Mother Road Ch. 06 - Mile Marker 10

Thanks as always to my team, RiverMaya, and Verbalinians. All sex participants are over 18.

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By the end of the next day, the attack on the farmhouse was all over the news, local, state and national. The whole family was freaking, especially when they saw images of the burnt-out motorhome.

Ava and Ashley were flying in, while Olly, Brad, Liam, Miriam, James and Melissa were all driving and on their way here. With Dotty, Trent, Elijah and Natalie already here I didn't know where we'd put them all, but I realized I didn't have to. Our kids were smart enough to figure it out.

After talking to Walter, I went into my office and called Natty's parents Joshua and Arlene. I reassured them Natty was safe, and also that she and Elijah were officially engaged. Joshua sounded relieved, and I could hear Arlene crying with joy in the background.

I also gave Joshua a job lead; one of my clients had an old IBM 9000 mainframe legacy system and asked me about finding an old-school COBOL programmer to maintain and manage it. I recommended Joshua. If he didn't puke on his shoes during the interview, he'd be employed again, full time and with benefits.

It had been over 72 hours since Sonny Harmon had set foot on our farm, but so much had happened it felt like 6 years. Out of those 72 hours, I'd maybe had 6 hours of sleep. It was about 2pm, and I was hitting the wall. As I walked into the kitchen heading for the stairs, I heard a voice, "Hey Dad, can I talk to you?"

It was Lucas, our 16-year-old. The youngest of Laura's children by Chris Palermo, he was more like his older half-brother James than his brother Elijah. Like James, he was a quiet giant. Going into his third year of high school, he was over 6 feet tall. In the time I'd known him, he'd only gotten into serious trouble once while a freshman in high school, when he'd gotten into a fight on school grounds.

Ironically, the fight was with his older brother Elijah over a stupid insult. Demonstrating incredibly poor judgment, Elijah embarrassed his younger-but-larger brother Lucas by insulting him in front of a bunch of high school girls. His younger brother had promptly cleaned his clock. Both boys were suspended for a day, and since that incident they had not exactly been close.

The only thing I wanted to do at this moment was go lay down with Laura and sleep, but 15 years ago I'd assumed the role of Dad, so, duty called. "Hey, Lucas, sure, what's up?"

He led me into the TV room and closed the door. "I've been talking to Elijah." Given their recent history, I was not expecting THAT sentence. "He told me you took him to the prison to see our biological dad and told me what the jerk had to say about Mom and us kids. I wanted you to know that I'm glad you're my Dad, and I'm glad I'm a McFarland." He gave me a big hug, a pleasant surprise indeed.

I patted his back, saying "Lucas, thank you for that. I'm proud that you're my son." The boy had another surprise in store, though. He stepped back and we both sat down on the couch.

"Dad, I need to talk to you about Natty." Natty? OK, this was going to be interesting.

"What about her, Lucas?" My boy's expression made it look like he'd swallowed something large, like a stove. His face reddened, and he struggled before the words came out.

"I know she and Elijah are engaged now, but I think I love her, Dad." OK, I did NOT see that one coming.

Taking a deep breath, I asked softly, "Who knows about this?"

"Just you and Elijah." Dead on my feet after defending the farm from a meth-head attack, a high-risk pregnant wife to take care of, and now I had a teenage soap opera to deal with. Swell. Welcome to fatherhood, ladies and gentlemen.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Those eight words were all the invitation he needed. In the tradition of his big sister Ava and his big brother James, it came flooding out of him.

"I had a crush on Natalie at school, but she was older, a grade ahead, and I was shy and then it got around that Elijah was dating her, which made me sad, and then it got around that Eli got Natty pregnant, and I was ready to kill him, and then when Natty came to live here I was so happy! I got to talk to her and see her up close every single day. She's really pretty and nice, Dad."

"Yes, I definitely noticed that too, son, go on."

"I made up my mind that if Elijah didn't marry her, I would and I told him that, too." Oh, boy. This kid may have had Palermo blood in his veins, but his romantic heart was McFarland though and through.

"Now they're engaged, but I still think she's wonderful and I don't know what to do, Dad. I feel like I'm going to explode." His head dropped, and I could almost taste his sorrow.

This poor kid. His heart was full of love for Natty, but like Don Quixote, it was forever doomed to be pure and chaste from afar. Then somewhere in my fatigued brain an idea raised its head. "Lucas, the good feelings you have for Natty never have to change."

