Shadows of Resentment Ch. 06

"Cameron, baby, It's almost midnight." She whispered. "Let's lay down."

Cameron followed Sierra into her bedroom. He undressed and crawled into bed as Sierra lay down next to him.

He held her tightly in his arms as they drifted off to sleep. He planned to fix her a special breakfast the next morning.

Cameron awoke at five thirty in the morning. He watched Sierra sleep for a moment and then eased out of bed to prepare his breakfast surprise.

Sierra woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon. The coffee was brewing and for a moment she wondered what was going on. She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Sierra walked up to Cameron from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. Cameron turned and held her tightly for a moment, He then lifted her chin and kissed her. Sierra sighed and melted into his kiss.

"Morning" Sierra whispered.

"Morning, baby" Cameron replied. "Come and sit down. I made breakfast."

He poured her coffee and juice. He placed a covered dish in front of her. When Sierra lifted the lid, she was in for a shock.

In the center of the plate was not breakfast food, but a small velvet black box. Sierra opened the box and inside was the most amazing ring. She looked up and kneeling next to her was Cameron, smiling.

Cameron spoke. "Sierra, I know this might seem sudden, but I've been thinking about this for a while. Will you marry me? Please, marry me?"

Sierra was speechless. She wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for marriage.

Cameron waited anxiously for her answer, but Sierra stood from the table and walked into her front room. Cameron was now nervous. He hadn't prepared himself for her rejection. His heart slammed in his chest and his throat closed up. He knew this was a surprise for her, but he never envisioned her turning down his proposal.

Sierra turned and looked Cameron in the eye.

"Cameron, I love you. Never doubt that. You are the only man I've ever wanted. But, I'm not ready to get married." Sierra spoke as her heart pounded in her chest.

Cameron stood and started pacing the room. He ran his hand through his hair. He was devastated and stunned. Sierra didn't want to marry him. She didn't want to be his wife.

"Fine, I'll just go now, Sierra." Cameron stated as he headed for the door.

Sierra got in front of him and stopped him. She placed her hands on his chest. "Cameron, please wait a minute." He was about to push past her when she said, "I didn't say no. I will marry you someday, just not this soon." Cameron froze.

"Cameron, I have loved you since I was fourteen years old and you snatched my diary from me at Oak Park. I was terrified that you would open it and see what was inside. If you had you would've seen what I wanted my name to be one day, Sierra Marcella Richards, Mrs. Cameron Richards," she declared softly smiling as tears shimmered in her eyes.

"You'll marry me." He asked elated and relieved. Pulling her into his arms he held her tightly. "Baby, we can take as long as you need." He whispered.

Sierra relished being held in his tight embrace.

"Yes," Sierra answered, "but I want to finish school first. I'll finish my program next year; then we can plan our wedding."

"We can go to school together. I don't want you to worry about anything. We both will finish school and be ready to start our family together."

Smiling Cameron answered, "I will wait for you forever if I have to. I'm already taking some prerequisite courses online. I want to go into the medical field, maybe become a physical therapist. I would never ask you to give up school or your career." He exhaled holding her close.

Holding him tightly, Sierra felt a surge of love so strong and she was so proud of him. She knew that they would be successful and strong. He had overcome so much and was still standing. She would proudly stand by his side forever.

Announcements November 2010

One Saturday morning in November, Derrick called a family meeting at his parent's home. Sierra and Cameron arrived at the Granger's home first because they had plans to spend the day together.

Deidre drove up with the twins as Sierra and Cameron arrived. Darius came outside immediately to help get the girls' out of the car. Darius still lived at home because of the court ruling in the Richards case.

All of the young adults exited their cars and went into the house. Marge had prepared a huge family breakfast. She and Marvin loved when all of their children came over. They especially loved when Deidre or Darius brought the grandbabies over.

Marge had a friendly competition with Jasmine to see who would be the coolest Grandma. Both women spoiled those two little girls silly.

Marvin didn't have to compete for coolest Grandpa because he won hands down. The twins had him wrapped around their little fingers.

