Chapter 11

The next morning Jeremiah was up before his angelic Jona.  Jake was up with Delilah making breakfast.  “We decided to give Mom a break after that marathon yesterday”, Delilah said.

Jake pour his younger brother a cup of coffee and studied his face.  “You got some last night”, he said as though he were there.

‘Miah blinked at his older brother.  “What?”  He was a little out of it still.  The night he’d had was insane.  First, he got engaged.  Then, he made love to his fiancée for the first time ever.  Finally, he’d had a fucked up dream starring their Grandfather.

“He’s not all together right now, Jake.  Leave him alone”, Delilah said with a laugh.

“That stupid grin means he got some.”

“Yes, Jake, Jona and I slept together last night”, ‘Miah said with irritation in his voice.

“You had sex.”

“NO, we made love.  I don’t pound into women and never have.  I was gentle and took my time.  Now, leave it alone.”

“Sometimes a woman needs her man to take charge and show her who’s boss”, Delilah said.

“Not Jona.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m her first.”

Delilah’s eyes grew wide.  “Seriously?  She was a virgin until last night?”  She was a little too loud for ‘Miah’s liking.

“Why don’t you fucking announce it to the world, Delilah? I don’t think they heard you in Zimbabwe or Australia.”

“I’m sorry, ‘Miah.  I just found that hard to believe.”

“Weren’t you a virgin before Jake?”

“Yeah.  I’d been hurt a lot and needed to trust him first.”

“Doesn’t it make sense then, that Jona wanted to be sure that I wasn’t going to hurt her?  That I was going to belong to her and her alone?  She’s been hurt a lot too.”

“Why are you so defensive, ‘Miah?”

“I’m not defensive.  I’m agitated.  What I do with the woman I plan to marry is between her and me.  To be the wise Yoda from Star Wars, No other way around it, there is.

David and Brie walked into the kitchen from their morning run.  “Lay off of him”, David said.  “There’s no need to be nosy.  If he wanted to share the details of what he may or may not have done last night with Jona, I’m sure he would.”  He grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and handed one to his wife.”

“Jeremiah’s a private person.  Just leave him alone", Brie said sternly.

Jeremiah rubbed his hands over his face and sighed.  “Mom, Dad, can I talk to you guys a moment?”

“Sure son.”

He looked at Jake and Delilah.  “ALONE, please?”

They shrugged and left Jeremiah alone with their parents.  David and Brie pulled up a stool at the  bar and look at Jeremiah with concern.  “What’s going on, ‘Miah?  Not having second thoughts are you?” Brie asked.

“No, far from it.”  He took a deep breath and sighed.  “I didn’t sleep very well last night.  I normally don’t like Jake’s ribbing, but it particularly struck a nerve this morning because I’m not very well rested.  I had one of my dreams last night.”

“You mean one of the prophetic dreams you and a select few of your siblings are prone to having?  Dreams like your mother sometimes has?” David asked.

Jeremiah nodded.  “Yeah.  I saw Granddad Cartwright.  He said he came to warn me that I’m going to be the one to pass this shit on to my children, and that means ALL of my children.”

“Yikes!”, Brie said.  “What do you think your grandfather meant?”

“I think he was trying to tell me in an obscure way that Jake, Maddie, Jessi, Mom, and I aren’t the only psychics in the immediate area.  He said something along the lines of, ‘I’m sure not knowing that you’ve both passed something like this on to your children will freak her out.’  I think that he was telling me that at least one of the Mason’s has the same gift we do.”

“I had a sneaking suspicion about that.  Skyler just strikes me, you know.”

“That gut of yours again, love?” David said.

“Yeah.  He sets off all sorts of bells in my head.  He sees things, too.  I can tell.”

“Do you think that Jona does too?” Jeremiah asked.

“I do, son.  I think they’re both afraid of their gift; they’re afraid that if they talk about it, people will think that they’re crazy.”

Jeremiah sighed.  “Looks like I need to be the first one to talk about it with Jona.  Not a conversation I’m looking forward too, but it has to be done.”

---------------

After everyone had gotten up and eaten breakfast, Jona and Jeremiah prepared to take her parents to the airport so that they could go home.  Kaylian and Brie hugged.  “I’ve had so much fun in the short time I’ve been here”, Kaylian said with a smile.

“I’ve loved having you here.  We’ll definitely have to do this again.”  Brie smiled and handed her a card.  “I’m going to give Skyler one as well, but if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to email or call me.  Ok?”

“You got it.”  Kaylian turn to say good- bye to David.

Skyler moved to Brie.  “Thank you for having us, Brie”, he said.  “You have a lovely home and a wonderful family.”

“I think your wife’s a little jealous, but I’m willing to share”, Brie laughed.

“Thank you, Brie”, Kaylian laughed.

“Hey, my grandkids love you.  If they like you, then you’re family”, Brie laughed in return.

