I wanted this man so much.
And I believed he wanted me too.
I couldn’t keep it bottled inside any longer. When the time was right, I would just tell him how I felt, since Tucker said Deacon never assumed anything about anyone. I would make it perfectly clear what I wanted and assure him I would never hurt him…that he could trust me.
And hope for the best.
The weekend was over within the blink of an eye, and we packed our bags and headed back to the city.
Derek sat between us on the drive and showed me all the drawings he’d done recently.
Deacon was quiet from his side of the car.
I didn’t realize how lonely and empty I was until I met Deacon—and then the smaller version of himself. I found myself longing for this time together, when it was just the three of us.
It felt like I had a family again.
We returned to Manhattan, and like always, Deacon walked me to the door. It didn’t seem like he ever liked to leave his son unattended unless he was with me, so he brought him along.
I got the door unlocked. “Well, thank you—”
Derek walked right inside. “Is this your house?” He walked to the coffee table and looked at the wilting flowers. “These look old.”
Deacon seemed a little embarrassed by his son’s bluntness. “Derek. You don’t just walk into people’s homes without being invited.” He walked inside and watched Derek look around. He turned to me. “I’m sorry…”
“No, he’s fine,” I said quickly.
He looked at the flowers in the glass vase. “Are those the ones I got you?”
“Yeah…” I did everything I could to keep them alive, and even though they looked terrible and had started to smell, I just couldn’t throw them away. It’d been a while since he got them for me, so they were well past their prime.
Deacon didn’t question it, probably didn’t understand I was holding on to them just because he gave them to me.
“I like your place,” Derek said. “Where’s the rest of it?”
Now Deacon glared at him. “Derek.”
“What?” he asked innocently, obviously not meaning to offend me.
Deacon walked over to him. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Like what?” he asked, having no idea what he did wrong.
“Deacon, it’s fine,” I said gently. “He didn’t mean anything by it.”
Deacon grabbed him by the arm. “We’ll talk about it in the car. Come on, let’s go. Say goodbye to Cleo.”
When he knew he was in trouble, he turned dejected. “Bye, Cleo…”
I hated seeing his sadness, especially when he was so harmless. He had a heart just like his father. “Bye, Derek. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Deacon looked at me before he pulled his son away. “Thanks for spending the weekend with us.”
It was a sweet thing to say, especially since he meant it. “There’s no one else I’d rather spend my time with.”
I was not looking forward to this.
I was always so happy to see both of them—except when I had to take Derek away.
I hated hurting Deacon. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do.
My fist knocked against the door.
Deacon opened it, dressed in jeans and a shirt, like he intended to go to work after this. “Hey.” His tone was somber, like he couldn’t hide his sadness.
I gave a sad smile before I stepped farther inside.
Derek stood there with his luggage and his backpack, not looking at his father, as if he was mad.
“Ready to go, little man?” I asked.
Derek breathed hard, like he was furious. “Why do I have to go? I hate Mom—”
“Don’t say that again.” Deacon didn’t have to yell like most parents. All he did was change his tone, turn stern, and that was enough to get Derek to obey. He kneeled so they were at eye level. “You don’t hate your mother. You love her, and she loves you.”
Derek still wouldn’t look at him. “I want to live with you…”
“I know.” Deacon didn’t get emotional like he had in the past, as if he was prepared for this moment. “I’m going to try to work out something with your mother, see if she’d be willing to move here.”
“So, I can live with you?” He raised his chin and looked at his father.
“No.” Deacon didn’t lie to make his son feel better. “But I can see you as much as I want, every day.”
Derek nodded. “I hate not seeing you every day.”
“I know, little man,” he whispered. “I’ll figure it out. We’re a family—we should all be together.”
He nodded.
Deacon pulled him in for a hug. “This isn’t goodbye. It’s see you later.”
Derek whispered into his chest. “See you later, Dad.”
Deacon squeezed him before he let him go. “I love you.”
“I love you too…”
Deacon squeezed his arms before he rose to his feet. After a deep sigh, he turned to me. “Let me know when you drop him off.”