This is all fantasy fiction. None of the events are real.
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This story is an original work of fiction ©Copyright 2023 Tux - Please do not copy or post without permission.
I appreciate all the emails, suggestions, offers, and support that I get and for those who haven't emailed yet and are waiting or don't feel comfortable or safe emailing let me, let me express my gratitude for reading my story and tell you a little bit about my story. I've been reading nifty for many years about two months ago I just decided to start emailing people and let them know how much I appreciate their stories. I got replies almost instantly. The responses were supportive, encouraging, and some even held spoilers. I struck up a friendship with Andrew and it grew with my confidence and now Andrew is my most trusted editor. I cannot do this without him. Other authors like Lucas and Eric Murphy offer advice and support with my stories and it means the world to me. So, take a leap email an author and tell them how you feel, did you like the story did you not like it, all opinions matter to the author. Do you have suggestions on where you think the story could go, all suggestions interest the author. So take that leap and email your favorite author, you can change his day for the better, and might even influence or change the story. Thank you to all those that were supportive to me and I can't wait to show you the rest of... Counting.
This story and my other work can be found on AO3 at the following link. Tux Edwards - Archive of Our Own
The twins begin to horseplay with little shoves. "Boys! Are you seriously roughhousing in those tuxedos?" They stop and smirk at each other. It's amazing how much they look like their father and I when we were that age. Wearing white tuxedos with a light blue accent makes them look so adult. Zack fixes Zeke's tuxedo jacket and boutonnière.
"Dad, why awe you cwying?"
I take my now-youngest son into my arms and look back at my twin boys. Tears stream down my face, and I answer him, "I'm just so happy and proud of all my boys."
Zack and Zeke mount their horses, Night Whisper and Charlie. I pick up Colt in his little white tuxedo and hand him to Zeke, who places him in front of himself on the saddle. Zeke fixes Colt's tuxedo jacket and then gives him a little squeeze and lets Colt lay back against him.
I pat Zeke's leg, and he beams a smile down at me. "You know, I love you, right?" he says, reaching for my hand. I take it and hold it tightly.
I only nodded in response and wiped the tears from my eyes. The twins head out of the barn, heading for the staging area. I walk over to Beau, who is struggling to get his vest buttoned correctly. I squat next to him, and he presents his chest, knowing he needs help.
"You're a mess, bud. Why did you unbutton your vest?"
"It is too tight. I don't like tight clothes."
My thick fingers work feverishly on the little micro-buttons on his vest. "Well, you don't have to wear them much longer. After the pictures are taken and we're at the reception, then you can take it off, deal?"
He smiles, and it's so full of hope. "Dad, are you sad? You're crying a lot this morning," he asks.
I get the last button done on his vest. I lay my hand on Beau's chest and can feel him breathe. "No, I'm not sad. Beau, this morning, you and Colt made me very happy. We're going to have so much fun. I'm going to watch you two grow up, and I'm already so proud of you boys."
Beau hugs me tightly and whispers, "Thank you for being our dad." I return his hug, and when he's done, I take his little hand and rub at his nail polish on his nails, the same color as the trim on his tuxedo. He suddenly looks ashamed and says, "Mom said it was okay. She even took me to nail salon downtown to have them done professionally. Don't you like them?"
I smile at him and hold his hands in mine saying, "I think they are wonderful, Beau. Thank you for having them done for the wedding." He smiles and the shame fades away leaving a very confident young man. I lift him up onto Checkers. He spurs his horse and follows the twins out. Turning back to the last boy in the barn, AJ stands on his stool, brushing Stepper's mane.
"Well, Best-Man, I wanted to talk to you last."
AJ sets the brush down and hops off the stool. "Dad, I'm so proud of you," he says with the most innocent look.
"Hey, that's my line," I tell him with a little tickle. I stop with my hands on his tiny shoulders and ask, "AJ Maxis Docker, are you ready to be... AJ Maxis Colter?"
"I do," he answers, giggling.
"You still have the rings?"
AJ pats his jacket pocket and smiles. "I'm the Best-Man, aren't I? Of course, I..." His face instantly goes blank, like he's seen a horrific ghost. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see movement. My first reaction is to cover AJ, so I turn my back to protect my son from what's behind me. His face constricts, and then AJ freezes!
I hear the sound before I feel any pain. It is more of a `thunk' and then silence. What an odd sound! I can see AJ's eyes are wide and full of tears, and his mouth is locked in a scream that I can't hear. All I can get my body to do is hold on to AJ tighter as someone is trying to pull him from my grip. `Thunk'
Zack leads Beau, Colt, and I down the stairs to the living room. I continue my complaining as we take it step by step: "I don't understand why I have to be dressed up for breakfast."
"AJ, stop whining. Mom asked me to make sure you three looked nice for breakfast. It's a big day for Mom and Dad, and really for all of us. You three just work real hard and are willing to do whatever one of us asks. Try not to cause problems."
"Come on, AJ, it's just breakfast; besides, I look good," boasts Beau.
"At-a-boy, Beau. Just keep that positive attitude all day," Zack says as he gets to the bottom of the stairs. He turns and checks each of us to make sure our hair and polo shirts look good.
