I relax into him when I see that he puts the bottle down on the floor.
“Why?” he asks.
I want to answer him, but the words don’t come out. He pulls me up on his lap and I lean against his shoulder, closing my eyes as I do so.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
BLAKE
I sit in the dark closet just holding her and waiting for her to wake up. Every once in a while, I glance at the bottle and it takes every ounce of strength I have not to pick it up and drink.
Trying to distract myself, I rest my head back against the wall, close my eyes, and think about what I walked into when I went outside. Dad was out of the car, Bram was inside waiting, and Jones was talking to my dad in a way that I’d never seen anyone talk to him before.
Maybe that gave me the strength to get closer to him and say what I had to say. Jones stopped yelling at him as soon as he spotted me. I walked right up to dad and said, “I’m actually sorry for you.”
He grinned. “Why would that be?”
I actually managed to laugh. “Because at the end of the day, you’re a jealous piece of shit who will never have what I have and it drives you crazy.”
He shakes his head, “You think I’m jealous of your relationship with someone who is already married? Please! Besides, I already got what I wanted out of her.” He smiles and I lose my mind.
Jones steps out of the way, and I grab the collar of my dad’s shirt and punch his face over and over again. At some point, my hand starts to feel numb from the pain, but I keep going. I remember him trying to block me, but I jerked his shirt back and kneed him in between his legs. Once he fell to the ground, I kicked him in his stomach once, I was going to kick him again, but Jones and Bram held me back.
“That is enough, son,” said Jones.
I shook my hand to try and get the feeling back. Blood dripped on the floor. I wasn’t even sure if it was blood coming from my hand or from his nose.
I looked at Bram and something about him seemed different. As soon as he helped Jones pull me away from dad, he distanced himself.
“Go back inside, son,” said Jones. “I’m going to make sure they both get where they need to go.”
I nodded and walked over to dad once more.
“Leave us the fuck alone,” I warned him before I turned around and came back in, only to find the woman I love falling apart yet again.
“Blake?”
I flinch when I hear her call my name. I didn’t feel her move at all.
She looks up at me and then looks around quickly, before she stops and presses her hands to her temples.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
“I’m going to move you to the bed, okay?”
She shakes her head again, and then moves away from my lap and lies down on the floor.
I stay seated where I am, holding on to the bottle as I watch her. It’s not long before she starts to mumble things like wishing we could get away from everyone, and the thing that gets to me the most, is when she blames my mom for something. I try to ask what she means, but I can’t get an answer out of her.
Leaving the bottle in the corner of the closet, I get up, scooping her up and carrying her to the bed. I lay her down and she wakes up. She starts to kiss my neck, but I stop her.
She gives me a confused look.
“Not like this,” I say.
She closes her eyes again and goes to sleep.
It’s early in the morning when I wake up and find that she is gone.
I quickly get up and step outside of the room.
“Arianna?” I call out to her.
“In the kitchen,” she says.
I find her sitting at the table, with her head down.
“I’ll make you some coffee,” I offer.
Once the coffee is done, I grab her a cup and sit next to her as she drinks it.
She takes a few sips.
“I feel horrible,” she says. “Is this how you felt after drinking?”
I shrug, “Sometimes.”
“I’m so ashamed.”
“You shouldn’t be. We have been dealing with a lot… too much actually.”
“There is something bothering you,” she says. “What is it?”
I sigh. “You mentioned something about my mom last night. You blamed her for something. What did you mean by that?”
She shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” She sighs. “I just don’t understand why she is with him. Why she didn’t protect all of you by getting away.”
“It’s complicated, especially with Molly.”
“But Molly is so young. You and Owen were already adults when she was born. Why didn’t she just leave him before?”
I grab a cup of coffee for me as well and just stare at it, not knowing how to answer her questions, because I don’t understand it either.
“What happened to your hand?” she asks in shock once she sees how bruised they look.
I sit back on the chair. “It’s nothing. Dad was outside and—“ Her eyes widen. “It’s okay. I’m okay,” I assure her.
“What else did I say?” she asks nervously.
“That you wish we could get away from everyone.”
“Oh,” she says.
I look up into her eyes. “Do you mean it? Would you go away with me? Just disappear from it all?”
She hesitates.
“I have money saved up and I can get a job somewhere. We can leave right now and just… disappear. No one has to know where we are going. Would you? Come with me?”
She smiles at me and I see the relief in her face, “I will go wherever you go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
OWEN
Between mom and dad, I feel like I’ve been avoiding phone calls like the fucking plague, so I ignore the phone when a call comes in really early in the morning.
When the phone rings for the fourth time, Carly, the woman I met the night before, rolls over.
“Do you want me to get that for you?”
“No, they will leave a message.” I bite my bottom lip and roll over to the side. “But since we are already up—” I grab her, pulling her on top of me.