“Thank you for having us, Brie”, Skyler laughed.

“Thank you for coming, Skyler”, she laughed in return.  “Come back and see us.”

“We plan to.  Would Thanksgiving be too soon?”

“Absolutely not.”  She shook his hand and then handed him a card.  “If you should need to talk, feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call.  And, if you’re not comfortable talking to a woman, here are my son’s Jacob and Jeremiah’s emails and cell phones.”  She handed him another card with Jake’s information embossed on the front and Jeremiah’s hand written on the back.

He took the card and stuck it in his pocket.  “Thank you.  I’ll be sure to use it.”

---------------

The trip to the airport was a fairly quiet one.  It seemed like everyone was deep in thought.  Jeremiah was for sure.  He glanced over into the passenger seat at Jona and saw that she was asleep.  He smiled and laid his hand on her thigh as he drove.  God, she is so beautiful when she sleeps.  Angelic and perfect.  What did I do to deserve her?, he thought as he drove.

“Admiring the woman you love?” Kaylian said from the back seat.

“Shoot.  Got caught”, he laughed.

“You’re good for her, ‘Miah.  You’re such a sweet boy.  She couldn’t have found anyone better.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Mason.”

“Has my husband told you to call him Skyler or Dad?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then feel free to call me Kaylian or Mom.”

“I don’t see myself calling either of you Mom or Dad.  My parents are still amongst the living.  So, I think I’ll call you Kaylian.”

“That works for me, ‘Miah.”  She took a deep breath.  “You seem like you’re deep in thought.  What’s on your mind, Jeremiah?”

“I’m just thinking.  I didn’t sleep a lot last night.  When I don’t sleep, I get pensive.  Part of why I majored in Philosophy is the fact that I can talk some serious nonsense when I’m sleep deprived and it strings together and makes perfect sense, but NO sense at all.”

“That’s quite a talent, Jeremiah.”

He smiled.  “Thanks.  Thankfully, I’m not the only one in my family with the same gift.”

---------------

After saying their good- byes to Jona’s parents, Jeremiah drove them home.  Now, he had to have a 

conversation that he was dreading.  Once they were on the highway he knew he had to tell her about his dream.  “Jona, honey, I need to talk to you about something and I need you to keep an open mind.  Can you do that for me?”

“Of course, ‘Miah.  What’s going on?”

“Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve had these dreams that usually warn me when something big is about to happen.  Sometimes it’s good news, sometimes it’s bad news; usually it comes true.”

“Ok.”

“Last night I had one of those dreams.  I was informed that I was going to be the member of my family to keep this gift alive in my family by passing it in some form to our children.  I was also told that I wasn’t the only one that had this gift.  So, I guess what I’m trying to get at is do you have dreams that had a weird tendency of coming true?”

She was quiet for a long time as she stared out the window.  “Not even my parents know”, she said quietly.

“You never told them?”

“I just thought they were dreams.  When they would come true, I’d be shocked, but I never thought they were more than just dreams.  I thought that if I talked about them with people that they’d think I’m crazy, then your Mom talked about how her talking about her dreams and how they saved your Dad’s life.  Then I kinds started thinking, ‘Whoa, I’m not alone’.”

“Not around my family you’re not, baby.  I’m not the only one of my siblings that has the gift either.”

“Really?  Who?”

“Jake, Maddie, and Jessi all have as well.”

“Wow.  Do you think your Mom would talk to me about the dreams she has?”

“I’m sure she will if you talk to her.”

Jona smiled and leaned in to kiss Jeremiah’s cheek.  “I love you, ‘Miah.”

He smiled.  “I’d kiss you back, but I have to drive; but I love you too.”

---------------

When Jona and Jeremiah walked into the living room, they saw David and Brie sitting on the couch.  David had a huge frown on his face.  “It don’t want it, baby.  I didn’t do anything to deserve it”, David said.

“Apparently you did according to the nomination committee”, Brie said.

“What’s going on?” Jeremiah asked.

“I’ve been nominated for the Kennedy Center Honor for Achievement in Music”, David said, the frown on his face set deep.

“That’s good”, Jona said.

“No, Jona, it’s not.  I haven’t done anything to deserve it and I HATE tuxes.”

“Dad, it’s not that bad.  So, you have a pretty award that fastens to your lapel and has a rainbow ribbon.  It’s just another award.”

“That comes in its OWN display case”, Brie joked.

“Not funny, love.”

“Are you kidding me?  I thought it was hilarious.”

“What do you think I should do, baby?”

“I think you should just graciously accept it.  I’ll go with you to the ceremony.  I’m sure that Reckless Disregard would happily play at this thing in your honor.  I’m sure that ANY of the kids would be happy to speak in your honor.  Hell, I’m almost willing to bet that it wouldn’t take much convincing for Marc to put together the video and dub in the voice over for whomever we get to speak.”

