Page 23 of Taming the Mountain Man - Thickwood CO

“Ok, knuckleheads. We need to get going. We cannot be late making this family official. I think waiting five years is more than enough.” I crouched down, so I could be level with Bobby. Elliot dragged a chair and lifted me up to sit on it, grumbling under his breath. I rolled my eyes and humored him. It was very odd to see how neurotic he was about this pregnancy when I was the one that actually looked as big as a house and was beyond uncomfortable. “I love you so much, kiddo. I want you to know that you own such a big piece of my heart. Thank you for making me a mom. Being your mom is one of the best things to ever happen to me. Thank you for choosing me,” I said, holding my son’s hand, looking deep in his beautiful eyes. Bobby’s eyes started watering, small tears began rolling down his face.

“I love you, Mom. I love you and Dad, and I can’t wait to meet my sisters. I can’t wait until we sign those papers and I get to finally be a Shephard.”

“Hey, Buddy,” Elliot said, getting down with us. Bobby looked up at his father, trying to force the tears away, replacing it with a smile. “You’ve been a Shephard from that first night. The name is just a formality. You’ve always been my son. You hear me?”

Bobby nodded his head slowly, the emotion overcoming him, not allowing him to speak. I tossed my arms around him, pulling him in. He wasn’t as small as he was when he first came to live with us, but he would always be my baby. Even when he was a giant man, he would always be that sweet little boy.

“I love you, buddy.”

“I love you, Mom,” he whispered into my hair.

“Hey, I want some of this action,” Elliot said, bringing us both into his massive arms for a giant bear hug. “This is what life is about. Family. My family.”

THE END