Forgiven 2 of 4

Chapter 34

"Where are we going?" Trey asked as they piled in the car, "I was supposed to go see some of the guys from high school" the last thing he wanted was to attend some forced family reunion.

All Charlotte could talk about lately was their cousins Anthony and Harper, he had yet to meet them and their dad. "Seriously mom, I'm not a little kid, why do I have to go?"

Helen gripped the steering wheel even tighter, "Trey, they're family. Your Uncle Adam is finally home from the hospital we're celebrating that" Adam had been home a few weeks but this was the first time all their schedules aligned. She was anxious to the get the meeting over with, she had visited Adam in the hospital but she doubt he remembered much of the meeting, or even that it happened.

Declan leaned forward from the back seat, "So, let me get this straight.,Aunt Kim is dad's little sister, right?"

"Yes, she is his baby sister, she's a lot younger than Uncle Phil and your dad" she explained, it was sad that at one point in their lives they all lived within a four hour drive of each other and never visited. "I wish we all had spent more time together, but that's about to change"

"Aunt Kim is my favorite!" Charlie said, "and Anthony and Harper are the cutest"

Declan rolled his eyes, "okay, so when dad got messed up with those bad guys, they hurt Aunt Kim, right?"

Helen glanced in the rear view mirror, "where are you going with this, Declan?"

Declan leaned back in his seat and stared out the window "isn't Adam gonna hate us, it's because of dad that everything happened to him and Aunt Kim"

Adam sat stiffly in the chair, the solid wood chair wasn't the most comfortable chair. He was tired of being uncomfortable and in pain, the doctor saying it was all normal for the injuries he had sustained and that it should subside soon.

He watched as Anthony colored the placemat, "so, my appointment went well today" he grabbed Kim's hand, "he said I could resume 'normal activities', like everything, work, sex, the gym" he smiled, though it quickly faded when he saw her mood shift. "I didn't expect that reaction"

Kim placed Harper's pacifier back in the baby's mouth, "what reaction, Adam?" Just the thought of him returning to work made her want to throw up, she wouldn't tell him that though. It was something she knew she needed to keep to herself, his job meant the world to him and she wouldn't take that away from him. No matter how much she hated it, she would learn to deal with it.

"I don't know you looked almost sad, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I was given the okay to have sex and go to the gym"

She laughed, "no it was definitely not that. I'm pretty excited about that" she could feel her cheeks warm, they hadn't been together since just a week or two before Harper was born and their entire world came crashing down on them.

"Are you now?" He arched an eyebrow, "seriously, though I know you're upset, is it about me going back to work?"

"Sorry we're late guys" Phil said as they sat down, "Adam, how's it going?"

Adam was cursing their timing, "I'm good, Phil" he watched as the two older boys hung off to the side, Charlie had already greeted him with a hug and was happily coloring with Anthony. "Hi Helen, how are you" he hugged her.

Helen carefully put her arms around Adam, "I'm so glad you're okay, boys come meet your Uncle Adam" they both walked over, "Adam this Trey and Declan"

"Hey fellas, it's nice to finally meet you, your Aunt Kim has told me about you both" he was hoping to form a bond with them, he knew they needed a strong male presence in their lives their father even when he was alive didn't fit the bill.