Page 108 of Senior

“You know it.” I took a seat next to him. “How are you, Dad?”

“Well, the good thing about being dead, there’s no pain. Just a little sadness. I’m missing my family. Sometimes it feels like I’m right back in my body with the sickness. Wanting to say something and not being able to find the words.” He took a pull from the blunt and smiled. “Eden keeps me good company. She’s the only one of my great-grands I get to bond with. Well, her and TJ. She made sure we kept a good eye on baby boy until he was ready to make his entrance. I have to visit my boy every now and then to make sure he’s good.”

“He’s giving them hell, just like his mama and daddy.”

“What about you? You good?”

“I’m great actually.”

“I see you and Stephanie finally got things together. It’s about damn time.”

I chuckled. “I know, I know. It’s long overdue.”

“It is. I’m happy for you. You deserve this and I know how long you’ve been trying to make things work. I’m proud of you. Not just for your growth with her, but for the man you’ve become over the years. I realized I didn’t really give you and Blake a chance to choose anything else. I was wrong for that and I’m sorry, son.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “What you’ve done with the organization… the government contracts, the amount of people you’ve saved and families you’ve reunited… it’s more than I ever could have done. You showed your old man there was more than one way to eat.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

He smiled and damn, I missed that smile. “No problem.” He rocked for a moment then looked over at me. “Sooo… Daxon and Sevyn. You’re in for a journey with those two.”

My brows furrowed. “You know something?”

“I know a lot. In due time you’ll know too. That Sevyn’s a tough cookie.”

“I figured that.”

“Don’t worry. She can handle herself. What she can’t handle, she’s got a ruthless one at her side that’s coming hard behind her.”

The way he said that was very telling. What was it telling, I don’t know. I just had a feeling that ruthless one wasn’t any of us.

The sound of the front door opening broke my thoughts. I looked up to see my son walking into the kitchen. He moved to hug and kiss his grandmother before stealing a cookie and earning a slap on the hand.

“Like father, like son,” she fussed.

Deuce chuckled as he approached me for a hug. “Sup, old man. Whatchu asked me over here for?”

“I uh… I wanted to run something by the both of you.”

I motioned them over to the kitchen table. My mother put the next batch of cookies in the oven then joined us. My son stared at me as he munched on the stolen sweet.

“You ain’t dying, are you?” he asked.

“What? No. Why the hell would you ask that?”

“Your face looks serious, man.”

I shook my head as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring box, setting it before them. My mother picked it up and when she opened the lid, her eyes widened.

“Stanley,” she whispered. “This is… oh my, this is beautiful.”

She handed the box to Deuce and even his eyes widened.

“This custom?” he asked.

“Yep. Picked it up from Kobi today.”

“When are you proposing?”

“Well… even though I don’t need your permission, I’m gonna ask because I know how much she means to you and there is no one else to ask for her hand in marriage. I love her, Deuce. I can humble myself and promise you that I’m gonna give your mother the world. Whatever days we have left on this earth will be filled with nothing but peace, love, and happiness for as long as I’m here to give that to her. She’s my person. My heart, my fucking soul. I’ve waited a long time to get this peace of my heart back and I promise you I’ll never fumble it again.”