The couple was happy to see Cameron and Sierra together. Cameron had grown so much since his attack over a year ago. His ability to move on and capacity to forgive was a testament to both his parents, Nick and Saria.

Next they watched Derrick and his new girlfriend, Dawn. At first they wondered if Derrick was serious about this girl. She was so unlike the usual girl that he dated. However, when they saw how protective he was of her and she of him, they knew it was the real deal. They welcomed the young woman into their family with open arms, along with her brother who rode up on his motorcycle behind his sister and her beau.

Instantly adopted as another son, Gunther loved coming over Marvin and Marge's house because being with them made him feel like he was home.

Jasmine was headed home from work when Deidre called and asked her to stop by the Granger's home for an important announcement, as was Nick. Nick, along with Rosa, and Jasmine drove up shortly after the kids.

Everyone came into the house and had a seat around the living room. Derrick and Dawn stood in front of their family to make their announcement.

"Mom, Dad, everyone," Derrick began. "I know you all realize that Dawn and I plan to marry in the Spring, but some news has come to light and we are moving our wedding date to December."

Everyone gasped. "When is the baby due?" Deidre asked grinning from ear to ear. Derrick and Dawn burst out laughing. Soon everyone joined in.

"The baby is due next summer, in July." Dawn explained as Derrick held her from behind gently caressing her stomach.

Gunther was speechless. For a second, he was upset that Derrick had the nerve to even think about let alone touch his sister in that way. Then Camirra cooed and he looked at her. His face split into a huge grin as he thought about his future niece or nephew. Realizing that this family was now truly their family, his and Dawn's, he arose and gather his baby sister in his arms.

Next he faced Derrick, "You hurt either of them," he warned, "there is no place on this earth where you can hide from me."

Looking at Gunther, swearing solemnly, Derrick stated, "I'd lose my life before I hurt my family."

Gunther then gathered Derrick into a staunch hug as everyone sighed because they were relieved.

Soon the women were chatting excitedly. Everyone was congratulating Derrick as Cameron separated himself from the group and moved to the side of the room alone.

Jasmine saw him wander off and went over to see if he was alright. Cameron was a very special person to everyone in the room and they all wanted to make sure he was comfortable.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jasmine queried sitting beside Cameron on a stool at a small bar on the side of the room.

"I'm fine, Ma'am. Just a little jealous. Sierra and I are waiting to get married, but I wish we could fast forward.' Cameron sighed.

Jasmine smiled, "Patience is a virtue, young man. You two will get there, alright. You have gone through so much, Cameron, and come out stronger for it. You two love each other and when the time is right, you'll have all you've ever dreamed because you deserve it. You are an amazing and special individual. Believe me it will happen. Always remember that." Then she gave him a strong hug as Nick walked up to them.

He was immediately concerned. His son had gone through and survived so much. He was so proud of him.

"Cameron," Nick called. "Is everything OK?" He spoke quietly to Jasmine as she was walking away from his son.

Cameron looked at this Dad's face and saw his concern. He didn't mean to worry him so he quickly reassured him that all was well. "Dad, I am fine. I just wish..."

Sighing Cameron continued, "Never mind, I am happy for Derrick and Dawn. They deserve this, to be happy. I know it's wrong to feel like this, but I'm jealous. I want to be married to Sierra and I want kids. But she wants to wait, so I have to respect that."

Nick nodded. Cameron finished, "As soon as I put a ring on that girl's finger, we're making our first baby that night." Both men chuckled. Nick was excited about the thought of becoming a grandfather, and he was happy that Cameron and Sierra had found each other.

The two men chatted for a few more minutes before the rest of the men joined them. Soon, everyone had breakfast and went on to continue with their day.

The Wedding

The Future, 12 years later

A young man stood in front of the altar waiting for his bride to arrive. Everyone would stand as soon as she entered the room. This young man had taken on a huge responsibility because his bride was no ordinary woman. She was special. She had four older brothers and three big sisters looking out for her. Not to mention two Moms and two Dads.

He recalled the day he met Rosa Richards; he knew that she was the one for him. The next day, he met all of her older brothers. Only one was her brother by blood, the rest were her brothers by bond. But they loved and protected her fiercely. Getting the nod from the brothers and big sisters, he had to meet the parents next.

