Chapter One Hundred-Fourteen
Forever Family
A/N – Greetings, the last chapter was a relatively light and full of love and support, well until the end. I had some basic ideas of how the story should flow but as usual I let my creative mind wander aimlessly. I feel that some of my most satisfying results come from that approach. I hope it read well for you. It's time for Christmas and I have a number of things I need to cover so I expect at least a couple of chapters. Then we move into the new year, as an old friend and her family are coming home. And there is that big birthday for our favorite little boy. Before we get there though the family will be there for Mallory and little Trent Jackson. To be honest this was a last-minute storyline but in typical Mallory fashion it will be eventful. The reason for the arrival may be a little dark, but as always Amy, Ty and everyone else will be there for her. I would love your opinion as I am still deciding if she becomes a permanent part of the story. Your feedback continues to humble me but I would love to hear from more of you. You drive me and have provided numerous topics for me to expand on, so that I thank you for. On top of the Mallory story, expect, a usual, a lot of Amy and Ty, the Borden kids, and other family members. Welcome the Holidays. Mature Content Enjoy!
The lounge at Heartland was silent as Mallory, who was sitting between Amy and Georgie sat quietly and on the verge of a mental breakdown. Ty had made sure that Katie and Clay had the kids and Trent. They decided to go to Maggie's for dinner in the big SUV. Lou called Scott to make sure he knew as he planned to stay at the clinic, meeting the rest of them at Maggie's and Steven would be picking up their kids at the Day Care. Jack, Lisa, Ty and Lou sat after everyone had a drink waiting to join in the conversation. Mallory smiled and whispered, "Everyone I love is here." She began to sob again as the group looked on, feeling for a girl who was always considered a family member. In typical fashion and as someone whom Mallory had always leaned on, Jack spoke first. "Mallory before we start I want to let you know Trent is fine and is heading to Maggie's with the Borden kids, Katie and Clay. I think Scott is meeting them there to. I heard from Caleb that Trent loved the horses, seems he may need some riding lessons." Ty laughed lightly, "I remember my riding lessons, I hope whoever trains him is a little nicer than mine!" The group tentatively chuckled as she smiled, "I wasn't that bad even though the only reason you wanted to learn was to catch Amy's eye and that worked out." The group chuckled again a little more comfortably. Jack continued, "Ok honey what can we do, we all are here for you and your son. You know what I always told you, you are family and we all step up for family." She smiled and looked at all of them speaking softly. "Jack you know what I think of all of you and this place I consider more of a home than any other place I have been to. And I apologize for losing touch but the last years, outside of my amazing son, have not been my finest moment. I was embarrassed and too proud to talk to you and I deeply regret that now." Lou looked at her old babysitter and friend, "Honey if you want to, tell us everything. We want to know what happened and more importantly what we can do to help you and that cute little blonde boy you have." Ty joked again, "He is cute but more importantly we are overwhelmed with girls in this family, another male would be great." Lisa jabbed him in the ribs as he receive looks from Amy, Georgie and Lou. Mallory laughed, "This is what I missed, you guys are funny. And I missed a lot. So I will tell you the entire sordid tale but first can you fill me in with everything around here. And I mean everything because from what I see and have heard, this place has become quite the big deal." Lisa smiled, "Well as you see a lot has changed and mostly all for the better." Mallory smiled, "Ok spill the beans, I want to hear everything. Hearing you all will give me hope and the courage to tell you about the last 5+ years of my life." They smiled and begun to let he know everything.
