Losing Control

Chapter 17

Friday was a day full of surprises for the Bolat family. The children were all excited because they knew that Serkan and Eda were getting married. Kiraz could finally call Serkan daddy officially, not that she cared, he was her daddy, she had claimed him weeks ago, just like Ebru had claimed Eda as her mama.

None of the other children knew that he was officially adopting them and changing their last names to Bolat. He and Eda had kept all the paperwork quiet, working on it after bedtime. She had taken it with her to court and filed the documents, making everything legal. On Friday the petitions would be heard, and the four children would have their last names officially changed.

Serkan had the discussion with his mother weeks earlier, after the problems with Balca Kocak came to light. He wanted to make sure that she had no issue with it, "Anne, I know that they biologically aren't Bolat's but . . . ."

She stopped him, "But in our hearts they are. I think that we are overlooking how they were conceived right now. I know that I am. For me I see three children that I adore. Three children that I couldn't love more regardless of how they came into our lives. They are your brother and sisters. You are a Bolat, they should be as well."

He smiled at his mother, she understood him so well, "Thank you for understanding."

"It has done my heart good to see you come back to yourself. You are stronger than you ever were. Having a family has been good for you. You're a father now."

Serkan wondered how his mother knew about Eda being pregnant and then he realized that Kiraz and Ebru called him daddy all the time, "I'm legally adopting Kiraz too. You will have a house full of little Bolat's to spoil, just not too much."

Aydan playfully slapped his arm, "Now have you seen me do that? I have never believed in spoiling a child rotten. Eda I would like to spoil but she won't let me, so I meet her for lunch once a week when she can fit me in. Your fiancée is a wonderful woman Serkan, you have chosen very well."

His look of completion gave Aydan such joy and a bit of sadness. Alp never had that look when he was with Selin. "What's wrong anne?"

"Nothing Serkan. I was only thinking of how different your love for Eda is compared to Alp's for Selin. I don't think that they would have married had he lived, his eyes and demeanor didn't have the same happiness as yours do. They didn't share the same love that you do."

He had thought the same thing many times. Not because of his dislike of Selin, though that drove much of it, but it was also his distrust of Kaan and the thought that Selin and Kaan were cheating behind Alp's back. He had the conversation with Engin, but he never did with Alp, his brother had been happy. It added to his pain, another of the 'what if's' that had added to the escalation of his downward spiral. Serkan knew he couldn't go back and relive that all over again though, Alp's life was his own. He had made his choices.

Serkan chose his words carefully, "I don't believe that Selin was faithful to him while they were together. She came on to me at a party less than six months after he was gone, so no, I don't think that theirs was a deep and abiding love."

Aydan was speechless, "Are you telling me that the woman had the nerve to sit here and pretend cry to me about how much she was missing Alp when she was cheating on him and then she tried to hook up with you?"

"Basically, yes."

"She had best not cross my path again. Selin will regret her lies."

When the issue with the boat happened, his mother drew him to the side in the parking lot, "Protect those children Serkan. Get the paperwork filed. If you need me to use the name for anything I will."