The young man was intimidated. He had never dated a girl with two dads, but he soon came to respect the Granger, Richards, and Marcolini clan.

He turned to watch as the participants in his wedding party came down the aisle, hoping to get an early glimpse of his bride.

First down the aisle, were Derrick and Dawn's oldest son, DJ and his best friend Archer, carrying the candle of love to light the way to happiness. They walked to the altar and lit all ten candles across wedding the arc, save the unity candle that was to be lit by the bride and groom as part of the ceremony.

They were followed by the flower girl and ring bearer, Ivy and Ian Richards. These two were Cameron and Sierra's two kids. Ivy, age six, was the mirror image of her mother and Ian, age nine, inherited his father's roguish looks and charms.

The first bridesmaid, Christiana, Gunther's daughter and Rosa's best friend, was escorted by Derrick and Dawn's second oldest son, Marc. His younger brother, David, followed him escorting the second bridesmaid, the daughter of a friend of the groom.

Next, Darius and Deidre's twins, Camirra and Camorra, walked down the aisle escorted by two young men that were friends of the family. Darius muttered under his breath and vowed to keep a close eye on those two boys. Deidre playfully punched his arm and told him to calm down, secretly knowing that she'd be watching them too.

"Baby, cut him some slack." Her husband of five years Jason whispered in her ear. "When our babies, Tyriana and Ashleigh grow up, I'm putting them on lock down." He chuckled in her ear as he held her close thinking about their beautiful two and three year old daughters.

Darius and Deidre decided to simply be friends and co-parent their daughters' years earlier. Darius objected at first, but in the end, he simply wanted what was best for his family.

Because of his actions and treatment of Cameron years earlier, a lot of people stayed away from Darius. He knew his family loved him, but his rash decisions and temper had caused him their trust. He visited only on special occasions, but mainly spent his time alone. A few months after Cameron had been home Darius had the displeasure of running into Jake Smythe.

It seemed that the fates made Jake pay as well. While he was away, he made advances on another young lady. Her husband took exception to his attentions and left Jake with a permanent slashed scar across the right side of his face. He was permanently disfigured.

When Jason came back into Deidre's life, Darius had serious issue with another man raising his children, but Dawn pulled him aside and reminded him of all of the pain his jealousy caused in the past. He remembered the people that he hurt, and knew he'd never travel down that road again.

He loved his new sister-in-law. She could reach him when no one else seemed to. She wasn't intimidated by him. With her helping him rationalize, he did what was best for his girls and that was to allow their Mom to be happy. So he stepped back and everything seemed to work out,

The wedding march started, Nick and Marvin joined their daughter at the end of the aisle. Nick thought of Saria for a moment and regretted that she was not here to see this day. He felt the same at Cameron and Sierra's wedding eleven years ago.

He looked across the church at his wife of seven years, Jasmine, and thanked God for bringing such an amazing woman into his life. He was so happy and proud to be her husband. She had a tough time early in life, but he made it his mission to treat her as a beautiful queen should be treated.

Marvin looked at his beautiful little Rosa, the daughter of his heart and felt so proud that he was a part of her life. The young man she was marrying had better treat her right, or he'd have six angry males to contend with, not to mention the women. He then saw Marge, his wonderful wife, as she stood holding one of their many grandbabies. He smiled, grateful that at last their family was now whole.

Rosa had eyes only for her groom. She hoped that they could find love and happiness just like her parents and all of her brothers and sisters had found. As both of her Dads escorted her to her future husband she was grateful that the shadows of resentment that threatened to destroy her family so long ago, failed and just made them bigger, better, and stronger.

In the end, she stood at the altar, beside her groom, faced the minister, and was ready to take on a new chapter in her life.

THE END

Thank you all for reading this tale. I certainly hope you truly enjoyed it and are happy with the outcome. Throughout this tale, many people questioned the purpose or reasoning that took place. I never intended to write a story about vengeance, but one of strength, perseverance, and redemption.

Again, I want to thank you for reading and ask you to please remember to vote and comment. Feedback is always welcomed.

IR2R