Each of them took turns and interjected as other's talked. They talked about family and kids. Amy told the story of JT's diagnosis and her struggles with Spartan's death and cancer scare. Along with Ty, they bragged about their kids and the Marion Fleming Equine Center. Lisa and Jack talked about the company the family had formed and how well it was doing. Georgie spoke about the kids, Steven and her Olympic accomplishments. Mallory laughed, "Well it was about time you figured that out Steven was the one Georgie, I knew all along you two were meant to be and Lou, you and Scott. I mean come on it was so obvious to everyone except the two of you." Jack interjected, "There is the Mallory we know and love, we should have just listened to you all along and life may had been easier." She smiled, "Trust me Jack I know, remember how long it took me to help Ty and Amy get their act together, you two were so frustrating. I remember when you came back from feeding the wild horses and Ty got sick. You were like seriously necking on the couch and I yelled, don't catch what he's got. Then I whispered to Jake, finally!" Everyone noticed that when she said his name her demeanor change quickly. Lou jumped in to change the subject and talked about Maggie's, the Dude Ranch and Fairfield. She talked about the recent wedding of Katie and Clay and how amazing it was. Mallory smiled sullenly, "She looks so much like Marion and let me tell you, that Clay guy is a hot cowboy, those kids will be at the Amy/Ty level." Georgie tapped her arm, "What about my kids?" Mallory laughed, "Well, Steven is a good-looking guy for sure." They all chuckled as Mallory seemed to be feeling better. Ty kept reminiscing and spoke, "Heck Mallory, remember when you had the hots for me?" Mallory rolled her eyes, "Yea when I was like twelve and as I recall you offered to take me to a dance since I hadn't been asked and I shot you down, big time." They laughed again as Ty looked at her blushing. Mallory continued, "So Lou are you still the overly obsessive person I tried to emulate. You sure got your hands in to a lot back then." Amy laughed, "Well, wait till you meet our Maddie. She has been designated the Lou mini me. She actually may be worse than her and is only 10. She makes list and sets up schedules for everything." Everyone shook their heads in agreement as Lou beamed, "She is definitely my favorite niece." After a moment of silence, a forlorn Mallory spoke up. "It is so great to hear about everything going on here and I hope it is Ok to get to know each of you kids more, if you let me stay." Jack leaned forward, "Mallory, this is your home. You and Trent are welcomed to say as long as you want." She smiled meekly and looked at everyone, "Thanks you don't know what that means to me. I used the last money I had to get here so I guess I need to fill you in on the reason. So here it goes…"
Mallory talked through the original decision that she made years ago to fly off on a whim and meet Jake in Europe, where he had landed a job with a horse show. "We traveled all over Europe and our relationship became more serious the more time we spent together. After the show ended, Jake was offered a position in England and we started to build a life. He was the ranch foreman for a large horse ranch and I found a job helping in a day care center and taking some courses in child development." She put her head down and continued, "Then stupid me acted immaturely when he asked me to marry him and showed up here, when Amy was pregnant with Lyndy. Well you know what happened then. After our wedding in the barn, we headed to Mexico to a job that he was offered. We were so in love as we travelled all around the southern US finding work as we could. Jake would always find ranch work to do and I would do anything I could find. We really didn't care just as long as we were together" She hesitated as everyone knew she was getting to a part that she was struggling to get out. "Well one day the motor home died in southern Wyoming. Since we were kind of stranded we settled in the town and found it to be perfect for us. Jake found work almost immediately on a very large cattle ranch and advanced quickly in the ranks. I found an awesome job at the local Day Care facility and was about to take a few additional courses to improve my skills. Lou you know it all started here with Katie!" Everyone laughed remembering the battles they used to have about her care. She continued as her voice began to crack a little, so Amy put her arm around her for support. "Well we were on our own and so in love. Jake's parents got divorced and kind of disowned Jake, blaming him for their breakup. My parents moved to Nashville permanently and basically we lost touch as well. We found a little house with some land and set up our home. I can't remember the exact time but after a while, it seemed that Jake was getting restless. We were living day to day but didn't really care as long as we were together, or so I thought. Then came the worst day of my life that changed everything." She took a moment to drink some water and took a deep breath. Before she spoke Jack came to her, "Mallory if you need a break we understand. Maybe go out on the porch for some fresh air." She agreed as Lou, Lisa and Amy took her out to the porch to sit. Georgie and Ty check on things back home and filled Steven and Katie in on things, as much as they knew. Jack just sat in his chair thinking about the young girl that he cared for so much. They had been talking for over an hour so Ty called Clay and asked him to drop off some food from Maggie's for them. He told him to drop off Katie, Trent and the girls at their house and come over on his own. He asked to see how Trent was doing and he assured him he was having a lot of fun as the girls were showing him off to everyone they ran into. And he added, "It looks like him and JT are already buds." After a few more minutes they came back in and Ty let them know that Maggie's food was on the way and assured Mallory that Trent was being spoiled by Katie, JT and the Borden girls. She smiled as she sat back down on the couch.