Dad and Mom are sitting at the family table, with Lana standing behind them. I rush into Lana's arms.
"Wow, it's so nice to see you! When did you get here?" I shout and hold her tightly.
"Hey little guy. I got here earlier this morning. It's so nice to see you. AJ, you're acting so different."
"Please sit down in your normal chairs," Mom asks, and us boys scamper to our chairs. Zeke is already there and helps Colt into his chair. Beau and I take our chairs, and Zack and Zeke take the head of the table chairs, so Dad and Mom can sit across from us. "Boys, today is a special day for this family in many ways."
Lana takes a digital camera and begins to take pictures of us boys sitting at the table with Dad and Mom.
"The wedding!" Cheers Colt.
"That's right, Colt," chuckles Dad, "but we think more importantly..." Dad pauses, and Mom slides two black folders across the table towards Beau and Colt. She opens them, and Dad continues, "Boys, this paperwork legally says I'm adopting Beau and Colt as my sons. To finalize the adoption, you boys just have to sign on the `X'."
Colt looks confused, but Beau is working through what Dad is saying. "Are you saying if I sign this, if we sign this, you'll be our dad, like a real father?"
Dad and Mom hold hands, and Dad nods his head, saying, "That's right, and later this evening, when I take Alice's hand in marriage, she'll become your real mother."
Colt takes the pen in an uncontrolled hurry and writes his name as best a seven-year-old can. Before he's even crossed his `t', Colt climbs up on top of the table and runs down it into Dad's opened arms. Lana catches it all with the camera.
Once the shock of his little brother running across the dining room tableware wears off, Beau grabs the pen and writes his name on the paperwork, then hugs me as he slides off his chair. He whispers, "I love you," and without giving me a chance to say it back, he rushes over and jumps in Mom's arms.
After enough time for all of us to shed tears, Beau and Colt are hugging their new twin brothers. Zack pulls Beau into his lap and pulls out of his pocket a small black felt box. Across the table, Zeke hands the same box to Colt. Zack begins by saying, "Guys, now you two are officially Colters, which means you two get a ring." He opens the box, and inside is a ring that looks like the one that hangs around my neck, except both of the rings are on gold chains.
"These rings mean you are one of us. It stands for our family bond and reminds you that you are never alone; you have brothers now," adds Zeke. The twins take the rings from the boxes and place them on Beau and Colt's necks. They look so proud as they look closer at the rings.
"It's just like A-yay's," says Colt.
Zack and Zeke take their chains out from under their shirts, showing Colt and Beau that we all have one. So, not to be left out, I take my ring out also.
"Come on, boys, let's take a picture," Lana says while she sets up the camera on a bar stool.
Colt rushes over to Mom, who picks him up and puts him on her lap. Dad picks me up, and Beau stands in between Dad and Mom. The twins take their places on the outside of our parents. Lana hurries and stands behind Beau, laying her hands on his shoulders. He looks at me, and a tear trails down his cheek as he smiles. I hold out my hand, and he takes it.
"Everyone say cheese!" Lana excitedly says.
"Cheese!"
The flash goes off, and a second or two later, all of us kids cheer. We exchange hugs and end up comparing my ring to Colt's. Over at the dining room table, Beau is sitting in Dad's chair at the head of the table. He's staring at the adoption paperwork. I work myself over to the table and pull a chair next to him. "You, okay?" I ask and lay my hand on his leg.
He wipes a random tear from his eye and whimpers, "I can't believe it. I had been telling myself that this was not going to last. That it's like a vacation or something. But... this says that this isn't a dream."
"Beau, I'm so glad you're staying. I'm so excited to call you my brother."
He looks at me with eyes full of tears, and he hugs me tightly. Until he's done, we cry in each other's arms.
Switching the two-way radio to the ATV helmet channel, I keyed the microphone and ask, "AJ, where are you?"
"We're down by the creek, close to the fire lane," AJ replies through the static of the radio.
"Head home, you two. I need your help."
"Okay, heading home," he responds and I can hear the ATV engine accelerating.
"Make sure you close the gate between the pastures," I remind him trying to avoid past mistakes.
I can almost hear the attitude in AJ's voice over the radio when he says, "I know, I know, we'll close it."
"Hurry up and be careful driving home, boys." I toss the microphone back onto the radio, and it clatters on the desk. "I'm not sure what your mother was thinking by letting them ride off like that when there is so much work to do."
"She was just trying to keep them out of your hair, I would imagine," Zack says with a chuckle as he tightens the strap on his saddle.
Zeke chuckles as he pulls his reins up over Charlie's head and to the horn of his saddle. "You couldn't have gotten all this done with those two monkeys jumping all over you. Especially Beau, he almost seems like a different boy since this morning now that it's official he and Colt are Colters."
Well, they're not wrong. We finished getting their horses saddled, and the twins settled in on them. "Alright boys, you're taking the herd east to the east forty. I've got a couple friends that are going to watch the herd for us during the wedding. I need you two to wait till Reese and Deacon show up, then ride back. We have a lot to do still."
