World Ashen

Chapter 12 - Cayler

The next morning came quickly, faster than I would've liked, but I got up anyway and went outside to meet Jensen. "Hey Jensen," Angel whispered since the kids were asleep. "I have a sleigh I finished building a while ago. It'll help with making travel faster." Jensen smiled, showing gratitude. "Paige and Parker want to go too, but I said it was up to you."

"Go wake them," Jensen said, then turned to me. "Want to go? We could always use another person."

"Sure," I said as I helped Jensen load everything up. Angel and Thomas came outside with their kids, who looked exhausted. Then Angel said she had an idea. Both Parker and Paige were smaller than their mother, so they sat on the floor with their backs against the seats.

"By the way, I had Sarah's help to build the sleigh." Angel said, looking into Jensen's eyes, "I didn't want to take all the credit."

"Question, how are we going to get this moving?" I asked. Then stupidity made me blush as I saw Angel's huskies, Yuri and Yuki, came running, with Sarah and Jackson following.

The second the couple came into view, a huge grin spread across Angel's face. "Hey, you two!" Angel knelt and hugged the panting, cheerful dogs. "I hope they were helpful."

Sarah nodded. "They were. Thank you for letting us borrow them, Rose."

"No problem, Sare. Want to see if the sleigh works?"

"Of course!"

Nodding, Thomas connected Yuki and Yuri to the sleigh. Angel, Thomas, Jensen, and I all climbed in, and the two huskies started pulling. We flew past the endless snowy plains. I sat back with Paige and Parker with my hands on their shoulders. Soon, Yuki and Yuri seemed to slow down to a  trot. "Hey, look at how pretty that is," I said, as the scenery slowed. Snow was drifting, and the trees that still stood had ice hanging down from the branches. There was a frozen lake nearby, and sunlight gleamed off it. Both Parker and Paige gasped at seeing it. Angel and Thomas stole a kiss, and Jensen smiled.

"We're here," Angel said a few minutes later as we pulled into the driveway. All of us, including Yuki and Yuri, ran up to the porch, and Angel knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, a man opened the door. He was probably her brother. "Hey Rose! How's it going?" He asked this as we entered the house. None of us spoke as Angel shrugged.

"I don't know, Cameron. Shane fell off the Hayner's roof, and we don't think he'll make it."

"Isn't August the only doctor? Who are they?"

"August and Kenneth," Angel nodded toward me. "Kenneth is Cayler's husband." Cameron nodded. I just smiled, feeling awkward. I knew Angel's parents were supportive of same-sex relationships, but ever since Yellowstone erupted, the viewpoint on love seemed to be "well, they were desperate."

"Mom and Dad are in the garage," Cameron said to Jensen, who looked around. "I think it would be best if we were to wait in the living room. I'll get the fire going."

"Hey Cayler? Can I see you for a second?" Angel asked in a whisper.

"Sure."

"Great, follow me." The woman grabbed my hand and dragged me to what might have been her old bedroom. A white carpet covered the floor, and a poster of Shawn Mendes' Illuminate album was on the wall.

I began laughing. "That album came out when you were, like, thirty, and you have a poster in your bedroom? Jeez, I thought you got married already. Weren't Parker and Paige in the picture too?" Then I stopped laughing because Angel seemed like she was going to explode.

"Please? I was twenty-seven, and Tom was in the military back then, so I moved back here."

"Sorry," I said, "what were you going to say?"

Angel took a deep breath. "My parents will think I'm crazy for having three kids. What should I say? Accidents happen?"

I shrugged, thinking how hypocritical they seemed. "I don't know! Why are you asking me? Ask your husband."

Angel scoffed, "he said he didn't know." She sighed, so I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Honestly, it shouldn't matter. You're forty-one now, not twenty-eight."

She said thanks, grabbed a burgundy blanket off her bed, and we both walked out. Mrs. Parker was in the living room, so Angel hugged her mom and asked. "Hey Mom, want to be New Haven's teacher."

"New Haven?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jensen said from behind, making us jump. "I'm the Mayor of the town."

Thomas held up his hand. "It's not really a town, it's more like a community."

"Whatever."

Mrs. Parker was silent for a few seconds. "Let me talk to your dad."

Angel turned to her brother. "What about you, nīsan?"

"Me? Being a sensei?"

"Not necessarily." I was confused. They were saying a few words in Japanese, but I didn't understand them. Angel started laughing when she saw the look on my face. "I'm sorry, Cayler. Cameron and I have been doing this for so long that we don't think before talking like that." I nodded, feeling rude. Jensen went down the hall with Mr. Parker, leaving me feeling weird just standing there. About two hours later, we left, with Angel's family joining us. Over the next few days, we made many trips, clearing out their house and moving them into one of the other empty ones.