We’ve been her protectors from the moment she crossed the threshold when she was barely a teenager. Now you come into the picture and shake it all up. You’re not even two months sober, and you’re demanding to take over hermedications, take care of her through her treatments, and take her frail immune system to your house where there’s at least twenty people wandering around at any given moment. She puts herself at risk every time she goes out. That last string of terrible days? That was from meeting up with you at Primetime.
So I’m asking you, how serious are you about my sister? Are you here for some weird quick fling because you knew her in another life? Or maybe because you feel guilty that you didn’t save her? Perhaps you just want something to distract you from drinking? I’m asking you what it is, Mac. Because in my eyes, that woman in the other room is still the thirteen year old that came to my family scared and broken, and I’ll slit your goddamn throat if you’re here to play games.”
I’m stunned for only a moment before fire laces my veins. I’m furious that he’d act like this was just a fucking fling for me. But in the next moment I have to rein myself in. That’s her brother, and he isn’t coming from a place of beating his chest to show dominance. No, he’s coming from a place of worry. The Fischer’s took her broken spirit in and fixed her. They built her up and made her the woman she is. The woman I’m in love with. Picking her medicine container thing up, I turn to Jakob and give him the respect he deserves for all he’s done for her.
“I’m here for the long haul. I’m not going to tell you the full extent of my feelings for Lelonie because I think that’s between her and I. But I will tell you that I’d squash the beef with Declan if I were you because you two are going to share nieces and nephews one day. Lee won’t spend a single solitary moment wondering how I feel, because she hangs the sun, moon, and stars in my world. I’m putting the work into myself,and it’s going to stick, because I deserve to be happy and healthy. I deserve to stop punishing myself for something that happened when I was in the second grade. Most importantly, I’m going to work my ass off every day for the rest of my life to be the man she deserves, and the man she’ll be proud to call her husband and one day the father to her children. Because I want to be that man.”
Shouldering past him, I take Lee her medicine. The whole way, one thing he says rings through my head. My house isn’t safe enough for her. Well, we’ll have to fix that now, won’t we?
23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mac
Two Months Sober
The sound of a low growl has my ears perking up. Looking across the yard, I see my brother’s dog crouched down low, staring at the very bush I’m hiding in.
Dammit Parker, fuck off.
Rhett casts his eyes over to where Parker growls but decides to ignore him and keep walking.
“Uncle Mac, where are you?” He sing-songs, and I actually have to work to not laugh at him.
Just a little closer and I’ve got him. My nephew takes a couple more steps in my directionbefore I pop up and fire my neon blue toy gun right at his shoulder before ducking back down.
He runs full force to the bush I’m hiding in and attacks it with as many bright orange foam bullets as he can rain down on me at once. Popping up, I ambush him, throwing him over my shoulder and running through the yard. His laugh puts my nerves about my big day at ease. When I finally set him down on the ground and sit beside him, we’re both trying to catch our breath.
“Hey, Uncle Mac?” He turns to face me, and I mimic his movements.
“Yeah, Bear?”
“I’m glad you didn’t use your gun the night I found you in the bathroom.”
If my eyes could fall out of my head, they would. Holy fuck, he saw me. I can feel the color draining from my face.
“Little Bear, that wasn’t— I wasn’t—” I stutter over my words.
“It’s okay. My Daddy says you didn’t know what you were doing and were sick. He says you’re better now. I like that you’re better, Uncle Mac. I would have been really sad without you.” He has no idea that I want to go back and beat the fuck out of myself for letting him see that.
“I’m working very hard to be better now. I’m really sorry about that, Rhett. I’m sure that was so scary for you.”
“It’s okay. You just have to promise to be safe. That wasn’t a safe thing to do.” His little face is stern and I feel like shit already, so I can’t even find it in me to smile about how cute he looks.
“You’re right, that was dangerous, and not anything I’ll ever do again. Safe, Promise.” I nod as I say the wordsso he knows I’m serious. He climbs into my lap and wraps his arms around me like he used to do to fall asleep when he was a little younger.
“You don’t play with real guns like that, Uncle Mac. Da said they can really hurt you. Like, really bad.” He looks up at me with eyes wide.
“He’s right, guns are not toys. Fake guns that are silly colors are okay, but you don’t touch any gun without making sure it takes orange foam bullets first.”
“Yes, sir. Did you know my Da cries?”
I’m taken back by the sudden change of subject but decide to roll with it.
“I did know that. Your Da is one of the best men I know. He loves and cares about you, your Ma, and ‘new baby’ so much. I’m not surprised he’s shed a few tears.”
“No, I saw him cry because you were sick. I sneaked in their room one night and saw it. He said he was scared. Are you sure you won’t get sick again?” His face is a mask of worry, and I want to shield him from every single bad thing that has ever or will ever happen in this world.