She prepared to continue but was visibly hanging on to Amy and Georgie for support. She know this would be hard. "So it was a Wednesday almost 5 years ago. I had not been feeling well so on a whim I went to buy a pregnancy test, Lou kind of like I did for you. Jake was out of town moving some cattle so I took it by myself after dinner. I remember it had been a miserable day and I felt like crap. I took the test and much to my dismay, it was positive. I mean Jake and I talked about kids but we wanted to wait until we were a little more established. To get pregnant now would be a challenge, although the thought of having a baby with him was kind of exciting. I planned on telling him when he got back and tried to figure the best way. I got a text from him that the cattle drive was delayed so he would be gone a few extra days. I waited and waited and almost 10 days later, still no word from him. I went to his ranch and to my surprise I found up the drive had ended a week ago. Furious, I try to call him multiple times and found his phone had been disconnected. I had no one to help me and was all alone over a thousand miles from home. I came to find that our bank account had been emptied and unknown to me a 2nd mortgage had been taken out on the house. I was sitting on the couch holding my stomach telling my baby that we would be Ok but to be honest I had no idea what was going to happen." At this point she needed to take a breath ad Lou spoke quietly to her, "My god Mallory, I can't believe what you are saying. What could have cause him to do this to you." Mallory chuckled, "You know me Lou, not the best at relationships." Lou and the rest of them were on the verge of tears and Ty broke the ice. "Well Mallory one thing you are is resilient so tell us what brought you to us." She smiled as Amy clutched her hand tightly. "Well at the end of my first trimester a man came to the door with divorce papers with no return address. I found out that Jake had a serious gambling problem and was drinking as well. The money he stole was to pay off debts he had run up. He hooked up with some women and they moved away. After I signed the papers I never heard from him again, actually I didn't want to. With the help from several friends I had made I kept working and 6 months later Trent Jackson Wells was born." She looked at Jack, I named him after the two men who were most influential in my life." Jack looked at her smiling, "Well Mallory, I am honored, just wondering who was Trent?" Mallory's head dipped, "Well after I left, my mom actually finally got pregnant again and had a boy, Trent. I actually got to meet him when I went to see them in Nashville. But unfortunately he passed from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when he was less than a year old. My mom went into deep state of depression and to be honest never really recovered, thus the reason that we haven't spoken in a long time."
