Page 54 of Forever My Protector

“She’s been out of the hospital for long enough,” Mom noted.

“But you have a ring?”Deacon urged.

I sighed.“Actually, yeah, I do.”I rubbed the back of my neck feeling like this was turning into an interrogation real quickly.I even knew how I wanted to pop the question to Scar, but unless they asked I wasn’t going to divulge that.

Mom turned around and winked at me.“Oh, no,” Deacon growled.“You’ve got to be shitting me!That’s not fair.”

“No one’s shitting anyone.What’s not fair?”Mom pretended like she didn’t know what Deacon was talking about.

I grinned, trying so hard not to laugh but it wasn’t working.A long time ago Mom promised me that I could have Grandma Jo’s engagement ring for the girl I was going to marry.Grandma Jo loved me, frankly, more than the rest of them.I knew it sounded terrible to say, but it was the truth.She used to sit around and tell me these stories about her and Grandpa Paul, about how they met, how much she missed him, and how even at the end when he didn’t remember their love, the fact that she did was enough for both of them.I’ll never forget the last time I saw her, I was ditching school one day and decided to drive to see her.Only when I got there, she was sitting in her chair, her face looking to the television.I thought she’d been sleeping.She wasn’t.She was ice cold.I called an ambulance and they said she was gone.Had been for a few hours.Heart attack.

Deacon’s voice shook me from my thoughts.“Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?”

I answered, “Grandma Jo’s ring was promised to me.”

“Oh, so not Mom’s?”

I shook my head.

He got all weird then, got up and began walking to the potatoes to help Mom.Deacon was as strange as they came.What the hell was up with him?All this weirdness over a ring?“Good,” Deacon replied, “because one day I’m going to need that.”

“Yeah, when hell freezes over,” I egged him on.

He scoffed.“Please.Who knew you were going to be the first one of us to find true love?”

I swallowed some more orange juice.“You did find true love, bro.You just left the best thing in your life behind and broke her heart.”

Then I immediately backpedaled.“Sorry, that was a low blow.”

“It’s fine,” he said and held up a hand.“I shouldn’t have been cracking on you about you and Scarlet.I’m sure you two will be very happy together.And I’m happy for you.I really am.She’s a great girl.Plus, she’s making me an uncle, so I can’t complain.”He smiled then, knowing inside his heart was breaking all over again.I shouldn’t have brought up his ex, but I couldn’t help it.He got on my damn nerves sometimes, that’s all.

“You should get home to her, right?Don’t want to leave her alone for this long, I’m sure.”

“Mom,” I responded, “I have Max watching her.”

“What?”she asked, clearly confused.

I laughed.“I love Scar, I do.And I know she’s capable of handling herself for a couple of hours, but I worry.”

“So you asked Max to watch her?”

“And she doesn’t know,” Deacon interjected.

I shook my head, confirming what they were saying.“He’s just outside, watching.If she needs anything or screams out in pain, whatever, he’ll know, rush in, and call me immediately.”

“Man, you’re crazy in love,” Deacon said.

I laughed again.“I guess I am.”

“She’s had a lot of close calls,” Mom said, “and you worry about her.”

“Yes, I do,” I had to admit.

“I understand.Your father would’ve done the same if it were me.”

Deacon sighed.“I hate to say it, but I would’ve done the same if it were my girl.”

I knew in that moment he was thinking about his ex again.I felt like kicking myself for even bringing her up.Now that was all he was going to think about.It was going to be like a video reel that was on loop in his mind.I couldn’t take back my words, though.

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