Chapter Two: My Boy Builds Coffins

July 24th, 2010

We pulled up to the light blue paneled house, the black iron gate surrounding my parents' house. Jem pulled the car to a stop and I got out and grabbed Caden. I hooked my purse over my shoulder while holding Caden on one hip as we headed up into the house and through the door. Jem closed and locked the door behind him as I sat Cay down and slid my flip flops off along the wall. Caden was already running towards the kitchen, sliding his fingers along the pale green walls and his feet padding against the laminate wood floors.

"Hey ma," I said upon seeing my mom in the kitchen—cooking as usual. Her salt and pepper hair was in a messy bun on her head as she looked up to see me and Jem walk into the kitchen. I walked over and kissed my mother on the cheek, then sat down in one of the chairs. "Where's dad?"

My mother dried her hands on the dish cloth as she turned towards us. "Hey ma," Jem said to my mother as he too kissed her on the cheek. In some ways I would say Jem definitely saw my mom as his own being that his died when he was young. "Hi James," she replied back to him. "Your dad's downstairs," she said as Jem came over and kneeled by my chair.

"Alright I gotta go do something before we go," he whispered in my ear. Looking at me with eyes that no doubt had an underlying message beneath them. "I'll be back in fifteen, okay?" I simply nodded and mumbled an 'okay' as he stood. I knew exactly what he was going to do; probably pick up Oxy or coke.

"Don't be late daddy!" Caden said sitting in the chair next to where Jem was standing. Jem ruffled up his brown hair, "I won't be leprechaun." He smirked and chuckled at Cay as he headed out to the front.

My mom pulled out the chair on the other side and rested her chin on a copper colored hand. "And where are you three going?" she inquired, raising an eye brow at me.

"Oh we're just going to the—"

"The zoo!" Caden finished before I even had a chance to get the rest of my sentence out. Why did he always do that? "Grandmamma! The zoo!" If anything with just the look on Caden's face and I would be taking him to the moon and back if he wanted me to. This little boy was going to be spoiled rotten, especially with a father like Jem. His first and only son, of course Jem would take pride in that fact and he already got Caden whatever he wanted.

"Oh really baby?" Ma smiled and laughed as she pinched Cay's cheeks. "That's wonderful sweetheart."

"Believe it or not it was actually Jem's idea," I said thinking back to him suggesting it.

The look of shock on my mother's face told she thought the same. "Yeah? How do ya figure that?"

"I don't know," I said shrugging and twirling a lone fork on the blue matted table. "He just said we should do something together…so here we are."

Ma simply shrugged her shoulders and pushed herself from the chair as she stood and walked towards the refrigerator. "The food there is too high if ya ask me; I make lunched for you three."

"Ma, you really don't have to," I said glancing over at Caden sitting in the chair playing with a truck he got from yesterday.

"Pishaw Aislin, my food's better for ya anyway." I couldn't argue with that. My mother was already making one sandwich as I stood and started helping her. Caden got up from his chair—that little guy hated being still—grabbed another truck out of my purse and went to play in the hallway next to the kitchen.

The sound of a creaking door came from the direction the basement was in. Sure enough my dad made his way up the stairs. "There's my little guy," came the Irish accented voice of my dad as he picked up Caden and giving him a kiss. "Hey big man. You're gettin' bigger every time I see you!" My dad feigned weakness from holding Caden as he set him to the floor.

"Mommy says I'm a growin' boy!" The big Kool-Aid smile on his face was priceless.

"Yes you are," he said smiling at Caden. "What's got you two over here today?" My dad asked me as he came over and kissed me hello.

"We're going to the zoo," I said as I began putting away the sandwich stuff. "Me, Jem, and Cay."

"Where is he? I don't see him 'round here," he replied back to me. I just shrugged my shoulders and gave my dad that look knowing what he was already thinking. "He should be back in a bit Dad, just had a few errands to run." My dad just nodded at what I said; after all he knew what Jem was doing better than any of us did anyway.

"Ya know your brother's comin' in a few weeks," he said to me, that thick Irish accent milking every word. "You think you can go and pick 'em up from the airport? He gets here August somethin'—I don't remember, and I won't be able to get out there in time."