The family sat in disbelief that this vivacious, energetic girl they knew and loved had had so many horrible things happen to her. She continued, "Well moving forward, I was determined to build a home and life for my little boy. I had to sell the ranch and after all the debts were deducted I had enough to get a small apartment close to where I worked. I was lucky because a part of my salary was letting Trent stay with me at the Day Care. I had so many people help me and of course I got of government support as well. For the next few years we survived and Trent was turning into an amazing little boy. We didn't have much but we had each other. But he was missing a connection to family and I realized a few months back, due to some unforeseen expenses we would not have a Christmas. I was alone with my boy and had a little money left. Realizing I had to do something I saw an article about the Heartland Equestrian Experience in a local paper. So I used my remaining money to buy two bus tickets, sold what I didn't need and on a whim headed to the only home I ever really had. I am so embarrassed but I didn't know what else to do. But I remembered once Jack that you told me that I always had a home here, so here I am hoping you all will allow me to come home." The humbling look on her face took everyone aback as they saw a young women who was beaten down by life. Without hesitation Amy looked he directly in the eye, "Well Mallory, I know I speak for everyone, but you are home for as long as you want to be." Ty joined in, "And just in time for the infamous Heartland Christmas." Lou added, "Mallory you need not worry anymore, we are here for you and will never leave you alone again." Mallory's eyes misted as she whispered, "Thank you." As they all sat there was a knock on the door and Clay with a very excited little boy came in with dinner. Trent ran full speed to his mom jumping in her lap and talking excitedly, "Mommy, they have horses and a girl, I think her name was Maddie is going to teach me. I also met a new friend named JT and he said that he would take me fishing with his GG and friends. And there were two girls who looked alike and one said she would take me for a ride on a motorcycle ride when she got her first one." He smiled breathlessly, "Mommy then a beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes like mine let me sit on her lap next to her boyfriend, which was a little gross because they kissed. But she told me that they would take me for a ride in his new truck and make sure I would have fun all the time. Mommy can we stay?" Mallory smiled, "Well everyone I guess you have your answer." Trent looked at Amy with a very serious eye, "Ma'am, you look just like the woman that I sat with who was kissing the boy. Are you her sister? And mom, they both look like that women you have a picture with standing next to the white horse." Amy smiled teary eyed, "No Trent that is my daughter Lyndy and the woman in the picture is my mom Marion who is in heaven." He stared at her for a few seconds, "You are all beautiful like my mommy, so can we stay for a while?" Amy smiled pulling him into a big hug, "Trent we would love for you to stay here and those other kids you mention are my other children, I have five." He laughed, "Man you have a lot of kids." Everyone laughed and sat down to enjoy their dinner.
Ty, Amy, Mallory and Trent left soon after to head home. Trent was barely staying awake and Mallory was showing signs of complete exhaustion. When they arrived the kids welcomed Trent back and introduced themselves to Mallory. Lyndy took control, "Aunt Mallory, the guest room is all ready for you and it is Ok, I think that Trent wants to stay with JT, so we have the cot set up. Mallory smiled and hugged her tightly and said thank you to all of them. Amy and Mallory got the boys settled and they fell asleep almost immediately. Malory leaned into Amy, "Look, my little guy is still smiling." The kids said good night to their guest as Amy, Ty and Mallory sat at the kitchen table. Mallory smiled, "Gosh you guys, your kids are amazing but I have to ask, the boyfriend/family member is in a room next to Lyndy?" Ty laughed, "One of many stories you will hear about as you get settled. And Mallory, you are welcome here as long as needed even if it is long term." She smiled and hugged them both saying good night as she was beyond tired. Amy whispered, "Sleep as late as you want and welcome home." Ty and Amy made their way up to see the kids who were all gathered in Lyndy's room. Maddie spoke up, "Mom and Dad, Trent told us some stuff but what is the deal. He told us Santa couldn't come this year. Mom we have to do something." Lyndy added, "I don't think they have insurance, he said they always go to free clinics when he gets sick." Amy settled them as they were all visibly upset. "Well I talked to Lou and Georgie and here is the plan for tomorrow. Wyatt, you and Clay are going to take the boys for the day, maybe on a ride or just hang at the barn. It seems Trent loves horses. And I think GG might join you. Lou, Lisa and Georgie are going give Mallory a tour of the business and convince her to go to the store to get some everyday items and clothes. They basically had to sell everything to get her and barely had the clothes on their backs." The girls gasped in disbelief. "And Lyndy, Lou and Lisa are going to put her on staff so she can have benefits through the company until we figure something else out. And then girls, you all, Katie and I were already heading out to shop to get some last-minute things we need as we have two more people to buy for. Dad has a surgery in the morning but will catch up with the boys later. Before we go try to get with Trent and see what he wants from Santa so we have an idea. But now it is time for bed. Your dad and I love you all and will see you in the morning." After hugs, Amy and Ty went to their room. Ty noticed that Amy was exhausted as well from everything that had happened. He whispered to her, "Let's get ready for bed and I will gave you a shoulder massage, you looked stressed." She smiled and pulled him into a hug, "Thank you my love, you are the best." After five minutes of rubbing her shoulders and back, Amy was out like a light. Ty leaned over and kissed her gently, "I love you Amy."
