Rocky and I are two weeks into the house renovations.Melissa or Phillip drops him off every morning after breakfast, and we spend the entire day working.So far we’ve completed all the paint throughout the house with Rocky’s favorite colors.He loves the Dallas Cowboys so there are a lot of blues and grays.Phillip has come over the last few days to help out with the kitchen backsplash and painting the cabinets.He’s been getting around really well but also needs to take breaks to give his legs a rest.
“Thank you for all your help with this,” Phillip’s deep voice says as I bring in the last box of tile.“Melissa’s been a nervous wreck ever since Rocky said he wanted his own space.”
“I think he’s going to love it here,” I tell him, looking around making sure Rocky can’t hear our conversation and ruin the surprise.“I can’t imagine what she’s feeling having the last kid leave the nest.I’m afraid I might be the same.”
“Mel’s never been able to have kids and when we married she took on Rocky and stepped right in as his mother figure.She was worried about crossing a line with the boys, but Rocky took to her.”
“I didn’t even realize she wasn’t his birth mother,” I say.
“When Anna was killed, the boys took it hard.Rocky was young and had a hard time understanding what was happening.When Mel came into the family, she didn’t want to replace Anna in their lives but to be a friend more than anything.I tried pushing her away not wanting her to end up the same way Anna did, but she can be stubborn when she digs her heels in.”He chuckles like he’s remembering back to that time.
“Rocky was so mad at me.He actually packed a bag and ran away looking for Mel.He’d left a note on the counter, and because I was stuck in a wheelchair at the time, I couldn’t drive around looking for him.He worried us something terrible.He’d never done something like that before.I’d gotten a call about two hours later from Mel saying that she had him, and they were at the park where she’d take him.When we were dating, Mel always made sure to have Rocky and Melissa outings.They’d go to the park a few streets over to fish and have picnics.”
“It sounds like they have a special bond,” I say.
He nods, “When I was finally able to get down there to the park, Rocky was still crying about wanting Mel to come back and be his mom.It broke me, and I was already as broken as a man could be at the time.”
“It sounds like he loves her very much,” I express.
“He does,” he says with a smile.“Having a child with a disability is hard on parents, but Mel never once skipped a beat.I don’t know if she’s told you about her family, but she had a younger brother who had Down syndrome.He passed away when she was in medical school so when I introduced her to my boys, she didn’t bat an eye at Rocky.She’s so protective of him, so this is something she’s been struggling with for a while.Letting him leave from under her roof is a huge step.”
“I think he’s going to love this place and being close to Stone and Blaze will make sure that he’s safe,” I say.
“I have a feeling he’s going to be at yours and Havoc’s place just as much as my other boys’ houses.He loves Zane, and he talks nonstop about you when Mel makes us sit down for a meal.”
We both have a good laugh as the door to the garage opens and Rocky comes in with several boxes.
“Got the dishes we ordered,” he says with his lisp, swaying over to the kitchen table.I jump up to help make sure none of them drop and break.
“Is this all of them?”I ask him.
“Yeah, your neighbor wanted to help me, but I said I’m a man and can do it all by myself,” he states proudly.
“Which neighbor?”I ask.I haven’t met anyone since I’ve been in hiding and can’t go out in the front yard, worried I’d be seen by someone involved in The Fellowship.
Rocky points over to the right of the house.“Wanted to know if I lived here.”
“What did you tell them Rock?”Phillip asks.
Rocky points at himself and smiles.“I told ’em my best friend lives here.”He looks over from his dad to me and a small color of pink paint his cheeks.
“You got that right!”I say excitedly and lift my hand for a high-five, which he returns.“Let’s open these boxes and put the dishes in the dishwasher to clean.”
“Remember Rock, no names.No one can know that Sutton lives here,” Phillip tells Rocky.
“I know, I know.”
We start opening up the boxes and take out all the plates, bowls, and matching cups.
“Look Dad, Sutton likes these too.”He shows Phillip the simple pattern on the dish before placing it on the rack.
“Crazy how you two have the same taste in just about everything, Rock,” Phillip tells his son.
“I know,” Rocky agrees.
After a few hours, Zane and Martha come home from getting him from his school.They head over to Beckett’s house with Rocky in tow to play for a bit.
“Hawk should be here tomorrow to set up the camera system throughout the house and property.He and Reaper are gonna be putting the safety plugs and fire detectors in all the rooms.”