I spent the next twenty minutes getting all the cattle into the back pasture, and the boys began to move them east. I watch them for a few minutes, allowing myself the shortest amount of time to be proud of my boys.
I take my gloves off and slap them on the outside of my hip, sending a small cloud of dust off to my right. I turn and head back into the house to take my first of many showers today. I'm about to go to the porch when I hear the high whine of the ATVs coming towards the house. I turn and watch AJ and Beau bring the four-wheelers to a stop in front of the porch. Both boys are covered in mud and dirt; I should've known.
"You two look like you had a good time," I tell them with a smirk as I pick some mud off Beau's helmet.
"Yeah, AJ took me to the shallow part of the creek, and we rode across it a few times then raced up and down the fire lane," my new son yells over the engine of the ATV.
"You two go hose off your ATVs and yourselves. Make sure you strip naked before you enter the house. Don't cause your mom any trouble; she's trying to get the wedding set up. Once you get inside, take a shower, and then we three have a mission to do. I'll fill you in when we're in the truck."
They rev their ATVs and head back to the tractor wash. I watch them play in the water as they wash the mud off. I decide to sit and watch the show, thinking about how my number of sons doubled over the night, and by tonight I'll be adding one more. Man, if my brother, Jacob, could see me now. AJ and Beau come running up to the door, soaking wet and shivering. "Did you guys have fun?"
"So much fun," Beau says through jittery teeth as he quickly hugs me. Then adds, "Oh, you're so warm."
"Whoa, kiddo, you're drenched!" I exclaim as I begin to remove his drenched T-shirt. AJ begins stripping, and together they giggle and wiggle out of their clothes until they are both naked and turning light blue in the autumn wind. "Hurry, boys, upstairs in the shower before you turn blue."
Running through the house, the jaybirds hold their arms tight to their bodies, trying to conserve body heat. The boys pass their bathroom, and before I can stop them, they're through my bedroom and into my shower, laughing and giggling amongst themselves. You know what? Today, they can do anything they want. I follow them into the master bedroom shower to see them standing under the rain shower, enjoying the warmth of the water. I put my dirty clothes in the hamper and stepped in.
"We need to turn up the heat a little, boys," I say, making it a little warmer. "We don't have a lot of time, so no horseplay. Let's get you two stinky boys washed and dried off." You would not believe me if I told you of the cracks and creases full of mud. Eventually I had to question if they were even wearing clothes in the creek or not. They quickly promise me they were, but their faces say different. I'll let them get away with it today. With a lot of squirming and giggles, I get the boys squeaky clean, and I sit them on the bench while I spend some time on myself.
Once we're all dressed and clean, the boys and I head downstairs. Poor Alice is trying to talk to the wedding planner about the setup in the pasture, but Colt is making a ton of noise trying to entertain himself. He hops over to me when he sees us coming off the stairs. Alice looks my way, and I know what I have to do.
"Hey, jitterbug, you're coming with us," I tell him as I sling Colt over my shoulder. He laughs and pats my back as I pat his bottom. We head out through the kitchen, being as quiet as we can, and Alice mouths `thank you' to me, and I steal time for a kiss on her cheek.
Dad... It feels nice calling Jack Dad. I've never called anyone "dad" before. I've never felt anyone deserved... love from me. But Dad, he loves me, and Colt and I can tell it every time he looks at me.
"Beau? You good?" Dad asks as he steals glances from the road to watch me.
I smile and say, "Yeah, I'm good; a lot has happened in a short time. I was just thinking that I've never called someone Dad before."
"Why?" AJ asks from the back seat.
"I didn't think they deserved it. You have to love someone to call them Dad," I say, looking at Dad and smiling.
He lets go of the steering wheel and shakes my knee, saying, "I love you too, Beau."
We drive in silence for the rest of the trip and listen to country music. Some of it is really sappy, but I do like the fast, upbeat songs. AJ seems to know every word to the songs. Colt's trying to keep up, but you can definitely tell it's his first time hearing them. It's like listening to bad karaoke.
When I can't take any more twang, I ask, "Where are we going?"
Dad turns down the music and answers me, "We're heading to the church to get the chairs and tables I rented for the wedding."
I look behind us at the horse trailer behind the truck. "And we're putting them in the horse trailer?"
"Yup, there's a tarp in there, and we'll wrap them up so they don't get scratched."
I look out the window at the buildings going by and see the church in the distance. It's a normal white church with a tall steeple on the roof. The front doors have stained glass windows on either side of them. The colors are in a mixed design that I find cool. I point out the window, and both AJ and Colt crane their necks, looking out the side window, as we pull into the parking lot. *Click* goes our seatbelts, and us boys hop out of the truck when it comes to a stop.
A man dressed in jeans and a short-sleeve shirt with a Hawaiian flower pattern on it comes out with a smile on his face.
"Hey, Pastor Russ, thanks for letting us rent these tables and chairs."
"You're very welcome, Jack. Come on inside so I can get the keys to the storage barn," says the pastor with a little wave. "I recognize the Best-Man, young AJ, but who are these other two strapping young men?" he adds, looking over my shoulder at Colt and me.