The next morning, Amy and Ty were already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. It was going to be a busy day so a full stomach was needed by all. All of a sudden, they heard a little shuffling behind them and saw Trent holding his blanket, rubbing his eyes. Amy went over to pick him up, "Well good morning, did you sleep well. He smiled, "Yea, I love JT's room and he is cool. He kind of breathes a little loudly and a couple of times I thought I heard him talking. How is my mommy, I am worried about her. At our apartment we slept together since we only had one bed." Amy smiled holding her tears back, "Well honey she is going to be Ok. We have known you mommy a long time and she is pretty tough. We told her to sleep in so in a little bit maybe you can check on her." She set him on the counter and Ty asked him, "What do you want for breakfast buddy." He looked down, "we usually just have cereal and toast but I love pancakes and really like bacon." He laughed and tickled his side, "Well sir, pancakes and bacon it is." He smiled as the rest of the kids started coming down. Trent laughed, "There sure are a lot of people here." Annie picked him up and tickled him as well, "You ain't seen nothing yet. JT has a whole bunch of friends you get to meet. There are kids everywhere and a lot of horses." The group laughed as Amy looked to him and asked, "Trent, go get your mommy." He scampered into her room as she looked up at him. "Mommy our new family said it is time to eat. The nice man made me pancakes and bacon, I am starving." Before she could face the family she grabbed her boy and hugged him tightly, "Ok, let's go eat." At the lively breakfast, even Mallory was overwhelmed. She sat watching everything and Amy noticed she was quiet. She leaned over and whispered, "Mallory you will get used to it. There is a lot of love in this room and you are welcome to take advantage of it." She leaned into who she considered her older sister and smiled, to overwhelmed to even speak. As they ate, Amy went through the plans for the weekend. Today everyone had their stuff to do and tomorrow it would be more relaxed and Jack and Lisa would be having a family BBQ to welcome Mallory back home and say goodbye to Haley who decided to go home early and take Rusty. Mallory protested about the trip with Lou, Lisa and Georgie but finally realized she had no choice. Although she would miss him, she knew Trent would be well taken care of. The kids headed out to take care of the horses as Amy, Ty and Mallory cleaned up. She was a little quiet but finally spoke up, "I am overwhelmed with how you all took us in. Do you know that Wyatt said if I need something to drive that I could use his truck. Maddie told me that they had all sorts of thing planned for Trent so I could get some adult time. Your kids are beyond special and I love them all already." They finished up as the kids came back and everyone took off for their day's activities.
The next couple of days were a whirlwind as the family focused on their new guest and getting ready for Christmas. Mallory was overwhelmed with the company they created and the progress it had made. She listened to all of the success stories as well as some of the challenges the family had faced over the last few years. She was especially interested in Jack's health issues and was extremely happy when she heard about Lilly finding the love of her life while having to deal with her cancer diagnosis. As the weekend progressed the old Mallory returned although more reserved and mature. Georgie laughed when she was walking out to the barn to work with a horse. "Mallory I like the new you and I hope you realize we are all very happy you came back to us. I don't know what you want to do but you have a home with us." Mallory laughed, "I know a lot of you guys had said that. For me it is all about what is best for Trent and from what I see getting him to leave will be next to impossible." The shopping expedition went very well and as they unloaded, Ty shook his head at the sheer number of things they got for Trent and Mallory. "He laughed, "I am not surprised at all and I think that little boy is going to burst at the seams when he wakes up on Christmas morning. You all are something and I love each one of you." The BBQ at Heartland brought back many happy memories for the once feisty blonde. Hanging with Ty, Amy, Georgie, Steven and the rest of the group was a lot of fun for her. When she saw Ben she joked, "Well thank god you cleaned you act up, you were quite the jerk when you first came here." The group laughed and Caleb blurted out, "There she is, the Mallory we all remember, never holding anything back."
