Conquer (Control) (33 page)

So, yeah, it wasn’t the most romantic proposal in history, but it was perfect for us.  We still haven’t set a date and Daemon constantly argues with me about taking his name.  It wasn’t because I was fighting against being his wife; it was simply because I thought ‘Paige Pierce’ sounded stupid.  I’d told him I would marry him, but he’d have to take my name.  ‘Daemon Stone’ was preferable.  I laughed each time we had the argument and I told him he should be careful what he wished for. It wasn’t a daily battle like he’d predicted, but it was a battle nonetheless. 

Even though I still argued, my heart danced daily at the sight of him.   The boy who’d held my heart now would become the man who connected to my soul…he’d become my husband.  The word felt foreign, as if it should never have applied to me, but sometimes fate had different plans than those we’d imagined for ourselves.  I’ve spent many nights staring at him, recognizing the irony that it was because of a father’s madness was that we ever met and were parted; and it was because of the madness of an abused son that we were forced back together so suddenly.  Two very dark and heart wrenching circumstances that, ultimately, led to light…to our love.  Life is funny that way.  Sometimes, beautiful dreams can be born from nightmares; a person just has to pay attention to find it.  

“Hey, you ready to get down from here and join the party?”  I shook myself once again from my thoughts and looked up into his sparkling eyes.  Nodding my head, I moved to climb down, taking his hand as we made our way to the ground below.  My feet only touched solid ground for a moment before Daemon picked me up and brought his mouth to mine.  His lips moved possessively against mine, the warmth of his mouth seeping in, lighting a fire within me.  He pulled away, leaving me breathless; grinning as he reached out to help steady me.

He grinned mischievously as I blinked up at him.  “What was that for?”

His eyes filled with mirth and he winked before responding.  “Oh…nothing.  I was just watching you and thinking about how you’ll be the future Mrs. Pierce.  ‘Damsel Pierce’….sounds good, don’t you think?”

My eyebrow arched.  I reached up, placing my hands on his shoulders like I was going to kiss him.  As soon as his guard dropped, I used my foot to sweep his feet out from under him, while pushing back on his shoulders.  His ass hit the ground and a small dust cloud exploded up around him from the impact.  My smile brightened as I looked down at his surprised expression.

“Who’s the Damsel now?”

Those dimples of his popped out from the dangerously seductive grin that graced his lips.  The deep timbre of his voice was like silk as he responded, “Just wait until I get you home, beautiful.  I have every intention of showing you exactly who the Damsel is in this relationship.”

My body shivered at the decadent threat.  “You’ll have to catch me first.”

I sprinted away from the tree, laughing as Daemon pushed up from the ground and started chasing me.  When we approached the veranda, Momma’s head shook as she watched us run in.  I hid behind her as soon as I could reach her.   Daemon’s and my laughter echoed along the ceiling of the veranda and Momma smiled when she asked, “You two will never change, will you?”

The look in Daemon’s eyes was enough to make my knees weak.  “Ms. Stone, I can promise you that I’ll be chasing your daughter every day for the rest of my life.”

Momma laughed delightedly as she stepped aside, leaving me exposed.  “Well then, don’t let me stand in the way.  I’m smart enough to know that you should never stand in between a man and the woman he loves.  Sorry, baby girl, but you’re on your own.”

I gasped at Momma’s betrayal and then shrieked as Daemon ran up and grabbed me.  He swung me around before placing me back on my feet.   One beautiful blue eye winked before he leaned down to take my mouth with his.  Our moment was interrupted by my father’s voice.

“David?!  Have you lost your mind, son?  There’s no way that is going to work!”  

Daemon and I looked over to find Daddy shaking his head in disbelief as he stared down at David.  My eyes followed his and I my jaw dropped when I saw David strapping tennis rackets to his shoes.  He looked up at Daddy when he’d finished and smiled.

“This is going to work, Dad, just wait and see.  I researched it.  The tennis rackets will be just like snow shoes.  If I can extend the surface of my foot, there’s no way that stupid swamp is going to suck me down again.”

Daddy was laughing so hard that he was rendered speechless.  I grabbed Daemon’s hand and together, we walked over to stand next to Daddy.  My voice was pitched high from my shock.  “David, why in the hell are you even walking out there?  Just stay away from the marshes.”