I didn't think I had anything to do that day. "Yeah dad, sure. No problem," I said nodding in response.

"Alright you guys ready?" Jem walked in. Looking to me and Caden, then he noticed my dad sitting at the table. "Oh hey Pa."

"Jem," my dad nodded in response. "I trust you're staying out of trouble?" he said smiling at him jokingly or not.

"Oh always, yeah always," he said smirking as I grabbed Caden's toys and placed them in the bag. He was not where I had left him not that long ago.

"Caden!" I called out waiting on his response. "C'mon we're leavin'!" I started placing the sandwiches in my purse. Soon enough I heard barking and Caden's feet along with it. Sure enough he was playing with Beast—my dad's Great Dane. He must've made his way onto the back porch and woken him up; that kid was always getting into something.

"Mommy when can we get a dog?" he said petting Beast on the head as we got ready to head out.

"Maybe when you're older so you can walk it leprechaun," I said to him ruffling his hair up. "Just maybe. We'll see. Now c'mon we gotta go."

"Yay the zoo! The zoo!" he yelled as Jem picked him up. "Yeah c'mon little man, See ya later Ma, Dad," he said as he kissed my mother on the cheek and nodded at my father.

"I'll call you later," I said hugging and kissing my parents.

"Bye sweetie."

"Be good you three."

We walked back to Jem's Lexus and took the drive to Franklin Park Zoo. It took 'bout twenty-twenty-five minutes to get there. We had been here only fifteen and Caden was just as anxious as ever. We had been through only two exhibits and within that that time frame, Jem complained about the smell at least ten times.

"C'mere little man," Jem said picking up cay and setting him on his shoulders as we walked through the monkey section. "Silly daddy," Caden said as he began chuckling and holding on to Jem's neck.

"It smells like a fuckin' sty in here," (Make that eleven times) Jem said close to my ear. I smirked and couldn't help but to laugh. "We're in a zoo Jem—of course it stinks in here."

He looked at me and scoffed as we continued to walk and got closer to seeing actual monkeys, and that's when Caden couldn't stop squirming on Jem's shoulders. "Lemme down, lemme down!"

"Alright, alright, alright leprechaun," Jem laughed and picked Caden up from his shoulder, letting him down only so he could run even closer to see the monkeys. His little hands were wrapped around the iron bars and his eyes were glued to them in awe.

"Baby don't get too close—you don't want them throwing poo at you," I said raising an eyebrow at Caden, his face scrunching up in disgust. "Poo!" he exclaimed, instantly stepping to the side and bumping into another boy that didn't look to be much older than him.

"Hey!" the other kid yelled at Cay.

"Whoops, I'm sorry," Caden apologized to him. "It was an accident." Obviously the fact that my son had apologized didn't matter seeing as how that little bastard went and pushed Caden's shoulders, making him fall against Jem's legs.

"Hey! Kid watch it," I said angrily as I grabbed Caden and pulled him onto my hip. "He told you he was sorry."

The kid stuck his tongue out at me and stood next to the man talking on his phone which I assumed to be his father. He should've been paying more attention to his son instead of what he was doing. I eyed him up and could already see he was one of those parents that bought their kids love with whatever they wanted. His khaki shorts and polo shirts gave him away. Jem walked up to the man and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey you wanna ask your kid to apologize to my son?"

The kids dad looked at Jem and laughed, "boys will be boys right? Don't worry about it." He winked at Jem and continued on with his conversation on the phone.

Jem looked at me and scoffed. Then I heard that laugh of his he does when he's pissed and he turned back to the boy's father. "I don't think you understood what I just said." He stepped closer to the man, his voice no longer at a humorous tone. "Tell your kid, to apologize to my son."

The guy rolled his eyes and scoffed back at Jem. Tapping his son on the shoulder he pulled him closer to him. "Come on Hunter, you don't need to say anything to him." He walked away with his son in front of him. Jem looked back at me—I was equally pissed—and then turned back in the direction of the man and his son. Jem grabbed the guy on his shoulder and when he turned around he didn't even have a chance to blink when Jem punched him square in the nose, the guy immediately fell on the ground.

"Jem!" I yelled out as he began pounding on the guy. "Fuck," I swore under my breath, not wanting Caden to hear me. I never swore in front of him. Caden was sniffling tears as he watched what his dad was doing. I tried to not subject Cay to seeing things like this but sometimes it was out of my hands.

