After entering the kitchen, he set both kids on the floor. “Can you pay with us, Unca?” Graham asked. “We run.”
The first ten minutes was always controlled chaos. Hugs, back slaps, and bro-hugs. He’d take his crazy family and their outpouring of love over the misery he and Trudy had endured after his mom died and his dad left. Despite Dakota and Providence’s children being his second cousins, they called him uncle, too.
After greeting Dakota and Providence, and Trudy and Mark, he asked his Aunt Heather and Uncle Gordon about their other daughter, Megan.
“She and Leigh are in New York, picking up a puppy to foster,” Heather replied.
“Show him the picture, Nana,” Sammy Luck said. “He’s the cutest puppy in the world.”
The conversations flowed, as did the laughter. This sacred time was Stryker’s refuge. He didn’t think about work, or the vigilante missions he’d completed, or the ones coming up. He simply chilled with his family.
As he headed out back to play with the kids, he thought of Emerson. How was she doing? Was she having a good day? More importantly, would she fit in with his family?
She would.
He chased the kids around the backyard playing tickle monster until he tired them out. Once the kids had cooled off, it was time to chow down. Everyone sat around an extra-long table, Gordon led a prayer of gratitude, and they dug in. While the conversations were fluid, Heather always made sure to ask each child what made their week special.
One by one, the children touted their gratitude for something. A good grade on a test, or a new friend, or something kind they did for someone else.
“Stryker,” said Heather, “why don’t you tell everyone about the honor you received?”
Stryker blanked. “I got nothing.”
“You were honored at the law enforcement fundraiser.”
“What’s that?” one of the kids asked.
“I gave money to some people who didn’t have enough money to buy food,” Stryker explained.
“Yay, Uncle Syker Tooman,” Aaron said.
“That was generous of you,” Sammy echoed.
“He did the same for us,” Stryker’s brother-in-law Mark said. “Thanks for the credit card. We decided to split the groceries every week. You pay half. We pay half.”
“Wow, that was kind,” Gordon said.
“No splitting,” Stryker said. “Use the card.” Stryker didn’t like all this attention, so he redirected the conversation to Dakota. “How’s the exciting world of real estate?”
“I talked to Sammy’s class at career day,” Dakota said with a smile. “Now all the kids want to sell houses when they grow up.”
“Is that what you want, Sammy?” Stryker asked.
“I want to have my own marketing company, like my mom,” Sammy replied. “She carries a gun to work and I think that’s cool.”
Silence.
Dead silence.
“How do you know about Mom’s gun, Samantha Lynn?” Dakota asked.
“I saw her get it out of the secret room one day before she went to work.”
No one said anything for almost a minute.
“I’m glad you told us, Sammy,” Providence said. “Do you know how to get into that room?”
She shook her head as Dakota and Providence exchanged glances. Stryker knew that they stored their Glocks in a locked room. And within that room, their weapons were stored in a locked gun case.