David sighed.  “Why don’t you just take control of organizing this whole mess?  I don’t want to know anything about it until the beginning of December when we fly out to D.C. for the ceremony.”

She smiled.  “Are you sure you want me to do that?”

“Yeah, I want you to put it together.  You did great with the rallies during the Occupation.”

“Ok, as long as that’s what you want, I’ll get it done.  It’s a good thing I have a few months to pull it together, unlike with the rally at Lake Tenkiller.”

“It wasn’t that bad, and you had plenty of really good help.”

“Jeremiah, you want to help your mother organize a huge honor for your father?”

“Sure, it give me something to do”, Jeremiah laughed.  “I’ll get with Marc about that video.”

Chapter 10

As they all sat and talked, Brie let out her secret about her dreams.  She told the story about when she was pregnant with Jacob and Jordan and was dreaming of David getting shot.  “In the dreams, I was about as far along as Maddie is now.  They were in the middle of the encore when a shot rang out and David fell to the stage.  After that, it was utter chaos.  I pushed my way through the crowd to get to him as he lay dying on that stage.  I held him in my arms and pleaded with him not to leave me as he bled to death”, she said as a lump formed in her throat.  “We fought for weeks because neither of us was sleeping.  He was having the Daddy- hood jitters and dreaming about having to choose between me and the baby- or as we know now, babies and if he wasn’t doing that, he was up with me because I would come out of those dreams screaming and crying.  Finally, the final night of the Uproar Festival, I told him.  He and the guys made some phone calls and found out that there was a threat against their lives.  Now, what I saw didn’t stop him from getting shot, but I still to this day swear that finally telling him what I was seeing saved his life.”

“I still wear the scar in my left arm, but it’s far better to have a scar then to not be here”, David added.

“Where at in your arm, Mr. Draiman?” Jona asked.

“Jona, please, call me David; and it’s through…” he looked at Brie.  “Which muscle did the bullet go through?”

“Deltoid.  The bullet went through his deltoid”, Brie said.

“Yikes!” Skyler said.  “That couldn’t have felt nice.”

“Oh, it didn’t.  What sucked even worse was Danny and Mikey pouring Everclear on the wound then taking a Zippo lighter and a spoon to it to cauterize it.  Nothing like letting your brothers pour liquor on an open wound then burn it to build that special bond of brotherhood”, David laughed.  “To this day, I still give them shit for that.”

“But at least you’re alive to do so.”

“If I weren’t the only children that would be here would be Malachai, Jordan, and Jacob.”

---------------

After everyone had gone to bed, Jona and Jeremiah lay and just held each other.  She couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful ring he’d just given her earlier that evening.  “Wow, ‘Miah, I can’t believe it.”

“What can’t you believe, baby girl?”

“That you asked me to marry you”, she said.  She looked up from where she lay with her head on his chest.   “The ring is so pretty.”

“A pretty ring for a pretty girl”, he said and leaned down to give her a gentle kiss.  The kisses started out small and soft, then grew to be more.  Jeremiah was the one to pull back.  “Jona, what are you doing?” he asked breathlessly.

“Don’t you want me, ‘Miah?”

His eyes nearly tripled in size.  “Of course I do, but are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes, ‘Miah.  I want you to make love to me.  I trust you.  I want to be yours completely.”

“Let me know if I hurt you, ok.  That’s the last thing I want.  I’ll take my time and I’ll be so careful, but if anything hurts, you have to let me know right away, ok?”  His fingers ran through her hair as she nodded and he brought her face down to kiss her again.  The deeper the kiss got, the hard it was for him to continue lying on his back.  He rolled to carefully place her on her back as he pushed her gown up when his hand ran up her side and he pulled it off of her with that one hand.  He kissed down her neck to capture one of her perfect pink nipples on his mouth.  He rolled his tongue over it and sucked gently when she let out a soft moan.  He moved to the other once the first one was a taut peak.

Her breathing quickened as he kissed down her body, coming to rest between her legs. “Oh, ‘Miah”, she called softly.

“All you have to do is tell me to stop and I will.”

“No, please don’t.  Keep going.”

He lowered his mouth to her body and started to lick slowly and carefully.  The first thing he wanted was to let her experience what release was.  His tongue lathed slow circles over the delicate pearl between her legs as he watched and listened to how she reacted to what he was doing.  Her hands gripped the sheets as she sighed.  It was a beautiful sound.  She moved her hips with the rhythm of his tongue as it swirled over her most sensitive parts.  The more she moved her hips with him, the easier it made him pleasuring her, the closer he could feel her coming to reaching that peak, and the more she moaned for him.  When she reached that peak, he stayed long enough to clean up the mess, and kissed his way back up her body.  He kicked off his shorts and gently pressed his tip against her opening.  “All you have to do is tell me no.”

“’Miah, please stop talking and make love to me.”

