Neighbors who have agreed are told that we are the blockers. They begin to put pressure on us, too, and it's hard to keep the boys from dealing with everything with anger. Their emotions are still raw from Dad's passing, and the territorial feeling they have over the house is only made stronger by that.
In the end, we start an action group, getting the traders from Main Street on our side, and finally, the mayor, who begins to see the town turning against the plans for the mall, swings our way. It's the final nail in the coffin for Tristan's plans.
When all that is done, our thoughts can turn to other things.
Four months on from the day at the cemetery, my morning sickness has passed, and my belly is rounded. The boys have been training as if their lives depend on it, and we've settled into our world. It feels like I've always been here; my life before like a shadowy and lonely precursor to what reality should always have been like.
John has convinced me to apply to continue college next year. It'll mean me having to transfer, but that should work out okay. The boys are all committed to helping with the baby, so childcare shouldn't be an issue. There are so many of us to balance one baby. Walter has taken me on full-time, so I have a chance to earn some money as a nest egg for the future. My little black dress generates a healthy amount of commission!
I haven't been back home for a while. Mom went crazy when I told her I wasn't going to sell the house. She hit the roof when I told her about our setup. "You can't live like that. People will think you're a slut. Your kid will grow up a laughingstock. Do you seriously think those men are going to stay with you for the rest of your life? Eleven of them?"
So in a second, all the doubts that I had came surging back. I balled my fists and tried my hardest to remember the words my boys whisper in my ears while they make love to me. I tried hard to push away all the feelings of insecurity that have dwelled inside me for too long.
"I believe that they love me," I told her. "I believe that they'll take care of me, but who really knows? None of us can be sure of the future. We can only try to do our best. And that's what I want to do."
I didn't wait for her to tell me that I was wrong. She hasn't always made perfect decisions in her life, and maybe she hasn't been brave enough to follow her dreams. I hope that she will be now, though. Now she has no one to blame for holding her back.
Today, two big things are happening. The boys insisted a while back that they need to make things right with Justin and Mom. They want everything to be resolved before the baby comes into the world because they want only positivity in our household after that.
Justin is due to arrive at the house in five minutes. I'm getting myself ready to face him; some make-up so that I feel confident, and a dress that shows off the roundness of my belly so that he really has to face what's coming in a few months.
When the bell rings, it's Dwayne who answers the door, and I watch as Justin blinks his wide eyes. I guess the prospect of coming into my household filled with eleven men who are his size or bigger is daunting. The boys lead him into the den and offer him a beer, which he accepts. We all take seats on the couches in the room that is usually filled with laughter and love but now feels awkward and frosty.
"Thanks for coming, Justin," Gordon says formally. "I know this must be strange for you, but we want to talk to you men-to-man about the baby Maggie is carrying."
Justin nods, taking a gulp of beer as though he needs the courage.
Gordon continues. "We want you to know that we are going to do everything in our power to care for the baby as if it were our own. We love Maggie, and we love the child. They will never have to want for anything, but the baby is yours too. We've all grown up without our own parents. We know how it feels to wonder where they are and what they are doing. To question why they aren't in our lives like they should be. We don't want that for this child. We know you've had reservations about the baby, and we understand why. But it's coming, and there is nothing that will change that. We want you to know that we all want you to be involved with your child. There are no barriers here to making that happen. We aren't standing in your way. Maggie isn't standing in your way. We all just want what's best for the child, and that is having you around if you will be a positive presence in the child's life."