"I'm Beau," I tell him a little softer than I meant, and Dad supportively places his hand on my back. "I'm Beau, sir," I say a lot louder, and Dad gives me an approving nod.
"I'm Colt. Awe you weally a Pastow? Whewe is youw collaw?" Asks my brother with his usual no-filter.
I push him a little, saying under my breath, "Colt! You're being rude!"
"Stop pushing me," Colt harshly whispers back.
Pastor Russ opens the back door and holds it open for us kids with a smile. "Do you like the collar, Colt?"
"Yes, it's cool. No one ewse is awwowed to weaw one, onwy Pastows. If I was one, I'd weaw it all the time."
Dad opens the door and lets the pastor go in first. "Well, Colt, it really only fits the black shirts I wear on Sunday. I think this shirt is more me; do you like it?" asks Pastor Russ as he goes to get the keys from a bunch of hooks.
Colt shrugs and hops on a bar stool. As Dad and the pastor talk, a boy about Colt's age walks into the kitchen completely naked with a VR headset on. "...Did you see that? He's around the corner of the gray building."
"Marty," the pastor embarrassedly says, "son, we have guests."
The little boy stops in front of us and lifts his headset, looking at us with one hazel eye. I suddenly feel guilty thinking that the boy has a good body. Marty smiles, and his cheeks blush a little, asking, "Do any of you want to take a turn?"
"I'll play," Colt says, shrugging and hopping off his chair.
Colt begins to take off his shirt, and Dad stops him, saying, "Son, keep your clothes on, please."
"Awwwe."
"It's hard to convince them to stay dressed, isn't it?" Pastor Russ adds with a chuckle.
"You're telling me," Dad agrees, looking at me and AJ. AJ looks as embarrassed as I feel.
Beau and I do all the legwork, moving the chairs from the outside of the storage barn, where Dad and Pastor Russ is stacking them, to the trailer. Every so often, Dad comes outside and helps Beau and I move the chairs. He teases us for being slow and asks us if our muscles are big enough.
"Look how strong I am. I can handle four chairs at once," Beau says, teasing Dad right back. There is no way I can do four at once; I'm having trouble with two. With a lot of breaths on my inhaler, heaving, and struggling, the two of us finish them all, with me dragging the last two from the barn to the trailer.
"Boys, you both did a great job," Dad says when he comes out with two tables in each hand.
Pastor Russ comes out carrying two tables and offers, "Why don't you boys go inside and get a soda from the refrigerator?"
"Thanks, Pastor Russ."
"Thanks sir."
Beau and I race inside to get a soda. Beau beats me there, chooses a cola from the refrigerator, and then says, "I better check on Colt." As he leaves the kitchen, I try and decide which one I want. Soon after I hear, "pppst," I look around the refrigerator door to see Beau waving a hand for me to follow. I look at him curiously for a moment, but when he waves me to follow again, I just grab a Sprite and tiptoe behind him.
We weave through two hallways to a good-sized open room. Toys litter the floor and clutter the furniture. The center of the room is cleared back, and Colt stands in the middle of the room, naked as a jaybird, as Dad would say, with a VR headset on. I snicker and stop myself from making any noise. His little willy is as hard as I've ever seen it. He is jacking off very fast and hard, making the very strange sight even funnier. I never thought about playing VR naked.
Across the room, sitting in a recliner, is the pastor's son, um, Marty. He lowers his hand from his nose as he jerks off with the other hand. He has successfully worked himself into a very impressive stiffy, for his age. He's not as big as mine, but he's a little bit bigger than Colt and smaller than Beau. Under his very hard dick are two sagging balls. Like when you're so hot you're sweating in your buttcrack and your balls hang lower than normal, they're like that.
When Beau can't hold in his laughter anymore, he shouts loud enough to scare Colt, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Both boys just about jumped out of their skins, and Colt took the headset off his head in a hurry. Marty jumps out of the recliner and stands next to Colt. "Beau! Why'd you yell at us?"
"You're very naked, and our new father told you to stay dressed," Beau plainly says, taking the headset from him.
Colt quickly grabs his shorts and shirt, then searches for his underwear. Beau shakes his head very judgmentally and then looks inside the headset, laughing. When he hands it to me, I take a look and see an app I've heard of. It's one used for watching movies, but these two perverts have found a porno with some guy with a huge dick fucking the shit out of a woman. It's gross, and I don't understand how straight boys dream of this type of thing. It looks like a nightmare to me. I don't spend much time in there watching it, to be honest. "Colt, you shouldn't be watching this type of thing; it's gross," I add, and I put it down in the recliner.
"I was just cuwious. Mawty said all the boys watch this kind of stuff," Colt says frantically as he searches for his underwear wearing only his t-shirt.
"Come on, that was some nice pussy. Doesn't it make you guys hard?" Marty asks as he stands real questionable with one hand behind his back and the other slowly stroking himself.
"No, not even a little. It looks like an open wound," I say disgusted and then I fake throwing-up to get my point across.
