33 years old. Moved to Tupelo as a wee boy at the age of 4 so he claims it as home.
Father of twins aged 6. (Delaney + Dylan)
His partner at work is @breezydanvers and sometimes he wonders how he got so incredibly lucky (sarcastic, obv. she is both one of his best friends and the bane of his existence)
His older sister is @sadierae-james and his baby sister is @sydneyxjames. He is super protective over both of them, but more so over Sydney.
Started working as a cop right outta high school
His wife, Darby, got busted by Tupelo PD for drugs in 2015 and he put his neck on the line for her to keep it under wraps. She went to rehab for 90 days.
Surprise! It didnât stick. She started using again a couple years later and he kicked her out when he found out. They ended up getting divorced and he hasnât spoken to her since.
Since then, itâs just been him and the twins, but he has a village of people who are supporting them and thatâs how he survives tbh
He is a simple country boy who likes fishing, drinking beer, grilling and tailgates
100% has a bad habit of being sexually attracted to any woman with a maternal bone in her body and has a really bad habit of sleeping with them.
Dad jokes for days, okay, listen
Has a horse named Dallop (because her momâs name was Daisy) so like when I say âdad jokes for daysâ I mean it
Is kinda lame but youâll never find someone with a bigger heart than this guy
It wasnât fair to say Gabrielle had favorite patients. But she did have favorite patients and the twins were some of them. She had a bright smile as she went into the room. âHow are my little ones today?â She waved at Laney before messing with Dylanâs hair. âIâll take whoever wants to see me first. But I do have something special for whoever does go first.â She pulled out two lollypops, a smile on her face. Truth be told, both would get it. But her trick was usually enough to get them to play along.Â
Neither of the twins was particularly hard to convince when it came to offering a lollipop, and Deacon had a feeling that Gabrielle knew that. Before he could stop her, Laney darted forward and hopped up on the table while Dylan snuggled deeper into his dadâs arms. âThatâs Laney for ya,â Deacon said with a laugh, shaking his head. He knew Dylan would get over this fear, but for now, it was much more likely that his daughter would take the lead.Â
âBonjour,â Iain called as soon as he heard the doorbell go off, as was habit, âYou hate to do âzis to me? I literally work in a flower shop, Iâm not sure why you think these questions would upset me.â Iain was mostly teasing because people said that fairly often to him. They were all a little hopeless, but that was what Iain was there for. His favorite thing was making bouquets for people that had absolutely no idea what they wanted because they tended to be open to letting his pick whatever he wanted. âWho are looking for flowers for and what sort of message are you trying to send?â
Deacon couldnât help but let out the breath he hadnât even realized heâd been holding. He wasnât one to brag about having a clue when he didnât, and flowers were absolutely something he didnât know anything about. âI guess that makes sense,â he said as he approached the counter, laughing softly at himself more than anything. âI need to find something for my baby sister that says âIâm sorry for beinâ a real jerk.ââ Deacon chewed on his bottom lip, hoping Iain would be able to figure something out but trusting that he would.Â
Deacon stepped into the flower shop in full uniform, only somewhat rushing to order flowers while he was on his lunch break. He wasnât normally one to order flowers but heâd been feeling a little guilty about the way heâd reacted to Sydneyâs costume at the Monster Mash and wanted to make it up to her. Delaney suggested flowers, and Deacon thought it was a good enough idea. âHello,â he said as soon as he stepped inside, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. âI hate to do this to you, but Iâm another one of those hopeless guys needinâ your expertise.âÂ
âI couldnât agree more, itâs totally uncoolâ she grinned, expression her physical exurberance with a gentle kick of her sparkly heeled feet. The conversation may have just begun but Polly was already endeared towards the man who claimed Kennedyâs heart. âFaces are very important. Your cells, the very genetic makeup of your essence formed something thatâs uniquely you. Anyone can come up with a name and get it changed by signing a little slip of paper. But no one else on the planet has that face, itâs just yoursâ she flattered in her impromptu impassioned speech. âUnless youâre a twin, are you a twin?âÂ
