I'm Not Who I Used to Be Ch. 03

"Of course, J.T.," smiled one of the U.S. Marshalls, who just so happened to be friends with Dad, "What can we do for you?"

"This," Dad laughed, and then he drew back and punched Worley in the mouth as hard as he could, making Worley not only fall back on his fat ass, but also spit out his two upper front teeth in the process.

"That was for my wife," Dad spat, "I hope you rot in hell, you fat ass fucking criminal piece of shit," as every single law enforcement officer there laughed like schoolboys, while Worley said nothing, as he glared at Dad.

Then I looked at my girls and told them, "Let's go home, babies; your mother is worried sick about you two..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Two

HER

I sat on pins and needles the whole time Michael was gone, scared to death of the existing possibility that I might never see him or our daughters alive ever again. I suddenly became so emotionally torn up so badly that I became physically, almost aggressively ill.

I quickly rose up from where I was sitting on the couch and then rapidly ran to the bathroom at the last moment, involuntarily emptying the contents of my stomach, what little I was able to eat, into the toilet bowl. However, once I'd finished throwing up, one of the kindest, and sweetest voices I'd ever heard suddenly emanated from behind me...it was Michael's mother, Susan.

"Sarah, are you alright, honey?" she gently asked, handing me a warm washcloth to clean my face with.

"It's Michael...and our girls," I dreadfully cried, "I'm afraid that I'll never see them again," and before I could say anything else, she immediately took me into her arms, just as she'd done the very first day we met.

"You can relax now, Sarah," she tenderly smiled, taking the washcloth from me and wiping my face, just as if I were one of her own, "I've just received word from Michael's father. They're on their way home and everyone is safe and sound."

"What about Jimmy Don Worley? What happened to him?" I inquired, knowing that unless something had been done to guarantee me that Worley was either dead or behind bars, we would spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders.

"He's now in the custody of the F.B.I.," she softly responded, "And this time he's gone for good. If he doesn't get the death penalty, then he will, at the very least, end up spending the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole."

"Oh, thank God," I began to happily cry, while Susan stood there and gently held me in her arms with a warm and gentle smile on her beautiful face...

~~~~~~

ME

The moment we pulled into the driveway, Sarah practically ran out the front door to greet us with both of her arms open wide, and tears of happiness, and a little worry, running down her beautiful cheeks.

"Hello, my love," I gently smiled, holding her and our daughters in my arms, "We're home now, and no one is ever going to bother us again."

"Is it really and truly over?" she sniffled, shuddering as she cried on my shoulder, "I was worried sick about the three of you."

"Like I said," I told her, "No one is ever going to bother us again, I promise you with all my heart..."

~~~~~~

THE NEXT MORNING

Sarah and I decided to let our girls take a day off before returning back to school, because we wanted them to be able to take as much time as they needed to more or less "decompress" after the "Mental and/or Emotional Trauma" they'd been forced to deal with over the past few days.

Surprisingly though, they seemed back to normal that next morning after having slept the night through in their own room back at home. That in itself demonstrated to me just exactly how strong my precious daughters actually were...and still are, for that matter, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

~~~~~~

"Good morning, my beauties," I smiled, when they showed up for breakfast still in their pajamas and robes, "How did you two sleep last night?"

They said nothing at first as the both of them walked over to where I sat, simply and silently throwing their sweet little arms around my neck, tucking their pretty little faces into my shoulders and remaining quiet for a few minutes...until Karlie spoke first.

"Thank you for saving us, Daddy," she very sweetly and softly told me, using a tone of voice I'd never heard her use before, "We love you and Momma sooo much."

"She's right, Daddy," Kerrie quietly smiled, "You saved our lives again, and that tells us that you'll always be here for us...just like you promised us when we first came to live with you and Momma."

"I love you girls more than anything in this world," I gently replied, my arms wrapped firmly around their tiny waists, "And I would die before I ever let anything happen to you. Do you understand what I'm saying, my angels?"

"Yes sir," they simultaneously replied.

None of what had just happened went unnoticed by my Mom, who quietly sat there with a warm smile on her face; and as soon as the girls broke their hug with me, they immediately moved into Sarah's arms, simply holding onto their mother without saying a word. As I look back now, I realized that nothing would ever need to be said where the bond between my wife and daughters existed...