People were standing in place watching with their hands covering their mouths and their eyes wide in shock. Security guards came and tried to pull Jem off of the asshole of a father. "Fuckin' cunt bitch Toonie," Jem said hissing in the man's face. He grabbed the guys chin and pulled his face close to him. "G'head and press charges of you want to—just remember I seen your face."

We got into the Lexus and Caden was still crying as I strapped him in his booster seat. I really hated seeing my little boy like this, that's not something he needed to see. Jem started up the car when I got in and finally strapped in myself. I sat back and just sighed out deeply at the turn of events. We were having such a good time until that little incident—why the fuck couldn't the guy just tell his kid to say sorry?

Jem finally pulled out of the parking space we were in, his face stony and still pissed at what happened. Caden sniffled and spoke up, his voice warily. "Daddy?" he said in a questioning tone. Jem looked up at Caden through the rearview mirror, "Yeah what is it leprechaun?"

"Was…was that my fault?"

Jem put the car to a stop and looked back at him. "What? Caden—"

"Leprechaun that was not your fault you hear me?" I said to him as Jem started driving again. "You were right to apologize to that kid—"

Before I even had a chance to finish, a car had nearly hit us as we got to the exit. Jem stopped the car. This was not good, we were both already riled up, but this just pissed Jem off to no end—he loves his Lexus. He put the car in park and his hand was on the handle as he was about to get out of the car.

I grabbed his wrist and made him look at me. "Seriously Jem, sit down." I glared at him and he exhaled extremely frustrated, rolling his eyes at me as he turned the car back over to drive and sped out of the parking lot. What a fuckin' day.

I pierced the juice box with the straw and set it in front of Caden as he ate his sandwich. "You're brave daddy," he said eating and giving Jem a mustardy smile.

Jem smirked and playfully knocked Caden's chin. "Thanks kid. Hey I'm gonna go, got something I need to take care of tomorrow. I'll let myself out," he said getting up and walking over to me, kissing my on the lips.

"Ewwy Mommy and Daddy! Ewwy!" Caden exclaimed in disgust as he scrunched up his little face.

"Nothin' 'eww' about this kid…how do you think you got here?" Jem said smiling at Caden and kissing me again.

Caden's eyes went wide and he looked surprised. "You kissed to make me!"

We both couldn't stop laughing at how Caden thought babies were made. Jem ruffled up his hair and kissed him on the forehead before he left to his own apartment.

I got up and put threw away the trash on the table. "So that's how babies are made?"

I laughed and turned to Caden. "Oh leprechaun c'mere," I said going to kiss him too.

"Uh-hunh! You can't catch me!" he got up and started running through the house, I followed close behind him. Catching him and making our way up the stairs as I gave him a bug kiss on his forehead. I loved this little boy so much.

"Mommy can I sleep with you tonight?" he asked me as he wrapped his little arms around my neck. "Of course you can go to sleep with Mommy," I answered as I set him on my bed. "C'mon lets go get dressed for bed and watch a movie before we go to sleep then."

"Yeah! I wanna watch Shrek!" he said jumping up and down on my bed as I went to grab his PJs. "Alright, alright Shrek it is."

We were lying in my bed, halfway into watching Shrek. Caden was curled up against me, soundly asleep. I snuck him under the covers, careful to not wake him up. I turned off the TV and laid back down. Pulling Caden close to me and kissing him on his forehead. I love this little boy more than anything in the world, and if push ever came to shove, Caden would be the only person I cared about in this world. I don't know what I would do or where I would be—both me and Jem if we didn't have Caden in our life.

*Dodges thrown objects* Yes, yes I know I kept you all waiting much, much too long for this. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as the first, and didn't see it as a letdown. I wanted to get this out much sooner but life just threw me for a loop and my schedule got conflicted. Now yes this was pretty much a filler, but I promise we're getting to the good stuff. The Cambridge Merchants robbery is only a few more chapters away and I know you guys are antsy to see how I play that out in Aislin and Jem's story. Thanks for being such loving readers & reviewers and I appreciate it a great deal, and hope you all will still continue on this rollercoaster with me.