After dinner was finished and before desert, Lou, Lisa and Amy asked Mallory to go for a walk down to the pond. They bundled up and headed down to sit on one of the benches Jack and Ty had put in a few years back. Mallory joked, "These are nice, who knew Jack would add these?" Amy laughed, "Well as the business has grown we have a lot of clients who stay and or spend a good amount of time with us while we are working on their horse. We have created like some park areas here and at the Miracle Ranch so they can go and enjoy nature." Mallory smiled as she looked over the familiar vista she grew up with. Lou finally spoke, "Honey the three of us have been thinking. We don't know your plans but we have a couple of ideas to run past you. We have decided to add you to the staff which will provide your health benefits. We have a couple of ideas on housing for you but again if you decide to stay we can look at that later." Mallory smile tearily, "That would be wonderful, we have been relying on free health care service for several years since I couldn't' afford any. But I want to work for it." Lisa smiled, "Well that is our second idea. We would love to hire you on as staff at the Day Care Center. It is currently led by a wonderful lady and staffed by volunteers some of whom work there to offset the cost of their children being there. Marjorie, who runs the facility, was kind of retired when she took over and she wants to move closer to family next summer. If you want it, we would like you to shadow her until then and become our Day Care Center Manager. You have the skill set and to be honest we would feel really good to have family running the show." Mallory's shoulders dipped and she began to tear up. Amy put her arm around her and said, "Mallory this is not charity, we know you can do it and really want you to think about it. He is with older kids and I bet he would love to show him the ropes. We were concerned about replacing Marjorie and with your background and proven skills with Katie and Georgie, we thing it is a great match for us. I also emailed the elementary school and Trent would be able to enroll in JT's Pre-K class next semester." She gathered herself, "It has been only 48 hours and your acceptance and kindness has overwhelmed me. I have been watching Trent with the kids and he has never smiled this much in his young life. If you will have me, I don't need to think about it, I accept and promise I will make sure that you are happy with your decision. We aren't going anywhere, Trent and I are home"
After the early BBQ, the Borden family and guest went home to decorate the tree that Ty and Wyatt had cut down earlier in the week. Amy and Ty watched as the kids gleaming with joy and made sure that Trent enjoyed the whole experience. She leaned into him, "Look at his eyes, this is what Christmas is all about. And Mallory, her face is glowing with happiness. I am concerned about why but I am happy that she came back to us. And our kids, look at them, I think they are enjoying this more than them. I am so proud right now." He leaned into his love, "I know they are something else." They joined in as Amy reminded them of the activities over the next few days making sure Mallory was included. Remember, we are going to have the famliy and Staff party tomorrow afternoon here with snacks drinks and a little dancing. It will be an early night so we will all need to get to bed so Santa can make it here." As she said it Trent looked at her seriously, "He will come here, that is awesome. Mom, tomorrow don't forget the story." Everyone looked at him as Mallory answered winking at Amy and Ty, "Well honey, if it Ok with the Bordens maybe we can do the story with them, you good with that." His smile and hug answered her question. After a little more hot chocolate the kids went to bed as Mallory, Amy and Ty sat and had a cup of tea. After Mallory yawned they decided to head to bed. After rounds that saw all of the kids sleeping already, they went to their room. They quietly got ready they both were in deep thought. Ty sat in bed watching his beautiful wife comb out her hair. No matter what was going on in life looking at her was all he needed. She came to bed and smiled, "What are you staring at, Dr. Borden?" He smiled, "The most beautiful woman in the world." She blushed and leaned into his chest. "Well, what do you want to do with all my beauty?" He pulled her to his side and kissed her deeply. After several minutes, a breathless Amy pulled away and cooed softly, "Well that works" The rest of the night was a flurry of kissing, cuddling, fondling and pleasure. The two lovers moved effortlessly around each other's bodies making sure nothing was missed. Each knew that their actions were welcomed as moans and breathless I love yous were heard. As they joined together, Amy arched her back whispering, "Ty please make love to me, I need to feel you in me." He responded by entering her and moving fluidly with her as they made love. With each thrust she moaned, gazing deeply into his emerald eyes and responding by drawing him in deeper. As they both reach the peak of their lust they moaned a little louder collapsing in each other sweaty bodies. Ty looked at her as they recovered, Merry Christmas Amy." She smiled and whispered, "I love you Ty Borden.
