It Goes On - Book l

Closer to Us

Mainly just fluff... No drama again... yet. 

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Simon's Point of View:

Today, 4:32 PM

Love: 'When you get back to the ranch, park at our old house. Our surprise for Johnny and Teeter is ready!'

Me: 'Ok. In the truck now waiting on him to get his shit together'

Love: 'You know you're excited! I'm chomping at the bit to see this new baby!'

Me: 'I know you are. Little lad has a helmet because of his head shape for a few weeks'

Love: 'OMG! Bless him! You be safe driving home!'

Me: 'Always. See you soon. I love you'

Love: 'I love you too babe'

I drove as slowly and as carefully as I could on the way home, doing my best to ensure the baby and Teeter's comfort as my top priority. I was cautious of potholes and black ice and other things in the road, not caring that I was going ten under the speed limit. I did it with Kiera, and I was going to do the same to Johnny's new baby.

Kiera and I had spent most of our afternoon cleaning up the house we had stayed in prior to us moving into the main lodge. Giving them our old house had been in the works for months, slowly changing things around to give it a new feel for them. Prior to my last deployment, we had just gotten done redecorating the master bedroom and decorating the nursery in Teeter's favorite colors. I had done the heavy work while Kiera was in charge of decorating. She had such a big heart for those closest to her, and it was amazing to see how much she did for someone besides me. She had already done so much for me, but watching her caring attitude in a different perspective really helped me appreciate just how lucky people were to have her in their lives.

Aside from me already knowing that the house was formerly ours at one point, the inside looked completely different once we were done, and all we did was move around the furniture, put in a new mattress that Johnny had mentioned he wanted for his back, put on brand new sheets, and decorated it to both Teeter and Johnny's taste. Teeter loved turquoise and Johnny loved blue, so it was quite easy to shop for decorations to make this house their home. They deserved nothing more than to have their own home to raise their first child in – not some single room cabin that was further down the driveway.

And they would be closer to us.

I remembered the story Bud told me about the ranch – about why there were two other houses built a few hundred feet away from the lodge. It was to keep the family together and was meant to be passed down to the next generation when the prior one was up.

Johnny had always been a part of my family, but now, it was set in stone that it was undeniable. And now, I could be a part of his.

"Why're we at your old house, L.T.? Thought Kiera wanted to see the baby."

"She was over here cleaning and has the kids with her. Didn't want her to walk back to the lodge by herself."

"But... there's a UTV right there—"

"Just get out of the truck, Johnny."

"O-Okay... Bonnie? You alright?"

"Sore, baby," She sighed from the backseat of the truck, rubbing her stomach with her left hand while her right kept the pacifier between Foster's lips. "'M ready to get out of this truck – rides like a log wagon."