The Darkness of Perfection (22 page)

Nicholas clasped my free hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Eugene was right. Every girl needs flowers.” His expression was filled with warmth and a hint of something else. He turned back to Judge Phillips and nodded his agreement.

“Thank you,” I murmured and lowered my gaze again to the flowers in my hand.

I couldn’t shake the odd feeling like I was missing something vital. I wasn’t sure what to make of Judge Phillips. He appeared to be a lonely old man, but he was involved with the Harrisons so that meant he was probably aware of their illegal activities and condoned them as well. I couldn’t see what everyone else was doing behind us and wondered briefly why no one else came forward to visit with him or why he didn’t move on to visit with the others either.

Judge Phillips offered me an encouraging smile. “I bet you didn’t know I knew your mother, did you?

Lovely woman, but not like my Anna. She was the gentlest creature God ever created.” He shook his head sadly. “Shame she isn’t here gathered with the rest of the family on this glorious night.” He sniffed slightly and cleared his throat. “Now for the record, I hear you like our Nicholas. Is that a fact?”

There was something odd in the way he spoke to me that gave me a feeling of trepidation, but again, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Nicholas squeezed my hand and I looked up at him quickly. His eyes narrowed in warning. Hearing that Judge Phillips knew my mother from before made me uneasy. He was old and couldn’t hurt anyone, but Nicholas could. If anything, he simply reminded me again who my actions could hurt, so I took a deep breath and plastered a smile worthy of my high school theater teacher and replied. “Yes sir, I do.”

He nodded, seemingly pleased with my answer, and turned to Nicholas. “Nicholas, your family and I have heard you carry on about Jayden most of your life. Everyone else gave up on her, but not you.

You never lost faith that she would come back to you and she did, proving to everyone that miracles still happen.”

I wanted to vomit now, listening to him talk to Nicholas. He made it sound like I was here voluntarily, of my own free will. He was delusional. How could my being kidnapped ever be seen as a miracle?

What happened to me, to my mother, and to probably every woman on the property and I’d even bet happened to his precious Anna he spoke of so fondly, was a heinous crime not a miracle. But no one ever asked if we wanted to be here. We were voiceless and he was going to continue spouting his nonsense anyway.

I couldn’t listen any longer and tuned out their conversation, focusing on the flowers in my hand instead for distraction. I thought about Grace and William and the baby they were having and about the love I’d witnessed when they looked at each other. It didn’t appear forced or phony for either of them. Their love seemed as real as what my parents felt for each other and I wondered how it happened. Had she been kidnapped and brought here or had she been raised from birth into this life like I was supposed to be? Was her love a result of brainwashing and years of familiarity?

If she’d been given a choice, would she still have chosen William?

Would it happen to me?

I jumped when I heard a sharp whistle and someone clapping their hands loudly behind me, and looked around to see what had happened. Nicholas grasped my hips and turned me toward him, grinning like a Cheshire cat and leaned down, capturing my lips in a heated kiss. I stood frozen, caught off guard and embarrassed by his actions in front of everyone. He finally pulled away just far enough that I inhaled the single word he whispered against my mouth.

“Inevitable.”

Suddenly everything clicked into place and I stared up at him in horror at what he’d done. If there was an ounce of doubt in my conclusion, his next words confirmed it. “Hello, Mrs. Harrison.”

Uncle Eugene was an anomaly in our family. He was my father’s older brother, the son of my grandfather’s mistress. My grandmother evidently had trouble getting pregnant so Eugene was raised as family, given every opportunity and luxury money could buy. Grandfather expected him to help run the family empire until my father became an adult and could take his rightful place as head. Instead, when he turned eighteen he shocked the old man and legally changed his name, severing ties with his family. He was young and idealistic and he was going to change the world and prove that an honest man could finish first. Mind you he didn’t go the total self-sacrificing route. He did take his money for law school and to get himself established. He was idealistic, not stupid.

Then he met Anna. Anna was a waitress at the restaurant he frequented. He claimed it was love at first sight. For him, anyway. For Anna it took a while longer. She was not impressed with the young attorney or his cocky attitude and really made him work for her heart. They married and were very happy together until members of a local gang broke into their home one day and attacked her. She spent two weeks in a coma and lost their baby she carried. She was never quite the same again.

It was the only time Eugene asked his father for a favor. Grandfather comforted Eugene with the thought that he was making the city a safer place to live for all citizens by ridding Houston of the gang that destroyed his wife’s mind and body.

He turned to alcohol to reconcile his conscience at having given up his ideals so easily at the first sign of trouble. Not that anyone ever blamed him. Anyone would have done the same in his position if they had the resources available to take vengeance the way his father had done.

Our father had left Eugene alone for the most part, only calling on him when absolutely necessary.

Being named our godfather wasn’t for any sense of family, but a form of manipulation to convince him to help out if and when William or I ever needed him.

Eugene had developed a philosophy over the years when it came to his family. “Don’t ask. Don’t tell.”

He slept better at night pretending he didn’t know what we were involved in and my father was happy to feed that illusion.

Since Anna was unable to have children after her attack, he sort of looked out for us growing up. He tried to convince us to follow the straight and narrow and become fine upstanding citizens, but all William and I saw was our aunt and her broken mind being the result of that belief. That would never happen to our wives. If he had stayed within the family, Anna wouldn’t have been attacked and their baby would have lived.

