Loving Ashlynn (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 36 - Happy Family Reunion (Kalenah POV) pt. 1

Chapter 36 - Happy Family Reunion (Kalenah POV) pt. 1

The fall and winter holidays were always a busy time for our family, all the Conrads and my family since I had met Ansel, his family larger than mine, we always spent the holidays together.

My parents had three daughters Marisela, Crista and myself, no sons. So once I met Ansel and created a life with him, they had a son-in-law. Not everything was always so pieced together and perfect, especially as we were werejaguars. With my own wealth, when Ansel and I settled in Oregon, the rest of our family seemed to have gravitated towards us.

It didn't matter that we lived in Bend, and our siblings lived a few hours away or minutes, everyone came to our house as the focal point.

I didn't mind having everyone in our home; I enjoyed being part of Ansel's large family, creating a large family of our own. While we were creating our family starting with our eldest triplets, Talia, Brennan and Thaddeus, Ansel's brother Danny and his late wife Tina were working on their family - Leslie, Lydia and Lia before she passed away.

It was devastating when Danny and Tina were attacked on an anniversary outing, and their attackers were able to subdue Danny and murder Tina, and while he was eventually able to garner attention to call off his attackers, Tina wasn't able to survive her injuries. For a long while, Danny moved into our home - his girls, Leslie, 3, Lydia, 2 and Lia 1 years old needed stability and he just wasn't in the right state of mind.

After two years of living with us, getting the girls and Danny past their indescribable grief, Danny and the girls moved to Portland.

When Danny finally crossed paths with Cynthia, a few months later, she seemed to bring back the joy and light in not just his eyes, but his girls as well and the same with her little boy - Andy. Grieving her own loss, of a child no less, unbearable Danny was able to understand her grief, and offer her the support needed. The two of them helping one another, in a way that Ansel and I, our family couldn't help Danny. They didn't rush to fill the void that had been created by those they lost, but it was natural, it seemed effortless the way Cynthia cared for Leslie, Lydia and Lia.

The girls understood that Cynthia wasn't their biological mom, they spoke of Tina so the girls would know where they came from, but by Leslie's eighth birthday, Cynthia was the only mother she could remember on her own. And it was the same for all the girls.

Andy had been speaking long before Cynthia met Danny and I could remember it like yesterday when the little boy came into our home and asked for "Fay." Looking around our home disappointed that he hadn't found the girl - the woman that Cynthia said perished. I could remember all of us, swallowing that awkward moment where Cynthia couldn't look into any of our eyes, and Danny was the one to tell her it was okay, to wipe the shed tears. But not only was she mourning this woman - Fay - she was mourning her child.

As a mother myself, knowing that loss for real with my own Silas gone, I can't imagine ever pretending my child had died as I now knew Cynthia had fabricated. Now with all our siblings at our house the older boys going out on a fishing trip with Ansel for his birthday, I packed some provisions with my mother, Bess.

"Your Faith doesn't seem - is she doing alright?" my mother questioned concerned and knowing that she knew Faith's history I could tell she actually cared. "Something is bothering her I can say that much, but she seems to be lost in her head more than normal," I whispered hoping I wasn't giving too much away right now. I always tried to give my children enough space to work through their inner turmoil while remaining just close enough in case they needed me in any way but Faith seemed to be floundering. Something had changed within a week, I could tell.