He slowly slid himself into that narrow opening and watched her reaction.  Her eyes rolled back in the back of her head and her back arched.  When he reached the end of her, he rested on his elbows and found a slow and steady pace that she seemed to enjoy.  He could tell by her breathing and moaning that he couldn’t have been more perfect at what he was doing for her and with her.  He captured her lips as he felt her body clamp down on him.  I don’t know how many more of those I can make it through, but I guess we’ll find out.

It took several minutes but she did it one more time and he couldn’t do help himself.  She squeezed just right and he shot deep inside her.  Her arms slid around his neck as she clung to him and cried from the beauty of it.

--------------

Jeremiah made love to Jona all night long.  In between sessions, they’d cuddle and Jeremiah would tell the beautiful creature in his arms that she was the most wonderful thing to ever happen to him.  “You’re such a beautiful soul, Jona.  What did I ever do to deserve you?”

She giggled.  “Hey, that’s my line.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead.  “We can share it, can’t we?”

She smiled up at him.  “I don’t see why not.”  She took a deep breath and sighed.  “So, how do you think this visit from my parents went?  Do you think they’ll come back?”

“Oh, I’m sure they will.  Your Mom really seems like she enjoys playing with my nieces and nephews and they love the attention- especially Levi.”

“I know this is totally random, but if Jake and Delilah are ok with it, when Miri is older, I want to get her a Koi fish.  I got her all excited over them the other day and Delilah told her that she couldn’t have one until she was older.”

“I’m used to you being totally random and it’s one of the many, many things I love about you.  As for the fish, all I can tell you is to talk to my brother and his wife about that.  I’m sure they won’t object.”

“Do you think Ira will get jealous?”

“As my mother would say, I’m sure he’ll have the same pants to get glad in.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that.  “Your mother is always full of little pearls of wisdom like that.  Where does she come up with them all?”

“I think it was her upbringing.  She was born and raised in Tennessee.”

“That makes a little bit of sense.”  She sighed.  “I think we have to take my parents back to the airport in the morning, baby.  Maybe we should get some sleep.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead.  “Then let’s get to sleep, beautiful.  It’s a long trip from here to Denver and we’ll need all the energy we can get.”

They settled into the bed and got a few hours of sleep.  The sun would be peaking over the horizon soon and they’d have to take her parent to the airport and say good- bye until the holiday season… or the wedding, whichever came first.  As he drifted off to sleep, Jeremiah thought, I’m going to see what it will take to pull together a wedding as soon as possible, but I want to see what she wants to do first.  The sooner she’s my wife, the happier I’ll be.  I don’t care if we have kids or not, as long as she’s my wife and we’re together.

---------------

It was dark and cold outside.  The smell of saltwater hung heavily in the air.  He was surrounded by fields of green, green grass and clovers.  He smelled barely in the air as well.  Saltwater, barely, rain, and clover in the air could only mean a visit from one person.  “Oh, GRANDFATHER!” he called out.

“BOO!” he heard from behind him.

He turned with an unamused look on his face.  “Not funny, Granddad.  What did you drag me to this cold dismal place for?”

“What? I can’t want to check on my grandson?” Mitchell Cartwright asked in a thick Irish accent.

“Really, Granddad?  The last time any of us saw you, you were telling Jake that he was supposed to name is son after an Uncle none of us knew about.  Can the crap, Grandfather.  You have a reason I’m here.”

“That I do, Grandson.  Jeremiah, I feel I must warn you that YOU will be the one of your siblings to pass on the gift.”

“WHY?”

“Because that’s the Divine plan, my grandson.  I wish I could give you more detail than that, but you will be the one to pass it on in its full capacity.  Each of your children will be gifted somehow.”

“Why tell me this, Grandfather?”

“Because you needed to know.  I can’t tell you why, Jeremiah, but you needed to know this.”

He sighed heavily.  “Granddad, this was kinda of a waste of my time and REM sleep.”

“I know, Jeremiah.  There’s nothing I can do about what’s going on, Grandson.”

“Then why warn me, Grandfather?”

“Because you needed to know so that you can help prepare that sweet angel in your arms.  She’s going to be a bit skittish having children as it is.  I’m sure not knowing that you’ve both passed something on to your children like this will freak her out.”

“So Maddie, Jake, and Jessi don’t need to worry?”

“Oh, they need to worry, but they don’t need to know.  You need the warning because it will be ALL of your children, grandson.”

“Great, just great!”

Chapter 9

Dinner was finally ready and everyone was in the banquet room that had been added onto the house after the first holiday season that everyone in the Disturbed Family decided that it was time to pay the Draimans a visit.  David sat at the head of the table at one end and Skyler sat at the head at the other.  Their wives sat in their right hand and the children lined sides.  There was actually a lot more room than Jessi had complained about there not being a month before.  As the food was passed around the table, there were stories being told.  “I can proudly say that I have scared a young man enough to wet himself over Jona”, Skyler said with a proud smile.  The topic had come up somehow.

