I reckon she was like the wind. Strong and resilient.
I thought of him as my security. Someone to run to.
Life of an outlaw was anything but easy. Making a living from lying, stealing, killing, with a mix of running and hiding. It became even more d...
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Almost instantly after you had finished bathing yourself, you spotted an excited Jack had come running towards the direction of his father.
"Papa!" The young boy yelled out breathlessly, jumping up and down in his spot.
"Y-yeah, Jack?" John as usual, had barely paid any sort of attention to his young son, not even bothering turning around to look at where he stood. He sat onto Old Boy, who was slowly trotting away from Jack.
"I made momma a bracelet!" The young Marston boy proudly held out the accessory made out of flowers in front of his father. "I want to make her another one, will you come with me?"
"Sorry, Jack. Dutch needs me to do something in town." The scar-faced outlaw lowered the reigns of Old Boy, causing him to trot faster away. He looked around to see who could take his son instead of him, "Uh... Ask your uncle Arthur! I gotta go now Jack, sorry."
With that, John had left Jack behind at camp without even saying a proper goodbye to him. You watched as the poor young boy's expression faltered into a soft frown, his face now downcast onto the grassy field. Ever since you've come to camp, you've witnessed how John and Abigail's relationship consisted of constant fighting of how John has been an absent husband and father. Abigail's main priority was to get John to acknowledge that Jack was his son, which so far, has been failing.
Guilt washed over your being as Jack had to experience being ignored by his own father on a daily basis. Arthur had always been tasked to look after Jack while John avoided him, resulting in the young boy building a close relationship with the gunslinger.
You walked over towards Jack, kneeling down to his eye level. "Hey, kid. I heard you wanna make another bracelet for your ma."
"Aunt (name)!" The young boy's mood suddenly transformed from being glum to cheerful. "Momma really liked the other bracelet that I made, so I thought I'd make another one."
"Mind if I come with you then?" You smiled fondly at the adorable Marston boy and wondered how John could just avoid him like that.
"Yes you can come! Can we bring uncle Arthur along too? You too feel more like my parents than my own sometimes." Jack sheepishly admitted, taking a hold of your hand.
You didn't know whether to be flattered, or feel guilty from Jack's statement. He knew about your new relationship with Arthur, and had felt Arthur being more of a father than John had been ever since he was born. Sure, Abigail had always been there for Jack, but he never saw his parents loving each other. He had witnessed how you and Arthur had been sweet on one another, which was something he longed to experience with his parents.
Your hand reached for the top of Jack's head, ruffling his hair in the process. "Don't worry, kid. John will come around, I promise. Let's go find your uncle Arthur and see if he's not busy."
***
A soft smile graced your lips as you witnessed Arthur being genuinely so kind to young Jack. It had especially melted your heart when the cowboy knelt down onto the boy's eye level, listening patiently as Jack had told him about Abigail's reaction of his flower bracelet.
