Rebuilding Stone (The Stone Brother Series Book 2) (26 page)

Life is moving along just the way I dreamed it would. Gavin
starts kindergarten today. I can’t believe how big he’s gotten in the past two
years. He's also very smart. He and Eli are best friends; it's been fun
watching that relationship develop. Yes, Eli can be the annoying little brother
who breaks Gavin’s toys, but Gavin is patient and tries to understand. He did
have a little melt down when his favorite, Spider-Man, was returned with only
one leg. Maddox tried to fix it, but unfortunately for Gavin, Spidey's crime
fighting days were over.

“You ready?” Maddox asks. He knows how upset I was at the
thought of dropping Gavin off.

“Yes,” I laugh out.

“I’m ready, let’s go!” Gavin says excitedly.

Maddox gets out and opens my car door before getting Eli out
of his car seat. I take Gavin's hand and he's practically pulling me inside.
He's so ready for this. It's a good thing too, had he been upset, I’d have said
'let’s try again next year.'

“You can let go of my hand now, Mom,” Gavin says. I start
tearing up. Maddox wraps his arms around me.

“You have to let go babe,” Maddox tells me. And I do. I let
go and watch Gavin walk into his classroom.

“Bye, Vin,” Eli shouts.

“Bye, Eli, see you after school.” The teacher closes the
door and we walk out. I can’t imagine this day being any easier when Eli goes
to school.

It’s a lesson I’ve learned in life. Let go of the things you
can’t change.

Kerrigan and I have been married a little over three years.
We moved into our home on our one-year anniversary. Brady is a miracle worker.
The home is just what we wanted. It’s not large or fancy, but it is everything
we need. The love that fills it is what matters.

I was right about Aaron. He got what was coming to him in
prison - he's someone's bitch. It seems that he couldn't follow the rules
inside the prison either and managed to get himself another ten years for
assaulting a corrections officer. I'm sure he'll never leave there because he
can't control his temper.

Some time ago, Kerrigan told me she felt completely rebuilt.
I love that phrase, because it's exactly how I feel. We've both survived shit
lives and are now here helping to rebuild each other. And because of that, we
stand taller and stronger.