~~~~~~

After breakfast, and at the girls' insistence, we continued with their Martial Arts instruction in the back yard just like always. However, this time, I noticed a solid and unmovable look of pure determination on not only Sarah's face, but even more so on both of my daughter's faces. It was almost as if there was something driving the three of them to learn all that they could.

Kerrie was even sharper than ever before, and Karlie and Sarah were driving themselves to be as perfect as perfect could be. And to be honest here, it kind of scared me a little, but deep down inside, I now knew exactly where that driving determination came from.

For Sarah, it was the fact that she was never again going to be put in a position that she couldn't protect her girls; and for the girls, it was because they were never again going to be put in a position in which they had no choice and/or control of. I could see the same look in their eyes that I had in mine, when Mark was teaching me how to protect my own self...

~~~~~~

Because it was Friday, the rest of the day was spent lounging around the house, simply doing nothing but relaxing; and when the time was right, I called the girls into mine and Sarah's bedroom.

"What's going on, Daddy?" Kerrie giggled.

"Yeah, Daddy," as Karlie now also called me, "Momma said that you were a sneaky rascal, so what're you up to now?"

"I was going to wait until Christmas to give you these," I grinned, hold two brightly gift-wrapped boxes, one in each hand, "But because of everything that's happened lately, I think now is as good a time as any," as I handed them the boxes, "These are from your Mom and me, and we wanted you both to know just how much we love you two..."

~~~~~~

The astonishment in my daughter's eyes when they opened their gifts was worth more than any amount of money anywhere when Kerrie eyes sparkled as she held up a gold necklace with the letter "K" made of gold hanging from it that had a one-half carat Diamond on the upper left side of it on top of the letter, and an Emerald that was the same size on the lower right side of it at the bottom of the letter. Karlie's was exactly like her sister's except where her Kerrie's had an emerald, Karlie's had a ruby.

"So, tell me," I warmly smiled, "How do you like your necklaces?"

As opposed to saying anything, I was tackled and captured in a mass of corn silk blonde hair, girlish squeals and giggles, all accompanied by more than several kisses almost all over my face, as Sarah stood by watching with a warm and gentle smile on her ever so beautiful face.

"Oh, my gosh, Daddy," Kerrie widely grinned, "Where did you get these? They're beautiful!"

"I had them custom made in New York," I proudly told them, "Not too long after your mother and I adopted you two."

"Oh, thank you, Daddy," Karlie softly sniffled, a smile on her pretty little face," These are sooo pretty, and we both love you and Momma sooo much," and then she wrapped her arms back around me and tucked her little face into my chest and softly wept with her little arms wrapped tightly around me.

~~~~~~

THAT NIGHT

That night as Sarah and I lay in bed together, she looked at me and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about having those necklaces made for the girls?"

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise," I knowingly smiled, reaching over into the drawer on my nightstand and removing an oblong box that was covered in deep, dark blue velvet, "Speaking of surprises," I smiled, as I handed it to her, "Here, I've got something for you, too."

"Oh, Michael, no," she sweetly sniffled, as she removed the diamond Tennis Bracelet, totaling ten carats, from the box, "This is beautiful, baby. You didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did," I grinned, taking it from her hand and placing it around her wrist, "I love you with all my heart, Sarah; and nothing says it more than diamonds."

"I think there's one thing that says it more," she impish grinned, as she got out of the bed and stripped her pajamas off to reveal her naked body, "What do you think, baby?"

"Get in this bed right now," I softly chuckled, taking off my boxers and also throwing them into the floor.

"We're going to have to be quiet," Sarah softly giggled, as she reached for my now very hard cock, "Mmm, damn, I love this cock."

"What do you mean, we're gonna have to be quiet," I quietly chuckled, "You're the one who makes the most noise."

"Oh, hush up this instant," she quietly but seductively giggled, "And get over here and fuck me..."

