Dayton

Epilogue

Five years have passed since Ajax was in his car crash, and it took him some time to heal. He had a broken left leg, a broken left wrist, three cracked ribs on his left side, multiple cuts and scrapes, and two black eyes because he was hit by the other car on his side of his vehicle. The truck that hit him was going eighty miles per hour, and it is amazing that he is still alive. The healing process took him about three months, and two of those were used for physical therapy.

Let's see, I am twenty-nine, Darien is eleven, Orion is nineteen, and Kenlee (our daughter) is five. Ajax and Dakota are thirty-seven, Arabella is thirty-six, Arwen is nine, Darius is six, and Dallas is thirty-two. Dalton is thirty-four, Bailey is thirty-five, Cole is seven, and Shelbie is five. Dallas has no children, and he has not had a boyfriend for three years now, and both are fine.

Orion has a beautiful boyfriend of four years, Keaton Greene who is also nineteen. Kenton is tiny in height, but is absolutely adorable as he stands at 5'5". He has fluffy blond hair with bright green eyes, and is so sweet and kind.

"Dada, can Ken come over, and stay the night, please?" Orion asks as he joins me in the kitchen where I am preparing lunch for all of us.

Glancing over at him as I continue to chop veggies for the chicken stir fry I am making; "Sure, baby. Is everything okay at home for him?"

Orion frowns at me which worries me greatly; "Not really, dada. His dad's drinking has gotten worse, and he is becoming increasingly more violent toward Keaton."

This makes my heart drop instantly into my toes; "I am gonna speak with papa about Keaton potentially moving in here with us. I cannot stand the idea of Keaton being abused."

"Really?" he immediately asks, relief flooding features and body.

Nodding with a soft smile; "Yes, really, O. I love Kenton like my own child, but do not say anything, or get your hopes up until I speak with papa."

"I won't, and thank you, dada," he eagerly says, giving me a hug around the waist before bouncing away to do whatever he is gonna do in his bedroom.

Shaking my head fondly at my son's sweet behavior because he did not want to outright ask if his boyfriend can move in with us because his home life sucks. Kenton's mom died six years ago from an aggressive form of breast cancer that was caught too late.

"Hey love, what has Orion in such a hyper mood?" Ajax chuckles as he enters the kitchen as I finish cooking lunch.

"Kenton is coming over later, and staying the night," I chuckle, looking over at him. "I also need to speak with you on a serious topic, and please hear me out before replying, please?"

Ajax nods in agreement, so I continue as I face him fully; "Kenton's father. His drinking has become worse, and starting to become abuse toward Kenton. I want him to move in with us, so he will not  be abused. If we allow this, obviously there will be ground rules, so what do you think?"

"Let me think on this until the end of dinner, okay?" he asks, leaning his back against the counter with his arms crossed his chest.

"Kids, lunch is ready!" I call out, and the three of them join us shortly, and the five of us sit down to have lunch together.

Near the end of lunch, Ajax catches my eyes, and he nods his head before glancing at Orion. Catching his meaning, I clear my throat, gaining the kids' attention.

"Papa and I talked earlier, and we have agreed that Kenton can move in with us," I tell them, but specifically Orion.

Our oldest child grins broadly at us; "Thank you both so much! Can I call Ken to let him know this before he comes over tonight?"

"Yes, you can, baby. The sooner he can move in, the better," I tell him with a smile. "If he needs help bringing his stuff here, then let us know, okay?"

He eagerly nods, dancing in his seat as he continues to eat his lunch. Ajax and I giggle at his joy. Hours later, Kenton arrives with two cardboard boxes, four duffel bags, and one school backpack for college.

"Mr. West, Mr. Valentino, thank you so much for allowing me to move in," Kenton says, relief evident in his voice and body. "I promise I will pay rent, buy my own groceries, and do chores."

"Ken, come here, love," I murmur with a gentle smile as I open my arms wide, and he rushes over into my tight hold.

He wraps his arms around my waist as I wrap my right arm around his waist, and use my left hand to hold his face against my neck, and he hysterically sobs. Several minutes later, when he is just sniffling, I grin at him as he takes a step back while I hold onto his wrists.

I gently tell him; "Now listen to me, Kenton. One, you are not paying us rent as long as you are attending college. Two, you do not need to buy groceries unless there is something that you want specifically that has not been bought. Three, yes, you can help help doing a few chores, like the rest of us. You are not only our son's boyfriend, but you are our son now, too."

Kenton stares at me for several seconds before slowly nodding in understanding as Orion comes over to hold Kenton tightly against him. There is an adorable height difference between them - Orion has grown to a surprisingly height of 6'2", and Kenton is 5'5".

"Can we go to our room until dinner? Yes, we will leave the door open the entire time," Orion asks Ajax and I with hopeful eyes.

"Sure. Dinner will be ready in an hour," Ajax answers with a fond smile, and the two boys head off to their room.

Ajax looks over at me with a chuckle; "Our kids are awesome, all four of them."

"They are indeed," I softly hum in agreement as Ajax pulls me into his arms.

"I can never begin to explain to you how thankful I am for our family, and how much I love our family," Ajax murmurs into my hair before kissing me there.

"Me too, babe," I whisper, pecking the warm skin at his neck. "Even with the bumps we have had along the way over the years, I could never imagine walking through life with anyone else but you."