He raised his head, "They don't?"

"No. You love and respect her, right?"

"Absolutely!"

"Natalie is everything you say, and more. Even though she'll be your sister-in-law, you should always feel that way." Lucas looked at me, confused now. I continued, "I want you to think about your mother and your Aunt Dotty for a second. They're both beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yeah..."

"They're both sweet, wonderful woman as well, right?" He nodded in agreement, a good move considering if he'd disagreed, I would have given him a seriously hard slap upside his head. "Now think about this - Natty has a sister your age, I think her name is Josie."

"I knew that, yeah. She was in my class freshman year, but when the city changed school district borders, she had to go to another school."

"I'll bet she's just as sweet and pretty as Natalie and will most likely be Natty's Maid of Honor at the wedding. She'll probably be over here a lot to help with the wedding preparations. Maybe you should ask Natty to introduce you before then. Is this making sense?"

I saw the dawn of comprehension behind Lucas's eyes, his misery drifting away. "Yeah, thanks, Dad!" Lucas was off like a shot, I assumed to find Natalie and ask her about her sister.

I realized Lucas had inadvertently played into my scheme. If banning Elijah from the farm hadn't been enough to make him finally appreciate Natty, having his younger - and stronger - brother anxiously waiting in the wings to capture her affection would have definitely pushed him over the top. I made a mental note to myself to get a really nice present for Lucas for his birthday, like maybe a pickup truck!

Finally, I trudged up the well-worn stairs to our bedroom. Laura was reading a magazine and looked up in surprise. "Well, hello stranger," she said, smiling. Closing the door, I somehow managed to get my clothes off. "Are you in the mood for a romantic interlude with your trophy wife?" she asked playfully.

"I'm sorry, my sweet red-haired vixen," I said, "I need you, but not in that way." I slid under the covers and nestled myself into her wonderful bosom. "I'm exhausted. I'm done being strong for now. I need to just lay in your arms, and simply be a weary man." I kissed her neck and chest around her collarbone. "Is that acceptable, or do you want to trade me in for a younger husband?"

I felt her caress my chest and kiss my forehead. "I worked too hard to get you just the way I want you, husband," she murmured, "I don't have time to train another one. I'll keep you. You rest."

As I was drifting off, I moved my hand down and caressed her baby bump, which had grown slightly in the last week. "Laura, you're perfect," I whispered, snuggled into her soft cleavage, and then fell into a dreamless sleep.

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"Tom." I felt a hand shaking me. My eyes fluttered open. Red hair. Freckles. A cute nose. Amazing green eyes... Laura!

"Hey, babe," I reached for her, pulling her to me, "how are you feeling?" The warmth of her body against mine was certainly making me feel good, that's for sure. Wasting no time, I went for her neck, kissing my way up to her lips. I felt her small hands press against my chest, trying to hold me back.

"Tom, sweetie, you've slept for 14 hours straight." I managed to pull her down into one passionate kiss before she was able to break away. "There are people waiting to see you downstairs, you need to get showered and dressed."

I buried my face in her cleavage again and whined, "But I don't want to get dressed, I want to stay naked here with youuuuuu!"

Then I heard a loud tapping on the door, followed by our oldest daughter Olivia's scolding voice, "Daddy, I know what you two are doing in there! We're all waiting! Mom's already pregnant, so just knock it off, get out of bed and go shower! NOW!"

I chuckled. Olivia scolding me was something that would never get old. From deep in the fabric of Laura's nightgown I sighed and murmured, "Dammit, Laura, Olly did NOT learn that shit from me, this is all on you."

Laura giggled, then gave me one of those kisses that cranked my desire up to '11' and whispered, "I promise I'll relieve your buildup later tonight, stud. Now go get cleaned up."

My cock throbbing, I reluctantly obeyed, and was downstairs in ten minutes. Minus erection, of course, thanks to a quick cold shower.

I have to admit, seeing all of the older kids and their spouses in the same room - Ava and Ashley, Olivia and Brad, Liam and Miriam, James and Melissa - was overwhelming. This assembly was something special, which usually only happened at weddings. Each one came up and hugged me, telling me they were glad I was OK.

Liam was in tears, and he whispered to me, "Those bastards burned the Gulf Stream, Dad!" Of all the kids, given the history Liam and I had with the motorhome I knew the loss would hit him hardest. I hugged him and told him, "It was just a pile of metal and glass, son, but nobody can burn our memories."