~~~~~~

THE NEXT MORNING – SATURDAY

I was up at the break of dawn thinking that I would be the first one awake. However, I was never more wrong. I wasn't surprised to see Mom and Dad sitting at the kitchen table wide awake as Dad was eating breakfast while Mom sat right next to him drinking a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, baby," Mom softly said, "You're up awfully early this morning. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect, Mom," I contentedly replied, smiling as I leaned down to kiss her pretty cheek and hug her, "I just woke up a little early and thought I'd come down and do some thinking."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with those three beautiful little gals in your family," Mom knowingly smiled, "Would it?"

"As a matter of fact it is," I chuckled, "How is it that you always now exactly what's on my mind?"

"It's easy," she grinned, "You're my son, and I've always known what on that that beautifully brilliant mind of yours."

"I love you and Dad very much," I told her, "And I always will...thank you for being such great parents."

"You're more than welcome, honey," Mom softly purred, "And if we haven't told you lately, your father and I are very proud of you, Michael."

"I can't begin to tell the both of you what that really means to me, "I tenderly told them, "And I'm very thankful to have had you and Dad to guide me growing up."

"Mike," Dad smiled, looking up from his paper, "You know I'm not very good at expressing my feelings sometimes, but I really wanted you to know that I was very proud of you when your Mom told me about you, your cousin, Mark, and the Karey brothers getting signed with a major record company. It gave me such a good feeling when I got to rub it in the noses of those redneck assholes at the Texas Cattlemen's Association, those sons of bitches," after which he stood up from the table and pulled me into his arms and proudly said, "You're a member of the Taylor Clan, Michael, and I don't ever want you to forget it, my son."

~~~~~~

Mom was going to make me some breakfast but I told her to sit still because I was more than capable of making my own.

"Oh, really," she sweetly teased me, "Since when did you learn how to cook without either burning the house down or poisoning yourself?" followed by the sound of her laughter that I'd come to absolutely love since I was a young boy.

"You need to leave me alone, mother of mine," I playfully jabbed back, "I'll have you know that I've cooked for Sarah on more than one occasion, and she hasn't had to take any Pepto-Bismol® yet, so that should speak for itself."

"It speaks volumes," I heard Sarah mirthfully speaking behind me, as she made her way into the kitchen, "I always waited until you had your back turned before I went into your bathroom and guzzled a half a gallon of that crap to keep from puking all over everything."

"Horse manure," I laughed, "You're so full of it. You love my cooking."

"That I do, my love," Sarah purred, pulling me into her arms and gently kissing my lips, "I always have and I promise you that I always will."

All of a sudden I saw Mom's face light up, and looking at the bracelet on Sarah's left wrist, she sweetly asked her, "Where on earth did you get such a lovey Tennis Bracelet, Sarah?"

"Michael gave it to me last night," she proudly replied, taking it off and handing it to Mom, "Here, try it on and tell me what you think."

"Oh, no, honey, I couldn't," Mom objected, "I'm afraid something would happen and then I'd feel just awful."

"Please do this, Susan," Sarah sweetly and tenderly said, "For me, please?"

"I suppose this one time wouldn't hurt," Mom girlishly giggled, holding her left wrist out, "But I'm going to need your help, baby-girl..."

~~~~~~

About thirty minutes had passed until the twins appeared in the kitchen, the both of them proudly wearing their necklaces around their dainty little necks.

"Good morning, my little angels," Mom sweetly told them, pulling them into her arms, "How did Nana's girls sleep last night?"

"We slept very well, Nana," Karlie sweetly told Mom, "Thank you for asking."

"Look at what Daddy gave us last night before we went to bed, Nana," Kerrie delightfully smiled, "Aren't they pretty?"

"Oh, honey, they're absolutely the prettiest necklaces I've ever seen," Mom softly smiled, "But they look even prettier hanging around yours and your sister's necks."

"Thank you, Nana," Karlie smiled, throwing her arms around my Mom, "We love you and Papaw oh so much..."

~~~~~~

I waited until the girls were up and fully awake before I began making breakfast for my family, for which Mom ended up running me out of the kitchen so that she and Sarah could do the cooking.

"I'm perfectly capable of making breakfast for everyone, Mom," I objected, "So, why can't I do it instead?"

Because," Mom quickly told me, Sarah and the girls quietly giggling along with her, "You'll end up making a mess that'll take longer to clean up than it takes to make. You're just like your father that way..."

