Chapter 67
Spud came down with some sandwiches and sat and watched me for a while. I had done the base drawing and put Ayden as a baby in her arms, his bright blue eyes looking up to her. I tried my hardest to place the fairy folk around them but each time I tried it didn't look right. I had done the king perfectly but the rest just didn't work, not in this painting.
"Are you having trouble with the folk Den?" Spud finally asked. I snapped out of it and replied,
"They don't work in this painting Spud, as much as I try they don't look right.
"Well you have got the king right, maybe that's what the message is, the king, the queen and the prince." I stared at him then looked back at the king. Then Spud said,
"Did you ever in your wildest dreams think that the king maybe was your father Den?"
"What?" I reeled back from the canvas. I had thought that earlier but it was inconceivable to imagine.
"Ayden said his grandfather told him about his grandmother's death, that's the first time he's mentioned him. Do you think maybe the king is his grandfather, your father Den?"
"Impossible Spud, please let's not go there," I whispered. But Spud did go there.
"In your and Ayden's world not so much impossible Den, probable is what I'm thinking. Think about it. Why did they appear in the first place?"
"They were sent to heal me, I was sick."
"Did you call them to help you, or did Ayden. They had come gladly to your bedside. I believe as Ayden says, they have always been around you and more so him."
"I need to read mum's books Spud, Ayden said I needed to read them."
"Yes, have you any idea where they are?"
"Probably with her belongings, she had quite a few of them I remember, she wouldn't have thrown them out, she never really threw important things out, come with me."
I took him into Ayden's bedroom, we stood in front of the painting with the king and queen on the jet ski. They were smiling at Ayden but when I really looked, the king was actually smiling at me.
He was a handsome young man, something else I hadn't connected with, the queen had my mum's eyes. They were young, like in their twenties but I didn't have any old photos of either of them to compare. I told Spud this and he replied,
"Maybe it was a holiday fling with them, that background suggests Italy, did your mum ever travel?"
"I don't know, but it's possible. She always had a bowl of sea shells beside her bed but I don't know where they were from and I was never allowed to play with them."
"Very interesting Den, he has Ayden's eye colour, did you pick up on that before?"
"No, I never linked them until now." My head was spinning, it would explain a lot, way to go Spud. He's such an intelligent young man.
I heard giggles when I left the room and thought about going back to chastise them all for being so secretive. Spud had to go over to his shop so I thought I would wander down to the beach and sit for awhile.
"I'm a prince Horse, my father is a fairy king and my mother human. Ayden is his grandson; I am his son." Horse snapped his fingers and the penny dropped. My head was spinning as Horse had gone to get Ayden. He brought him up to our tree for me to cuddle and his giggles told me he was very happy again, and his folk were still looking after him.
"Shit Den, I never thought of that, maybe when you read the diaries it will become clearer."
"Maybe my friend, but you ponder that for awhile for me will ya?"
He gave me a strange look like I was taking the piss out of him - and I was.
I also had a calming feeling, if all this is true then Ayden is indeed safe to be left around his folk, his grandfather and the others wouldn't dream of seeing him harmed.
I told Evan that night while we packed a couple of old suitcases Id found in the garage. Ayden was jumping up and down on the bed helping out.
"Den, it's a bit far fetched don't you think?"
"Well if it's true baby, you will have to get on your knees every time I meet you.
"That I would gladly do, even if you were a street sweeper." he slyly grinned. I looked at Ayden but he didn't look tired so I couldn't put him to bed.
"Hold that thought bubs." I grinned back.
He was so excited to go for a big plane ride and jumped up and down all the way to the check-in counter. He was happy until the flight attendant checking us in looked over her desk and asked,
"Is this your first flight handsome?"
He buried his head into Evan's legs, nope he's not talking to any strangers today.
"Sorry." I blushed.
"It's okay, I get that a lot." She giggled.
I gave him a piggy back ride the rest of the way down to our boarding lounge. Evan had brought some snacks for him and a magazine for himself, our three-hour flight wasn't long and he can do the crossword. After we boarded, Ayden wanted to sit by the window and watch the ground crew load suitcase after suitcase into the hold. He yelled and wanted us to watch too. I bent over and kissed his head and he held onto my hand tightly. When we were hoovering down the runway he went quiet and wouldn't look out the window until we were airborne, a scary moment for him maybe.
The flight was uneventful as expected and the hostess tried everything to amuse him but he just wanted his dads.
