41. Deacon
Chapter forty-one
Deacon
“No more,” I warned Drew, keeping my voice down so no one else could hear. “Don’t bring it up again.”
Lyla’s headlights crept further into the driveway, and I was running out of time.
“You can’t just casually leave out that you have no place to live next semester,” Drew argued. “Mom and Dad are going to freak.”
I stepped onto the porch, leaning back so I could still see him. “I do have a place to live.”
“Yeah, a living room in an apartment full of guys . Have you seen all the studying you do? There’s no way in hell you’re going to—”
I shut the door behind me and entered the familiar Detroit winter air. It was fucking cold, and Lyla was in leggings and a thin hoodie.
“That’s what you wore?” I teased, squeezing her tiny frame against my chest. She smelled sweet, like apple cinnamon. “You’re from the north. You know how cold it is in December!”
She pulled away from me, and seeing her in person again made everything else seem unimportant. Over the last four months, her bright green eyes and loose brown curls became familiar to me, and Facetime could only do so much. I missed her, and I knew by the smile that dug into her right cheek that she missed me, too.
“I am from the north, so I know how to deal with it. Your house is beautiful.”
I grabbed the strap of her bag before she could hoist it over her shoulder. “Just wait until you see the inside. My mom starts decorating November 1st, and the outside lights go up by Thanksgiving.” She handed me another duffle, and I looked down at her book bag. “Jesus, Brooks. Did you bring your whole bedroom with you? It’s only for a few days!”
“Speaking of the Lord,” she said, following me up the driveway. “On a scale of one to ten, how religious is your family? Like, are you a pray-at-meals type of vibe, or can I not say H-E-double-hockey-sticks in your mother’s presence.”
I blew a long breath out of my nose. How had I not mentioned this to her before? I stopped in front of the porch.
“My grandfather is a pastor,” I said slowly.
“And your name is Deacon ?” She covered her mouth so people inside couldn’t hear her cackling. “Heavenly Father. I just called you daddy like two months ago—”
“I am begging you to stop.”
We were still laughing when I opened the door, and the look on my mom’s face said that it was the perfect way to join the crowd gathering in the living room. Lyla barely got her foot in the door before being ushered into a hug with the woman.
“Lyla!” Mom held out her arms. “Oh my goodness, honey, you are gorgeous!”
Lyla giggled as the woman she just met drew her in for a giant hug.
“Mom,” I said, tapping her shoulder. “Let Lyla get in the door. ”
“I am just about to set the table. Your dad is in the back room.” She smiled again at Lyla. “He’s very excited to meet you!”
“I’m gonna run Lyla’s bags up to the guest room,” I added quickly. “Lyla, do you want to see where you’re staying?”
“I think Aunt Claire is going to need the guest room.” Mom gestured toward the living room. “She’s really getting into the holiday spirit. Just put Lyla’s stuff in your room.” She thought she was slick, eyeing me playfully before returning to the kitchen.
Lyla laughed once my bedroom door was closed, and I knew she caught my mom’s intention. “I believe you just got permission to get laid, Deacon Scott.”
“She’s a woman on a mission to be a grandmother.” I shrugged, dropping Lyla’s bags in front of my bed. “When Cassie and I broke up, it shook my entire timeline of getting married and starting a family. Having you here put the chance on the table again.”
Lyla pulled at her solid gray hoodie. “Is what I’m wearing okay?”
I loved how casual she looked. Over-the-top Christmas decorations—yes. Clothing you couldn’t have second helpings of food in—absolutely not.
“I’m in sweatpants.” I crossed the room and grabbed her hand. “You look perfect. Let’s go meet some people.”
She followed me back downstairs and let me lead the way to our next stop on the Scott Family tour.
I had her walk in front of me so I could whisper in her ear. “I missed you, by the way.”
She smirked over her shoulder. “I missed you too, Dad —”
“Grandpa!” I straightened up, ignoring my desire to take her back upstairs. “This is my girlfriend, Lyla. Lyla, this is my grandpa, Reverend Scott.”
Lyla offered an innocent grin and shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Grandpa’s broad smile reached up to his eyes. “Pleasure is all mine, Lyla. And please, call me Grandpa.”
After our first introduction, I pulled Lyla into the hall. “Am I going to have to be there for every conversation you have tonight?”
“That was my last one, promise.” She raised her hand honorably and rested it on my chest. “I did miss you, though. It was kind of weird not . . . seeing you?” Watching her stumble over her words was cute, but I knew what she meant.
We toured the rest of the living room, introducing Lyla to aunts, uncles, a few cousins, and some people from Grandpa’s congregation who usually spent the holidays with us. She asked questions about pictures and trinkets that were on display. She engaged in small talk and even complimented my aunt’s “Keep Heaven Crowded” sweater. I knew the compliment was a tad much, but her laugh with my aunt was genuine.
When it was finally my dad’s turn to meet Lyla, I wasn’t surprised to find him smoking a cigar on the back porch with my Uncle Henry.
“You must be Lyla!” Dad extended his free hand, holding the cigar away from Lyla. “It’s nice to meet you, sweetie. This is my brother, Henry.”
“Deacon’s been telling us all about you,” Uncle Henry said.
“Has he now?” Lyla wrapped her arms around my waist, and I pulled her against me. It felt incredible to be close to her again .
Once Lyla officially met everyone, I brought her into the study so she could have a moment to collect herself. She had just met at least thirty people she didn’t know, and I knew how anxious that would make me if I had no way to escape it.
Lyla glanced around the bookshelves. “What room is this?”
“My dad’s office. I figured you could use a second before we sit down for dinner.”
She nodded, shifting her focus to the family photos on the wall. When she reached the picture of my family at the lake, I studied her face carefully. Her mouth curved slightly into a grin as she placed her finger toward the bottom of the photo. “Is this Dominic?”
I crossed the room and stood beside her. Dominic’s cheesy smile sat perfectly between Drew and me. His dark hair was longer in this photo, and his life jacket was snug on his sixteen-year-old body. My mom had just finished saying we needed to purchase new ones for next year.
“Yeah, that’s Dom.” I smiled, resting my hand against the wall. “He had just turned sixteen a few weeks before this photo. He just started driving on his own. He passed away a month after we took it.”
“You and your brothers look so much alike.”
I ran a hand through my hair and chuckled. “We always joked that Dominic was the mailman’s kid since he had hazel eyes and Drew and I have brown. After he passed, it was like we couldn’t get enough photos of him. It’s weird relying on pictures and videos of a person when they’re no longer here. You just can’t get enough of what is left of them.”
Lyla opened her mouth to speak, but my mom’s dinner announcement stopped her. On the other side of the door, we heard the hustle and bustle of people trying to find a seat at the table.
“Ready for round two?” I said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
She nodded. “Ready for more boyfriend-girlfriend shit.”
We rounded the corner of the hall, and before we entered the dining room, she tugged on my hand.
“I’m glad I came,” she said. “It’s nice seeing where you come from, and it’s nice to hear about Dominic.”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat and squeezed her hand.
It had been a while since I'd let someone into my world. It was easier to bury the personal items that came with me instead of putting them on display. With Lyla, I didn’t feel so exposed. I didn’t feel like I had to hide anything from her.
The day I lost my brother, the world went dark. Part of me was missing, like a piece of my soul went searching for Dominic because he left too early. There were holes in my heart I wasn’t sure I could mend, but when Lyla smiled at me before she sipped her wine, I felt something different.
A warmth settled into my stomach. It wasn’t the food, the family around me, or Dominic’s plate at the head of the table. For the first time in a long time, someone turned on the light. For the first time since Dominic passed, I felt hope.