A Life Completed (Hard Time Series Book 5)

Sunday

STEF POV  

"We pretty much have everything on the list babe." Lena says as we start putting away the groceries we got for Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day. I have to admit I am pretty excited to see Frankie who is arriving tomorrow and have the family together again, including Noah who I damm sure miss as well despite the fact he's only twenty minutes away.   That meant nothing because I missed having all my babies under one roof, even Callie.

But, the Christmas season had become my favorite time of year especially once I met Lena and we were released from Chow more then a decade ago, and once I started to live a straight life with her. That made all the difference in the world. 

Truthfully I had always tried to give Jude the best Christmas I could before I got locked up but it was never kosher and the way I earned the money to spend on him wasn't either.  But, it has been ever since I have been with Lena, every minute of it and to that I was grateful and I know all my babies were as well.  It had not been easy in the beginning for me , but looking back being this way, living the life we lived was amazing.

Like clockwork every year we host Thanksgiving and Christmas and for the past few Roxy had been doing the cooking along with Mama Rose which was a great help and prevented Lena from being in the damm kitchen all day and night which I hated. Sure I helped her but I wasn't the greatest at cooking even if I tried and if I was honest I always ended up just fooling around with my wife. She would push me out laughing and it would only make me wanna smack her ass and kiss up all over her even more. And I knew she loved it. 

But this year was different in some sense because the real question was what in the fuck we were doing with Callie.  I damm sure didn't want anyone missing dinner but then we couldn't leave her ass alone. Which is what I really fucking wanted to do if I was fucking honest for in my mind she deserved to eat alone.  She really fucking did even if I knew that wasn't going to happen. I just knew my wife was NOT missing dinner because of Callie, again.

"Yes except I don't see the smoked paprika or cinnamon." She says looking around in the empty Trader Joe grocery bags. 

"Fuck really? I could have sworn we got that. Or..." Thinking back and rolling my eyes at my myself I know damm sure what the fuck happened I just do. "Fuck, I was supposed to get that. I went down the fucking aisle for fuck sake!" I slam the box of macaroni down as Lena grabs my hand trying to get me to calm down but this seemed to happen more and more. My short term memory was complete shit the last few months and it was really making me fucking ass crazy.

"Love, it's ok. You forgot. It's ok. It happens to me all the time." She says softly smiling.

"Lena, you sent me down that aisle to get it. And I forgot. Like I always do. For fuck sake. I swear my brain is like a fuckin vegetable. It's worse then after I had this fucking stroke. Fucking useless ass I am."

"It's not honey. Stop that. It happens sweetheart, it really does." She continues to soothe as I feel nothing but frustration towards myself and look back into her sensitive eyes for Lena was so patient with me, she just was especially these last four years when I needed it most. 

"Well if I can't remember something as simple as that then what? Why do I keep forgetting shit?"

"Honey, it's ok. I told you I forget too and maybe we need to start writing stuff down again. And that's ok. We can also keep doing the exercises we use to. Ok?"  I shake my head at myself for how fucking ass stupid was I and how I continued to feel effects from the stroke I had a few years ago. "You are doing well honey. Ok? You are."

"I'm not Len. It feels like I'm deteriorating all the time. I need a stronger prescription for my glasses, my memory sucks, I have to USE that fucking ass cane sometimes still and I just...