Filed To Story: The Lingering Kiss of Farewell Novel
They’d never gotten to have that and likely knew it was due to their mother having amnesia, and didn’t know who their father was. So, deep down, they wanted that, as much as Marrin herself had once wanted it; growing up inside the foster care system without a real family.
They didn’t even live in the same state, so him just dropping by to see them at the end of the day, or them wanting to see him after school, none of that could happen. There would be no spontaneous dinners out or taking them to see a movie when something they wanted to see hit the theatre’s. Everything was going to have to be pre-arranged weeks in advance. The flight there and back left little time as well, so there would be no bringing them back to Houston, for the weekend, half of the time would be spent on the plane.
He’d not even gotten around to asking them what they wanted for Christmas, or asking Marilyn what he should or couldn’t buy, due to what she’d already bought for them. He sighed heavily that had been part of his intent today, but it had gone out the window with her bringing the boys to meet him for the first time.
He’d not even really thought it was a possibility that she would do that without a pre-arranged agreement. He’d gotten way-laid by the twins themselves being there. Though she hadn’t seemed to mind at all that he’d focused solely on the boys. Perhaps that was what she was expecting from him, that his focus would go from her to them. Maybe it was also what she wanted.
“A custody agreement is going to be difficult to work out,” he muttered. “We live too far apart.”
“Not easy,” Wil agreed, “but she’ll be willing to work one out with you from the look of today and that’s a good thing, Calvin. Though it’s likely you’ll have to come out here every other weekend to see them. Maybe arrive on Friday night and get them all of Saturday and half of Sunday, fly back Sunday afternoon.”
He could only agree. “Probably should look at buying a house here in Roanoke, so it’s always the same house they come to when i visit and not always just in a hotel suite.” He nodded. “I can set up a house for them as well.”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, Calvin, baby steps remember. This was just a meet and greet. There is no need to buy property until you know what she wants in that custody agreement. Likely, living in different states, you’ll only get to see them once a month to begin with, and a few days in the school holidays. Let’s just calm down your thinking and focus solely on the here and now, Christmas,” Wil stated.
“Christmas Eve?” Calvin prompted, turning to look at Wil.
“You’ll arrive here that day in the afternoon, so dinner, that was a thought, is all. I might even be able to get her to sit down with you and the boys for it. I’ll work on that,” Wil nodded. “Come on, let’s check out and head back to Houston. She mentioned to me, she didn’t want you here all week in the lead up to Christmas. She has her own life, and it will not be revolving around you. That much is clear to me. She doesn’t want to see you until Christmas Eve.”
Calvin could only give her what she wanted, and it was only four days away. “Did she say I could bring mum and dad?” he asked as they headed back into the hotel. Knowing his parents were likely going to want that themselves.
“I didn’t actually ask that particular question, I’ll put it in the email when we get back. But I dare say your mother will want to see you the minute we get back to Houston.”
“I know, she will be waiting for me at the apartment, impatient to hear about how things went.” He nodded. “I was, as you’re aware, hard-pressed to stop her from coming today.”
“Can you really blame her, Calvin? She loved Marrin, asked about you two starting a family more than once, I believe.”
“Mm,” he nodded. “Now we’ve got that only we’re not together anymore.” He sighed. “I should have listened to you, Wil, all those years ago.”
“Yes,” Wil stated, “none of this would have happened if you’d only listened to me, and not even just all those years ago, but also just months ago as well.”
They checked out and were headed home to Houston and an hour later, and it was probably the longest flight he’d ever taken, or that was what it felt like to him, having to leave them in Virginia and knowing this was how it was going to be for the foreseeable future.
He got off that plane and even as he and Wil were being driven back to his apartment, he took a call about there was an issue with one of subsidiary companies out in Silicon Valley, and Wil huffed himself when he stated, “We’ll fly out in the morning, pull the manager in for a Sunday meeting, 10 am.”
“It’ll be a good distraction for you,” Wil muttered. “Fill in time between now and Christmas. Being away better than sitting in your office.”
“Agreed.” Calvin stated, though if things didn’t go well, he’d likely have to send Wil back early so as not to miss his first sonogram with Anabell. That could also put him out, if his plane was in use. Maeve’s own Christmas could be interrupted, and he did try and not do that on major holidays. It was normally easy to do. He just stayed in Texas.
Wil nodded as he put a call in to Maeve regarding the new schedule. “Christmas?” she asked right away. “You will be home for it, even if you have to drop me in Virginia on Christmas Eve and fly right back, pick me up the day after Boxing Day.”
“Alright, I wouldn’t normally ask, but I got a houseful this year,” She murmured. She’d been his pilot for a decade, and they got along. He tried to respect her family commitments as much as he needed her to fly him here, there and everywhere. Most things didn’t interfere with her life, but this one could well do.
He also put a call to his secretary and had her adjust his schedule and make sure to send it to Marilyn right away. Before getting out of the car, he looked at Wil. “See you in the morning.”
“Good luck with your mother.” Wil smiled at him.
Calvin nodded and took his bags from Lou, nodded to him and headed inside, knew his mother was up there waiting for him. She’d arrived an hour ago, sent him a text which he’d gotten the moment his phone was off flight mode.
Marylin
The boys were nonstop chattering all the way back to the house, and they grabbed that phone to text Calvin the moment they were in the door. She shook her head a little, but didn’t stop them. There was no reason to. She’d started letting them have free rein over that phone after Calvin’s family wanted to share photos.
She was not about to stop Calvin’s parents or even his sisters from interacting with the boys. She’d like his whole family and so had no reason to stop that from happening. She would likely just allow them to be around the boys all the time if that was what they wanted. So their family bonds could grow properly.
She knew Kay and Malcom, Calvin’s parents, would be loving, doting grandparents. That’s what they had been with their other grandchildren. Now that she recalled who she was and who they were, she did actually feel a bit on the sad side, that they’d not gotten to see the twins grow up, to spend time with them, which she knew that they would have.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault, just she’d had that accident and forgotten everyone was all. If that hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t have kept the boys a secret from Calvin or his parents. Divorced or not, she knew deep down inside of her she’d have told him, regardless of whatever had happened between them. Dads had rights.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.