“That honestly doesn’t surprise me”, Brie laughed.  “You remind me a lot of my father.  A stoic Irish man.  If he had something to say if was either insightful or sarcastic.”

Skyler shrugged as he took a couple of rolls out of the basket they were being passed around in and put them in his plate.

“Well, I’ve done my share of scaring the hell out of boys who think they’re going to come around here and treat my daughters like shit”, David added.  “Just ask Maddie.”  He smiled quaintly at his pregnant daughter.

“Oh, Daddy, did you really have to bring up that piece of trash while I’m trying to eat?” Maddie said with a bright smile.

“Oh, now I have to hear the story”, Skyler laughed.

“I brought a guy home while I was in massage school.  He was disrespectful.  He would leave things alone that weren’t to be touched, he wouldn’t look Dad in the eyes when he spoke to him or shake his hand.  He sat at our table, ate dinner with us… yadda yadda.  After dinner he was playing with a couple of Mom’s Kabuki and Geisha figurines that are now in glass cases because the youngest grandkids like to touch things that don’t belong to them.  It’s a kid thing.  Anyway… I tell him several times to stop and act his age.  The word ‘insane’ comes out of my mouth and he starts acting it.  He yells at me, I stand up off the couch and yell back.  Then, he did the dumbest thing you can do in front of my father- he slapped me and I shoved him THROUGH the front door while it was still closed.  My brother’s take control of the situation and separate us.  It took Jake, Jeremiah, and James to pull me off of him, but not before I connected with his head with a shovel.  I was too busy screaming about how he was a dead man if I ever got loose to hear what Dad said to him when he came out”, Maddie explained.

“I pulled a pistol from my waistband, put the barrel between his eyes and told him he had five seconds to get his ass off of my property before he died”, David said matter of factly.

“I take it he’s stayed gone?” Skyler asked.

“Oh yeah”, Jake said.  “Had he shown his face on this property again, I would have forgotten that I was a doctor who had taken an oath and I would have beaten the hell out of him.”

“You and all of us boys”, ‘Miah added.

“You don’t seem like a violent person, ‘Miah”, Kaylian said.

“I’m not.  I’m the most laid back guy you’ll ever meet, especially in this family.  But, there are a handful of things that a person can do that will take me from chill to pissed in a matter of seconds and he did all of them.  He hit my sister, he insulted my father, he made my mother cry, and least of all; he got my nose broken.”

“What do you mean he got your nose broken?”

“I was helping Jake pull Maddie back.  Jake went low and got her around the waist and I went high to get her shoulders.  She elbowed me in the nose and broke it as she struggled with us to get loose so that she could finish what he’d started.”

“If someone were to hit my daughter?” Skyler asked.

Jeremiah looked at Skyler with a peaceful look on his face and said simply, “They’d die.”

---------------

After dinner that night, Jeremiah helped his brothers clear off the table and get things cleaned up after dinner while his parents play host and hostess and entertained his girlfriend’s parents. There wasn’t a scrap left for the dogs, let alone leftovers.

After everything was cleaned and put away, Jeremiah ventured back out into the living room.  He caught Skyler’s eye.  “Mr. Mason, may I speak with you in private, please?”

“Excuse me a moment”, he said to Jeremiah’s parents and followed him out of the room.  Jeremiah led him to the back porch.  “How can I help you, Jeremiah?”

“Mr. Mason, I love your daughter with everything I am and I wanted to ask you for permission to make her my wife.”

Skyler looked at Jeremiah with a sarcastic smirk.  “No… Just NO.”

Jeremiah stood and studied Skyler.  He’d figured out what he needed to say.  He needed to show that he wasn’t afraid and that he understood sarcasm.  The look in his face was one of sheer amusement.  “With all due respect, you’re not going to make me crack and I’m not going to back down.  If this is some test to make me sweat I hate to inform you, but you don’t scare me.  Though, I have to admit, I’ve been studying you since Jona and I picked you up from the airport and I think I have you figured out.”

Skyler’s eyebrows lifted.  “Oh?”

“Yeah.  You’re just a sarcastic ass.  I can respect that.”

Skyler chuckled and let his sarcastic smirk get bigger.  “Yeah, I know.  And I enjoy being one.  A sense of humor was what made me who I am and kept me sane during the difficult times I lived through during the Utopian Occupation.  It also kept spunk in my life when there wasn’t a drop of energy left in me.”  His face turned serious as he continued.  “I thank you for respecting me and my sarcasm, just as I respect you for your sense of humor.  I also respect you for your courtesy, your courage, and the endless and undying affection you give my daughter.  May you forever stay that way, Jeremiah Draiman.”

Jeremiah hadn’t known that Jona’s father had been watching him as closely as he’d been watching him.  But, Jeremiah was never rendered speechless and it was his turn to turn on the sarcasm.  “I sincerely thank you for the kind words.”  He paused briefly for dramatic affect.  “So”, he said with a smart assed tone as he clapped his hands together and rubbed, “does this mean you’re gonna let me take your little girl away?”