"Will nanny be there when we gets back dads?"
"Yes honey, she is already missing you."
"Good." He was deep in thought and I can guess what he's thinking.
Evan picked up the keys to the hire car when we landed and we motored off to the funeral parlour. We thought we would get that out of the way before we booked into our hotel.
Everything was done and they got me to sign a few things. I will have her flown down to Melbourne and scatter her ashes on our beach as per her instructions.
At the hotel we couldn't have been treated better and our room with the extra trundle bed was superb. It overlooked the beach where Evan was itching to go and have a look, there was also a balcony and I got him to tie a cord around the knobs so Ayden couldn't open it.
We changed into shorts and tops after a bit of a clean up. I put some sunscreen on us all while taking my time with Evan's, then we headed out the front of the hotel to the beach. Evan hired a board and Ayden got excited.
"Too rough bubs, maybe later," he said.
"Not ruff pa."
"It is son, look at the big waves, you will fall off." Well you might as well have said he's too stupid to see that by the sour face he made. Evan saw it too.
"Did we bring his lifejacket?"
"And his wet suit." I smiled back. I didn't know whether Ayden's folk had come with us but I was about to find out as I zipped his little suit up.
"Come Pa." He took Evan's hand and waded in a bit then jumped on the board. He was beautiful as he coasted those waves into shore four or five times, not even a small mishap, his rides were perfect.
He was shivering when Evan dropped him off so I wrapped a towel around him and got his suit off. Then I rubbed him roughly all over.
Evan screamed and Ayden turned to look at his majestic Pa flying into the air off a big wave, another wipe-out.
He clapped and cheered then pumped his arms, running around in circles as he did.
Evan was all smiles when he finished and thank god I got some photos and a couple of short movies.
We had drawn a crowd too, something I didn't like, not one bit.
Back at the hotel we had a cold lunch, nothing like Rita's but they tried to get it right. Ayden had some chips and chicken wings and seemed to like them, then we went downstairs and drove to the retirement village.
"Everything's packed up, there isn't much but it's all there," the head nurse told me. She showed us to mum's room and she was right, there wasn't all that much. A couple of small boxes and a suitcase.
"She gave a lot of her stuff to the residents when she got sick Mr. Curtis, I guess she knew her time was near. She was a lovely lady and kept us entertained with all her fairy stories." She also handed me a wooden box that was kept in the safe on the way out.
I smiled and thanked her as Evan helped us carry the items back to the car. When we got back to the hotel I emptied the suitcase and put the rest of her clothes outside the door. The staff can go through them and toss the rest. I opened the boxes and the first thing I found was a copy of her will with the name of a solicitor written in mum's handwriting on the envelope. Evan looked it over and mentioned that she had left everything to her grandson and I wasn't put out at all, he would have got it anyway. The next thing was the heavy box with delicate fairy carvings all over it.
I was finding it hard to open until Ayden found the hidden latch. Inside were twenty-nine exquisite gold coins with very old, unusual symbols on them, and Evan said they would be worth a fortune as he looked closely at them.
There were only five handwritten books, some cash in an envelope, a shawl and some dried flowers plus her sea shells.
These are important things, things mum kept from days gone by and I wondered if they had something to do with my dad. I picked up one of the books and a photo fell out. I picked it up off the floor and looked at it. Seated on a sea wall by the beach was my mum and who I think was my dad. He was so handsome she was so young, she had the shawl draped over her shoulders and held a posy of flowers. Ayden was on to it immediately.
"King my king, dads my king." He grabbed the photo and started talking to it in baby gibberish.
Evan had stopped playing with the coins then he put them back into their box, it snapped shut.
He took my hand and then the photo and gasped.
"He looks like you Den, he has Ayden's eyes."
I couldn't say anything I was too shocked to even think at that moment. I put everything aside but left Ayden with the photo because he wanted more talks.
"Aren't you going to read the books Den?" Evan stroked my head as we lay back against the headboard of the bed.
"Not yet bub, it's all too much at the moment. I don't even think I want to know what happened. She had a lot more than five of them, maybe she just left the important ones, maybe the others were written after I was born? I wasn't even important enough to keep them." I felt sad for my mum, even if she thought they weren't important, I still should have been able to read them.
"Well maybe we can get Horse to read these ones, he could shorten the stories for you."
"Would you?"
"Would I what?"
"Would you read them too me?"
"Sure Den, but first we have to ring this solicitor and get the ball rolling on her estate. I will help as much as I can, but I feel we should leave it in his capable hands."
