Page 22 of Deacon

“There wasn’t any big plan, just that she’d stop by if she got the chance. I don’t know if she ever stopped.” Lisa looked out in the near dark out her window then back to Deke. “I’m glad she didn’t stop while Randy was there. Who knows what he might have done to her. Then Cowboy would have really lost his mind.”

“We’ll get to Cowboy in a minute. I’m glad Ava wasn’t there or hurt either, but I need you to answer my question.” He reached over and put one hand on her knee. “Was there anything else that you didn’t want to talk about in front of the police, or your brother and I want you to actually think about it this time, not just put me off.”

Lisa thought about the question for a moment, really thought about it. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before speaking again.

“The only thing I didn’t tell you already was the crap he was spouting at me. Crazy shit like we belong together. We’re fated, he knew it from the start. Then he went off about you. Apparently, he’d been watching the place for at least a day or two because he knew you’d been staying there. He was not complementary about you or how quickly things developed between us. He called me some nasty names that don’t mean anything.” She let out a humorless laugh. “If only he knew how long I’ve been trying to get you into my bed. He’d have had some even worse things to call me.”

Deke squeezed her leg, letting her know he was there for her. She covered his hand with hers, letting him know without words that she wanted him there and wouldn’t be letting him pull away.

“There wasn’t anything worth mentioning, nothing that will change the case and nothing worth stirring Cowboy up.”

“Well, it might not have just been Cowboy, but it’s probably a good thing I didn’t know about all that while the little asshole was still around. I might have ended up with an assault charge. Especially if the police were there when I found out. I might not have been able to resist teaching him some better manners. At the business end of my fist.”

“I appreciate the gesture, but it’s not necessary. I learned a long time ago not to let what random people say matter to me. I only care about the opinions of people I choose to let matter. And you and Cowboy are part of the latter group.” She squeezed his hand in affection.

If they hadn’t been in the car, and him driving, she probably would have stretched up and given him a kiss. Or at very least a hug. She didn’t know how far from home they were, but she hoped it wasn’t too far. She wanted that shower then to snuggle up to him and just be close for a while. His arms around her sounded like the best thing in the world right now. Though she couldn’t help but wonder how Randy had managed to use her phone to track her. Would she ever find out?

17

Deacon worried about Lisa. She didn’t seem to have reacted to everything that had happened, and especially with that blow to the head she’d taken, he was worried she was in shock. The question was, what could he do to help her process all of this? He paced her bedroom while she was in the shower, trying to come up with something.

He'd heard that women often didn’t want their men to fix the problems, but to listen and be there for them. Deacon didn’t know if he could do that. Well, of course he would be there for her, but he wanted to be able to fix things. To make sure nothing bad happened to her ever again.

It was ridiculous and unrealistic, he knew, but that didn’t make the desire to take care of her vanish just because it wasn’t possible. The water in the shower shut off, sending him into the other room. He didn’t want Lisa to feel like he was hovering, even though he was. Deacon couldn’t help it. He was worried about her.

A few minutes later, Lisa shuffled into the living room wearing a pair of sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt, despite it being June. He didn’t say anything about her clothes, instead pulled her into his arms and held her for a moment, enjoying the reassuring feel of her there, pressed against him.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. What sounds good, I’ll order us something to eat,” he spoke softly, so he wouldn’t startle her. He didn’t want her to move away.

“I’m not sure. Let me think about it for a few minutes.” She pulled away but took his hand and tugged him to the sofa where she sat and pulled him down beside her.

Deacon took the phone from the front pocket of his jeans and sat, setting his phone on the arm of the couch, as Lisa lifted his other arm and snuggled against him before pulling his arm around her. She laid her head against his chest and wiggled for a moment before settling in.

“Comfortable?” He couldn’t help the amusement in his tone as he asked.

“Yep. This is exactly what I wanted. I’ve been looking forward to this most of the day, even before you found me. I didn’t know how, but I had no doubt you would find me. Having you here like this makes me feel safe.” She sounded happy and content, sending spirals of heat through him that settled in his belly.

What more could a man ask for than to have his woman tell him that he makes her feel safe? At the moment, he couldn’t think of much. Though, knowing Randy was going to prison for a long time would be nice too.

The doorbell rang, sending a chime off on her phone and his.

He picked up his phone and hit the notification.

“It’s your brother.”

She sighed. “He can come in, but I’m not getting up, and neither are you. I just got comfortable.”

“It’s open!” he called loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door.

“You know, you can hit that button right there.” She pointed to the screen on his phone, “And talk through the doorbell. You don’t have to yell.”

“Good to know.”

“It works even if you’re not home. As long as you have data signal you can see who’s at the door and talk to them, even from other countries,” she explained as Cowboy let himself in.

“One might think, with everything you’ve dealt with today that you might lock the doors,” Cowboy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he set three big pizza boxes on the coffee table and a bag of other things beside it.

“I’m here. I’ll lock it before we go to bed. Besides, I thought you might stop by,” Deacon didn’t bother to move as he scowled at his best friend.

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