Welcome Home
Havoc
“Do you think we have enough food?” Creed hefts a bowl of pasta salad outside.
“Probably not. But there will be others bringing stuff.” Feeding my brothers and their families is no small feat.
“Everyone is going to show up to welcome Deacon home. Do you think his injury is bad?”
Bishop has gone quiet. It could be that he’s just enjoying seeing his son for the first time in a couple of years.
Or it could be that he’s processing Deacon’s injuries.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter either way.
The club has his back, whatever he needs.
We don’t leave a brother struggling.” I head into the garage to grab a tub to keep the drinks cold.
Though we don’t really need it as chilly as it is outside.
The sheer number of people and a few heaters should keep everyone comfortable.
“Why are we doing this here and not at the clubhouse?” Creed dumps a forty-pound bag of ice in the tub.
“Because I thought Deacon would be more comfortable here than at the clubhouse. It might be a less stressful situation.”
“Less stressful? There’s literally no spot for him to hide from all of us here, like there is in the clubhouse. There’s no space for anything.” Creed glances around.
“It’ll feel cozy.”
“Now I know something is up. My father doesn’t use the word cozy ever.”
We walk back to the truck together to grab some more ice.
“There’s nothing wrong with the word cozy.
It’s not a curse.” Even those I barely use since Creed was little and started shouting them at the worst moments.
All the brothers gave it up because of that.
No one wants a call from a day care that their sweet little kiddo curses like a sailor in front of the class.
Creed laughs. “Something is definitely up, and I’m going to figure it out.”
“Creed.” I turn on the stereo as we walk through the living room.
“That’s it. This is all about her.”
“What?”
“You’re playing a game with Greer?”
Huh? “Who is Greer?”
“The hot neighbor. You’re playing some sort of game with her?”
Wait. “How do you know the hot neighbor’s name?” And now I’m calling her the hot neighbor. That woman needs to move.
“I talked to her this morning.”
“WHAT?”
“You know, that polite thing that neighbors do on occasion. She seems really nice.”
She’s talking to my son. “Stay away from her.”
“No.” Creed smiles at me. “Greer isn’t going to try to get me to be her sugar daddy…though just saying, I’d totally say yes.”
“You’re a kid.”
“But I’m not blind. That woman is fire. She’d make an amazing first girlfriend.”
Of course, a woman like that would make an amazing girlfriend until she tears the man to pieces like a black widow. “From jail, because that’s where she’d be if she touched you.” Or in the ground… “Creed, that isn’t something you joke about.”
“I know. It’s just as ridiculous as you being angry at her for talking to me.
When I was five, you taught me not to let anyone tell me who I can or can’t be friends with.
All of a sudden, you hate a woman you don’t know, and you’re telling me not to be polite to her.
Someone seems to have an issue, and it’s not me. ” Creed hefts two bags of ice.
That issue is currently sitting on her deck reading…I’m going to fix that. She’s moving out before she can even get comfortable. Tonight is going to help with that.
***
“Thanks for doing this.” Bishop walks into my office a few hours later. “Deacon seems to be having a nice time.”
Security is up on the large screens on my wall. We both watch as Deacon smiles, or at least tries to smile through the scars on his face. There was a moment of shock when he first walked in. We weren’t prepared for how extensive the scarring was, but our little family took it in stride.
“It’s good to have him home. What did the doctors say?”
“The damage to his leg is extensive. They’re scheduling him for therapy and thinking about a medical discharge.” Bishop takes a draw off of the bottle of root beer.
No.
“Their doctors are good with this. There’s a possibility they can get him back to normal, but…”
But care in the military can be amazing or fail spectacularly. “Is there anything that can be done outside of that?”
“There’s a clinic in Green Mountain Narrows that specializes in the care Deacon needs. It’s the best in the world.”
Which means one thing. “The club will cover it.”
“I can’t ask that—”
“You didn’t ask. We’ll still cover it. Check out the rules. See if you can get him on the books and under our medical plan. If not, have them send Ledger the bills.”
“Havoc—”
“What happened to your boy could have happened to any of our children. Creed told me the other day he thought about following in Deacon’s footsteps.” I turn to Bishop. “We’re brothers. Your son is my son. And my son is yours. Send the club the bills.”
Bishop nods.
There’s no need for words.
“Who’s the beauty next door?”
Really? She didn’t head inside to hide. I was sure the music would get to her after a few minutes. “That’s the new neighbor, Greer.”
“Want me to go over and invite her to the party?”
That would be counterproductive. “Nah. This isn’t her type of thing. I’m pretty sure she was raised in a convent or something like that.”
“You’ve got a hot, goody-two-shoes for a neighbor. Though all the girls from convents I knew were hardly nuns. She taken?”
“Sort of. She lives alone. Only seen the guy once. He’s old enough to be my father.”
Bishop nods. He doesn’t need things laid out for him. “Shame. She doesn’t look like the type to need a man like that.”
“Can we ever truly understand a woman?” Especially a beautiful one.
“True. That’s why you and I are destined to spend our lives alone.”
I’m not alone. I have my brothers and Creed.