"Good idea bubs, less work for you to bother with." I didn't feel like dealing with anything, I was so disappointed with my mum.
"Well according to these papers in with the will, she had plenty of money Den. What happened, you said she wasn't wealthy?"
'We weren't Bub; we didn't struggle but we didn't live like kings either. She never worked, maybe her parents had money?"
"Are they still alive?"
"No they died when I was about three I think."
"Well that might explain these balances I'm reading, Den there's ten times the amount you have in the bank."
"Good, our son will definitely not have to work, he can keep us in our old age." I grinned.
Evan made a phone call to put everything into motion with the solicitor. He talked lawyer talk for awhile then he said his good byes. I didn't have to talk to him, I think he trusted Evan. Ayden was getting antsy being cooped up in the room so we decided to take him down to the kid's club. He wowed his way through the rides and swings but it was a bit sad because he was the only one in there. Later we had coffee and rang Rita to let her know all was good. She said the shack felt gloomy because we weren't there and to hurry back before it all falls apart. I laughed and told her to go into Ayden's bedroom and tell the king to wake up. We had a good talk and then I had to hang up, it was nap time for my boy, all that playing has got him all tuckered out.
I put all mum's things into her suitcase and locked it, we will go through it again when we get home, now isn't the time.
We spent two days at the hotel because Evan wanted another surf. Ayden was jumping up and down as we approached the shore and there was a crowd of people who had taken over the beach. I thought it was very strange because they weren't surfing but just taking photographs, maybe tourists. All of a sudden someone shouted,
"There he is, it's that little boy I saw." People started running towards us and I scooped Ayden up and ran back to the hotel.
The crowd weren't allowed into the complex so we headed for our room.
Ayden was a little upset he couldn't have a surf with his pa, so we decided to take the car down to a secluded beach and give him a go there. I found out later that a video had been posted on You Tube, showing a baby surfing in Queensland, it was Evan and Ayden in the short film. Evan will work on getting it deleted when we get home.
Ayden was now a seasoned flyer but he didn't want to look out the window this time, he wanted to sleep. Our flight was very quick but I had left everything up to Evan, I was too busy having fun with our kid.
We landed in Brisbane.
"Why are we here Bub, do we have to get a connecting flight?"
"No Den, I thought you might like a catch up with Bobby Thompson and Rory, and maybe we can have a talk with Cody Mitchell about the clothing range?"
"Wow, you are full of surprises." I smiled, I'm glad he thought of visiting them while we are up here, it will distract me and maybe Ayden will have some playmates for a few days.
"The twins will be good for Ayden to play with and I can surf uninterrupted." He grinned, he had read my mind.
Bobby and Rory met us at the terminal, we hugged and they took our bags then walked us to their car. Ayden was all eyes as we drove up the freeway to their home on the beach.
It wasn't far and when we drove into the car park I could see a fabulous beach house in front of us.
"That's Cody's and Dan's place and my workshop is over here." Bobby pointed to a large shed.
We drove to the next house; it was much the same as the first style wise, but as I found out, a different floor plan inside.
Bobby and I talked about his works and he showed me the hundreds of painting's he had in his storage room. It will take me a month to go through them. The ones on the walls were the best of the best, mainly they were of Rory, but some were of their extended family.
Two little blonde kids came crashing through the beach side doors and when they saw Ayden they screamed and headed his way.
One hugged him and the other went to the fridge to get juices.
"Oh don't mind them, they belong to the freeloading neighbours. I suppose we are expected to feed them too." Rory laughed as he kissed them both on their heads.
"Watch it ragamuffin, I'm just standing over here." Cody Mitchell was standing in the doorway, what a sweet looking hunk he was too.
"Sorry Den and Evan, I couldn't hold them off any longer, they wanted to see their new mate." He giggled then put his hand out to do the formal introductions.
My boy was chatting away with the twins who had turned the TV onto the cartoon channel, what perfect hosts, and I heard Ayden giggle several times at their antics. We sat on Rory's porch and I looked up and down the beach where there were three houses and Cody told us the other one belonged to friends called, Trent and Tom.
Cody was a bloody good-looking guy, short blonde flipped hair and a butt to die for, but Evan's was better. I saw a god walking up the beach, no he swaggered up the beach. When he got to us he grinned at Cody and kissed him then introduced himself as Dan. I can see what Cody sees in him and if I didn't know better those butterflies in my tummy are trying to tell me something.
