Irrevocably Mine (Imagine Ink Book 3) (25 page)

Stacy was in the passenger seat laughing to herself. “What’s so funny, darlin’?”

“I was just thinking how glad I am that I rented. I can’t imagine trying to sell the ‘murder house,’ I probably couldn’t even get a decent agent. I wonder what the story will morph into over time?”

While she seemed reflective, she didn’t appear upset and that was a good thing. At least she could laugh about it, somewhat. Dax knew that would sound callous to some, but those people just didn’t understand.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t have to deal with all that too, but just for the record, it can be done. My go-to lady, Jewel, once sold a burned-out house, or so the story goes. I bet she could unload that one in thirty days and at a profit, no less. Maybe I should give your landlord her card.” They were still laughing when he pulled into the drive.

Stacy didn’t wait for him to get her door. She was out of the car in record time in order to catch the blur coming toward her. His Macy Bug flew at her like she did with him. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. Dad’s told me everything about you and I feel like we already know each other.” His daughter towered over Stacy—pretty much everyone did.

When Macy disengaged herself, she looped her arm through Stacy’s and walked her into the house, chattering on the whole way. Dax knew Macy was excited, but she was also a seriously worried girl. She had expressed her concerns and discussed her feelings with Dax earlier. While she was accepting of Stacy as a part of their lives, she wasn’t as okay with it all as she appeared to be outwardly. Having confessed her issues to Dax, she promised to still make her feel welcomed. Both his daughter and the woman he loved were amazing individuals, but they had to forge their own way.

M
acy’s enthusiasm
was over the top. Not to say she was faking it, she seemed genuine enough, but there was no way this teenager, whose life was just uprooted, was this okay with her. She’d been raised by a mother who she adored for years, there had to be a bit of that whole, underlying taking-mom’s-place thing. Stacy looked up at the beautiful girl next to her. She looked so much like Dax, right down to,
or should I say up to
, her height. “Damn, am I destined to be the shortest person forever? I was hopeful when Dax said he had a teenage daughter that I might get to experience being taller than someone. For a few years, at least, but by the looks of things, you were taller than me by fifth grade, am I right?”

The sparkle in Macy’s eyes let her know she said something right, she wasn’t sure what, but she would take it. “Sixth grade, actually, I had a growth spurt. No worries about being short, I can reach the top shelves for you…at a price.” Her sense of humor and ease helped Stacy relax. Y
ep, she is a helluva lot like Dax.

They would still need to have a dreaded talk about their places in the family and how neither took away from the other. Luckily, Gus and Tori both gave her advice. In her mind, she paired that with what she knew from dealing with people who turned to crime because of family issues, and she felt okay about it. Not great, but okay was a start. Stacy was arm and arm with her as they entered the house.

Her senses were assaulted immediately. The kitchen was a wreck and the smell of burned meat overpowered everything else. Macy curled in on herself, making her appear a half of a foot shorter because of her slumped posture. She shuffled toward the sink and started cleaning. She seemed embarrassed, speaking to Stacy, but not making eye contact, “I wanted to make you a nice dinner for your first night, but I really suck at cooking. I can make mac & cheese from the box and omelets, but that’s it.”

Stacy joined her at the sink and helped her clean. “You and I will get along just fine, I’m not a great chef either, however, I can make a few things well. What do you say we clean this up, and then whip up what we can, and play to our strengths? Omelets will be the perfect companion, because I make some pretty mean pancakes. How do you feel about breakfast for dinner?”

Keeping her face forward, Stacy continued to clean and not make eye contact. Not because of Macy, but because of herself. She was already half in love with Dax’s daughter and ready to make her
dinfast
. Stacy had a fear of rejection, just as surely as Macy did.

Dax came up behind them both in the silence. Placing a hand on each, he spoke with a cracked voice, “I love that idea. Now ladies,” he kissed first one on the cheek, then the other, “if you’ll excuse me, I need a shower, but I’ll leave you to it, unless you need another set of hands.” Both shook their heads and Dax went about his business.

“So, I’ll grab the stuff and we’ll get started.” Stacy went to the refrigerator and started pulling out what she figured they’d need. “What vegetables do you want, if any, for the omelets?”

“Just onion and green pepper. I like it simple.” They prepared the rest of the meal in silence. Stacy’s heart was breaking a little. It seemed Macy had shut her out already. It wasn’t that she expected a smooth road or immediate affection, but her welcome had seemed so true. Sure, there was caution there too, but now, the child was struck mute. Replaying their conversation over and over provided zero answers. Unless omelets were code for something else, she was lost.

Dinfast
was tasty but rather quiet. Even Dax couldn’t seem to engage her very much. The bubbly girl who meet her at the car and leapt at her like a spider monkey was replaced by a somber, reflective one. After washing her plate, Macy said her goodnights and went to bed at…seven thirty? Something was certainly wrong. Stacy couldn’t let her go to bed, not like that. If Stacy being here hurt her, then she would not be here. No way would she put her happiness above Macy’s.

“I think I’ll go talk to her,” Stacy told Dax.

At her knock, Macy granted her entrance. When she stepped into the room, the first thing she noticed was the bed. It was another of Dax’s masterpieces that she could explore later. Her concern was curled up in the bed softly sobbing. The sound ripped Stacy’s heart from her chest and tossed it into a tornado. Somehow, she was the cause and she couldn’t bear it. Sitting on the bed, she rubbed Macy’s back and tried to soothe her.

“Please don’t cry, I hate that I am causing your tears. I will do whatever I can to help if you just tell me what it is?” Stacy was not above begging at this point.

