“You like doing that?”
“Fixing up the place?” At his nod, I continued. “Yes. Very much so. Never got much of a chance to work with my hands while growing up.” I took him into the portion of the garage that I’d turned into a shop. “Even bought some saws and tools I’m learning how to use. One of my buddies was a carpenter, and is now training to be an architect. He’s been helping me.”
Mr. Johnson’s brow furrowed. “What does your dad do for a living?”
“He works for an insurance company.” Worried that this heavyweight boxer would think holding down a desk job would make me a pussy, I plunged ahead. “That’s nothing I want to do, though, which is why I joined the Marines right out of high school.”
“You didn’t go to college?”
Great, now he thought I was an idiot. “I wanted to, but I never could decide on a major, and didn’t want to throw away the money. I liked serving as a Marine, and expected to retire in the service, so I didn’t give much thought to going back to school. I got a lot of certifications in the service, though. And after I lost my leg, I became a certified financial advisor, so…” So, what? I had drive? Ambition? The ability to retain enough information to pass a test? I couldn’t remember where I was going with that line of thinking, so I changed tactics. “My monthly disability check pays my bills, but I like to stay busy. Working for Monica’s organization is a good fit, because it allows me to be here to keep her safe.”
“You don’t think my daughter can protect herself?”
Everything I said kept coming out wrong. “I know she can, but she shouldn’t have to. We’re a team and—”
He held up a hand, silencing me and putting me out of my misery. “I get it.”
Shit. This was not going well at all. Needing to redeem myself, I tried again. “Sorry. I… I don’t usually ramble, it’s just that your daughter is the most important person in my life and I’d… I’d like your blessing to ask her to marry me.”
He’d bent down to inspect one of my saws, and his head popped up to meet my gaze. “What was that?”
Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea to bring him into this room full of potentially deadly weapons after all. Still, I’d gone too far to backpedal now. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “I want to marry your daughter.”
“That’s what I thought you said. What makes you think you’re worthy of my baby girl?”
“That’s definitely not what I said.”
“Don’t get smart with me, young man.”
“I meant that I’mnotworthy of her. I don’t think anyone is. I’m a wounded veteran who only has a job by the grace of God and a non-profit organization your daughter sits on the board of. I know you don’t know me, but I love her. I’ll take care of her and respect her. I’ll do everything I can to keep her happy and healthy. That’s all I really have to offer, sir.”
He finally cracked a smile. “You have my blessing, Gage.”
Certain I must have misheard him, I asked, “I do?”
“Yeah. But I’m not calling you Stocks. That’s a dumb-ass name. You’ll never be worthy of her. But you brought my champ back into the ring. She’s fighting again, and that means everything in the world to me and her mom. You’ll never be good enough for my baby, but goddamn if you’re not relentless enough to keep trying… that’s better than most men.”
He wasn’t wrong. I nodded for all I was worth. “I will keep trying, sir. I’ll never give up, and I won’t let her, either. Thank you.”
He clapped me on the back—a little harder than necessary—and we headed back to the house. “Seeing my baby girl in that hospital bed… I thought she’d never smile again. You make her smile, and my wife says you’re a good man. Just don’t fuck up. If you do, I’ll drag your ass back into that shop to use every single one of those tools on you.”
I laughed, but he didn’t.
Realizing he wasn’t kidding, I sobered and replied, “Yessir. I won’t fuck up.”
He let out a chuckle. “Good. I like you, Gage. Treat my baby girl good so I don’t have to kill you.”
***
Monica
A week after my parents went home, Stocks and the girls surprised me with a picnic lunch.
“Come on,” Stocks said, gesturing for me to join him at the door. “We found the perfect spot at the park down the street and the girls are waiting for us.”
It was a nice, clear day, so we hoofed it down the block to the park. Stocks led me to a clearing that had been enclosed by a circle of sunflowers and daisies. Wondering what my crew was up to, I said, “This is nice.”
“It was Stocks’s idea,” Cari admitted. “We just helped set it up.”
