Page 15 of Cannon
Locks walked back in and efficiently loaded him in the wheelchair with a minimum of pain. He pushed him out and into the kitchen. He’d removed a chair from the table and Cannon was able to sit in the wheelchair and be at the table like a normal person.
“Thanks for figuring out a way for me to sit here. I hate being an invalid.”
Locks chuckled. “I don’t know a man alive who likes it. I have biscuits and gravy from the diner, along with bacon and a cinnamon roll. There was a note in the text to make sure you had fruit.”
Cannon laughed and shook his head. “From Clara?”
Locks placed the food in front of Cannon and sat down with his own after adding coffee and orange juice for both of them.
“Yes, I didn’t ask. Do I need to cut up the cinnamon roll or the biscuits?”
Cannon used the fork to cut a piece of the biscuit off. “Nope, if I can be thankful for one thing besides surviving, it’s that my dominant hand is the one that’s okay.”
Cannon continued eating in what he’d almost term a companionable silence. Locks ate his food quickly and efficiently, then sipped his coffee.
As Cannon took his last bite, Locks set his coffee cup down.
“So I’ve learned a lot as my girls have found their men and heard loud and clear from them that I’ve raised strong women. You were there when I gave Scoop my blessing. In fact, I think you were a little disappointed that I didn’t threaten Scoop.”
Cannon really wanted to close his eyes and kick his own ass. Who knew that this would come back on him?
“I was there, and I do think I was a little bit disappointed, but everything turned out okay. So obviously you made the right decision.”
Locks stood up and got the coffee to refill their cups.
“Oh, Cannon, I’ve liked you from the first. You’re equal parts smooth and stupid. I am giving you my blessing just like I gave to Scoop, but I have found a loophole.”
Cannon swallowed the hot coffee, then asked, even though he’d rather keep quiet. “A loophole?”
“Yes, I can’t really do much threatening because my Jesse is a strong, fierce woman and you two need to find your own way. But, you knocked up my pumpkin and I can threaten you about that. You will be the best dad to my grandbaby that you can be or, after I beat you to a pulp, we’ll have weekly lessons on what constitutes a good dad until you understand you can do this.”
Cannon didn’t know what to say. Locks actually thought Cannon could be a good dad. Cannon’s own dad hadn’t thought he’d amount to anything and had let him know that every day.
“I don’t have a clue what I need to do for either of them. But I want to try.”
Locks nodded. “Son, that’s all we, as parents, can ever do is try. You’ll screw up and then go on. Unfortunately, your little one doesn’t come with a manual telling you how to handle every situation. You do the best you can and then pick up the pieces when things fall apart. Which they will. I think one of the hardest things to learn as a parent is you can’t fix it all. Sometimes they just have to go through it. Now, I’m not allowed to transport you anywhere because Flick said it will hamper your healing. I have a couple board games because your hand isn’t up to holding cards or we could watch something.”
Cannon relaxed and wondered if he’d possibly survive this and be able to stay at Bluff Creek. Even though he hadn’t voiced it a couple times at the hospital, he’d wondered if he’d have to leave the brotherhood if he and Jesse couldn’t come to an agreement. Knowing Locks would help him was the best feeling and one he’d never felt before by someone who he saw as an authority figure.
Chapter Eleven
Jesse sat down for a little bit, kicking her feet out in front of her. Her ankles looked fatter than yesterday. This morning, when she started to put her boots on, they were too tight. She’d found some other shoes to wear, but they weren’t her normal garage attire. Today, she had shorts and a tank top under her overalls. She’d even cranked the A/C on in the garage because it was hot. Or at least she was hot.
She couldn’t wait for her students to see what she had for them. She had five students for a special summer program. She was hoping to add more this year.
“Ms. Franks, we’re here.”
She smiled. Tamara was the youngest at fourteen and was almost more sunshiny than Winnie.
“I’m back here.”
Renae walked in and hung her backpack on the hooks Jesse had installed. She’d added them after one of the girls almost tripped over one. A couple of the girls carried them everywhere,even though it wasn’t during the school year. Jesse stared at Renae’s arm. It almost looked like she had a handprint bruise on her arm. When she turned and saw Jesse staring at her arm, she pulled her short-sleeve shirt lower on the arm.
Stacey was her oldest student and would graduate in the spring. Jesse knew she was a foster kid, but Jesse didn’t know the parents. They’d moved to Bluff Creek at the start of summer. Jesse wasn’t even sure what the parents did.
Jody and Gabi walked in. The twins she knew quite well. In fact, Jesse had dated their dad and then introduced him to her friend when she realized what he wanted was not her. Jesse didn’t have any hard feelings. In a small town, at some point, you might have dated everyone in your age group.
“Ladies, we talked about proper attire, but I thought maybe you might need more.” Jesse turned and waved her hand toward the coveralls she’d had embroidered with each girl’s name. Squeals of delight echoed in her garage, and she wondered why she hadn’t thought to give them to them outside.