Walter and Dotty walked in, Trent trailing behind. I introduced them, "Kids, Dotty is Mom's sister and your aunt. Trent is her little boy, your cousin. I'm sure you all remember Walter, my business partner," I said, looking at Brad. My son-in-law blushed a little, and I gave him a wink. "Walter is actually the man of the hour. He saved the farm, and our lives."

I'd paused to take a breath when Dotty interrupted me. "Everybody, in a few months, Walter is also going to be your uncle." She held up her left hand, which was now adorned with an engagement ring. The kids went nuts, Walter and Dotty found themselves buried in hugs and handshakes from the crew.

My partner looked at me helplessly, not sure how to react to all the attention. I shrugged and just said, "See Walter? Just like that."

As the day wore on, I just sat back and watched as family things developed on their own. Ava sat down with Elijah and Natalie and planned their wedding for them, in the barn once again, as well as working out a schedule for she and Ashley to tutor Natalie remotely from Chicago. Ava was determined Natty would get her GED before the baby arrived, and once Ava was determined, well, you could take it to the bank.

Liam's wife Miriam, an Army veteran, spent quite a bit of time talking to Walter about sidearms and shotguns. He even took her into an empty field and set up some cans so she could try firing off a few rounds with his Raging Bull .454. Afterwards, he spoke to me about an idea: He wanted us to start offering a 'Women-Only Firearms' class as part of our security business services, using Miriam as the instructor. I liked his vision, and I could see things really taking off.

I was also thinking about caring for Laura, and the pending arrival of our new baby. It occurred to me that it might be a good idea for McFarland Consulting to rebrand, pivoting away from an architecture focus and turning to security with Walter as the face of it. This would allow me to take a less demanding backstage role as the business manager, letting someone else write the contracts and do the marketing.

Of course, everybody loved Natalie, and she was the belle of the ball with all her soon-to-be brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. They all gave Elijah a good-natured hard time for taking so long to propose. Since it was rare to have all the kids together in one spot, I put in a quick call to Joshua and Arlene Reed, and invited them to come out and meet the whole clan.

When the Reed's Buick Electra Estate Wagon pulled up and the whole family got out, I thought we'd just had some angels delivered. Joshua had a new haircut and was wearing a new suit and some nice loafers. Whereas the first time I'd met her Arlene looked weary and frazzled, today she looked fantastic. She'd had her hair done up and had makeup on and was wearing a very flattering sun dress. It was much more evident now where Natalie got her pretty face.

As her sister got out of the car, Natty ran up and hugged her, crying and squealing with delight. She was indeed angelic, long and tall for her age like her sister, and pretty like their mother. Taking her by the hand, Natty led her around and introduced Josie, who was 17.

I was within earshot when Natty introduced Josie to Lucas, and I heard her say, "Josie, this is Lucas. He's the sweetest and kindest brother-in-law I could ask for. Lucas, this is my sister Josie. She's awful shy, could you please show her around the farm?" I thought with an endorsement like that, Lucas was off to a great start. Good for him.

Joshua walked up and we shook hands. "Tom, I got that job," he confided, "I couldn't believe what they offered me. It's taking a lot of pressure off my family. I don't know how to thank you."

I laughed, "Joshua, you owe me nothing. I owe you and Arlene for allowing Natalie to live here with us. We absolutely love her. She's been a real bright spot and really helpful to Laura. Frankly, I'm going to be sorry to see her go when she and Elijah get married and move out on their own." I raised my beer, he raised his, and we clinked bottles.

A tall thin boy walked up to Joshua and whispered something in his ear. He bore a resemblance to Natty, but he looked a lot more like his father Joshua than his mother Arlene. Joshua patted him on the shoulder, and said "Now, Josh, no need to be shy. Shake hands with Mr. McFarland, he and his wife took good care of your sister. Tom, this is my boy Joshua Junior. He's 15. Smart as a whip, but barely ever says a word."

The boy silently shook my hand. "Welcome Josh, please don't feel intimidated. Your big sister is marrying my son, so we're all family now."

Then I heard Natty shout "Josh!" The boy's face lit up as Natty ran up and enveloped him in her arms. Amazing how things change. When Natty first arrived, she'd barely said two words, now she was shouting.

