CHAPTER 32
I ME MINE
Leah had left word for Seth to bring the boys home with him after school, and Emily let Paul know where Leah was and he found them when he was done with his patrol. He walked into Sue's to find Seth and Tyler playing on the X Box, and Travis in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies with Sue and Leah. Walking up behind Leah, Paul wrapped his arms around her waist then whispered in her ear, "Hey, babe. Miss me?"
Leah turned to him with a smile and kissed him on the lips as her answer. Letting her go, Paul walked over to smile down at Noah, who was sitting in his car seat on the kitchen table. "Hey, little guy. You miss me?" He tickled the baby's belly and then chuckled as Noah smiled at his daddy. "Yeah, you did. I missed you, too."
"Paul, we're making Christmas cookies. Want one?" Travis said to Paul as he held a cookie in his hand.
"Sure, buddy." He took a bite and then said, "Man, these are good. Did you help decorate them?" Paul could tell he did by the frosting all over his shirt and face.
"Yeah and they're really good. I already ate three!" Travis told him.
"Travis! I said you could have one," Leah scolded.
Travis just giggled and ran out of the kitchen. Leah looked up at Paul and said, "How on earth can you ever be mad at that kid. He's just too cute for his own good."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Paul agreed with a laugh.
"Paul? Do you realize it's only three days until Christmas? Do you even have a tree? Have you done any shopping?" Leah asked in rapid fire.
Paul looked at her sheepishly. "Uh, no to all of the above."
"Are you kidding me? We have to get a tree! Today! If there are any left. Go get the boys. We're going to get one right now," Leah ordered. Sue looked at Paul over Leah's shoulder and grinned.
Paul smiled as he said, "Yes ma'am," then he left the kitchen to announce to the boys they were going to buy a tree. Travis jumped up and came running and Paul told him to go get cleaned up. Tyler moved a little slower, but showed some excitement at the idea.
"But, we have to unload the truck first so we can get a tree in the back. So, everyone out to the truck to carry stuff."
Leah walked in as he made that announcement and said, "You, too, Seth."
"Me? What did I do?" he whined.
"You spilled my secret. You must now pay the penance."
Seth rolled his eyes and got up off the couch to stand in front of her and say, "Someone had to. Paul was acting fucking crazy! He was all over me wanting to know who your new man was. I just couldn't take it anymore. Beside, you got a ring on your finger now so you must not be too mad about it."
Leah smiled at him. "I actually should be thanking you, little brother. I've never been happier in my life." She put her arms around his waist and surprised him by giving him a hug. "There, now go help . . . just because you're a nice guy."
"Whatever," Seth muttered as he turned and made his way outside.
They carried everything up to Leah's old room then when the truck was empty, they piled inside and headed towards town. The tree lot didn't have a lot to pick from, being so close to Christmas, but Travis found one they all liked, so Paul paid the man and loaded it into the truck.
Leah had them singing "Jingle Bells" on the way home and even Paul joined in. As he pulled the truck up to the house, Leah let out a sigh. She had dreamt so often of coming home to this little gray house in the woods and now, here she was. It almost seemed too good to be true. They all climbed out of the truck and hauled their stuff inside, then Paul went back out for the baby crib, and after that was inside, he went back out for the tree.
Tyler remembered where the tree stand and ornaments were in the attic, so he went and got them then helped Paul put the tree stand on the tree. Travis told Leah where the tree should go, and they moved things so it would fit. Paul and Tyler brought the tree inside and set it up then Paul put the lights on it. When he was done, he let the boys and Leah hang the decorations while he held Noah.
As Paul sat there holding his son, he thought about the Christmas before, and the look of happiness on his grandma's face as she watched the boys decorate the tree. What would she think of her great-grandson? he wondered as he looked down into Noah's little face. For the first time in a while, his chest tightened in grief for her. How he wished she could be here with them tonight.
Leah walked over and sunk down onto the futon beside Paul. "You OK? You look sad."
Paul smiled at her. "Yeah. Just thinking about Grandma. She was so happy last year watching the boys decorate the tree. I just miss her."
