ and Kathryn can’t live without it, as you’ll see.
The other thing you’ll find is I write these chapters in the present tense for the majority. Some may say that is a grammatical error, but that’s my choice. I do that to make you part of the action. Hopefully give you the sense of actually being there witnessing to the events of the story, which by the way these are all fictional.
I didn’t do that lightly, and if you wondered about the long dry spell was because I was researching the facts on the use of tenses in modern literature. Detective novels are all written in the present tense, to give you a sense of being part of the action, most fictional novels are written in the past tense and publishing houses tend to demand that all submissions be written that way. That makes it easier for the editors, of those novels.
Call me a nonconformance, because I decided that was not my voice. Because I’m not writing for them, I’m writing for your enjoyment. I’ll use tense the same way you would in normal speech. To say something is happening now or in the past to the character. If there are other grammatical errors please PM me so I can learn to correct those in my upcoming chapters, short stories and other works. I Apologize for misuse words, and try to keep those to a minimum correcting them each and every time I do find them, but I am only human. This chapter contains 5848 words I hope I missed less than 1% but still that would be fifty-eight words that were misused, I really hope I did miss that many.
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