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Rosa and Anna were daddy’s little princesses, but Gabriel was the prince,but blood Maybe it was for that reason that I went above and beyond for the boy I never wanted him to question his place in our family

His mother and I had decided it was better if he learned the truth of his parentage froht, rather than hear it froh only my immediate family, ie, mom, dad, and Garrett kneasn’t about to take any chances

When he was four years old, old enough to understand and yet young enough that it wouldn’t do too e, we sat hie as opposed to waiting until he was a teenager because we didn’t want hiuessing every gesture, every kindness, and wondering

This way, he knew, but he also knew that it s My son, that beautiful boy, his only worry was if this faceless onna come and take him away from his home

Once he was reassured that his daddy would never let such a thing happen, he was back to being my little ot his nant lived in another country

Of course, we didn’t tell him the truth about his conception, and I hope he never finds out I would do anything to see that that never happens The ugliness of that night is soh I can’t wipe the memory from his mother’s heart

I know she still carries it with her And so hi for since he was young She wanted toof theelse I worked very hard to achieve Making my son into a man his mother and I could be proud of

Now he’s a teenager, a young man who, because of his closeness to me, knoay e The kids today, they knowthan we did back then The shit they have to deal with, it’s a wonder any of theh school

But reat pride and adiven h sometimes I wish he wasn’t so serious And sometimes, he watches hisabout the man who’d fathered him

Now I looked at him across the rooone His mother and I are very proud of hi up too fast

I walked across the roo into a fine young hteenth birthday, that time when he passes from child to man

“Thanks, dad!” So stoic for one so young! He has an innate sense of duty and loyalty that sooes on in his head He’s so hteen years, he’d grown into a son that any man would be happy to call his own, and it had been a while now since I even remembered that I wasn’t there when he was conceived

He and his sisters had been shielded froed drastically in the last five years Moirls were in their first year They’d started out on the wrong foot, though, shunning ifts

The first time they tried that shit, I chucked every last one of those pretty little gift-wrapped fucks out the door I didn’t have to say anything for thee, to know that e when it comes to my wife and son

When dad tried to play the tough with me, I’d taken him into the library and told him how shit worked in my house If I wanted my wife and kid subjected to his shit, I would’ve stayed in his

Sofia was my wife, and she was due the sarandson as the girls were, and if he couldn’t bring his that way, he could carry his ass next door to Garret’s place