Leah laid her head on Paul's shoulder and looked down at Noah. "I hate that Noah will never know his great-grandma. I think she would love this little guy."
"Yeah, me, too."
The boys finished decorating and stood back to admire their work. "Now it looks like Christmas," Tyler commented.
"I'm hungry," Travis announced, which made them all laugh.
"Me, too. Let's go look and see what we've got for dinner," Leah said.
Leah looked in the fridge and declared it "let's order pizza night," as there was nothing to cook. She decided she would have to get to the grocery store first thing tomorrow. The boys were fine with pizza and when it came, Travis announced it must be a party because they were having pizza! Paul explained that they didn't get pizza very often and they had made a new tradition of having it for their birthdays.
The boys had so much to tell Leah . . . they both talked all through dinner filling her in on everything she had missed. Paul just sat there quietly observing his family. He couldn't believe how happy he was just sitting here with the four people he loved most in the world.
After dinner, Leah helped with homework while Paul gave Noah a bath. The boys had one more day of school before Christmas break. Travis finished first and asked if he could go see Paul. "Sure. I'll go with you. You OK, here, Ty?"
"Yeah, almost finished," he answered.
Leah and Travis walked into the bathroom just as Paul was finishing Noah's bath. He laid him on the towel on the floor and said to Travis, "Watch out, Trav. Sometimes when he gets cold, he pees!"
Travis' eyes grew wide as he got up and ran over to Leah, who laughed at him.
"Stop that," Leah scolded.
"What? He's got me more than once."
"That's why you put the diaper on first thing," she said as she kneeled down next to the baby. She smiled down at Noah and said, "You don't pee on Mommy, do you, sweetie pie? No, that's just for Daddy." Paul snorted then finished putting on Noah's pajamas, and Leah picked him up. "I'll take him now. He'll be hungry soon."
Paul said to Travis, "Come on, buddy. Let's go do some reading and then we need to get you to bed. Tomorrow is your last day of school then Christmas break."
"Yay!" Travis called out as he ran for the bedroom. Paul smiled at Leah then said, "I hope he doesn't want to read the legends book again. I think I could do that by heart."
Leah laughed as she stood with Noah in her arms. "Oh, quit your grumbling. You know you'll read whatever Travis wants to because you've missed him so much. You think you're a tough guy, but you're such a marshmallow."
Leah kissed him as she walked by him to make her way to his bedroom. "I am not," Paul called back. "I'm a mean, mean guy."
"Yeah, sure. You keep telling yourself that, Jacobs," Leah called back. She heard him chuckle then groan as Travis said, "I want to read the legends book tonight!"
Laying Noah down on the bed, Leah smiled at him as she said softly, "We'll make sure we save that book so when you're bigger, Daddy can read it to you, too." She tickled Noah's belly and he smiled at her.
"Leah?" Tyler said from the door.
Turning her head toward him, she said, "Hey, Ty. What's up?" Tyler stood there for a moment like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't get it out. "Something wrong?"
Tyler shook his head. "No. I just want to say . . . I'm really glad that you and Paul are getting married. It's been hard seeing him so . . . miserable. It's really good to see him happy again. And you, too."
Leah smiled at him. "Thanks, Ty. Come over here." Tyler walked over to her and she wrapped her arms around him. "I love Paul very much, but I want you to know how much I love you and Trav, too. I am very happy to be a part of your family." She let him go and could see he was somewhat embarrassed.
"I'm also sorry you had to leave school. I know how important it was for you to finish."
Leah sank down onto the bed next to Noah. "Yeah, it was. But now that I have Noah, it's just not as important as it used to be."
Tyler nodded then told her, "I want you to know that I will babysit him for you if it will help you finish school somehow. I mean, I don't know if you can do that or not, but . . . I want to help you."
"Tyler, that is really sweet, thanks. I would like to find some way to finish my degree, but I need to find out if that's possible first. And if it is, I may take you up on your offer."
Tyler smiled at her. "Well, you always help me with my homework and stuff, so I guess, I thought maybe I could help you out."
Paul walked in and said, "What's going on here?"
"Tyler and I are just catching up with each other," Leah explained.