Polly snorted in amusement, mirroring his pose. âI am impressed by its vibrance, you should be very proud. Of the aura and the costume, gold stars all aroundâ she complimented. âThough if you want to know the color I wonât answer. Everyone thinks they want to know then they get disappointed, as if I control itâ she rambled, shucking her teeth in brief dismay. âYou own a horse?â a delighted gasp overtook her. âDo you think you could teach me to ride one? Itâs not on my list but Iâve rode just about everything else with four legs. Camels, Alpacas, elephants, a donkey named Tortellini. He wasnât very polite, would not recommendâÂ
âIâm not a twin,â he admitted, but he did hold up a finger. âI do, however, have twins. Delaney and Dylan, theyâre six.â She hadnât asked that, but it was pretty normal for Deacon to bring them up at some point and it felt like a good enough moment. âTheyâre clearly not identical, though, so they donât have the same face.âÂ
âWait, why wonât you tell me the color? Just âcause everyone else gets disappointed? Thatâs not fair, Iâm a very hard man to disappoint. What if I promise not to get upset?â Shaking his head, Deacon squinted at her momentarily âThis conversation ainât over,â he noted before clearing his throat. âI do own a horse. Dollop is a real sweetheart, Iâm sure sheâd let you ride her. She lets the twins ride her and theyâre six, so sheâs patient as can be. Wait, did you say a donkey named Tortellini? Maybe he wasnât polite âcause he didnât like his name.â
âGood boy,â she winked at him as she bit her lower lip and looked around. They needed to find a place that wasnât family friendly because some of the questions wasnât gonna fly in that environment. âAh, right there.â A sports bar with drunk men who wouldnât blink twice when she asked him personal questions. âYouâre paying, right?â she asked with a wink.
Deacon felt very much like he was along for a ride of which he had little to no control, but that wasnât somehow as terrifying as it shouldâve been. If anything, it was because it was Kennedyâs friend he was trusting himself to. âSure,â he said with a shrug, letting Shiloh lead the way. After all, Shiloh didnât strike him as the type to like to hear âno.â âJust remember Iâve got twins, so donât break the bank in one go, alright?â
location:Â northern mississippi medical center
with:Â @drgabrielle-tmâ
âHey Doc,â Deacon said as soon as the door opened to the patient room he and the twins were sitting in. They were sitting in the chairs, waiting to see which one would go first on the fancy table. Laney was in his lap and gave Gabrielle an excited wave as soon as the doctor was inside the room while Dylan squirmed uncomfortably. While Laney was always glad to see her pediatrician, Dylan had developed a bit of a fear of needles in the past few years and getting him to come was a bit of a struggle, one that got worse each time they had a check up. âWho do you want up first?â Deacon asked, raising a brow in the womanâs direction.Â
Sydney couldnât help but roll her eyes as Deacon talked about her choice of costume. âOh câmon, you are exaggerating and you know it.â She told Deacon with the shake of her head. âItâs really not even that bad,â which she also knew wasnât true, but it didnât stop her from flashing a smile at her brother. âAs if you didnât need a costume for you to hear what theyâre thinkinâ anyway.âÂ
Deacon mightâve been exaggerating. It was entirely possible, but there was a big part of him that would always err on the side of overly protective when it came to Sydney. She was his baby sister, after all. He squinted his eyes at her, trying to read her face carefully. âYou know how hard it is beinâ your big brother?â His voice made it clear he was joking, because Deacon wouldnât give up being her brother for anything in the world. âI just think you couldâve gotten your point across without showinâ quite so much skin, thatâs all.â
A tingle of laughter sounded, Polly pleasantly charmed by the simple motion of Deaconâs tipped hat. At the mention of her musical soulmate, Pollyâs entire expression brightened. âYou talking about my Ringoâ she questioned, wondering if she remembered Kennedy mentioning having a beau. Her head tilted to one side momentarily, eyes narrowed in concentration before inevitably smoothing in recognition. âOh youâre that John Wayne!â she drew her hands together into a single enthused strike. Sheâd definitely seen Deacon around town in uniform but apparently sheâd never paid much attention when he stopped by the shop. âPolly, Polly Foxx. With two âxâsâ. Pleasureâs all mine John Wayneâ she raised her hands, arranging her fingers around an invisible camera. With one eye shut she shucked her teeth in a faint clicking noise. âThere, now youâre logged in my memory forever. Iâm terrible with names but excellent with faces. Thereâs a whole rolodex of nameless visages in hereâ she babbled, tapping her temple.