~~~~~~

AFTER BREAKFAST

We started our morning routine just like we always did. Karate lessons came first, preempted by a half-mile run. However, this time I was caught totally by surprise when both Sarah and the twins insisted that we run a full mile this time instead.

"Are you three absolutely sure you want to do this?" I cautiously asked, "It's twice the distance that you're used to running ya know. And I don't want to see any of you hurting yourselves by pushing too hard, too fast."

"Have a little faith in us, Daddy," Kerrie smiled, "Besides, excellence knows no pain, now, does it?"

"Okay, if you say so," I relented, "But don't say I didn't warn you when ya'll come crying to me when you start cramping."

"That's not going to happen," Sarah giggled, goading me on, "If anyone is going to be cramping, it's not going to be any of us girls...Daddy."

"Tell him, Momma," Karlie cheered her mother on, "Hell yeah," and because of the excitement in the air, I chose not to say anything to Karlie about her language...at least not right then anyway...

~~~~~~

Once we'd completed the run and Sarah and the girls had regained their breath, I began their lessons. I was very tickled when I saw that the three of them were now flawlessly performing their katas with razor-sharp accuracy. And it was the same way with the hand-to-hand self-defense techniques, once again not only shocking me, but also pleasing me with the excellence in which they performed.

It was then that I decided to go ahead and move on to not only the Yellow Belt level katas, but also the same level of self-defense techniques and kiso katas.

After I gave them the necessary knowledge they would need to achieve the next belt level, I momentarily left them by themselves on order to give them the opportunity to practice together as well as separately.

While Sarah and the twins were working out in the back yard, I walked into the house through the back door and then picked up the phone and called Mark, who was not only my first cousin and closest friend, but also my Sensei...my teacher...

~~~~~~

"Hey, Cuz," I chuckled, when he picked up the phone, "How's it going?

"Not too bad," he grinned, "What about you?"

"That's why I'm calling you," I replied, and then I explained not only what I was doing with Sarah and the twins, but also their sudden appearance of hard drive and determination that they'd never shown before," So, tell me, what do you think, Mark?"

"Think about what the girls and Sarah went through recently," he pointedly replied, "You know, all the bullshit that Jimmy Don Worley's criminal ass put them through. I believe that it made them realize how truly fragile life can be. And while you're definitely a bad mother fucker, your wife and daughters know that there might come a time when you won't be able to be there to protect them."

"Damn," I said aloud, knowing that Mark was right, "I never thought about it like that."

"Uh huh," Mark grinned, "I think that, while the girls made it home in one piece, God love them, this might be a good thing for all three of them. Sarah will have a way to occupy her time when you're on the road, and the girls will be able to do something that very few, if any, of their classmates will be able to accomplish, which, in turn, will only bolster their self-confidence."

"I guess," I uncertainly said, "I still don't know."

"I understand what you're saying, but look at it this way," Mark began, "Think about when Karlie and Kerrie get old enough to start dating."

"Ungh," I groaned, cringing at the thought of my girls dating, "I don't even want to think about that, much less talk about it."

"Relax, Cuz," Mark laughed, "Think about this then. The first time some little high school boy gets out of line with Karlie or Kerrie, you and I both know that he/they will get their little asses handed to them in very short order," making me laugh at knowing he was right...

~~~~~~

After Sarah and the girls were done practicing and had showered and cleaned up, I decided to take them all out to lunch. However, as opposed to going somewhere locally, I drove us into Houston to surprise John and Mallory and ask them to come to eat lunch with us.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Mee-Maw and Pee-Paw," Kerrie sweetly said, "We haven't seen them in way too long."

"They're going to be really surprised to see the two of you as well," Sarah said, reaching into the back seat to pat the twins on their legs, "They love you girls very much."

"Oh, wow, Momma," Karlie gasped, grabbing Sarah's left wrist on which she was wearing the new Diamond Tennis Bracelet I'd had made exclusively for her, "That bracelet is sooo pretty. Did Daddy give it to you?"

"As a matter of fact, he did," Sarah proudly smiled, "He had it made at the same place your necklaces were made."