Keep A Leash On Him

“Kane, you’re back.” Kane’s grandmother smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Stacey’s mother was just here. She wanted to ask if Stacey could move in fully. She would pay her expenses. I said I would talk to you about it since the house was under your name.” 

“Why didn’t she call me!?” Stacey pouted as she took out her phone and called her mom. Her mother was quick to pick up. “Mom? What is this all about!?”

Stacey’s mother had just gotten home and was getting ready for her night shift. When she heard her daughter’s voice, she smiled even if she was being yelled at. “Honey, I am always at work. And it’s not safe for you to come home at night. Since you are already staying with Kane, I figured it would be better if you just moved in fully. But don’t worry. I am not trying to dump you or anything; I just….”

“Mom….” Stacey did feel this way. She did feel like her mother was just trying to pawn her off.

“Stacey, I just see how happy you are now that you are not alone. As a mother, I am a failure, but I can at least do my best to make sure you stay happy.” Stacey’s mother coughed a few times. She had been having many coughing fits as of late.

Kane could see that Stacey was about to break down and knew that her current relationship with her mother was something that Stacey was not happy about. She had even told him that she felt like her mother was trying to distance herself from her. Kane kissed Stacey’s cheek and pulled the phone from her hand. Stacey turned and buried her face into Kane’s chest and started crying. 

With a sigh, Kane put the phone to his ear and spoke. “Miss Norland, it’s Kane.”

“Kane? I am sorry to trouble you, but please take care of my daughter.” Stacey’s mother also had tears in her eyes. She did not like this either, but she could not leave her daughter home alone. While they did spend time with one another, it had started to become awkward for the both of them.

“I will watch over her but…. Let her keep her things there. If she started moving all her stuff out, it would be like you are forcing her away…”

“Not at all! I love my daughter. It’s just….” Stacey’s mom bit her lip. “I am never home for more than a few hours a day. During that time I am only free for an hour. But if I do not work, *Cough!* *Cough!*. Ahem… Sorry.” 

Kane frowned. He had also noticed that Stacey’s mother had been coughing a lot more recently. “Miss Norland, have you gone to see a doctor recently?”

“Hmm? This is just a cough. Nothing big.” Stacey’s mother quickly waved off Kane’s question. 

Kane had a feeling that there was more to things than this. He did not know what, but he couldn’t shake this gut feeling he was having. But he also knew it was not his place to push things. “For now, we will keep Stacey’s things at your house. We will talk more about this after Stacey has time to calm down and think about it. But do not worry, I will protect her no matter what.”

Stacey’s mother smiled. She was glad her daughter met such a young man. She had seen how much he spoils her and lets her get away with things. She believed that no matter what, Kane would never hurt her daughter. “Thanks, Kane…. Can I speak to Stacey?”

Kane handed the phone back to Stacey, who was now red-eyed and puffy. She looked at Kane with a pouty lip before taking the phone. She and her mother talked for almost an hour before she finally hung up. When she did, she immediately ran to Kane and dived into his chest, and began crying. She felt something was wrong. The entire time she talked with her mother, her mother could not stop coughing. “Kane…. I think my mother is sick…” Stacey said after she had finally calmed down.

“If she is sick, then I will go over to your house tomorrow and take her to see a doctor.” It was not Kane who answered but his grandmother.

“Grandmother….” Stacey had long taken the two as her grandparents. And they treated her as if she was already Kane’s wife. They had been together for a while now, and having Stacey here had become the norm. It was very natural since Stacey fit right into the family without issue.

“Don’t worry about it. You have school and work to deal with. You are not yet fully an adult, so you should not worry about adult things. Just make sure my grandson doesn’t run away.” Kane’s grandmother waved Stacey off. She was always like this. Once she decided on something, she would just do it.

“Grandma, thank you.” Kane smiled. He was lucky to have grandparents who were so caring. 

“Go do your thing. You got all this stuff here blocking the way!” Kane’s grandmother’s cheeks turned red. She felt slightly embarrassed. But she also felt happy. She could finally do something to help her grandson, who had been helping her and her husband all this time. She would make sure to get to the bottom of this. 

“Alright, but here.” Kane took out a card and handed it to his grandmother. “There is not much left, but it should be enough to cover some of the costs. Take a cab and not the bus. It is not safe to take the bus.”

Kane’s grandmother looked at the card and sighed. Her grandson was truly too caring. He would definitely get deceived by some girl in the future. She turned to Stacey and said in a serious tone: “Make sure you watch him. Don’t let some random girl deceive him.”

Stacey, who had just been crying seconds ago, couldn’t help but laugh. “Grandmother, don’t worry, I will be sure to keep a leash on him.”