"When you're settled come up for a surf Evan, you can use one of my boards there's plenty to choose from." He smiled, did I just see his teeth glint in the sunlight?
We had coffee and I wanted to see Bobby's workroom because I know there has to be more of his works somewhere.
"They are all in Cody and Dan's house Den."
"What Rory?"
"The cream of the crop, Bobby's most excellent works, they are on Cody's walls." He grinned.
"Oh I thought there would be more around somewhere. I know I have to see, 'Family,' that's the one everyone raves about." I giggled.
"Before you do I want to warn you, Cody Mitchell is very mean with his paintings, so don't even offer any money for them, he won't sell them."
"Rory behave yourself," Cody screamed at Rory. I jumped and the kids came out to see who was yelling. One crawled up on Dan's knee and Ayden stood there and looked at him so Dan held his arm out and said,
"Come on little buddy, there's plenty of room for one more." Ayden giggled and was swooped up into Dan's arms. I wondered if I could get on his knee too. The other twin, Conner crawled onto Cody's lap, he looked very contented.
Ayden was staring at Dan then he did something I hadn't seen before, he put his ear on Dan's heart and smiled.
"All good bubs?" I asked.
"All goods dah."
"Ah the magic of the bay at work again I see," Bobby said.
"Well you have my son's tick of approval Dan, your extremely healthy." I laughed.
"I should bloody hope so Den, I've had him on a diet for the past ten years."
'Well he looks awesome Cody, it's working." I grinned.
"Den, behave yourself." I forgot Evan was about, I thought he had gone surfing.
My son had gone to sleep just for ten minutes and it looks like the other little one is doing the same. The one on Cody's lap, Conner, talked his head off and Cody answered him without a second thought.
They all talked about Evan's clothing line and said they had fun doing it, they were thinking about doing the same with Bobby's paintings. I didn't mind at all and wanted some for the shop too.
When the kids woke up and finished their juices we decided to take a walk down to Cody's place. When he opened the bi folds the whole place screamed class, Tony has to see this so I will take plenty of photos. I made a bee line towards the, 'family,' painting, I couldn't miss it sitting proudly on Cody's wall surrounded by at least a dozen more paintings.
"Stand here and squint," Rory said as he handed me a beautiful magnifying glass. I did as I was told and found there were hidden paintings within the painting, I was gobsmacked.
"Now read the messages, you will know where they are." He smiled. I did find them easily, and blew my breath out as I read them all. This is truly a work of art, I stared at Bobby who was grinning from ear to ear.
"He's good like that Den." Rory giggled.
"Let's make sandcastles, Evan the boards are down the side of the house," Dan said to the boys as I looked at the other works on Cody's walls. Rory and Bobby got the buckets and spades as Cody explained the others to me. They were sad, he told me a little about Rory's abuse and how the paintings had appeared. I felt so sad for the two boys, they were gorgeous people so who could do such a terrible thing to them?
I felt gloomy and joined the kids who were whooping it up.
Evan and Dan appeared in their wet suits, the waves today weren't heavy but enough for them.
"Me, me pa, me baby."
Ayden was onto it straight away, I guess he's not much of a sandcastle builder, more of a wave chaser.
"In a minute bub, let pa have a go first.
"Oh k?"
As Dan and Evan paddled out beyond the surf I unpacked his backpack and got him into his suit, the guys were staring at me.
"Now for something fabulous, you will see where I get my inspiration from Bobby." I grinned as my boy jumped up and down. The other two kids were just as excited as him. Evan rode the wave in beautifully but Dan wiped out on his first run. Ayden was gathered up and put on the board and he and Evan paddled out again as Dan watched from where he ended up. Evan said something to him as he passed by and Dan stayed put, I waded out a bit just in case. They turned and my boy screamed then stood up. He surfed that wave right into the shore with his arms outstretched.
"I saw it," Bobby said in my ear.
"Saw what Bobby?"
"The gold stream behind Ayden."
"Oh, you saw that?" I smiled.
"It was awesome." He laughed.
Bubs did another three runs then it was his Pa's turn to have a go. I dried Ayden off who was babbling to the twins then I took his suit off and his lip dropped.
"We have an agreement baby did you forget?"
"Sorry dah." He looked disappointed but he knows the rules, and he did look tired again.
The boys had an afternoon nap while Bobby and Cody showed me their workrooms, I also looked at a rack of clothes on Cody's side.