“I thought you said you were a ‘on top kind of guy’?”
I smile at her. “I can make exceptions,” I say while thinking to myself that it’s just too early for this much work.’
The phone going off over and over again breaks my concentration.
I grab the damn phone ready to throw it against the wall, when I see the seven missed calls from Jones.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I have to get this.”
She looks disappointed, but starts to move away.
“Hello?”
‘Oh shit,’ she is under the blanket and moving down, getting comfortable in between my legs.
“OWEN!” I hear Jones yell on the phone.
“Yes. Sorry. What’s going on?”
“Have you heard from Blake or Arianna?”
“Hmm. No. Should I have heard from them?”
I can barely focus on the conversation.
“OWEN? Should I call you at another time?”
“No. Sorry. You’re saying they left a note?”
“Yes. Thanking us for everything and saying it was time to be on their own.”
“Well, that was fucking stupid.”
Listen, just keep tabs on your dad for a few days to make sure he doesn’t find them, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
I hang up the phone and enjoy what will probably be my last few moments of peace until we figure out where they went.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SEVEN MONTHS LATER
BLAKE
The small house with the white picket fence is a place I could never have pictured myself in, but it’s perfect. It’s our home. We moved to the small house in North Carolina a week after we left Jones’. We paid the rent ahead with cash and have managed to hide from everyone since.
Findi
ng a job became a problem considering that I didn’t want my references contacted, so Arianna insisted that I take the time to do what I always wanted to. I had money saved for us to get by for a while, so I took her advice and things happened so fast!
I sit outside, reading the proof for my novel while Arianna works in the garden. Every once in a while, I see her look at me and smile. She said she knew I would be happy once I started doing something I love, but honestly, the reasons for my happiness go far beyond that. And the book is just more than I could have hoped for. It is the perfect way to put my past behind me.
When I close my laptop, she stops what she is doing and comes and sits on my lap. She puts her arms around my neck, “How does it feel?” she asks.
“How does what feel?”
“To have all your dreams come true.”
I smile up at her. “Not all my dreams have come true just yet.”
Her smile turns into a frown. “Why do you say that? Is the book not what you expected?”
“No, the book is great.”
“What then?” she asks confused.
I wink at her, “I’m happy. I promise you. I just have many other dreams, that is all.”
She relaxes, leaning her body against mine.
“We should get ready to go. Jeff wants to take us out to dinner to celebrate.”
We get up and go get ready. On the way out, I grab the small bag by the door.
“What’s that?” she asks.
I grin. I can barely contain my excitement and I can only hope she thinks it’s only because of the book. “It’s a surprise.”
We meet Jeff, my neighbor and publisher, at an Italian restaurant. It’s funny how the universe works sometimes. As soon as we moved here, everything fell into place.
“How is everything?” he asks.
“Perfect!”
“No changes?”
“No.”
“And are you sure you don’t want to use your real name?”
I smile at Arianna. “Definitely.” Yes, I did decide to use a penname so that we can keep hiding, but Arianna’s idea of using my grandfather’s name gave it all a special meaning. I know he would’ve been proud, not just because I’m doing what I love, but because it’s all in that book, the whole truth about my dad… even if people do believe it’s all fiction.
As soon as we are done eating, I waste no time in getting out of there. We start the drive down and Arianna never once asks me where we are going. Once we get close, I ask her to put the blindfold over her eyes.
I park the car at the back of the building and text the owner who opens the door right away.
We step into the cold building and make our way to the center, where I remove the blindfold.
She looks around and gives me a confused look when she realizes we are at the aquarium.
“What are we doing here?”
“We are celebrating.”
I open the bag and grab our swimsuits.
“We have permission to get in the water with the dolphins.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “How did you manage that?”
I smile back but don’t answer her question. “There is a bathroom over there where you can change.”
The owner tells us he will be in his office, and minutes later, once I get my diving gear on, we get in the water. I can tell Arianna misses this part of her past. She always will, but she is as happy as I am.
I slip my hand into hers, “Come with me?” I ask.
She doesn’t hesitate. She latches onto my hand and we dive toward the deep far corner of the tank. I swim under her, grazing my hands against each side of her waist, before letting go and motioning for her to follow me.
I block her view as much as I can. Once we get to the bottom, I’m happy to see that things are exactly as planned. I turn to face her, now holding the small oyster shell in my hand.
I open it and watch her reaction as she reads the small piece of paper, “Marry me?”
She looks up from the paper, her eyes meeting mine, and she nods, before throwing her arms around me.
