"I'm staying," I said, surprising myself with the force of my reply, "and it's my family now."
I had already been persuaded not to leave, but this was different. This was the first time I truly wanted to stay and protect these women at the cost of everything I had. Any future I had outside of this town pretty much vanished, but it didn't feel like a loss. It felt like I had become the right kind of man: reliable, dependable, and loving.
"That's a good boy," the Reverend said, smiling, "I'm going to come with you. Lillian, I need you to call whoever's on the trustees this month. Tell them to meet us out on Jack's farm. Oh, and have Rex bring his truck."
Rex had a delivery truck from back when his father was still alive and delivered milk to town every day. I didn't allow myself to consid
