Sam and Kathryn both giggle and shake their head yes. Ron looking through the scrapbook sees how young Kathryn looks four years ago. There’s a picture of me and Kathryn in the front porch swing of the Edward’s home a little after I gave Kathryn her necklace. We were kissing in the picture.
Ron asks, “Just how old are you Kathryn? You look awfully young in this photo.”
Chuckling I look at the photo and tell Sam, “That was twelve days before you were born Sam.”
Reese says to Ron, “You’re not supposed to ask a woman her age.”
Kathryn giggling says, “It’s okay Ron, I’m fourteen and yes we are legally married. I finished high school, and because JJ and I have made a billion dollars together we both decided we’re not going to go to college, even though JJ was offered a full scholarship to a few for his football.”
Ron shakes his head a few times trying to get his head around everything Kathryn said. He asked, “You mean you’re really ready at fourteen to be a mother?”
Sam immediately comes to Kathryn’s defense she says, “Mommy is great. She’s as is good with me as Angel Mommy, a whole lot better than old Mommy was. When I first got here I was so scared, and Mommy never let go of me. Mommy and Daddy kept all the bad dreams away, Mommy let me get clothes like hers. She wants everybody to know I belong to her and Daddy. Mommy and Daddy love me. I don’t care how old she is. She’s my Mommy.” Sam clutches to Kathryn who comfort Sam.
Ron leans over and rubs Sam’s back he says, “Princess I was just worried for nothing I see. Obviously Kathryn is ready to be a good Mommy to you.”
Sam for the first time I ever heard her pouty voice. She says, “Okay Ron, as long as you know Kathryn is my Mommy now. My Daddy is JJ and will always be from now on.”
Ron still caresses Sam’s back as he says, “If they are who you love as your Mommy and Daddy. They love you as their daughter. Then you are with whom you should be with.”
Sam looking into Ron’s eyes says firmly, “Yes I am, and they belong to me.”
Smiling I say, “My daughter is absolutely right I do belong to her, I can’t see my life without her as my daughter. I knew that when we brought her home from the hospital on the night we were married, for the second, third, fourth, and fifth times.”
That’s gets a confused look from Ron and Reese and I say, “Maybe it would be better to show you this time.”
Kathryn’s eyes light up and she asks, “It finally got here our weddings video?”
Picking Sam up and helping Kathryn to her feet I say, “It got here yesterday while we were trading. Mom signed for it.”
Sam giggles and says, “I finally get to see it really was you that I wished for you to be my Mommy and Daddy.”
Leading everyone to the elevator I say to Sam, “Yes you do Princess, Mom says there are a few other things that came with it.”
It takes a few minutes to put it in the player in the TV room and get it all set up. Sam is squirming in Kathryn’s lap she so excited she can’t sit still. Kathryn is almost as bad and I feel her impatience. The video starts and I quickly take my seat beside Kathryn and Sam. Sam leans back against me still setting in Kathryn’s lap. The video begins as a pan around the crowd focusing on me for a moment as I stand there nervously. They move off of me and in the background I see Sam being held by Lester and Nicole by their side. I point out to Sam and she says, “There are old Mommy and that asshole Lester. Daddy Lester was so cruel to me he hurt me a lot.”
With compassion in my voice I say, “I’m sorry Sam I couldn’t stop them, if I could have I would have. If I had known I would’ve tried. I can never hurt you like Lester.”
Looking up into my face Sam says, “I know that Daddy, you love me. Lester never did. There’s no mean in you, I think Lester only had mean in him.”
The music starts and the doors open, the bride maids and the groomsmen step out then it’s Kathryn’s turn with her father they step out, Sam practically squeals seeing her Mommy in the wedding dress. It still takes my breath away on how beautiful Kathryn is at that moment. Kathryn’s father quickly hands her off to me on the video and Kathryn squeezes my hand and my heart starts again and I take a heavy breath. I know Kathryn felt my emotions because I feel hers then too. We feel a strong mixture of love, pride, joy and a dash of lust top the list.
The clouds roll in as we reach the end of the dock and the cameraman catches people looking up. He swing back to Kathryn and I just as the music stopped the sunlight illuminates us giving us the illusion of being brighter than our surroundings. Sort of like they did on the TV show about Angels, and Sam whispers Angel Mommy.
It only takes the cameraman a second to adjust, but I swear there’s a second face over Kathryn’s shoulder for a moment. Ron and Reese notice it too, and they both suck in a breath at the same time Sam was whispering. Sam says, “That’s right when I wish you will be my new Mommy and Daddy.”