âI should have know you were Ringoâs sweetheart, I can see it in your auraâ she revealed, and her eyes traced the outline of Deaconâs frame as if she could truly see an essence emitting from him. âItâs the perfect compliment to hers. People take that for granted, body chemistry and all, but those are the type of connections that lastâ. Polly shifted on her stool to face him better. âDoes this mean I can cross meeting a real life cowboy off my list, I definitely added it for shits and giggles but this seems like divine opportunityâÂ
Deacon had to admit, Polly was different, but that hadnât ever been bad in his book. After all, itâd been one of the things heâd loved most about Kennedy from the start, and it made perfect sense that sheâd befriend someone like Polly. âWell, thatâs a handy skill to have. If youâre no good at names, at least you remember faces. I swear, some people donât even try to be good at one or the other, and thatâs just plain rude if you ask me.â He smiled as he said it, hoping she could read his joke. Â
âMy aura? Well, I sure hope it looks nice. I didnât spend nearly enough time workinâ on it, I was too busy puttinâ together this costume.â Deacon rested his elbow on the counter as he leaned forward slightly, clearly engaged in the conversation. âI donât know if I really count as a real life cowboy, Iâm just a simple southern man. I do have a horse, though, if that sways my authenticity in that area.âÂ
âYouâre one of the best things that have happened to me,â Shiloh said as she placed her hand over her chest. Perhaps it wasnât ethical to use the male for her own gain so he could prove himself to her in terms of how good he was for her best friend. âJust know that because youâre doing all of this for me doesnât mean Iâm not going to invite you for dinner to give you the firth degree and make you jump through a few loops.â Her finger was pointed towards him. âSpeaking of which, thereâs no better time than right now. I think we should get breakfast and sit for a bit, hm?â
âI wouldnât expect anything different,â he admitted. It was natural for friends to be protective when it came to relationships, and Deacon was glad to know that Kennedy had people in her life who cared. âIâve got a little bit of time, yeah, If you want to grab a table, I can get our food, or you can stand in line with me if youâre wanting to start the interrogation now,â he teased.Â
â t u p e l o  t a s k  # 2 : p l a y l i s t
[ [ a e s t h e t i c s ] ]
two sets of eyes watching your every move, âit takes a village,â button ups with the sleeves rolled up, not being afraid to swing a hammer when the need arises, the sizzle of a hotdog on the grill, second chances and three strike rules, six shoes by the front door, the shifting of his weight with a police belt on, a tug on the fishing line, the click of an empty chamber at the range, dad jokes met with groans, always believing the best in people, sunsets in a truck bed just looking a little better than anything else
[ [ p l a y l i s t ] ]
[ "Pushâ - Steve Moakler ]
Sometimes I swear this worldâs coming at us faster than weâre coming at it. Sometimes it feels like weâre moving backwards, like we canât find a way to get ahead. No matter how tough it looks, I want you to know, I ainât afraid to push.
[ "Natural Manâ - Jon Wolfe ]
When the rain comes down and the walls close in, when the world outsideâs so cold and grey you canât feel a thing, baby, run to me. Knock on my door. Let your wave break gently on my waiting shore.
[ "Walk Like Himâ - Mitchell Tenpenny ]
Papa said Iâm stubborn like him and I guess that he would know. My daddy got it from him and I make three in a row. Well, ainât that how it goes? A bloodline keeping him alive. One day, my babiesâll look at me and see what he was like.
[ âIâm On Itâ - Walker McGuire ]
Girl, you thought I was gone when you left me, but itâs gonna be hard to forget me. Keep tellinâ yourself that itâs over, the only âoverâ Iâll be is over your shoulder.
[ "Tough Little Boysâ - Gary Allan ]
Well, I found out fast that bullies just laugh. Youâve got to stand up to them, so I didnât cry when I got a black eye. As bad as it hurt, I just grinned. But when tough little boys grow up to be dads, they turn into big babies again.