Paul nodded as Tyler asked, "Can I watch a little TV before I go to bed?"
"Sure. Just keep the volume down, OK?"
Tyler turned to leave when Leah said, "Hey, Ty? Thanks."
With a shy smile, Tyler mumbled, "Sure," then he walked toward the living room and they heard the TV click on.
Paul looked at Leah and asked, "What was all that about?"
"Tyler offered to babysit if it would help me to finish my degree. He told me he feels bad I had to leave school." Leah shook her head and added, "That boy is so sweet. He's always worrying about everyone else and how he can help them. Does he ever do anything just for himself?"
"No, not much. I started paying him an allowance for all the work he does around here, and he didn't want to take it. He told me to use it to pay the bills. I forced him to take it and assured him I could still pay the bills. I wanted him to have his own spending money. The kid has never had anything his whole life."
Leah put her arms around Paul's waist. "Your mother may be a first-class bitch, but she sure made three great kids. If only she knew what she was missing out on."
Paul huffed, "I'm glad she's missing out." Just then Noah started crying and Paul said, "I guess someone is hungry."
Leah turned and picked Noah up. "Yes, I guess so. Just a second, honey," she cooed to Noah.
"I think I'll shower while you feed him, OK?"
"Sure," Leah replied as she settled onto the bed to feed Noah.
Paul pulled the door shut behind him so Leah would have her privacy then walked to the bathroom to shower. It had been a really long day, and his muscles were all tense. As he stood there under the hot water he felt himself really relax for the first time in months. Leah was here, in this house, along with their son. It was hard to believe that all of those months of missing her every second of every day were finally over. She was here now, and he would see that she was happy every day for the rest of her life.
Paul finished his shower and pulled on a clean pair of gym shorts then opened the bathroom door. He looked to the living room where Tyler was sprawled on the couch and decided maybe he should give him a time limit. "Hey, Ty," he said as he walked into the room. "TV off by eleven, OK? Tomorrow is still a school day."
Ty nodded and grunted, "OK," so Paul smiled and said, "OK, good night." Turning, he made his way to the bedroom, opened the door and closed it softly behind him. He smiled as he found Leah, curled up in the middle of the bed . . . sound asleep. She had taken off her jeans, and was lying there in just her blouse and underwear.
Paul flipped off the light and made his way to the bed to lay down beside Leah. She had to be exhausted, what with all the excitement of the night before, and only a getting a few hours of sleep. He pulled her close and kissed her on top of the head and closed his eyes.
"Hmm?" Leah stirred.
"It's OK, baby. Go back to sleep," Paul
"No, I don't want us to be an old, boring married couple that just goes to bed and goes to sleep," Leah whined sleepily.
"Well, we're not old, or boring, but I want more than anything to be married," Paul told her.
"Mmm, me, too."
"Then let's do it soon. I was actually thinking . . . maybe New Year's Eve?" Paul suggested.
Her eyes flew open at that. "Really? That soon? Why?"
Paul reached out and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Because I am in a hurry to move on from this year. It's been hell here without you, baby. What better way to celebrate than to marry the woman I love?"
Leah smiled and ran a finger lightly down his cheek. "I love it. It's perfect."
Paul grinned and kissed her on the lips, lingering for just a moment. "Good. It's set. We'll talk more about it tomorrow. But for now . . . " he lifted his arm and let her snuggle close as he pulled the sheet up over them, "it's time for some shut-eye. Good night, baby."
"Good night," Leah returned with a yawn.
And then they slept, for the first time together in Paul's bed. For Paul, it was a dream come true.
In the morning, Leah got the boys up and Paul took them to school. When he got back, Leah asked him again about Christmas shopping.
"I don't really even have any ideas. I guess we better get on that, seeing that Christmas is only two days away," Paul answered.
"What about work? When do you have to go back?"
"Chuck gave us all this week off. I won't go back until the 27th."
"OK. Then, we'll get Mom to babysit today and we'll go shopping."
"Yay," Paul said flatly.
Leah rolled her eyes. "You are not putting all this on me, mister."
"Fine. I'll go shopping."