Skyler’s face broke into a sly smirk again as he chuckled.  “I guess so.  I won’t like it, but considering I just gave you high praise, I don’t have a choice now.”

Jeremiah celebrated and didn’t a little happy dance.  “YES! He really DOES like me.  I was a little scared there for a sec, Mr. Mason that you didn’t think I could keep up.”

“Of course I like you!  If I didn’t, this conversation would go much, much differently, if you know what I mean.  And, you can feel free to call me Skyler… or Dad if you wish.”

“I think I’ll go with Skyler, though that’s going to take a little getting used to.”

---------------

When Skyler and Jeremiah came back into the house, Jeremiah had a hand in the pocket of the jeans he wore.  He waited for Skyler to get seated with his wife again, then he put his plan into action.  “Jona, come here for a moment, please”, he said.

Jona pushed herself to standing and went over to where ‘Miah stood.  “Yeah, baby?  He wrapped her in his arms and started peppering her with kisses.  He face, her neck, her lips; every surface of her skin. “’Miah what are you doing?” she laughed and tried to pull away.

He stopped and dropped to one knee, one of her hands in his.  “Jona, I love you with everything I am.  I would be honored if you would spend the rest of our lives with me, take my name, and be my wife.”  He pulled a small black satin box from his pocket.  “Jona Mason, will you marry me?”

Her eyes grew wide as he pulled the lid of the box back and she saw the small diamond ring inside.  “”Miah!” she gasped.  “Oh my God!  Are you serious?  You really want me to be your wife?”

“Yes, Jona, I love you and I want no one else but you.  Marry me.”

Her left hand shook as she extended it to him, and tears flooded her eyes.  “Yes, ‘Miah.  Yes, I’ll marry you”, she said.

He slipped the ring on her finger and stood.  Her lips met his as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.  He lifted her with arms around her waist and spun around with her in his arms.  “I love you, Jona”, he laughed quietly as he set her back on the ground.

“I love you too, my ‘Miah.”

James, who was watching the scene with a HUGE smile on his face, asked the question that was nagging in his mind.  “Congrats, you two, but have a question, bro.  What the fuck took so long?”

---------------

After the excitement of ‘Miah’s proposal to Jona had died down, they all sat around and got to know Jona’s parents.  “So, aside from Jona, how many children do you have?” Brie asked.

“We have one son.  His name is Damian”, Skyler said.

“How old?” David asked.

“He’s 18.”

“Why didn’t Damian come up with you?” Jona asked her parents.

“Acupuncture school”, they said in unison.  “But, he’s going to come home for the holidays.  We can bring him up to see you if that would be ok”, Kaylian added.

“Of course you’re welcome back”, Brie said with a warm smile.  “We’re going to be related soon.  You’re pretty much family and stuck with us now.”

“Well, thank you”, Kaylian giggled.  “Do you think your kids can handle two ‘Mom’ figures?”

“I don’t know honestly, but we’ll find out.”

“I get to meet the future brother in law?” Jeremiah asked.

“Yep, over the holidays”, Jona said and kissed his cheek.  “I think you’ll like my little brother.”

“Question is, will he like me?”

“I think that as long as you do with him like you did with me and show no fear, he’ll like you just fine, Jeremiah”, Skyler said.  “He’s just really protective of his big sister.”

“I don’t blame him.  I’m protective of all of my sisters.”

“Don’t I know it”, Colton added with a laugh.

“What do you mean by that?” Kaylian asked.

“The day I met them all, my car was surrounded by all five of the Draiman boys with Jacob leaning in my drivers’ side window.  I got a stern talking to by Jacob and ALL of the boys looked like they wanted to rip me apart and would if I did something stupid.”

“And when any of the other girls bring a boy home, the boy has to brave the gauntlet of my five boys before they even get in the door, and NOW, it’s six boys because I Colton INSISTS on being out there with the boys.  He’s really become a member of the family.”

“Do the girls do the same for their brothers?” Skyler asked with a laugh.

“We’ve been known to from time to time”, Maddie said with a sly smile.

“You guys didn’t do that to Jona, did you?”

“No.  The first time Miah brought her home was the Holidays last year.  Colt and I picked them up from the airport.  If there had been any sign whatsoever that she didn’t make my little brother completely and utterly happy, then I would have stepped in and told her not to lead him on.  But, they were so sickeningly cute on the ride home that I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.”

Chapter 8

They stood at the terminal hand in hand as they waited for Skyler and Kaylian Mason to get off of the plane.  When Jona spotted her parent’s she started waving her arms and called out to them.  “Mama, Daddy, over here!”

