Wade nodded. “From that moment on, Monty was the person I looked to for guidance. If Monty said it was okay to do, I took it as law. Over time, the three of us bonded. We communicated on a level not many, including our foster parents, could comprehend. Yet, Kate did. She never talked down to us or treated us as if were children. She fed our minds with knowledge and understanding. About a year later, Kate brought another boy, Ross, to live with us, and the next year Drake. There were no more.”
“I imagine Drake was enough to contend with all by himself.”
Wade shook his head. “He fit right in with the others. There was something different about all of them.”
“Different … how?”
He shrugged. “Back then, they seemed to be able to communicate with each other without speaking a word. One night,” Wade continued, “I did not hear anything, but I could tell they were conversing. I remember because it made me feel left out in some way. I turned my back to them, pulled my cover over my head and closed my eyes. Then I heard Monty say, ‘We won’t do it again.’ I turned over to see all of them standing at the foot of my bed. He explained, ‘We don’t know why you can’t hear us when we are thinking. But since you can’t, we won’t talk that way again.’ The other boys looked up at Monty, nodded, and they all agreed. From that moment on, they never talked with their minds again.”
“They talk with their minds? Wade, did you just hear yourself? You sound as if you think your brothers are mind readers.”
“No, I don’t think that. It was a childish feeling of a young boy trying to fit in.”
The thought of that night jilted him. That was the same feeling he had about the sergeant at the facility. But why would that be? He was certain the sergeant did not know and probably never met his brothers.
“So when did Dan come in?”
Rachel’s voice broke through his thoughts again.
Wade replied, “Kate became like a big sister to us. Well, a little more to me, but she kept up with us. Checking our grades, social interactions and girls … especially girls.”
“I bet you were a heartbreaker.”
“Not really. While the other boys got into girls early, I didn’t. Kate had my heart, as she did with all of us. She also had our backs, and we had each other’s backs no matter what. The day a different social worker showed up at the house, I knew something was wrong. It felt like all of the guys’ emotions were cut off that day. I never knew how they did that, and I wondered why. When we arrived at the social service building, I thought we were all going to be separated. After all those years of bonding, they were going to pull us apart.
“The caseworker took Monty and Dane with her, while Ross and Drake waited with me. Monty turned back to us and said, ‘We will never be separated.’ I nodded, then sat next to Ross and Drake. With Monty and Dane gone, I felt it was my responsibility to make sure the younger boys were okay. I remember telling them, Monty said we are going to be alright, and I believe that. When the worker came back without Monty and Ross, I stood in front of the other boys. I was ready to protect them with my life if I had to. But the woman smiled and said she was taking us to Monty and Ross. I took Dane and Drake’s hands, then followed her upstairs. When we walked in, Dan, Monty and Dane were in the room. We had spent time at his house with Kate before, so we knew he was good people. Monty told us Kate was dead. That was the day we became brothers. Dan Tyson, Kate’s father, adopted the other boys, but not me. Dan had to get my parents to agree to let him be adopted. My mother agreed right away, but my father hesitated. Dan had to take the situation to court. I had to tell the judge I wanted to live with Dan. I liked Dan, but it was the thought of separating from my brothers that sealed the deal for me. That day I walked into the courtroom as Wade Bond but left as Wade Tyson.”
“You and your brothers have been through a lot,” Rachel said as she pointed. “I suppose that is the reason they are all now at the house.”
Wade glanced ahead as he pulled up to the entrance of his property. He exhaled with a chuckle, when he saw all four of them were standing in front of his house. Monty, Ross and Dane were leaning against the vehicle, listening, as Drake spoke in his animated fashion.
Pulling into his driveway, Wade parked the car in the garage. He walked around and opened the door for Rachel. All four of his brothers walked into the garage and just stared at him.
“You’re a smart man. You are going to be alright,” Monty stated.
Wade nodded. “All of you staying?”
“Until you or Rachel put us out,” Dane nodded.