"Damn right you will." That made Paul laugh. She was bossy, but he secretly loved it.
Leah called her mom and of course she was thrilled to babysit. So, they dropped Noah off there and headed to Port Angeles to do some shopping. Leah was a little sad that Travis was done with Thomas the Tank Engine, but she did enjoy watching Paul pick out Transformer toys. Leah also picked out some socks and underwear and new jeans and a couple of shirts for each of the boys to carry on the tradition of Paul's grandma.
When it came to Tyler, neither of them were sure what to get. He was a simple kid . . . material things weren't really a big deal to him. He did enjoy his Play Station though, so Paul picked out a couple of new games for it and Leah added a couple of new journals after Paul informed her that he still wrote every day. She smiled as she remembered how much she had enjoyed journaling, but with a baby, and studying . . . she had to give it up because she just didn't have the time.
Even though Noah was only 2 1/2 months old, Leah still wanted him to have some things for Christmas. So they picked out a couple of toys and she bought a new set of clothes for him. They picked up some wrapping supplies and some groceries then headed home.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Leah asked Paul on the way home.
"No, I guess not. I enjoyed spending time with just you. It's been awhile."
"Yeah, I guess it has. Well, you know we have plenty of babysitters now, so if you ever want to take me on a date . . . " she hinted.
He laughed at that. "Yeah, I guess we should get around to dating, shouldn't we? Now that we have a kid and we're getting married."
Leah joined in the laughter and scooted over to sit right beside him. "I guess we should talk about the wedding. You know I don't want anything big and fancy. Just our family and friends."
"Sounds good to me. We could use the Rec Center, I guess."
"Yeah . . . but it's New Year's Eve. Won't they have a party there that night?"
"Oh, I didn't think about that," Paul admitted.
"You know, the weather is supposed to be unseasonably mild next week - in the 50's. What if we had the ceremony at our spot? On the cliff side? Then maybe Mom would host the party at her house."
Paul grinned and glanced over at her as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Our spot, huh? I like that. It's perfect." The cliff side was the first place they made love . . . it made sense to get married there as well.
Leah laid her head over on his shoulder and sighed. Perfect. She liked the sound of that.
They drove to Sue's to pick up Noah and talk to her about the wedding. Sue loved the idea and immediately started jotting down ideas for party food, and asked Leah about the cake. Leah promised to come over day after Christmas and work on it, but for now, they had to pick up the boys at school.
Paul pulled up at the school and as soon as both boys were buckled, he drove home. They had put all of their purchases in the back of the truck and Paul had thrown a tarp over them so the boys couldn't see them. He would have to come out after they went to bed to sneak them inside. The groceries they left out, so the boys helped him carry those into the kitchen.
Leah put Paul and Travis on Noah duty and she and Tyler went to the kitchen to start dinner. Just then, the phone ran. "I got it," Leah called out. "Hello?" There was silence on the line, so Leah again said, "Hello?"
"Did I get the wrong number? I was looking for Paul Jacobs," a female voice said. Leah didn't recognize it.
"No, this is the right number. Hold on." Leah covered the phone to shout, "Paul! Phone!"
Paul walked into the kitchen holding Noah and took the phone. "Hello?"
"Who answered the phone, Paulie? Did I interrupt you gettin some action?" Paul closed his eyes. Doreen.
"What the hell business is it of yours?" Leah then realized who he was talking to and reached out to take Noah from him. Tyler just stood there, staring at Paul. He, too, knew exactly who Paul was talking to. He only used that tone of voice with one person . . . their mom.
"It's not. I just wondered who you had shacking up in my house."
That got his anger up quick. "Look, this is MY house. We went over this before. I have the deed in my name and Grandma's will stating that she left everything to me. If you want a copy, contact her lawyer, but leave me and my family the hell alone."
"YOUR family? Are you claiming MY kids as YOUR family?"
"I've told you before, they are mine now and that's the way it's going to stay. If you even think of coming within 100 miles of Travis or Tyler, you heartless bitch, I will kill you. You got that?" Paul threatened. He hadn't see Travis walk into the kitchen, but Leah did. He was standing behind Paul and his eyes were wide in fear.