“I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have to deal with…”

“Don’t ever apologize for your feelings. They are your own and no one should make you feel bad for them. I’m the one who’s sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel like you needed to apologize.” Stacy took a steadying breath and continued, “This is your home, Macy, and do you want to know one of the most beautiful things about your home? It’s that you can be yourself in it, no matter what. No one should make you feel otherwise, and if they do, they’re wrong. Home is safe and nonjudgmental. Home is, well, home. It is the one place in this world where your heart can relax and you can be free from guarding it like you have to everywhere else you go.” Stacy stood, smoothed her clothes and sucked back her tears. The last thing Macy needed was to feel that she had caused someone else pain by feeling whatever it was she felt.

“Thank you for the omelet, it was the best one I’ve ever had.”
Due to the company more so than the eggs.
“But I think I’ll leave you to sort through things. No matter what, I do want you to know that I love Dax and, by extension, you. Don’t ever apologize for what you feel.” Stacy turned on her heels and practically ran for the door, intent on leaving, not just this room, but this house and this fragile family.

A whisper froze her hand as she gripped the knob.

“It’s
dinfast
, Dad told me about
dinfast
.”

Stacy was breathless, and speechless. It took a few minutes of her wheels spinning to grasp the truth behind Macy’s tears. She turned her head slightly, but didn’t look all the way in Macy’s direction, she couldn’t. “So, you’re crying because of…that?”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Macy sit up, cross her legs and hug her pillow. With her eyes on her pillow and not Stacy, she nodded. “I told myself that I would accept you, no matter what, because my dad loves you and you love him. But to be honest, I was afraid I would never be able to let you in and if I did, it would be a betrayal to my mom somehow. But then you made me pancakes. I know what that means to you and…it means a lot to me now, too. And well…” Macy trailed off and starting picking at her nails.

Stacy knew exactly how she was feeling, or at least, she thought she did. She was feeling guilty for not just faking it. Stacy turned in hope that if Macy decided to look up, she would see her sincerity. However, she didn’t approach the bed. The last thing the poor girl needed was physical comfort to add to her guilt. This was something she would have to work through over time.

“For what it’s worth, I love your mom, too. Without her, there would be no you and I can’t imagine that. Regardless of what happened between her and Dax, and what her motives were, she did a good job with you. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have earned such fierce loyalty.” That was all she could really say. Anything more would be too much.

“But, I...I’m confused and, I don’t know. I want us to be happy and close, but I...”

“Say no more. Relationships aren’t built overnight. And I have no expectations where that is concerned. We’ll happen when we happen and not a minute before. I’ll not push you, if that’s your fear. All I ask is that you’re open to it and honest about it. We’ll feel what we feel when we feel it. We can even talk to someone if you want. But, it will always be up to you. Deal?”

“Deal. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Stacy excused herself from the room to give Macy time to think. She had a good feeling about the way things went. Better than she’d hoped. It would not be a smooth road, nor would it be a quick trip, but it would be worth every minute.

Dax was leaning against the wall across the hallway when she exited. The minute the door was closed, Dax captured her cheeks in his hands, and her lips with his, kissing her with an intensity that brought her to her knees. “I
dinfast
the hell out of you.” He gave her another kiss that was a stamp of ownership. “You amaze me. I heard every word and you are…bedroom, now!”

It must have been an order for him, not her, because he scooped her up and whisked her down the hall. He slammed the door with his boot and plopped her on the bed with zero finesse, while he was shedding his clothes.

Dax paused with one boot on and the other foot toeing at it, his jeans unbuttoned and his shirt halfway over his head.
I’ve seen this movie before, and it was amazing
, Stacy thought.

“If you give a shit about those clothes, you better get them off…NOW!” His shirt went flying one way and his pants the other.

Stacy wanted him just as badly, so she stood and began to comply. She paid close attention as he lowered his jeans. This time, the lighting was perfect and she drank in everything about Dax. One leg was completely ink free, allowing her to enjoy the unadorned beauty of his massive quad covered in a light dusting of dark hair.

The other side was the polar opposite. It was inked from the waist down with tribal-looking knots. It took her just a moment to realize where she’d seen them before. Snapping her head toward the headboard and tables, then snapping it back, she stared, agape.

The markings gave him an untamed look. Wild and free. His other tattoos were amazing, too, but these were different somehow. They were ancient symbols that spoke of who he was at his heart. Dax was most certainly a modern day Viking if ever there was one.

Stacy finally let her attention return to his face, and he seemed to be waiting on her to finish her assessment before he approached. They were both completely bare when he reached for her, but he hesitated. “I’m sorry if I’m being too aggressive right now. With what you’ve been through, I want to move at your pace.” He gently stroked her cheek. “I just want you so damn bad, but I don’t want to do things wrong or upset you. I just…”

He may not have been able to express his fears with words but the tremble of his hand spoke volumes. It clawed at her soul to see him like this. How could she show him that in spite of how it all ended, facing Hank was a good thing? It liberated her in ways she couldn’t describe. By surviving him, she could be submissive and not feel used. The lost puppy look on Dax’s face was a sight she never wanted to see. He should be free, too. Free to be the man in bed he wants to be without worrying about her. She was fine, he wasn’t.

Then, it came to her, the perfect way to let him know to unleash his inner beast if that’s what he wanted.
It’s damn sure what I want right now.

Invading his personal space, she practically fused their bodies together. Stacy drew her knee up his thigh and he caught it without hesitation, never dropping his intense gaze. His other hand hung by his side. He was still so damned reluctant to make a move. When she kissed him, she did so with such passion, their teeth clicked together and it was rough as hell. Dax returned her kiss, but made no other move. The kiss ended and she dropped her leg.