Fallen Son: A Fallen Men Christmas Story (The Fallen Men) by Giana Darling

Author:Giana Darling [Darling, Giana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Giana Darling
Published: 2020-01-27T18:30:00+00:00

Cressida and I helped him get clean. He didn’t want us with him in the bathroom, but we turned on the shower, gathered towels, a pair of Z’s socks that would be way too large on him, but would at least give him some comfort from the elements, and old coat of King’s we found in a storage bin stacked in the new crawl space.

When he emerged from the steamy room, he was transformed, and the beauty of the little guy made my eyes sting with tears. He was clearly Hispanic, his rich black hair kinky, but too short to tell if it would just wave or curl, and his skin that luxe olive tone that kept a tan long after it saw the sun.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever fallen in love at first sight. Falling in love with Zeus had been a gradual thing, like a seed planted in my soul at six years old that grew into an immovable, majestic oak as time marched on and the connection between us never waned.

But looking at that boy with his thick lashed eyes and troubled mouth, I knew I’d love him until the day I died if he let me.

Zeus’s words from years ago echoed in my head, how could a guardian monster abandon his girl when she needed him?

I understood then, in a way only a parent could, that I wouldn’t abandon this boy, not when he so clearly needed someone to put him first for a change.

Without hesitation, I moved forward to stand beside him and offered him my hand. He stared at it in trepidation, before biting his lip and sliding his smooth, warm hand in mine. I squeezed it gently and leaned down to smile at him.

“Are you ready to see Zeus chop down a tree?”

Interest flared in his eyes, but he only nodded slightly.

I decided that was enough.

His silence and the quality of thoughtfulness in his gaze reminded me all too acutely of Mute. I still felt his loss every single day of my life, especially now when I was pregnant and desperately hoping to have a boy so that we could name him after my quiet protector.

“You okay?” Cressida asked, startling me out of my daze.

There was empathy in her dappled green and brown eyes, an understanding of the layers of palimpsest that superseded this moment.

I gave her a little grin and leaned into her hand when she reached out to move it down my hair. “Life’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Stranger than fiction,” she quipped. “And I should know, I’m a literature professor.”

We shared a soft laugh that was more about intimacy than humour and then moved together into the house.

The rest of the group was already gathered outside, and I lost my breath again, this time to the sight of my husband trussed up to chop down the perfect Christmas tree.

He was still in his heavy boots and old, dark wash jeans, the hem soaked through from the snow, but he’d shed his black

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.