When the spotted her they went directly to her and the young man standing with her whom they assumed was Jeremiah Draiman.  Skyler Mason was a fairly tall man with red wavy hair that stopped just short of his shoulders and ice blue eyes.  His shoulders were broad, his chest thick, and his hips were narrow, but not nearly as narrow as ‘Miah’s were.  ‘Miah had his Uncle Matt’s thin willowy build.  His twin brother James was similarly built, but a little thicker in the chest.

Kaylian Mason was a petite woman with dark hair that reminded ‘Miah of his mother, aside from that fact the Kaylian’s hair was straight and his mother’s was curly.  Her shoulders were very laid back and her body was very proportionate.  Jona seemed to be the best of both of her parents.

Jona threw her arms around her parent’s necks and hugged them tightly.  “Mama, Daddy!” she said.  Her joy was evident.  “It’s so good to see you again!  It’s been forever!”

Jeremiah saw her parents both smile and return her hug.  “We’re glad to see you again too, baby girl”, Kaylian said.

She released them from her embrace and turned to ‘Miah.  “Mama, Daddy, this is Jeremiah Draiman- my boyfriend.”

‘Miah smiled politely and extended his hand to her father.  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both”, he said.

Skyler took his hand and shook.  “It’s nice to finally meet you as well.”

After her husband released the boy’s hand, Kaylian pulled him into a hug.  “Finally, I get to meet the young man that seems to have captured my daughter’s heart”, she said.  She pulled back and gave him a good once over.  “You’re not really how I pictured you, ‘Miah.”

‘Miah’s eyebrows shot up.  “OH? How did you picture me, Mrs. Mason?”

“I pictured you looking more like you father, to be truthful.”

“I look like Dad in the face, but my build is more my mother’s brother’s.”

“Well, either way, you’re a very handsome young man.  I can see what attracted Jona to you in the first place.”

“You beautiful daughter here made me chase her because she thought I was my man whore twin brother.”

“You have a twin?”

“I’m actually a quadruplet.  I have an identical twin brother named James, and a set of identical twin sisters who were in a separate sac.  Their names are Meagan and Makayla.”

“Wow”, Skyler said.  “I bet your parents had fun with the four of you.”  He had a sly grin on his face.  Jeremiah was picking up that Skyler Mason was a bit of a smart ass.  He could see where Jona got it from.

“Oh, not near as much fun they did raising TEN kids.  Eight just WASN’T enough for some reason.”

“Sounds like a woman’s thing.”

“Would you believe that it was actually my father’s idea to have ten kids?”

“I’d be hard pressed.”

“Then, I’ll let him tell you himself.”  She looked over his shoulder toward the exit.  “Shall we?”

---------------

“So, Jeremiah, tell us more about yourself”, Kaylian said as Jeremiah drove down the highway toward his parents’ home.

Oh, great, he thought as she asked him to talk about himself.  I should have known this was going to happen.  “What would you like to know, Mrs. Mason?”

“What took you out to Chicago to begin with?”

“School.  I’m a proud graduate of the Loyola University School of Philosophy, in which I hold a Bachelors’ degree as well as an Associates’ in Theology.”

“Didn’t your father attend Loyola when he was around your age?”

“Yes he did.  Both of my older brothers and one of my older sisters are also graduates of Loyola.  My brother Malachai has a degree in Business Admin.  My brother Jacob graduated from Loyola Pre- med and went on to Johns- Hopkins University and graduated as a Neurologist.  And my sister Jordan holds a Master’s in English.”

“Why Philosophy and Theology?”

“Well, I was going to go Pre- Law and try to get into Harvard for Law, but I decided that I just couldn’t look myself in the face every morning if I became a criminal defense attorney.  That’s more my brother James.  So, I decided that I would rather posses the ability to sit in a room alone and argue with myself and never win”, he said with a chuckle.

“Interesting.  Ok, so, you called your twin brother a man whore at the airport.  Why is that?”

“James enjoys the things that our last name brings him.  Personally, I damn near asked if I could enroll under my mother’s last name because I didn’t want my professors to think that I was looking for favors because David Draiman’s my father, and Malachai, Jacob, and Jordan Draiman are my siblings.”

“So, James’ like to sleep around?”

“Not anymore.  He’s settled down recently.  He’s found a good girl and he’s the only Dad her three year old son knows.”

“What do your parents think?”

“They’re actually very proud of him.”

“Tell us about your mother.”

He chuckled.  “She’s a amazing woman.  She’s just recently retired from doing massage for about forty years so that when Dad travels she can go with him.  She loves to cook, loves to do things an organic, natural way.  That’s how she raised all of us.  Before we look to modern medicine, we look to holistic, natural medicine, even though one of us is a doctor.  My mother is 62 and doesn’t look a day over 35 other than the fact that she’s going silver.”

“She sounds like a lovely woman.  So, is that hype about your father true?”

“He’s a regular guy at home.  There’s no hype to Dad when he’s at home.”

“Will he be wearing…?”