Beau taps my shoulder, saying, "We'd better leave before Dad comes in looking for us. Colt, you better come outside when you get dressed."
"You'we not going to teww on me, awe you, Beau?"
Beau is about to leave without answering his brother when I speak up, "What's in your hand, Marty?" He doesn't say anything but shakes his head a little. After figuring out what he was doing when we snuck in, I decide to let Colt off the hook. "Marty, give my little brother his underwear." He just stood still as Beau turned back around.
"He has Colt's underwear? You sure?"
"Am I ever wrong?" I ask being all cocky. Looking back to Marty, I accuse him,"That's what you were smelling when we came in, isn't it? You were sniffing Colt's dirty underwear while jacking off."
Marty shamefully lowers his head and hands Colt his underwear, which he's wadded up into a little ball.
"Mawty! I've been looking evewywhewe fow those," Colt says. He's completely missing the point and puts them on in a hurry. Colt's face changes to disgust and feels the front of his underwear saying, "Ew! Why awe they wet?" Beau just shakes his head at a loss of words, and we head out through the kitchen with our sodas in hand and Colt right behind us.
After the trailer is loaded, us three sit in the shade of the only tree in the backyard. Dad and the pastor talk over by the truck. Beau checks to see if Dad can hear him, then asks Colt softly, "Colt, did you like what you were watching?"
Colt thinks about it a little, then shrugs, answering, "Not weally. Mawty sed it was sexy and evewy boy likes that kind of stuff, but I'm not suwe I undewstand what I was watching."
"I don't like that kind of stuff," I say plainly.
"Me neither," says Beau. "Colt, I don't want you watching those kinds of vids anymore. You could get in a lot of trouble."
"O'tay," Colt says softly, a little ashamed.
"Can you believe how hard he was from sniffing Colt's underwear? I think he even had them in his mouth," I add with a giggle.
"I know, right? I've had grown men buy my underwear from me, but I've never seen what they do with them. Colt's underwear has to smell rank, right?" Beau asks and breaks down in laughter. I join him in laughing, and Colt jumps on us, arguing that his underwear doesn't smell bad. We all wrestle and tease each other about how bad our butts smell until Dad calls for us to get in the truck.
Back at the house, Dad pulls the trailer into the pasture next to this huge white tarp. We pile out of the truck, and Mom comes over. She has a clipboard in her hand and looks really busy. I give her a hug, followed by my brothers. She gathers us over and says, "AJ and Colt, get in your socks and stay on the white tarp. Your father will hand you chairs, and I need you to place them on every `X', understand?" We nod yes, take off our shoes, and hurry to get the chairs from Dad. Beau and Mom watch us for a few seconds, then Mom begins to head to Lana's car and says, "Beau, you're coming with me. Hurry up now; keep up; we have a lot to do and not much time to do it."
Mom opens a door belonging to Lana's blue Mustang and pulls the seat forward for me to squeeze through. I do, and as Mom sits down, Lana comes out of the kitchen with her car keys. Curiosity gets the better of me as I watch my brothers play and work with dad, and I wonder where I would be going that my brothers can't, so I ask, "Where are we going?"
Lana gets in the car and looks back at me, a little surprised. Mom lays a hand on hers and nods a little. She shrugs and looks back at me and says, "Beau, we're going to the nail salon to get our nails done."
"We are!" I say more excited than I meant to be.
Lana smiles at me as she backs up the car. "Do you like your nails painted, Beau?"
I sit back and can feel the embarrassment sink in, and Mom saves me by saying, "Beau and I enjoy painting our nails, don't we?"
"Yes, ma'am," I say softly.
The car ride is pretty boring, honestly. Mom and Lana mostly talk about college and her roommates. I laugh at the funny parts, but mostly I think about what a nail salon will look like inside. It doesn't seem like a very profitable business to just sit and paint women's nails. I wonder how many boys get their nails painted or if they even do. I can't be the only one, can I? I bet they sell nail polish there, and I bet I can get any color I can think of.
"...huh, Beau? What's your favorite color?"
"Um, I like darker colors, I guess. Dark purples, blues, reds, and greens. I have my own bottles in Mom's office. Next time we have our time together, I think I'm going to get each finger nail a different color."
"Sounds cool," Lana says, giving Mom a side-eye as she turns into the parking lot. The small business looks unremarkable except for the neon sign above the door that says `Pretty Nails.' I'm not sure I've ever thought of them as `pretty.'
The small bell chimes as we walk inside. A storm of chattering women overwhelms us as we are assaulted with, "Hello," "Nice seeing you again," and "Good lord girl! Where have you been!" That last one is from a girl about the same age as Lana. The two hug and begin their own storm of "How's college," "Meet anyone seriously," and "You'll never believe this!"
I stick with Mom because I'm not sure if I'm going to like this. She walks her way to the back, sets her purse on the floor next to a chair as she sits down, and never stops talking about the wedding.
"Who's this little handsome man?" Asks the lady who begins to wash mom's hands.
"This is my adopted son, Beau. We just finished the paperwork a few days ago."
