Page 52 of Protective Phlox

“But you know how to play?” I nodded at his excited face. “Can you teach me how to skate? But don’t tell mom.”

“Oh, that I can’t do. Your mom will string me up from the ceiling by my ankles if I don’t tell her.”

“But then, how do I make it a surprise?”

“Ah. Hmm. Let me think about keeping it a secret, but I will teach you to skate and play hockey.”

“Yesss!” He cheered and grabbed half of the hamburger, taking a bite before jumping off the couch and going to Ivan, who had called him over.

“Alright, I’ll concede, he’s kinda cute,” Aaron said.

“Ha, he’s fucking adorable,” Titus added, and I puffed out my chest.

“He really is, isn’t he?”

“So you gonna admit that Savannah might have done the right thing keeping him away from the family and the constant shitstorm,” Aaron asked, and I shot him a glare.

“Not a fucking chance, at least not out loud.”

Grabbing my beer, I took a sip and walked over to Cutter as they announced the national anthem. He immediately took off his hat and held it over his heart. Who was this kid?

“Let’s take a picture and send it to your mom,” I said, picking Cutter up to take a selfie with the rink in the background. I took dozens of him making funny faces while I laughed.

During the second intermission, the camera panned the boxes, and Cutter was standing on the chair waving like a madman, plastering his face all over the arena. My phone dinged, and I nodded to Ivan to move over to make sure Cutter didn’t fall.

S: Why does our son have a cast on his arm, and why didn’t you tell me he broke something?

Oh shit. I looked around and realized we were on national television. Fuck, I was an idiot. She had to be watching the game.

YSAH: His wrist will be okay. It was just dislocated, I swear. I didn’t want to worry you while you were away.

S: It hasn’t even been forty-eight hours, and Cutter dislocated his wrist and is now trending on social media. I’m never leaving you two home alone again.

YSAH: You going to spank me?

S: Don’t tempt me.

There was suddenly a loud bang, and Ivan grabbed Cutter and dove behind the half wall, completely smothering his body as two guards tackled me to the ground. Everything was chaotic, but all my mind could focus on was Cutter.

I could hear him crying, and panic gripped me. I growled at my men. “Get off of me.”

“It was just a bunch of balloons,” Titus called out, and my guards slowly relaxed and moved. And just like that, the reality of who we really were punched me in the face.

“I’m sorry, Little Man. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ivan said, handing Cutter his hat, but his lip was trembling, tears silently rolling down his face.

“Are you hurt,” I asked, checking him all over. My phone rang, and I knew it had to be Savannah. He shook his head, no, but our night was over. He wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face.

I took a deep breath to calm my own racing heart before I answered the phone.

“He’s okay, we’re okay, it was only balloons,” I said as I answered the phone. “The guards are just very cautious.”

“Oh my god, Nathan, I had a heart attack. They showed Ivan diving for Cutter, and I thought…I’m going to be sick.”

“He’s okay, we’re okay, I promise.”

“I’m okay, mommy,” Cutter said, and I could hear Savannah sigh on the other end of the line.

“I don’t know if my heart can take this, Nathan.”