Heaven Help Us

Home Sweet Home

I moved in with them the next week, upon the decision that we didn’t want to separate Jeph from the home that he had been raised in thus far. I liked that decision anyways, because the house I had lived in held far too many dark stories and, quite frankly, depressed the hell out of me.

Jeph started school shortly after that, excelling fantastically. He was praised and practically placed on a pedestal by his teachers and classmates. The school was an arts school mainly, but even the youngest of children that went there took their education seriously. Jeph was in the top percentage of his school.

Everyone was extremely proud of him.

A lot of our friends’ kids went to school there too. Just a year below him, Alice Doll was enrolled in the same school along with Lily Stage; a year above him was Bronx; and two years above him was Leia Way. Along with him in his grade was Arthur, Xavier, J.C., and Nick.

Jeph didn’t like to be too open about it, but he loved that he could see Alice pretty much everyday, and it was a huge plus that his other friends were there.

Sammi and Jinxx’s second child was a little boy, whom Jeph (and Alice) adored. Alice had wanted a little brother for a long time, so she was overjoyed when Adam was born. Sometimes Rain and I would babysit Alice and Adam to give Sammi and Jinxx a break, and we all knew that Jeph loved when they came around, so it was a win either way.

CC and Lauren announced that they were finally going to have a kid, and both of them were beyond happy about it; Jake and Ella were still content just being Aunt Ella and Uncle Jake, since Ella was still a model; Rose and Damon got married, Rain being the Maid of Honor and Damon’s brother Matt was the best man with Jeph as the ring-bearer and Alice as the flower girl. Dante told me in confidence, a few weeks after Rose and Damon’s wedding, that he was thinking about proposing to Brooklyn.

I toured for a couple of months after we got Jeph into school, and then after I got off of tour, Rain went on tour with Dante.

I was nervous, as that would be the first time that it would be pretty much just me taking care of Jeph, since Raven and Asher both had to go out of LA for a few weeks for business.

When Rain left for that tour, she had given me a kiss and said, “It’ll be fine, baby. Just don’t set the house on fire or lose him, and it’ll be good. And don’t forget to pick him up from school later, okay? Love you, Andy. And tell Jeph to call me later.”

I nodded, told her that I loved her too, and away they went.

I watched as the cars drove off to take them to their buses.

I missed her already.

A short while after the cars had disappeared down the road, I went back into the house and looked around.

In the time that I’d been living here, and the time before when I stayed here a lot, I’d never really taken in the scheme of the house.

There was a game room in the basement, along with a small laundry room. And down the hallway from the kitchen, across from the door to the basement, was the studio. Next to the studio was Raven and Asher’s room. Up the stairs at the end of that hallway was me and Rain’s bedroom at the end, Jeph’s in the middle, and Dante’s on the other side of Jeph’s. Next to the kitchen was the living room, and connected to the living room, down a very short hallway, was the guest room.

I was aware of how calmly my heart beat as I took in my surroundings: Jeph had a few toys laying around; one of Raven’s belts was slung over the back of the couch; Jeph’s, Rain’s, Dante’s, and even some of my own art hung on the walls in every room and hallway; pictures of everybody from Jeph to Sammi to Alice to Brent hung on the wall space in between the art pieces. Bookshelves full of my books, Rain and Dante’s books, and photo albums, were in various places throughout the house.

As I picked up a sketchbook that Jeph had left sitting on the living room floor in a hurry to get ready for school this morning, I realized something.

For the first time since I’d lived with my parents, I felt truly at home.

Later, I went to pick Jeph and Alice up from school, and, for Jeph's sake, I pretended not to see them hold hands in the back of the car because I knew if I pointed it out, he'd get embarrassed.

On the way home, we dropped Alice off, like usual, and headed back to the house.

“Did Mommy already leave?” He asked as we drove up the road to get home.

“Yeah she left this morning after you did. She wants you to call her later tonight.”

“Alright.”

“Do you have any homework tonight, kiddo?” I asked, as was routine for Rain and I to ask everyday. It was hardly necessary though, because he never did. He almost always got his work done at school. He was something like two weeks ahead of the rest of his class.

“Nope! Is Batman still on my bed?”

“Yeah, he’s been waiting for you to get home all day.”

“Good.” He nodded to himself and then I pulled into the driveway.

We sat in the car for a second, and then Jeph spoke up.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“I’m glad you live with us now. It feels like we’re a real family now.”

I smiled. “I’m glad I do, too.”

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So I've decided I might prolong the story just a little bit more. Just by a few chapters...If you want?