Leah walked over to Travis and tried to pull him out of the kitchen, but he yanked away from her and went to Paul. "Who is that, Paul?" he asked him.
Paul closed his eyes and sighed, "Shit."
"Is that my baby? Was that Travy? Put him on the phone, Paul. Right now!" Doreen screeched so loud they all could hear her.
"It's Mommy?" Travis asked. Paul stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. He wanted Travis to forget their mother even existed, and now . . . "She wants to talk to me?" Travis hadn't seen or heard from his mother in almost two years.
"Travis!" Doreen yelled. "It's Mommy, Travis, baby!"
Finally Paul covered the phone and asked, "Travis, you don't have to talk to her. In fact, I don't want you to. But, it's up to you."
Travis stood there making up his mind then he held out his small hand for the phone. Paul sighed and handed it to him. "Mommy?"
"Oh Travis, my sweet baby, how are you?"
"I'm OK."
"Do you miss me, sweetie? I miss you so much, but your mean old brother, Paul, won't let me see you."
"He won't?" Travis looked up at Paul and Paul shook his head and whispered, "Don't believe her, buddy." He could see the confusion on his face.
"No, he won't. He hates me, Travis. But you don't hate me, do you?" Doreen sniffed.
"No." Paul had kneeled down next to Travis, and now Travis was leaning against him. "But I love Paul. He's nice to me. He loves me. And . . . you left me here."
"I had to, sweetie. I didn't have a job, and I couldn't take care of you. But Paul is keeping you away from me and he's keeping Grandma's money from me. If I had that money, I could take care of . . ."
Paul pulled the phone away and said into it, "OK, that's enough. You are not going to use Travis as a weapon against me."
"He's my kid, Paul. You don't have a right to keep him away from me. I'll get a lawyer . . . I'll get what's mine! You can't keep all that money for yourself!"
"You think I'm living like a king here? Do you know how hard I have to work to keep food on the table?"
"That house should be mine! And everything in it. Mama had money put away somewhere, I know she did . . ."
"That's it, we're done. Don't ever call here again." Paul hung up and dropped the phone on the floor and pulled Travis to him. "Buddy, I'm sorry.
Travis was crying softly as Paul held him close. "Why did she say those things? Are you making her stay away from me?"
Paul made Travis face him as he said, "Yes, I am, buddy, but not why she says." Paul sighed as he tried to think how to explain this to an 8-year-old. "Look, our mom, is . . . well, you know she's . . ."
"Tyler says that she's sick and that's why she can't take care of us."
Paul glanced quickly over at Ty. He would try to keep Travis from being hurt. "That's right, she is."
"I remember a man used to bring her medicine and she wouldn't be mean to us for awhile."
Paul gritted his teeth as he thought about how this kid grew up seeing drug deals being made right in front of him. "Yeah. I just didn't want her to be mean to you and hurt you anymore. That's why I told her not to come here. Do you understand?"
Travis nodded and wiped his eyes. "I don't want to talk to her anymore."
Paul held him close again and said, "You won't have to. You can live here with me until you grow up and go to college, OK?" Travis nodded again. "I love you, Trav."
"I love you, too."
Paul dropped a kiss on his head then let him go. As he stood up he looked at Leah who had tears running down her cheeks. She held Noah out to him and he took him from her then she said to Travis, "Hey, Trav? You want to help with dinner?"
Travis shook his head. "I think . . . I think I want to be alone." Leah nodded and then Travis turned and walked slowly toward his room. Leah looked at Paul as she wiped her face and said, "God, I'm so sorry. I had no idea who it was. I should have just hung up."
"You didn't know. But, I think I'm going to have the number changed."
"Good idea." Leah turned to Tyler who just stood there with a furious look on his face. "Hey, Ty, you OK?"
"How can I be with such a bitch for a mother?" he spit out. "I can't believe how all she thinks about is how to take money away from us! I fucking hate her!" Tyler then stalked to the back door and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Leah looked to Paul who sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he said, "Welcome to the Jacobs family, Leah. I suppose we'll always have to deal with her, one way or another. I can't believe with the way she's abused her body all these years with drugs and all the sex she's given away, she's still alive and driving us all fucking nuts."
