Jed barely had time to set his cup down before Oliver was hugging him.“Yeah, bud, I am.”
“I missed you so much.”
Damn it.Sadie was going to tear up again.
“Oliver, I missed you so much, too.You have no idea.”He dropped to his knees to better hug her nephew.
Oliver pulled back and asked, “Are you going to disappear again?”
“No.Never.”There was no hesitation on Jed’s part.“You and Sadie will never be able to get rid of me now that I’m back."
“Forever?”he pressed.
“Oliver, I don’t think,” she started to tell him they were going to take things slow to see how it went, but Jed replied at the same time, “Forever.”
Jed continued by adding, “Your aunt and I are together, but I still have to prove myself to her.”
“Prove yourself?What does that mean?”
“It means I messed up and now I have to show her I won’t do something stupid like that again.”
“What did you do?”
“Oliver.That’s enough questions.What do you want for breakfast?”Sadie cut in, sparing Jed the rabbit hole that conversations with Oliver could sometimes be.
“Scrambled eggs and pancakes?”
“Sure.Why don’t you go turn the TV on while I fix breakfast?”
He took off in search of the remote as she started pulling things she was going to need to prepare breakfast when she heard him squeal.“Jed!”
“Right here, buddy.”He stood with his cup of coffee in his hand, leaning on the counter, his ankles crossed.
“Your present!You weren’t here for Christmas to open it.”
The look of regret on Jed’s face broke her heart.He didn’t immediately reach for the gift Oliver was holding out for him.She could feel the emotion rolling off him as she watched the muscle in his jaw tick and he struggled to swallow.
“Don’t you want it, Jed?”
Jed’s voice was strangled and raspy when he responded.“Yeah, buddy.I really want that present, but can you hang on for just a minute?I left something in my truck.I'll be right back.”He shrugged his coat on and rushed out the door.She could hear his boots stomping down the stairs.When he returned he was carrying some Christmas themed gift bags in his hands.
“What’s that?”Oliver asked.
“Come over here and have a seat.”He waited for Sadie to have a seat on one side of him and Oliver on the other.“These are for you.”He handed two bags to Oliver and one to her.“I wasn’t sure what to get, so I hope I did okay.”
Oliver handed Jed’s gift to him, then tore the colorful tissue paper from his bags and pulled out what was inside.In one bag was a toy motorcycle.“That one,” Jed said, “is the exact same bike I have.I thought you might like it to go with your car that’s like mine.”
“This is so cool, Jed!Look at this, Sadie!Isn’t it cool?!”
Sadie took the motorcycle from him and looked it over.“Yes.It is very cool.”
Oliver was already moving onto the next bag.He struggled to pull out the contents.Jed ended up helping him pull the box out and remove the lid.He pulled out a little black vest that said “Property of Jed” on the back.He frowned as he looked at it, then asked Jed, “What does it mean, Property of Jed?”
“First of all, it’s called a cut.All the brothers of the Sons of Redemption MC have one.Second, it means that you belong to me and that you’re mine.”
Oliver’s head tipped to the side.“Does that mean you belong to us, too?”
“Yes.I absolutely belong to you guys, too.”