I inch a little closer to Mom, and the lady gets the idea and leaves me alone. I begin to feel out of place until the lady opens a drawer with like a hundred little bottles of nail polish. She digs out three bottles. One of them is like a light blue, and the other two are clear. I started paying more attention to what she was doing.
I see Mom look down at me and smile as she watches me. "Can, I, um, get my nails painted too?" I ask her softly and a little embarrassed.
Mom tells me to sit in the chair next to her, and one of the ladies will give me `the works' using the wedding colors. I hop in the chair and wait for my turn. A nice lady comes over and sits down. She introduces herself and then takes my little hands and washes them in a little wash pan.
"So, little one, do you like your nails painted?" Asks the lady holding my soapy hands.
Looking over at Mom, she nods towards the lady who is drying my hands. I answer her softly, "My mom paints my nails all the time. I think, it's cool."
She smiles at me and says, "You know what? It is cool." I return her smile, and she begins to file my nails to a smooth, uniform shape.
An hour goes by before I even realize it. We've been pampered, and I leave really happy, looking at my shiny nails on the way back to the car. It is really cool spending time with Mom and Lana. My nails look great. Each one of my nails is two colors, white on one side and light blue on the other, and the owner gave me a free day coupon to get my nails done next time I come. I can't wait; I'm going to ask Mom tomorrow if we can go. We stopped for ice cream, and then we headed home.
After all the chairs are placed, the flower people and wedding planner begin to decorate the chairs and where mom and dad are going to stand. Colt and I do whatever Dad asks us to do, with small breaks here and there for a little horseplay and goofing around. When Lana's blue car pulls into the driveway, Dad sends us to see them, and we race all the way there. Lana picks up Colt and gives me a hug. Mom sends Lana and us boys inside for showers and to relax from a hard day of working before we have to get ready for the wedding.
The showers go as one would expect. To minimize horseplay, Lana has us shower one at a time. Then we sit in the living room, naked and squeaky clean, watching TV. Except for Colt, who falls asleep wrapped in his towel right after Lana gave him a shower. One TV show turns into two before Lana comes back downstairs and tells us to get upstairs and get dressed. She follows us upstairs, and with her help, the three of us dress in our tuxedos. We never would have been able to do it without her. Before going downstairs, she gathers us three together and says, "Listen, my boyfriend is going to be here for the wedding and for the next few days. Do me a favor; wear clothes in the mornings. Actually, it's best that you're not naked anytime."
"What about showews and in bed when we sweep?" Asks Colt looking a little worried.
"Yeah, that's fine," says Lana.
"But we'we awways naked in the mowning, mom says we can," Colt says, kind of pouty not willing to give this up.
"I know Colt. But I'm not sure Don would understand. Please, for me, it's only for a few days," my sister asks, tickling his chin.
Colt giggles and gives in, "O'tay."
Heading downstairs, the twins come rushing inside the back door. They wait for us to step off the stairs, and Zeke flicks my ear, like real hard. "Ouch! What'd I do wrong?" I shout in protest, grabbing my ear. He only does that when he knows I messed up, lied, or broke something and isn't going to tell on me.
"You left the gate open, AJ. You're lucky the cattle weren't in the East forty yet," Zack says, flicking my other ear as he hurries past me on the other side up the stairs.
"I did not!" I yell before I even give it a thought as I grab my other ear.
"Well, it was open, and you two were the last to open it..."
"...so, it had to be you. You're lucky..."
"...Dad didn't find out," Zack finishes the thought they share, then finishes with, "...are you lying to me, AJ?"
"No, I closed it. Well, I had Beau close it, but I know he did," I argue back. He looks disappointed in me and then slips into Zeke's room. I turn and look at Beau, at a loss for words. "We closed it, right?"
"Well, Best Man, I wanted to talk to you last," Dad says as he wipes a tear from his eyes.
I stop brushing Stepper and hop off the stool I'm standing on, saying, "Dad, I'm proud of you."
"Hey, that's my line," he says, tickling me a little. Then he places his large hands on my tiny shoulders and asks, "AJ Maxis Docker, are you ready to be... AJ Maxis Colter?"
"I do," I answer him, giggling.
"You still have the rings?"
I pat my jacket pocket and flash him a sly smile. "I'm the Best-Man, aren't I? Of course, I..." but my thoughts are interrupted by a man who rushes us from inside the equipment stall. He's wearing a black t-shirt, pants, and a stocking hat. Before I can scream, he swings a crowbar, hitting Dad in the back of his head. Nothing... nothing but fear! I can't even scream as Dad rushes me and covers me with his body. The man swings again and hits Dad. I... I grab onto him and try to hold him up, but he weighs too much, and we fall to the ground together.
The man grabs my arm and says in a hushed tone, "If you scream, I'll kill everyone. Do you understand me?" He waits for a second, and when I can't peel my eyes from my father's unmoving body, he shakes me and says again, "understand!" The horror in my face must have been enough of a confirmation, because he picks me up and puts me up on Buster's saddle.
