To Love A Cowboy

Chapter 6

When the day arrives for mama to ship out, Kolton, granpa, nanma, and I are emotional wrecks, and so is mama. We are at the airport saying our goodbyes, and her flight boards at 2 p.m.

"Mama, I'm gonna miss you," I murmur as I tightly hug her with my face buried against her neck as we stand off to the side of the waiting area at her gate, and I'm the last one to say goodbye to her.

"I'm gonna miss you, too, my sweet baby boy," she murmurs before kissing my shoulder since I won't move from my spot. "Take care of Kolton like he will care for you, okay?"

"I will, mama, I prmoise," I whisper as a male voice speaks over the speaker announcing her flight is now boarding. "I love you, mama."

"I love you, too, Kalen," she murmurs with a soft sniffle as she steps back with a watery smile to grab her duffle bag from the floor at her feet.

She turns the watery smile to the family; "I better be going, and I love you all."

Mama quickly walks away before any of us can answer, and doesn't look back which I totally understand. Once mama is out of our sight, we walk toward the entrance of the airport with Wynter's leash clutched tightly in my left hand. Reaching granpa's extended cab pickup truck, we climb in, and he drives us home with everyone remaining silent.

Arriving home twenty minutes later, we climb out and I ask; "May I take Tru for a ride, please?"

"Kalen," Kolton starts to protest, but granpa stops him when he gives me permission to do so.

"Thanks," I whisper with watery eyes before walking toward the barn with Wynter after I unclip her leash from her harness.

Grabbing Tru's purple blanket, harness and halter, I enter her stall to place everything on her before climbing onto the saddle and walk her from the barn. I decide to walk the fence line because the scenery is beautiful, and I'm not comfortable yet with the other trail to go there alone.

During the thirty minuts I am on the ride, I cry the entire time, so when I am back at the house, I can be the one to offer support to Kolton, granpa, and nanma. Upon arriving back at the barn, I take the equipment off Tru, brush her down, and lead her to the corral before placing away everything. Wandering slowly into the house with Wynter, and when I enter the house, I can hear talking come from the kitchen, so I head there, and when I enter the talking stops.

"What's going on?" I question with a raised left eyebrow and a frown as I stop to lean against the counter to look at everyone.

"Come sit down, Kalen, as we need to talk," granpa says with a tired voice as he nods at the empty chair next to Kolton.

"Talk about what exactly?" I suspeciously ask as I slowly walk toward the chair to sit down.

"How you are actually doing with your mama's deployment," nanma answers with a sad smile.

My anxiety spikes instantly as I have no desire to have this conversation at all, but I especially don't want to have it in front of Beau, Dallas and Cassidy.

"I'm okay," I murmur wondering why the others are here for this conversation. "No offense, but why are they here, too?"

"We are all family here, Kal," granpa answers. "I don't think you are okay, and that's fine. Your mama is the only parent you and Kolton have had in your lives."

Clamping my jaw tightly shut at the underlining mention of our absent father, and I refuse to comment, so I remain silent until someone else speaks.

"We know who and where your father is, and we have disscussed you meeting him with your mama a couple of days ago," nanma says after a couple of minutes of tense silence. "He lives here in town with his family, and if you two would like to meet him, we can arrange this."

My jaw tightens again in anger as Kolton angerly snaps back; "Who the hell is he, and why the fuck would I want to meet him? He left us, and got himself a new family!"

"Kolton, calm down. We understand this is a lot of information to take in," granpa calmly says. "Your dad's name is Carter Wade, and don't you want to know where you came from in regards to him?"

"I come from mama and you two," Kolton seeths as something clicks in my brain.

Starring at Cassidy, I demand; "Are you Carter's daughter?"

"No, he is my uncle, and he has three more children," she quickly answers, and she seems a little uneasy. "His wife's named Amelia, and their kids are Henry, and faternal twins Ryan and Rachel."

"Good for him," Kolton grumbles as he crosses his arms over his chest in defiance.

"I want to meet him," I state in a low raspy voice, and I can feel the shock radiating off everyone, especially Kolton.

"Why?" Kolton demands harshly while he turns slightly to glare at me as if I will change my mind.

Not backing down from my twin, I softly answer; "I want him to know what he has missed out on when he walked away from mama and us. He might have found himself a new family, but he needs to be shown what he missed out by not being there for us over the last seventeen years."

Kolton and I silently stare at each other as Kolton thinks for a few minutes before he slowly nods in agreement.

"How old are our siblings?" he asks as he glances over at our new discovered older cousin.

"Henry is 14-years-old, and Ryan and Rachel are 10-years-old," Cassidy answers with a fond smile of her cousins. "Carter and Amelia have been together for fifteen years, and married for eleven years."

Kolton and I nod as we absorb all this new information.

"When can we meet them?" Kolton asks, and granpa says he will set it up for as soon as possible.