"Oh, Josh, I missed you so much, and you're so much taller now! You have to come and meet my new sisters Pearl and Amelia!" With that, she dragged her brother off by the hand.

I leaned over and laughingly told Joshua, "Pearl is 14 and Amelia is 17, a pair of beauties that look a lot like Laura. That handsome boy of yours is about to get drawn into a teenage girl whirlwind. He may need CPR by the time they get through with him." We laughed, clinked bottles again, downed the last of their contents, and went off to get more.

Life was good again, for now.

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The media interviews went off smoothly. I sat in on them but most of the security questions were directed at Walter. There was one radio interview for a Kansas City station, and during another podcast where the interviewers asked Walter where he'd gone to college. Walter admitted he'd not gone to college, opting instead to learn on the job while working at Cedar Partners Construction.

My eyes got wide when I heard that. Cedar Partners Construction was the firm run by Sal Bartolo. Since we hadn't cleared it with him, I was unsure if he'd appreciate the mentions or not, but the next day Sal called on my business line. As usual, he got straight to the point.

"Tom, I just wanted to thank you and Walter for the media mentions. Being associated with what Walter did on your farm the other night has been a positive thing. It made my firm look good, which is always good for business."

I responded by telling him, "Sal, introducing me to Walter has been a blessing. Along with defending the farmhouse, he's also increased our consulting business significantly. And of course, I'll always be indebted to you for his help with Olivia's situation a few years ago. I'm the one who should be thanking you!"

"How long have we been doing business together, Tom? Fifteen years, off and on? During that time, we've always taken good care of each other. That's what makes for a good partnership."

"Sal, before I forget, I should tell you the big news about Walter. He proposed to my wife's younger sister Dorothy, and they'll be getting married in a few months. He's going to be my brother-in-law."

Sal sounded genuinely surprised. "Wow, that is big news! Imagine that, tough guy Walter Connor settling down. I would have never predicted that!"

"Yeah, he'll be a dad, too. My sister-in-law has a 5-year-old son, Trent, and the little guy is crazy about Walter, sticks to him like glue."

Sal exclaimed, "I'll be damned. Wait till I tell the guys he's gone from Walter the bad-ass to Walter the DAD-ASS! AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Sal always had a wicked sense of humor, and he'd really cracked himself up this time. After a minute, he was able to control his laughter and said, "Tell Walter I said congratulations, I'm very happy for him. I'll send him a nice thank-you gift for the media mentions, and one to you, too Tom."

True to his word, two days later a car transport showed up to the farm and delivered two vehicles. One was a new white Ford Expedition, and the other was a new Gulf Stream Touring Cruiser painted like the one that burned up, white with gold trim.

The Expedition had a huge blue bow on the hood and "Congrats Walter! It's a BOY!" written in white window chalk on the windshield. I could picture Sal laughing back in Kansas City.

Walter was stunned, almost choked up. "Mr. Bartolo sent this?"

"Yes, Walter. He said he appreciated your mentioning Cedar Partners Construction during the interviews, but I'm thinking it's also his way of thanking you for 30 years of loyal service."

He looked as happy as a kid in a candy store. "I can't wait to take Dotty and Trent for a ride!"

He turned towards the house, and I called out, "Walter! Before you can take Trent for a ride, you're going to need a safety booster seat! There's one in the back of the Ford van you can use. You're a dad now, pal, you have to start thinking like one!"

He grinned and gave me a thumbs up, then headed to the farmhouse to get Dotty. The transport driver had finished unloading and handed me the keys. I opened the door of the Gulf Stream and sat in the driver's seat.

This Gulf Stream was a huge improvement over the one that burned, all kinds of bells and whistles, and had that new car smell. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I almost wished it wasn't. I missed the smell of the old one, because that smell reminded me of travelling in it with my own father.

The Cruiser had a card on the dashboard addressed to me which simply read, "Sorry the bastards burned your RV - Sal". I took some pictures of the new motorhome and sent them to Liam. With this baby on the way, I wasn't sure when or how I'd use it, but I appreciated the gesture.

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AUGUST - Another Wedding

It was time to get a sonogram done, so I took Laura to the clinic. "Looks like you're having a little girl!" The sonographer said as she showed us the screen. I'd been through this with Laura twice, first when she was pregnant with Pearl, and the next time with TJ, but it was still a thrill for me. I squeezed Laura's hand and gave her a kiss.