Just about every chair is full, and the bride's chosen music floats through the air. I have to admit, I'm real nervous for some reason. It's not like I'm getting married or anything, but I've never been to a wedding. Heck, I've never looked so good either. I ride Checkers behind the twins, and he prances around a little like something is wrong. "What's wrong, boy? You nervous?" I ask, knowing it probably has something to do with me being nervous. Checkers prances out of line and just refuses to listen to me.
Zack's horse, Night Whisper, stirs, and he looks at me, asking, "You okay, Beau?"
"Something is wrong; he can feel it," I say, trying to get him under control.
"Where's Dad going?" Asks Zeke.
We all look and watch Buster at a full gallop, heading away from the wedding towards the east forty. From this distance I can't really tell but it looks like the rider is dressed in black with something white in front of him on the saddle."That's not dad!" Yells Zack and the twins head to the barn at a full gallop, with me right behind them. Once I get in the barn, I see the twins off their horses checking on Dad, whose tuxedo is covered in blood. He's confused, and his words are slurred. Stepper is going crazy, prancing around, trying to yank his reins free so he can run out of the barn.
I don't see AJ, and suddenly I know what I saw. I jump from Checkers to Stepper and pull his reins loose from the stall hook. "Take me to AJ, boy. Yip-yip!" I shout, and before the twins can stop me, I'm off like a rocket. The sheer force of this horse's gallop is indescribable. I almost fall off as he clears the barn. There is no controlling him, and all I can do is hold on. How does AJ even steer this horse?
Stepper kicks up, almost kicking Zeke in the back, as it tears out of the barn, heading towards the East forty with Beau on his back. "That damn kid!" I yell and begin to scream for help.
"Go!" yells Zeke. "Those two are going to need your help. I got Dad; now go get our brothers!"
I nod and wipe my tears from my eyes. I hurry to get on Night Whisper. "Come on, boy, run like the wind. Do it for me," I plead with him as I spur him on and snap his reins. He takes off after Beau and Stepper, trying to keep them in view. Damn, that horse is fast! There is no way I can keep up with them. I just hope they don't do anything stupid before I get there.
Buster isn't known for his speed, and after running as far as we have, he begins to slow down. I'm crying so hard I can't see straight. My dad! He killed my dad! My body hurts, and I can feel it shaking. I'm beginning to lose it! The man has a tight hold on my chest as he kicks Buster's chest, trying to get him to go faster.
"St...sto...stop i...it don't kick h...hi...him," I beg.
"Shut up, you little shit! Why is this horse so slow?" the man says with one final kick. He curses some more about the horse and his men getting arrested and killed. When we come up on the gate, he yells, "Damn it! Who closed this?" He pulls his gun and holds it in front of my face, saying, "Now I'm getting off this horse to re-open this gate. If you move, I'll go back to that barn and shoot your dad! Don't move!"
He slides off the horse, and I don't know what to do. Did he kill my dad? How could he kill him twice? He's alive; he didn't kill my dad! The man unhooks the gate, leads the horse through it, closes it again, climbs back onto Buster, and we're off again. I can see the cattle in the distance across the creek and know if I start yelling, the men over there watching the cattle might hear me, "Help! Help me!"
The man yells at me, telling me to shut up, and hits my chest with the gun, making me cry harder. Did they hear me? After we follow the creek for a way, I look around and recognize that we're almost to the end of our property. There is a fire lane just around that bend, and that is probably where his car is. If he gets me in his car, well, it won't be good. He stops Buster when his car is in view and slides off. "Get down!" He barks at me.
I shake my head and kick Buster's sides, yelling, "Getty-up!" But before I can get Buster to turn around, the man grabs my leg and pulls me off. I land on my back real hard and yell out in pain.
He lets me lay there on my side, crying and balled up with my knees to my chest. He tells me this is all my fault and that I deserve what's coming to me! He kicks me twice in the back, and the pain is so excruciating, I can't even form screams!
"Stop it! Leave my son alone!"
Stepper is coming up on that gate real fast, and I don't think he's going to let me off to open it. I have a bad feeling about what he's about to do because it doesn't seem possible. I hold on for dear life as the horse takes flight over the gate and lands on the other side without losing a step! I look behind me as I try to convince myself of what just happened. Once we hit the wooded area, Stepper has to slow down, so I regain a little control, but he is still determined to go in a certain direction.
Suddenly, Buster comes around the bend, and Stepper stops. I slide off the saddle and rub my saddle sores. My nuts are going to hurt for weeks, but there's no time to worry about that now. Looking around, I do recognize where I am. AJ and I were riding ATVs here this morning. I climb the small hill and begin to hear voices.
Being as quiet as I can be, I walk as low and as quietly as I can until I see a man dressed in black. He's got AJ in his arms with a gun to his head. The kidnapper is talking to another man with a black gym bag standing out by the fire lane where AJ and I were racing four-wheelers.
"I brought your damn money! Let go of my son!"
"See how easy this is; you should have paid me my full fee instead of cheating me! We tracked the boy! We even allowed you to join us when you wanted and stalk your own son! We got the house codes, we jammed the alarm, and all you had to do was walk in and take your boy! Months and months of work, and when it came to finishing the job and nab the kid, you fucked it up. You got cold feet! Canceled the plan, fired us, and paid us half! Fuck you! Look what you made me do! We didn't have to include your son!"
