I shrug, but there is no hesitation in my voice. “Anything she wants.” My mind flashes to Rose walking out of the ICU with her rabbit clutched tight, braver than most grown men I’ve met. “Anything at all.”
PART 3
THE FUTURE
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Emily Brontë,Wuthering Heights
THIRTY-NINE
DANI
One Year Later
It’s good to be back where it all started—those forgotten promises made under the web of darkness in the witching hours between two love-struck soulmates. I was the beacon of light in his stormy sea, leading him to safe harbor. He sees the darkness in me, bringing it to light, causing our souls to intertwine in a macabre of primal urges. Urges we explored together.
I run as fast as my feet will carry me into the pitch-black. A single light shines from a window on the upper level of the house. I can hear his boots crunching through the brush as I swing around a tree, stopping to catch my breath. My heart is beating at an erratic pace, the blood rushing to my ears at the thought of being caught. No, I can’t. I need to get away.
I run further into the thicket until I hit a hard wall of muscle. Deep corded arms reach around me, picking me up off my feet as they dangle in midair. “No!” I scream, but there isn’t anyone here to hear me out in the country under the night sky. The hootof an owl echoes through the air somewhere in the mixture of sounds. A low chuckle rings out under my ear as his hot breath wraps itself around me.
“Caught you, my little dark angel.” His voice echoes from the closeness of his mouth against my ear as he presses it there.
“Oof.” The air rushes out of me as I’m thrown up against a large tree trunk out in the landscape of brush and open field. His erection presses into my core as he wraps my legs around him and grinds against me.
“No. Please stop,” I beg, but it’s no use. I’m stuck against him. His muscular frame leans into me, making it hard to breathe as I catch a large intake of air, and his body shudders as I struggle against him. He holds my arms at an awkward angle, with a knife in the other hand. The blade gleams in the moonlight, the full moon reflected in the tip, angled against my jugular. I whimper as the blade presses into my skin. He laughs lowly at my meek attempt at a fight.
“Ouch.” The knick to my neck is sharp as the heat coils lower in my belly, and the warm liquid drips down my neck. He drops the blade, ripping my little sleep shorts right off me. The snap of the fabric against my skin causes me to cry out once again, foolishly thinking anyone will come to my aid. I feel him shift as he frees his cock. He trails his tongue on my neck, lapping up the blood as he hums in approval. I can feel him there at my entrance, and I brace myself for the intrusion. His thick cock plunges into me on one forward thrust as my back arches against the tree trunk. I’m sure I’ll have marks from it as he buries himself to the hilt. He moans, and my head falls back against the tree. Just as he withdraws to drive back in, we hear a piercing wail. He stops, placing his head against my forehead, and he begins to heave in laughter.
The baby monitor is there in the grass as Vic pulls out of me and gently places my feet on the grass. “We can try againtomorrow, if you’d like?” He offers me a small boyish smile that makes me remember him from all those years ago.
“How about a little ride back to the house since you ripped my sleep shorts right off?” I lift my eyebrow. I look down at my exposed pussy, still throbbing from being filled, just to be denied as quickly.
Vic smirks, sensing my sexual frustration. “Sure, baby, hop on,” he says, bending and letting me jump onto his back as he hands me the baby monitor. I grab it with my left hand, where my large diamond wedding ring sparkles in the moonlight. I tuck it under my arm as he returns the knife to its holder. He wraps his arms around my legs, and we walk the small distance back to the house where our one-year-old was fast asleep not long ago. Unfortunately, he has developed a love for our arms, and we couldn’t be happier to indulge him. Vic, in particular, loves his son something fierce. He is the epitome of the protective dad. I love their relationship, and I couldn’t be happier.
As we walk into our home, the pictures that adorn the walls are of our family. From the beginning, with Vic and me as teenagers, until we met again all those years later, both of us were always trying to find each other—pictures of our wedding and the newest ones of our newborn. After we returned to Texas, we reconnected with Brandon, our former realtor and now a friend, who kept his promise to sell us the house back. When Vic’s home went back on the market, we bought it just to tear it down. The house and all its terrible memories were stripped down to rubble. We decided to build one house on two lots, rebuilding our dream home where we first met, where we will create new memories together until we leave this earth.
I open the door to find Alexander standing in his crib. He looks pissed, but when he sees us, his tears stop, and he extends his hands outward for Vic to pick him up. He sits in the chair with our son, rocking him and staring out the window. The sky isblanketed in a sea of stars. I stand in the doorway watching my favorite people on this earth, holding onto each other, and I’ve never felt more at peace than I do at this moment. We may have taken the long way, but in the end, the journey, the heartache, and the reunion were all worth the time it took to get here. Vic got to fulfill his dream, and I—well, I got what I wanted in the end. My perfect family.
EPILOGUE
DANI
Eighteen Years Later
The doorbell rings, and I halt halfway through packing this box up. “Alexander, can you get that, please?” I yell as a loud thud hits the floor above. I have no idea what he’s doing up there, nor do I want to. Rolling my eyes, I hear the door shut loudly before I see him flying down the stairs. His size twelve combat boots echo, hitting each step with a solid thunk as he rounds the banister before flashing me a guilty smile.
“I don’t want to know,” I tell him as he chuckles loudly to the door. All chuckling stops as he opens it. His posture is stock-still, and his mouth is slightly open. A surge of worry grips me. I stand abruptly, dropping the items onto the floor with a sudden clatter, and I move quickly toward the door. Standing behind him, I see a girl in her mid-twenties, staring back at him. When she sees me, she smiles. She waves timidly. Dark brown hair cascades over her heart-shaped face. Her eyes are the same, but this time, they sparkle, light, and happy.
“You may not remember me,” she says guardedly, “I’m R?—”
“Rose,” I finish for her. “My God, Rose. Look at you, honey.” I walk to the door, past my son, and open the screen door, pulling her into a hug. “Come in, please. Vic is here, let me get him.”
I run up the stairs where my husband is just getting out of the shower. He drops his towel, and I can’t help but be drawn to the sight of him. Snapping myself out of my lust-filled haze, “Babe, I need you.” He walks over to me, his cock standing at attention.
“We don’t have much time, baby, but you can choke—” I laugh, making him stop mid-sentence, his brows furrow in confusion.
“I’ll take care of that,” I wave my hand around his genital region, “later, but I need you to get dressed quickly and come downstairs,” I say before walking toward the door. I turn to address him before exiting our bedroom. “And hurry. There’s someone here you need to see.”