"Can you get a restraining order?" Leah asked.
Paul stared at her for a moment then said, "I never thought of it. Maybe I should talk to Charlie Swan about that."
"I think you should for the boy's sake. Especially Travis. What if she shows up at school one day or something?"
Paul just shook his head and sighed. "God, I hope she never does anything that stupid, Leah, because I won't be able to restrain myself. When she was here last summer and she reached out and grabbed Tyler with her hand poised to smack him, it was all I could do not to phase right there in the living room and tear her apart. It's a good thing Jim was here to intervene and get her the hell out of here."
"How do you feel about your dad? Is he in the same category as Doreen? I mean, I guess I should know if he calls here whether to take the call or hang up."
Paul smiled. "Yeah, I guess. I really don't know what to think about him yet. He's been decent, and he's sent money to help us out. He seems likes he's changed, but . . . I guess I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until he makes me choose otherwise."
Leah kissed his cheek and said, "It's Christmas time, Paul. Our first Christmas all together. Let's put this behind us and try to get back to that, OK?"
Paul smiled and nodded. "Yeah, good idea. I'm going to head out and look for Ty." He reached over to the coat rack and pulled Tyler's coat off of the hook. "Hold dinner for us." He kissed Leah and then Noah and headed out the back door.
Leah looked down at Noah and said softly, "I'm so glad that you have a mommy and daddy that love you so much." Then she set him in his car seat and went to work fixing dinner.
Paul caught up with Tyler not far from the house and handed him his jacket. "Hey, buddy, thought you might need this." Tyler silently slipped into it and zipped it up. Paul could see he was still pretty upset. "You wanna talk?"
"What's there to talk about? She's a bitch. End of story."
"Yeah, I know. But seeing Travis upset . . . that got to you, didn't it? I know it did me."
"I hate that he still cries sometimes for her. He just doesn't get it! He doesn't remember all the times she came home so wasted that she puked everywhere or when her dealer came to the house looking for her cause she owed him money. Or when she would bring home some guy off the street and have sex with him right there in the living room when she thought we were asleep! God, it makes me sick to think of all the shit I put up with. And then, offering me up like I was some kind of prize . . . " he turned away so Paul couldn't see the tears come to his eyes. He hated crying . . . he was so damn sick and tired of crying over all of this.
Paul put his arm around Tyler's shoulders. "Hey, all that shit is over and done with. I promised you I would protect you and I will. Leah suggested I get a restraining order against Doreen and I think that's a good idea. That way, if she comes anywhere near you two, I can call the sheriff and have her hauled off to jail."
Tyler looked up at him in disbelief. "You can do that?"
"Yeah, I can. But . . . you might have to come with me to the sheriff and talk a little about this stuff so he understands why we need it. Would you be willing to do that?"
"If it will keep her away from us? Hell, yeah, I'll do that."
Paul pulled Tyler close to him with one arm and said, "You're a good man, Ty. Don't ever let anyone make you feel otherwise. I am so glad that you were there to protect Travis, but maybe we should we let him know a little more what she's really like, for his own good."
They stood there quietly for awhile then Paul broke the silence by asking Tyler, "You hungry?" Tyler nodded. "Me, too. Let' go home for dinner."
"Paul?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really glad you're marrying Leah. She makes you really happy."
Paul chuckled. "Yeah, she does."
"Not only that, she's good for all of us. I think she makes Travis miss Mom less, and that's good."
Paul suspected she did the same for Tyler, even though he might not admit it. "Yeah, that is good. Let's go."
They walked home together, not really talking about anything important. Ty told him about a trade the Mariners made for a pitcher and how he thought that would be good for the team. Paul smiled and decided maybe he would get Mariners tickets for the three of them sometime. It would be fun to take the boys to a real game this summer in Seattle.
When they walked into the kitchen through the back door, Leah was at the stove, and Travis was setting the table. Paul looked over at Ty and smiled. Tyler said, "Smells good. What's for dinner?"
And with that, all was right with the world again.