‘Miah knew what she was talking about.  “That’s doubtful.  He doesn’t really wear them when he’s at home.  He and Mom have a deal that while he’s at home, he can put them in long enough to keep the holes open, but that’s about it.”

“What are some of your hobbies?”

“I like to go four wheeling every now and then.  I’m a drummer.  I do some writing, mostly poetry and short stories.”

The questions kept coming as he drove, and he fought not to ask why all the questions.  He just answered them, no matter how uncomfortable the asking of them made him.  He thought to himself as he drove, This is going to be a LONG hour.

---------------

Jeremiah Draiman couldn’t have been more happy to walk in the door of his parents’ house.  “MOM!  DAD!  We’re BACK!”

David came downstairs with a bunch of stuff for his grandchildren in a bag.  “Hey you two”, he said.

“Dad, save me”, Jeremiah mouthed to his father.

David set the toys on the coffee table and went to the door.  “You two must be Skyler and Kaylian Mason.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.  I’m Jeremiah’s father, David Draiman.”  He extended his hand to Skyler.

Skyler took his hand and shook.  “It’s nice to finally meet you as well, Mr. Draiman.”

“Please, call me David.”

“Then call me Skyler.”

“No problem.  Just let me go see what my wife is up to in the kitchen and I’ll be right back.”  David walked off and went to the kitchen door, walking in carefully.  “Baby, it’s just me.  Jeremiah and Jona are back with her parents.  Can you take enough of a break to come greet them?”

“I’ll be right there”, she said.  “Just let me wash my hands real fast.”  Water ran for a few moments and a small woman with curly brown hair that was going grey came out of the kitchen with a bright smile.  “Hi, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.  I’m Brie Draiman, Jeremiah’s mother.  Welcome to our home.”  They each shook her hand and introduced themselves.  “It’s nice to meet you both.  I hate to leave you alone with my husband, but I’m trying to get dinner finished up.”

“Jeremiah said that you like to cook”, Kaylian said.

“Absolutely.  For me, cooking is cathartic just like making music is for David.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to step out back to get the meat off of the smoker.”  She turned and left the room.

“How long has she been cooking?” Skyler asked.

“All day.  She actually threw flour at Jeremiah earlier for going into the kitchen uninvited.”

Kaylian looked at Jeremiah.  “Did she really?”

“Yeah, I should know better shit than to walk into my mother’s kitchen when she’s warned everyone that’s NOT a woman that if they walk into the kitchen they’re going to get something thrown at them”, Jeremiah answered as he blushed.

“She almost pegged Dad with an egg when he came in before you and Jona left”, Jordan came out and said with a smile.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mason, this is my older sister Jordan.”

She smiled and extended her hand.  “Nice to meet you.  I hope my little brother hasn’t told you too many lies about me.”

“Do you have a Master’s degree in English from Loyola?” Skyler asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then, so far, he hasn’t lied about you once.”

---------------

Skyler and Kaylian took a seat in the living room and watched the Draiman grandchildren play.  Skyler was trying not to show that he was excited to be sitting in the same house as the Voice of the Resistance; a man that he’d admired since he was a young man.  David Draiman was an inspiration to him.  He just couldn’t keep still.  His wife thought it was cute.  The young Draiman grandkids thought it was curious, so the four of them walked up to him and Miri, being the ring leader, tapped him on the knee.  “’Scuse me, Mister”, she said sweetly.  “Why are you bouncing up and down?”

Skyler looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi truck.  Kaylian smiled sweetly at the children and answered for her husband.  “He’s just really excited, that’s all.”

Jeremiah came into the room and saw his niece and nephews surrounding the man he was going to ask for Jona’s hand.  “Miri, Hunter, Ira, and Levi; you guys leave him alone and don’t pick on him.”

“But, why?” Ira asked.  “He’s sitting here bouncing like a rubber ball, Uncle ‘Miah.”

‘Miah squatted down and got on the kids’ level.  “You know how you have a Mommy and Daddy, right?”

“Yeah”, all the kids but Levi said.

“I don’t have a Mommy and Daddy.  I have two Mommies.”

“That’s because you’re super lucky, Levi.  But, the rest of us only have a Mommy and a Daddy.  Well, that’s Aunt Jona’s Daddy.  You can’t pick on him because he controls whether or not I can make Aunt Jona the mommy of MY kids.”

“Jeremiah, leave those kids alone”, Kaylian said.  “They’re ok.  They don’t mean any harm.” 

She had the same gentle chiding in her voice that his mother got.  He couldn’t help himself, it was a reflex reaction.  “Yes, ma’am” he said and had a seat in one of the big armchairs to make sure that his nieces and nephews didn’t pester the Masons too much.  He watched Kaylian play and laugh with the kids, but got on to them if they did something she was sure their parents’ wouldn’t approve of.  He couldn’t help but smile.  I wonder if she’s going to be like that when Jona and I have kids, he thought.  Yeah, she’s going to be like this with her grandchildren.  I can see it already.