The morning started with a flurry. A very tired Amy and Ty came down to see that breakfast, led by Mallory was ready to go. With the plans for the day, there would be a good breakfast to hold everyone before the mid-afternoon festivities. As an obviously tired couple, who stayed up late came down to sit, Mallory smirked. "JT told me that you might be taking advantage of some rain checks so we figured we would handle breakfast." The girls giggled and Trent looked confused. JT leaned over and said, "Don't worry pal, I will fill you in later." Amy sat with her husband and stuck her tongue out at her daughters and her old friend. After breakfast and taking care of the horses everyone got into party prep mode. The tent, with tables, chairs and heaters was already up as Caleb and the ranch hands took care of it a few days earlier. Clay and Wyatt were on standby for last minute needs and the food was scheduled to arrive from Maggie's right after noon. The tent would be used for eating, socializing and dancing. The inside of the house and porch would be mainly for small groups to meet and mingle. A baby section was already set up. Maddie brought Mallory under her wing and walked through all the preparations list. As she passed Amy, she whispered, "Amy this kid rocks. She puts Lou to shame and in a good way." A little after 1:00pm guest began to arrive. Outside of the family and close friends the staff and their families were invited as well. Lou and Lisa figured the count would be around 150ish. The Borden girls were in full swing, helping their parents, and the other members of the Bartlett/Fleming clan in making sure everyone was taken care of. JT and Trent were connected at the hip as he excitedly introduced him to his boys. Mallory was with Georgie checking on some food and caught a glance at the two of them. "I have never seen him so happy and that crew, they seem to be like brothers." Georgie smiled, "Yes it is something, they recently have brought my Noah into the picture, so Jack, Tim and Max, Lilly's husband, will have a larger fishing group for sure." Maddie made sure that Mallory was introduced to all of the friends and staff calling her Aunt Mallory. She was overwhelmed not only with the enormity of the party but with the love and caring she saw all around. After Lisa gave her traditional happy holiday speech, the kids began dancing and having fun. Mallory joined Amy, Ty, Jack, Lisa, Lou and Scott on the porch as they watched over the fun in front of them. Jack laughed, "Well do you think this is something you want to be around. We do work here, but we also like to have fun, as you can see." Mallory smiled as she looked at all of them. "When I left to come here I was as scared as I have ever been. I thought you would be upset at me at how I had messed my life up. You know, we almost turned around at one of the stops but then I looked at my son and new I had to keep going. And look at him now, he looks like he has been here forever." She put her head down on the verge of tears when Amy came to sit with her. "Mallory, We have never thought of you as anything except a part of a family and you have done nothing wrong." Ty came to join them and looked into their friend's eyes. "You are home and I for one am very happy you are. I know when I came here I was scared, although I tried to hide it. But as you know, these people have a way of welcoming everyone and have enough love for thousands. Look at those kids and look at your son. That is our legacy and something that we want you to be a part of." Jack added, "Sweetie, you have always been family, although sometimes I wanted to kick your butt. I hope you decide to stay." The entire group was silent in support this lost soul. Her smile and tear-filled eyes gave them their answer, she was home.