I had never asked anything of him in the past, which made refusing me now impossible. I played on his soft heart and romantic nature to get him to agree to perform our ceremony.

Despite Eugene’s connection to our family, he was a judge and had a reputation that was above reproach. No one would question the validity of our marriage. All of the key points were met and when asked “for the record” she said
I do
.

Eugene made a point of talking with her before our ceremony, giving her every opportunity to back out or cry “foul”. Not that it would have made a difference even if she had, but it helped Eugene feel better about his role in this for her to give her consent freely.

I wanted Jayden bound to me in every way to help chip away at her resistance. I was tired of waiting for her to come around. Making her my wife now, instead of waiting for her eventual capitulation, was just another strategy, another layer of the control I would have over her.

She needed a reason to give in and accept that she was mine. This was the only way I could see to help her along without physically forcing her or sending her to the facility, which would crush her spirit completely. I wanted her bent, not broken.

Jayden might have been intimidated by the threats I’d used to control her, but her behavior earlier proved she wasn’t completely cowed just yet. What intrigued me was how stimulating it was to watch the change that came over her when she found the will to fight me. Her body practically crackled with the energy radiating off of her and her eyes were full of fire. She was beyond beautiful in those rare moments. I couldn’t wait to harness all of that energy and have her pour it into more useful endeavors.

I had to hand it to Eugene. He was slick. Jayden had no idea what was happening and even I was hard-pressed to catch some of the nuances of what he said, but in the end all that mattered was she was legally mine. Daniel had the paperwork inside for us to sign and then it would be official. If she balked at signing I would just remind her of what I could do to her family if she didn’t.

We could have just forged her signature, but I wanted her to sign the license herself. She needed to see the physical evidence in her own handwriting that she had given herself to me. Every time I gave her a choice was another step away from her previous life and a step closer to acceptance.

Eugene nodded, letting me know it was done. Daniel’s piercing whistle jarred Jayden out of her stupor. She must have been a million miles away. I pulled her into my arms and relished kissing my new bride.

I pulled away from her lips just enough to whisper, “Inevitable.”

It was amazing to watch the transformation in her expression. Her brow had been wrinkled in confusion and I knew the exact moment she figured it out. Confusion was quickly replaced with wide-eyed shock and disbelief. I couldn’t have resisted the triumphant grin that spread across my face even if I tried.

“Hello, Mrs. Harrison.”

She shook her head, trying to deny the truth. “Oh my God. You can’t do that,” she cried. A sound of anguish bubbled up from deep within her chest. She whipped her head around to stare at Eugene who already had another drink in his hand. He refused to look at her now, choosing to focus on his drink instead. “It’s not really legal, is it? I’m not-?”

“Enough,” I snapped, interrupting her tantrum. I grasped her hand and slid the platinum and diamond band I held firmly onto her finger. I held her hand up for her inspection. “You are my wife and I am your husband. You belong to me and now I’ve made it legal.” I tugged her forward until our chests were pressed together and leaned down, speaking low against her ear. “You will stop this right now.

We are married and you will put a smile on your face and thank Eugene for doing the honors. Then we’re going into my father’s study where you will sign the documents Daniel brought with him without complaint. If you don’t, then I’ll send someone to pay a visit to your mother to tell her the good news in person. Is that understood?”

Her face crumpled and I watched her eyes fill with tears at being reminded of the threat I posed to her family. I ground my teeth in frustration and cursed again the years she was separated from me. Our wedding should have been a joyous occasion, one which she reveled in. Instead she acted as though I was leading her to her doom.

My family surrounded us offering congratulations, the most sincere coming from my father and Daniel. William stared at me a moment, seeming at war with himself before he finally spoke.

“Congratulations, Nicholas. May I kiss the bride?” he asked. His tone was disapproving but resigned.

At least he was making the effort to make Jayden feel welcome and participate in celebrating our nuptials.

I raised my hand, gesturing that he was welcome to offer his congratulations to Jayden as well. He surprised me by taking her hand and pulling her into a hug, kissing her cheek. “Welcome to the family, Jayden. I hope my brother can make you happy.” He then leaned back down to kiss her other cheek. When he pulled back again he cut his eyes to me and stepped back, releasing her. “Maybe now that you’re married Nicholas will relax and give you some more freedom to move about. It would be really nice if you could sit with Grace sometimes. She’s going to go stircrazy sitting around the house by herself all day.”

“If that’s your idea of dropping a hint, William, I heard you loud and clear,” I chuckled. I drew Jayden back to me, wrapping my arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. “I’m afraid it’ll have to wait a few days, though.”

“Why is that?” he pressed. His gaze flickered to Jayden before focusing on me again.

I rubbed my thumb over Jayden’s waist and kissed behind her ear, sucking at her skin briefly. I grinned when I heard her breath hitch slightly in response and rested my chin on her shoulder before answering. “Haven’t you ever heard of a honeymoon? Marriage has really made you dense, William.

Jayden and I are going to take a few days for us first. You can understand that, can’t you?”

He scowled in response and turned to stare out at the garden, his hands on his hips. He appeared upset, which I took to be concern for Grace’s comfort.