His eyes narrowed in rebellion and determination.  “Hell no!”  He looked out over the backyard and watched as the kids ran around playing tag.  His eyes eventually found and followed Alex and Matt as they walked beside Ava while she took photos of the wetlands.  His arm extended out and he shook a finger in the direction of the wetlands.  “It seems like everybody else is able to walk around without getting sucked into the muck and I will NOT be excluded just because the freaking swamp thinks I’m tasty.  If it works, I’m going to sell them and market them as ‘Swamp Shoes’!  It’ll be a huge hit with the tourists, I’m sure.”  His expression turned to one of pride and satisfaction as he pushed himself up, ready to test his idea.

David began to walk out towards the water, taking large steps in order to compensate for the rackets strapped to his shoes.  He resembled a duck as his body rolled with every step he took.   Daemon and I almost fell over from laughter just watching him walk, but when David finally reached the marshes and was sucked into the mud, Daemon and I laughed even harder, clutching at our sides from the cramping.   We held on to each other, struggling to keep ourselves upright as we watched Alex and Matt run over and attempt to pull him free.

Daddy shook his head again as a low whistle escaped him.  Turning to Daemon and I, he said, “I don’t know about you two, but I am seriously concerned about that boy.”   I was wiping away the tears from my face as Daddy walked over to clap Daemon hard on the shoulder.  “Come on, son.  Let’s cook up some food before everyone starves.”  Daemon squeezed my hand before releasing me to assist my father at the grill.

I eventually made my way over to a hammock that swung between two trees in the yard.  It swayed softly as a summer breeze blew across me, carrying with it the sweet smell of Jasmine.   My eyes followed the dragonflies flitting out amongst the grasses and a sense of peace and serenity overtook me.  I’d come full circle.  Despite the circumstances of the years that preceded me, despite the pain, the loneliness and the effects of decisions made throughout those long years, with Daemon, I was once again whole.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”  I looked up to see that Momma had followed me over.

I half-smiled at her in question.  “What do you mean?”

She patted my shoulder with her hand before sitting down and hugging me to the side of her body.  “I mean, baby girl, when you reach the end of the tunnel, when the world opens back up to you so that you can, once again, have room to breathe.  It has to feel good.”  She took a deep breath as her eyes filled with memories.  “There was only one other time in your life that I saw you shine so brightly with hope and happiness, and it was when you were with that boy as a child.” 

She looked over at Daemon as he listened to Daddy’s instructions about the grill.  “If you would have asked me twenty years ago if this day would come, I wouldn’t have answered ‘yes’.   However, it appears I was a fool to believe that the twin to your soul wouldn’t survive what Daemon has been through; to believe that events in his life would poison him and change him into something ugly.”  Turning back to me, she smiled sweetly.  “You both amaze me.   You are two shining examples of the reason your Daddy and I built this place.  You both have walked such dark paths, your lives littered with pain and betrayal; but you were both able to walk away from it, to find beauty and love on the other side.  I never wanted you to have to fight, baby girl.  I wanted an easier life for you than what it’s been.”  

I reached up to wipe away a tear that escaped her eye.  She laughed suddenly and batted my hand away.  Her eyes locked on something behind me as she said, “And,
that
girl….Good Lord, that girl deserves a medal...”

I turned to see Annie running out from the woods behind us.

“…I guess like does attract like after all, because Annie and Daemon…all of your friends, really…you’re some of the strongest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.  It doesn’t surprise me that you hold on to each other as tightly as you do.  Truthfully, I would have never guessed it of Annie, but I think she’s one of the most amazing women I’ve seen.  Not only did she walk through a war and come out alive at the end, she came out stronger, brighter…she survived and she did it with such grace and resilience that it’ reopened my cynical eyes to the true power of a person’s spirit.”

Straightening my body, my eyes met Momma’s.  The tears from just a second before had been replaced with pride as she continued to watch Annie.  Tapping me on the shoulder again, she pushed off the hammock, “You all have filled me with renewed hope.  I’m sorry for the events that brought us here, but I’m not sorry for the results.”  Sniffling, she wiped the moisture on her cheeks before turning to walk away to help Daddy with the food.