Deacon slid up behind Bree and rested his hands on her waist like heâd done a million times. There were only a handful of people who could get away with this without losing their head, and he was glad to be one of them. âGotta say,â Deacon said as he slipped around to face Bree, hands moving up to her shoulders âGrowinâ up, I donât quite remember havinâ such a fantasy about Bat Girl or Cat Woman, but right now? Iâd let either of you have your way with me. Maybe both, if I thought I could get away with it.â He was mostly joking, enjoying poking fun at Bree whenever he could. He had, after all, threatened to ask Chesney Ragsdale out on a date numerous times if only to rile her up, and now it was no different. She busted his balls equally as often, and Deacon loved her for it. âYou still joininâ us tomorrow for trick-or-treatinâ? Laney and Dyl asked me to ask you. I warned them you might be a little busy handinâ out candy with Red, but they swore youâd promised.âÂ
Polly tapped the heels of her glittery silver boots together, transfixed with the way the light reflected off the sparkling surface. Discovering them was a luck of the draw, the local thrift store was teeming with all kinds of interesting hand me downs befitting the type of flair she endorsed. Mixing and matching funky patterns and eclectic second hand treasures was totally her jam. But when one was aspiring to replica the truly glorious persona of early 70s Bowie you needed statement pieces. Between raiding the racks at Sweet Peaâs and rummaging through the bins at Goodwill Polly unearthed several promising gems. But the pièce de rĂŠsistance was the knee highs that screamed the very essence of glam rock. Wearing them Polly felt like the belle of the ball, they were her glass slippers and she was a pop rock Cinderella. If only she could think of a way to integrate them into her everyday wardrobe, she wouldnât mind strutting down main or roaming the grocery aisle looking bedazzled and feeling far out.Â
âWhat was it that Marilyn Monroe said? âGive a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the worldâ, Iâm really starting to understand that statementâ Polly hadnât turned to see who she was addressing, only sensing a presence beside her. Granted it didnât matter who she was speaking to, sheâd only been in Tupelo for a little under two weeks and had yet to meet but a handful of citizens. But Polly wasnât a fan of small talk and instead liked to dive straight to conversation like everyone she met was an old pal instead of a stranger. Dragging her eyes away from the boots of her dreams, she flashed a friendly smile.Â
âHow noticable do you think Iâd be if I, I donât know, showed up to the bank in these? Be honest, if you glanced over in the check out line and saw these babies glistening under the fluorescents would you be impressed or alarmed?â her head dipped as she allotted approximately .5 seconds for their answer before jumping to the next topic. âI love your costume, Iâve never met you before this moment but it feels very you. Whatever it is you are, you know. Your incorporeal beingâÂ
Deacon wasnât sure if heâd subconsciously ended up next to Polly because he knew her face, or if it was some kind of fate in action situation. Either way, he tilted his head to one side before he eyed her boots carefully. âIâd probably be impressed, but Iâm not sure I am the best judge because really, any kind of boots with a heel make me worry about watchinâ someone break their neck. My daughterâs only six but I can already tell shoes like that are goinâ to be a point of contention in our house.â He laughed softly, tipping his hat in her direction. âWell, thank you, maâam. Granted, my girlfriend always refers to me as her John Wayne, so it was almost too easy to decide on this one. I think you work with her, actually. Kennedy Kelley?â Deaconâs lips pulled into an even wider grin at the simple mention of Kennedyâs name, shaking his head to try and hide just how much he enjoyed saying it out loud. âShe works at Spins. Iâve seen you there a time or two, but usually just when Iâm droppinâ off lunch for her or something. Iâm Deacon, itâs a pleasure to meet you.â
âLook, the vampire thing is kind of adorable,â Deacon said as he approached his sister for the first time that night. âIâll give you that âcause you work at a funeral home and all, but câmon, Syd. The whole âsexyâ vampire thing? Why you gotta do this to me? Iâm just out here tryinâ to have a decent night out and now my baby sisterâs flashinâ so much skin I can practically hear half the town thinkinâ about what they want to do to ya.â