Chapter 50

Alone again. Rylan sat quietly on the couch watching the news. Something we stopped doing when the kids were growing up. My hand brought us two mugs of coffee. He thanked me and I sat next to him. “This is strange Rylan, what’re we supposed to do? Talk to each other?”

He laughed and looked up at me from the mug. “I guess,” he said through his laughter.

“How’s life?” I asked.

Rylan nodded, “I got that job at the University. I start in the fall.”

I curled my knees up, “That’s exciting sweetie.”

He nodded and looked at the TV. I balanced the mug on my knees in front of me. I wore shorts that I hadn’t worn since we had kids. Rylan sipped at his coffee and stared at the moving pictures. There was nothing I could think to talk about. We both sat in awkward silence for what seemed like hours.

The phone finally rang and I leapt for it. “Hello?” I asked hoping it was one of the kids.

“Shiloh, its Phoenix.”

I froze, “has something happened?”

“No I’m fine. Everything is fine, sort of.”

“Sort of,” I asked?

I heard him exhale on the other line, “I’m alone Shiloh”

Those words were all I needed to hear from him. Within the next few weeks we sold the house and did something I never expected. Rylan and I moved into the Oreson mansion with Phoenix. I was packing boxes with Rylan when Phoenix stepped into our room. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay in this room Phoenix?” I asked while hanging up some of my shirts. Rylan was putting things into the night stand.

Phoenix leaned against the door frame and shook his head. “No, too many memories. I think I’ll go back to the bachelor pad.”His thumb pointed in the direction of his room down that hall. I laughed as I thought of his room. “Thank you for this, guys. I know it’s an imposition.”

Rylan laughed, “Not at all. Shiloh and I were struggling for conversation. At least with you here there’s something fresh and new to talk about every day.”

Phoenix smiled, “You’re my best friends.”

I stopped hanging shirts and looked at him. His life had completely destructed in front of him. We were all he had left. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. “You know while Collin was still around I took his memories and made them mine. I realized he wouldn’t be there forever so I wanted to remember the things that meant the most to him, the things that changed him. I haven’t lost the love for you Phoenix. You’ll never lose Collin because he’s still here. His heart and soul still reside inside my body. Plus Phoenix, Shiloh doesn’t hate you either.”

Phoenix smiled and stroked the back of my head. He looked at Rylan and nodded his head. He stepped back and out of the room. He would be alright I felt it. Life was a continuous struggle and he always seemed to come out on top. Everything would be fine and I was realizing this. No one needed to tell me because I already knew.

 

That night Rylan and I slept in the large bed in the mansion. He wrapped his limbs around me and whispered into my ear. “Did you ever think we’d get here? I mean, look at all we’ve done. Last year we had one child who had no idea who he was. Now almost a year later we have three kids. One is engaged, the other is head over heels for a boy, and the third is living with the love of his life on the opposite side of the nation. We have three very strong and wonderful children.”

I smiled, “No. I never imagined being here. Last year I hated Phoenix. This year we’re living in his house and I have this undying loving friendship with him.”  

“Of course you still love me more?”

I laughed, “Do you even need to ask.”

“Of course I need to ask.”

We both laughed and I curled tighter into him. His lips pressed against the side of my face and his warm breath grazed my cheek. “Life has taken us to some strange places hasn’t it?” Rylan nodded next to me, running his nose up and down my jaw. “Promise me next year will be at least a little less eventful.”

“I’d make it, but I’m not sure I could keep it.”

I laughed and kissed him softly. “I love you,” he whispered softly into my neck. “You’ve taught me so much through life. But most of all you taught me how to be a great father. That’s something I will owe to you for the rest of my life.”

“Well then you better start paying up.” He smiled and rolled himself on top of me. He kissed the top of my forehead and looked down on my face. “I love you too Rylan, I always will. No matter how many times I get taken over, even if my mind no longer belongs to me, my heart it is always yours.”

His hand ran across my chest and up to my throat, “Cute as a button.”

We both laughed as we thought of David’s nickname. He kissed the space between my Pecs. “Life is going to get hard from here on out.”

“I know. But has it ever really been easy on us?”

We both laughed and he rested his head below my chin. Slowly I felt him fall asleep. His breathing deepened and his body relaxed on top of mine.

Clair De Lune started to play loudly in my head. That song held us together. That song was something I always could relate to. That song was us and eventually towards the end life would relax and return to a lullaby. But not after the waves of chaos start chiming in. They will rock us wildly and throw us about. But in the end it will be resolved. Everything will slow down and we would finally be able to relax. There will be no more evil in our lives. Everything will have resolved and we could finally at last… be free. 

Author's Note

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