"Take this box home with you, its Rita's dresses." I thanked him profusely and said I would get Evan to transfer the money over tonight.
"Wholesale, mate's rates Den." He grinned.
I thanked him and placed the box with Ayden's back pack on the porch, then I took hundreds of photos. Cody's beach was awesome but not as good as ours. We invited them to stay and they said next time they had to go to Melbourne they would come down. Another blonde guy arrived and I found out he was Dan's brother Luke. He looked a lot like my Evan and I checked his ass out more than once.
That was until Evan scolded me again.
His boyfriend Jamie came up the stairs with pizzas, another muscled bubble butt, it was just like home.
The kids had woken up and were sitting in front of the TV eating nuggets, I think Cody organized them. We talked into the night and then around eight I had to put our son down. He would sleep with us tonight; I don't want him to wake up in a strange room. I also wanted to empty my balls, all that perving had them working over time but I felt guilty when I slipped Evan one in the shower, it was quick and furiously urgent. He stared at me then bent over the wash basin.
"Now, can you try that again but a little longer this time, thank you Den." I heard him giggle. We had so much fun with the guys the next day. I spent most of it in Bobby's workroom flipping through some serious works of art.
"You should get Cynthia to put some on her site Bobby, ship ten to her when you get the time."
"Marcel will be furious Den." He grinned.
"Fuck Marcel." I returned the grin.
"Okay if you want me too," Rory replied.
"Rory behave." Poor Bobby, he cracked up laughing at Rory's face.
"I guess I could always use a different media Den; will she mind?" I gave him such a stare then asked,
"Bobby, do you really think that?"
"No." He giggled again. It must be a ball of laughs around here, everyone we met was happy.
Cody took us into town to see his and Rory's shops and we sat in his new coffee lounge and had lunch. Dan took the boys to the play room in the gym and later they came back wrecked so it didn't take us long to get them to go off and have an afternoon nap. Dan fell asleep among the small bodies on his bed, he was smiling.
"He adores kids Den," Cody told me later on as we watched Evan's hair blow up in the wind.
"Nice butt too," he wasn't referring to Dan either.
"Yes very nice butt," I answered looking at Evan's bum.
We looked at each other and laughed.
Evan was up for his early morning surf and I sat with my coffee on Rory's front veranda just sketching the beach and of course my man. We had to go home today and I must admit I was missing my boys and Rita awfully. I had spent an hour on the phone last night and it was good just to hear her voice. She told me that Birdy asks every day when we are coming home.
After a lot of sad farewells and a lot of promises, we were at last flown back home to our bay. Evan had us on that freeway in record time and my butterflies came alive as we turned off the road and started up our street.
The crowd were all there to greet us when we pulled into the driveway and Ayden was handed around and kissed to death by his nanny and uncles. We were hugged and kissed by all as the guys helped unload our suitcases. I noticed an old friend sitting on the steps in his school uniform so I opened my arms, he ran into them and I swooped him up for heaps of kisses and cuddles, me thinks Birdy missed us.
"He's been in my ear all the time you were away Den, wanting to know what time you will be home." Rita smiled as she stroked his head.
"Well we are here now, how have you been son?"
"Good papa Den, make plenty money, do good at school." I smiled then kissed him again. Ayden landed in Horse's lap and Birdy got mine, I wanted to hear about his mates and his school work. Alex brought the coffees and sandwiches down, I was famished, real food at long last. I could see that Evan was trying to get Donk to go surfing and after twenty minutes he succeeded, so they quietly left the party to get into their suits.
Birdy had his backpack with him and he started to show me his schoolwork, his writing was near perfect and his words wonderful and descriptive. I think he's also going to be a writer.
Bubs was put to bed early, he was bushed after his big plane ride, maybe jetlag? Evan had come back and was unpacking the suitcases while I played with his bits and pieces. I had insisted he unpack in the nude so I could check him out some more.
He placed the books beside the bed and the coins and shells in his safe. He sorted out the washing which was just about everything then he stacked the suitcases up against the wall. Rita's dresses were placed in the wardrobe for now. While he did this I lay on the bed, I played with my balls and tried to look seductive but he let out a laugh and told me to get into bed as that would turn him on more.
He crawled in beside me and my arm went behind his neck as he took a deep breath. Within moments I could hear his gentle snoring, bloody jetlag.
(Authors note. If you want to know more about Dan and Cody, please read my first book. Never Give Up, posted on The Story Lovers website.)