Page 179 of Deacon

Deacon stepped in, picked him up, and held him like he had when Raff was little.

I gave my mother a long hug.

‘Merci, maman. We’re good now.’

She beamed as we made our way into the living room and collapsed onto my massive sofa as a trio.

Deacon and I wrapped our arms around Raff’s shoulders as he cried, letting out the tension of the past few weeks.

My man and I exchanged glances over our boy’s head.

We couldn’t let this ever happen to him again.

We switched to tickling Raff until he laughed, his angst soon dissolving.

‘You two back together for real, for real?’ Raff asked once more, pulling back to scan our faces, needing the reassurance.

‘Forever and for real,’ I said, kissing the top of his head.

‘Also, son, we won’t put you through the stress of our issues anymore,’ Deacon added, his voice gravelly and thick with emotion. ‘We need to be better parents and work through stuff upfront so it doesn’t affect you. I was the villain this time, and I’m truly sorry for that, OK?’

Raff nodded, nestling into his dad’s chest.

‘I’ll hold you to it.’

Théa emerged from the kitchen, reading the room as she grabbed her car keys from the counter.

‘Raff, I’m sure your mum and dad have a lot more talking to do. Why don’t we give them some space and head out for a little bit?’

Raff demurred, wanting to hang out with us, but as soon as Théa mentioned ice cream and video games at her house, he was all in.

‘Mémé’s got the latest PlayStation 5 Pro, and I’ve been dying to take it for a spin,’ he called out.

‘You know she got it to lure you to her house, right?’ I told him, winking at my mother.

‘It works a charm!’ she shot back as Raff raced to his room to change.

A quarter of an hour later, Deacon and I stood on the porch waving as Théa drove Raff off.

I closed the door as the cottage fell into a deep, peaceful stillness.

Standing behind me, Deacon turned me around, his thumbs tracing my jawline before his mouth met mine in a slow, melding kiss.

God, I loved him, how his firm lips got me wild, the glide of his fingers over my face, and the undertones of his clean scent and musk.

I even adored his stubble and the smooth feel of his close-shaven head.

Without a word, he lifted me into his arms and carried me down the hallway to my bedroom, where the afternoon sun filtered through the curtains.

Sinking to one knee on my bed, he laid me down.

‘Shower first? I’m covered in sweat from running to you.’

I nodded as he pulled back and stared at me.

‘Never again Ana. We can never be apart again. Hear? No matter what it is, we have to work through it. We’ve got to stop avoiding the pain and lean into it until we figure shit out.’

‘Agreed. Now stop talking, please.’