Ron asks, “Did you use a Spotlight, to get that effect?”
Sam says, “The clouds opened up and it’s the sun shining on them.”
The video keeps going as Judge Thurgood and the three ministers gave the marriage vowels stopping before you may kiss the bride. As the fourth minister steps forward and gives the vowels can just see Lester and Nicole walking back towards the house there the only two people that move during the ceremony. All the ministers step forward and Judge Thurgood they each say simultaneously you may kiss the bride. I lift the veil in the sunlight strikes the rubies of Kathryn’s necklace. A warm glow shows between us, I lean in and kiss Kathryn. The glow from the rubies and the way we stand create an image of a red heart during our kiss. The crowd roars watching the two of us kiss. Then our in-laws begin congratulating us, the cameraman focuses in on Mom, Helen and Michael senior, all three have tears of joy.
Reese and Ron both ask to see the beginning again, we watch it in slow motion this time the face is definitely there, and it is a woman she leans in kisses Kathryn’s cheek for only an instant and disappears. When it is over Sam stands and kisses Kathryn in the same spot with tears running down her cheeks she says, “I miss you Angel Mommy.”
Kathryn pulls Sam to her; rocking Sam in her arms she too has tears. Kathryn says, “Sam I love you, I know you miss your Angel Mommy, and that’s okay. We both love you.”
It takes Sam a long time to calm down and stop crying but as the two of us caress her and give her light kisses she eventually stopped crying. Sam in a shaking voice asks, “If Angel Mommy was there with you Mommy where was Angel Daddy?”
The answer comes from my heart and I say, “He never left your side Princess. He was always with you even though you didn’t know he was there.”
Sam asks, “How do you know Daddy?”
Again the answer comes from my heart saying, “Because Sam that is where I would be. Whenever you were in trouble or endangered I would never leave your side.”
Sam points out, “Daddy you did leave me and Mommy in the safe room when Lester was coming after me.”
I point out to Sam, “Your Angel Daddy and Mommy was there with you Sam, your uncle Marshall was with you, Mommy was with you, and I wasn’t going to let Lester anywhere near you.”
Ron and Reese have a questioning look on their face before Ron asks, “What exactly happened to Lester no one seems to share that story.”
I’m looking at Kathryn and she knows what I’m going to ask without asking she says, “Come on Sam let’s go get us a glass of water and wash our faces.”
When Sam and Kathryn have left the room I tell the story, for the first time without leaving out a single detail. When I finish Ron and Reese look at me and Ron says, “JJ you did what you had to. You protected your family using what you had available. You did this without a firearm of any kind?”
I say, “I’m more than capable of killing a person if I absolutely have to, I did kill a bear that was threatening my family.”
Reese asks, “I knew a lot of guys that were pretty good at martial arts. Exactly how did you kill the bear?”
In a matter-of-fact voice I say, “I kicked him in the neck hard enough to crush his spinal cord, throwing it back about six feet.” I walk over to the intercom button pressing the one for the kitchen I asked Kathryn if she can bring the bear skin when she comes back. I know they both her the story before, but I don’t believe they have seen the skin yet.
Kathryn giggles, “We hadn’t shown the bear skin to them yet.” That was more for Sam than us.
It takes a few more minutes but when they return Kathryn has the bear skin draped over her and Sam with Sam on her shoulders the bear skin still drags the ground. Ron shakes his head seeing it he says, “That looks more like a grizzly than a black bear.”
I shrugged my shoulders other than the zoo I haven’t seen a live bear other than this one. So I have very little to compare them to, and really don’t care to increase the sample size I have in my memory.
I take the bear skin and spread it out on the floor, Kathryn and Sam giggles as I tickle them to get even with them for wearing the bear skin. They giggle as I say, “That’s what you get for trying to scare me.”
Sam giggles and says, “Daddy you’re really brave, nothing scares you.”
I don’t want to bring myself down in Sam’s estimate of me but I have to confess that I was very scared when it came to the bear. With a smile I say, “Sam that bear had me scared half to death.”
Sam shaking head no says, “Mommy said you were really brave stood right up to the bear.”
I continue telling Sam, “I did Sam, but I was still scared if I didn’t stop the bear it was very likely to hurt your Mommy and your Aunts.” No use telling Sam the bear would likely have killed all of us.
Ron interrupts he says, “Sam that’s what true bravery really is. Never letting fear stop you from doing what you need to do, especially when you’re protecting your family, your friends and the people who depend on you.”
Reese says, “Sam it’s good that JJ is really brave, Nancy your Angel Mom was like that too, so was your Angel Dad.”
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