Hand in hand, we swim back up. I waste no time removing the gear and kissing her. “Now all my dreams have come true,” I say as I remove the white gold ring with the blue stone from the shell, and put it on her finger. “But I don’t want to wait,” I tell her. “I know in an ideal world Jones and Carol would be here for us, and we’d have your father’s blessing, but this here… you and I, alone, is perfect. I would love to share this with others, but at the end of the day, it will be just as perfect. And—”
“Blake,” she interrupts me.
“Just stop worrying about everyone else. I would marry you today if I could.”
“Is that a promise?” I wink at her.
“Yes.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Were you?” she asks jokingly.
“Yes. I have someone a phone call away, ready to marry us.”
She cocks her head to the side. “You are serious, aren’t you?”
I nod and watch her reaction.
“Are you getting cold feet?” I laugh. “You promised…”
She seems uneasy.
“I’m joking,” I say, even though I’m a little disappointed as I do so. “I understand you probably want to pick a dress and all that. Let’s get out of the water. We’ll talk about dates later.
We get out of the water and dry off. She seems quieter than usual and then she approaches me.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, it is just—”
“What is it?” I ask concerned.
“Are you serious about having someone a phone call away? A dress is just a dress, Blake. We can wear what we wore to dinner tonight. I just—I don’t feel like we should wait another minute. I want you to be mine.”
My smile grows wider. “I’m already yours. I’ve always been, but if you are sure, yes, I do have someone ready to meet us right here.”
I pull her toward me, and whisper in her ear, “Go get ready. I will handle everything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ARIANNA
Everything is absolutely perfect: the way we are surrounded by water, the way the light reflects on the water, and mostly, the way that Blake looks at me.
I don’t know how he managed to pull this off, but by the time I come out, wearing the black dress that I wore to dinner, there is a pathway to where Blake stands. On the sides, there are seashells of all sizes and shapes.
It amazes me that he always tries to find a way to include the good parts of my past into my present, little reminders of where I came from… of the waters that eventually, led me to him.
I slowly walk to him. I’m nervous and happy all at once. Behind him stands an older woman who is here to marry us. Once we are in front of her, he grabs my hand, looking at the ring that is already on my finger, before looking up at me. To my surprise, he is the one who starts to speak.
He clears his throat, “Arianna, I can’t begin to tell you how much you’ve changed my life; how much you have changed me. Not in a million years, would I have dreamed of meeting someone like you.” He looks down at my hand again and grazes his fingers over the ring. “This ring came with an engagement ring, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought about the meaning of each of those rings, and I felt in my heart that when I asked you to marry me, you had to have this one. In my heart, I already felt married to you and my promises to you are the same as the ones from yesterday, and the day before. I will always be by your side, I will always be faithful, and I will always do everything in my power to protect you and make you happy.”
I’m left speechless. My hands start to shake, but it’s looking and focusing on Blake’s hands on mine, that steadies me.
I look into his eyes and fight back the tears. “Blake, you taught me that true love is worth fighting for. I loved you before I even knew you, and I will continue to love you every day for the rest of my life.”
H
e smiles and I can see that he is fighting back the tears just as much as I am.
For the first time, I hear the woman’s voice as she asks if we take each other in marriage. Blake reaches into his pocket and grabs a wedding band, which I put on his finger and then, she says the words we’ve been dreaming of hearing for so long… we are husband and wife. Blake puts his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. He then tilts his head down and kisses me.
I can hardly believe that we are finally married and I know that Blake feels the same way.
The owner of the aquarium, who has been here the entire time, congratulates us and a few minutes later, we are getting in the car, ready to go back to our home as husband and wife.
Once we park the car, Blake asks me to wait.
He comes around and opens the door for me, extending his hand to help me get out. Once I’m standing outside of the car, he surprises me by picking me up. I gasp and then I laugh as he carries me into the house.
Inside, there are rose petals leading the way to the bed.
“When? How did you do all of this?” I ask.
“I had a little help,” he grins.
Once we are near the bed, he moves to where he is standing behind me and he slowly kisses my neckline while unzipping the back of the dress. He then slowly moves the straps to the sides, grazing my skin with his fingers as he does so, until the straps fall off my shoulder, pulling my dress down to the floor.
I step out of the dress and kiss him slowly as I unbutton his shirt.
There is something different about us. We’ve been intimate many times, but this is different, being his wife… it somehow makes our connection even stronger and enhances every feeling about being with him like this.
His hands move to the small of my back as I unzip his pants and let it fall to the floor. He steps to the side and slowly moves closer to the bed, using his arms to lower me down as he leans on top of me.
He watches me as intensively as I watch him; his eyes and the way that he looks at me, his lips… When he notices me staring at his lips, he lowers himself until his lips reach mine, and an innocent kiss that starts slow and soft, gets more and more passionate. The word perfect, a word we were so scared of using before, suddenly doesn’t even seem enough to describe this moment.
Unbreakable (A Mermaid's Curse Book 3) Page 8