Laying back down on the hammock, I smiled as the sound of children’s laughter heightened my spirit. I was taken back to a day when that sound had been made by a boy and a girl who would eventually have to fight to come back together.  My eyes scanned over the water line and I smiled when I saw Annie running through the grasses.  Her face was covered by a broad smile and she held herself up, strong and determined.  She’d changed in the last year, but I knew her life would continue to improve.  She’d once said that she would compete against me as the toughest woman around here.  Little did she know that she’d left me in the dust a long time ago.  I could only hope to be as strong as her if faced with the circumstances of her life.  My eyes continued to follow her as she walked out across the yard, her head turning to look back every once in a while in search of something.  Eventually, Logan came running out of the woods, causing Annie to shriek as he chased her through the yard.  They were only friends at this point, but everybody could see the love in their eyes when they looked at each other.  Annie had called him out of the blue about a month after Chris had died and he had been her rock ever since.

I closed my eyes, completely satisfied while I laid in the warm light of the sun.  When the hammock suddenly swung, my arms shot out in an attempt to steady myself.  Soft, melodic laughter caught my attention and I opened my eyes to two sparkling emeralds.  The corners of Annie’s eyes crinkled from her smile; her breathing was heavy from running.

“Hey, gorgeous.  Sorry to disturb you, but you looked way too peaceful relaxing over here all by yourself.”  Annie’s amusement was evident in her voice.  I smiled instantly in response, before reaching up to pull her down with me.  Her feet barely extended to the bottom of my calves; her short stature made more apparent as we laid side by side.  Despite her small size, I knew I was hugging onto a girl that had the spirit of a giant.

“Having fun with Logan?”  I moved to nudge her shoulder with mine, just as laughter escaped her.

Her eyes softened while she watched Logan talking to Alex and Ava down by the water line.  “He makes it difficult to takes things slow, I can tell you that.  It’s like a small ball of sunshine was placed inside him and you just want to curl up within its warmth.”  Her head turned as her eyes shot to mine.  “I always have fun with him.  He doesn’t push things and he stays right by me when I slip backwards.  I swear, sometimes it’s like he’s holding out his hand, pulling me through my darkest memories; kind of like a life preserver, you know?”

My body shifted and I found myself staring up into the clouds that rolled above us.  “I know what you mean.”  My thoughts drifted to Daemon, to the image of the two of us pulling each other through the storm.  “In all honesty, though, I know you would have pulled through with or without him.  You are one tough chick, Annie.”  I grabbed her hand with mine and squeezed.  “I think you won our contest.  You are definitely more impressive than I could ever be.  Shit!  You saved our lives.  All three of us.”  I paused for a moment and my voice was barely a whisper as I asked, “Are you okay…you know…with what you had to do?”

I rolled over to rest my head on my hand, so I could look down at her.  Annie smiled up at me.  “I like to think of it as we saved each other.”  Her eyes darkened momentarily; but then it was gone, replaced with resolve and determination.  “Your Momma is right when she teaches about how we need to help each other, about how we need to stand together against those that hurt us.  I’m not sorry for what I did…not one bit.  I know I should be, taking a life and all…but I just don’t care.  You saved me in our apartment that night; you and Daemon both.  I was just returning the favor.  Would you have felt bad if you were the one who killed him?”

I instantly responded, “Hell no!”

She nodded.  “Exactly; so then you know there’s no need to be worrying about me.”

My smile traveled ear to ear at her words.  “Fine; but I have to ask…how in the hell did you pull that shot off?”

Annie grinned and shrugged a shoulder.  “You don’t get named after a woman like Annie Oakley and not get taught to shoot as you’re growing up. I guess that’s one of those things you didn’t know about me.  My parents were gun nuts, they made sure that I knew how to handle a weapon.” 

My jaw dropped, but then I shook my head in amazement before laying back down beside her.  We swung for a while, laughing and talking as we tried to make out shapes in the clouds above us.  Eventually, Logan approached, pulling Annie up and to his side.

“If you’ll excuse us, Paige, I need to borrow Annie for a moment.   Ava wanted to get some pictures of us before dinner.”