"I told you; I had a change of heart! I thought he would be miserable! I thought he'd be better off with me, but when I saw the family pictures throughout the house and the lifestyle Anna made for the boy, I felt ashamed for wanting to take him away from that. I just couldn't do that. I just... It will be okay, AJ. Here, just take your money! Let him go; that was the deal," the man by the fire lane commands, then tosses the black gym bag halfway to the kidnapper.
I hear a stick snapping and look to my left. I about shit my pants until I saw Zack with his rifle. He motions for me to come to him, and if I do that, I won't be able to help AJ. I shake my head no, hold up my hand in the shape of a gun, and point to the man with AJ. Zack gets my meaning, and he lowers his rifle on the kidnapper. I know what I have to do. I have to get AJ out of the line of fire, and doubt slams into me. Will I make it to AJ in time? Will the man kill me and AJ? I creep down towards the kidnapper. Slowly and oh so quietly, I work my way closer to him.
"Maybe I'll kill your little fuck-toy and then kill you afterwards! That's right, I know who you are. You got caught fucking the shit out of this sexy little piece of ass," the kidnapper taunts, then licks AJ's face. "I can see why; he's got a tight little ass, doesn't he? Maybe I'll put it to use, and you can watch!"
He shoves a hand down AJ's pants, making him scream even louder and struggle with everything he has left in the man's grip, screaming, "Daddy, help! Daddy, help me!"
When I get as close as I think I can get without making noise, I pause. AJ told me once that it only takes twenty seconds of insane courage to accomplish great things. Things that you never thought possible. It doesn't sound very long, does it? Twenty seconds is how long you're supposed to wash your hands. Happy birthday is twenty-seconds long.
I can do this.
This is my twenty-seconds.
Before I change my mind, I rush him. The kidnapper turns to see me coming, and before he knows it, I tackle AJ, ripping him from his grip, and we hit the ground a few feet away. Looking back at the kidnapper, I see him point his gun at the man by the fire lane, and then three gunshots go off. Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, I cover my ears with my hands. I can't hear myself scream over the ringing in my ears from the guns going off. Holding my ears tightly, I look back at the kidnapper, expecting the next shots to be at AJ and me. Slowly, very slowly, the kidnapper drops to his knees, then falls to his side in the creek splashing water on us.
I get off of AJ a little, and both of us look at the man by the lane, and he drops to his knees as well. His blank face stares above the trees and he is struggling to say in between breaths, "AJ... are you... safe? AJ... are... you... safe?"
"Are you guys hurt?! Hey AJ, Beau, are you shot?!"
Some of my brain heard Zack, but the other half is trying to figure out why AJ's father's t-shirt has the color red pouring from it. AJ scrambles in a panic to get out from under me. I hear Zack come up next to me, and I spare a moment to look at him. His rifle is lowered, pointing at the kidnapper as he nudges him with his cowboy boot.
"Are you shot? Beau, AJ, are you hurt?!" Zack yells at us.
I shake my head no telling him, "No, We're okay. I think I'm okay. Did you shoot him?" I ask Zack.
"I shot my gun. I did what I thought I had to," his words trailed off till the last word was barely audible over AJ's sobbing.
Looking back to his father, his once-hidden smoking gun slips from his hand and splashes at his feet in the creek. I helplessly watch as AJ rushes to his father's side, hugging him and sobbing uncontrollably. His father, uses the last of his strength to hug his son one last time and repeats his concern with his last breath, "AJ...... are...... you........ sssss"
"Yes... I'm safe, daddy! I'm right here. We're both safe. Don't die, please, daddy, don't die!" AJ grips his dark red shirt and pulls on it, shaking his father's lifeless body.
"Daddy...?"
"Daddy, say something!"
"Daddy!"
I don't know what to do, but he needs me, and the memory of Zack telling me to go over to him from the pool party crosses my mind for some reason. I get up out of the creek where we landed and walk over to him. Kneeling next to him, I put my arm around him. His deep emerald eyes are full of tears when he looks into my tearful eyes. I don't know what to say, so I just shake my head and mumble, "AJ... I'm..." He wraps his arms around me, and I can tell I'm supporting all his weight. He sobs into my tuxedo jacket, and I do the only thing I can think of: I hold him as tightly as I can and whisper, "I'm sorry, AJ. I'm so sorry."
Thank you so much for reading "Counting." You've stayed with me through triumph, tragedy, and tears. I have shared with you a story about a young boy who has transformed from a scared little boy in the backseat of a black suburban to a junior cowboy worthy of the title "Ironman." There were times I made you mad, hate me, and even grieve, but I hope I also made you laugh, giggle, and experience joy along with my characters.
Now, I will be taking a break from this series and working on another story, "Not Capable of Love," and posting it while I work on the sequel book to "Counting," titled: "Counting Down." Where we will be meeting up with my boys: Zack, Zeke, AJ, Beau, and Colt a year later, in a new city full of new adventures.
Look for it later this year.