“Your girlfriend isn’t here yet?” Dorothea asked, hugging him, then handing him a bottle of wine she carried.
“We had an unexpected visitor when we got home. Nyxie’s upstairs getting dressed. She should be down in a few minutes.”
“Declan, you have not let that girl move in with you already, have you? You could have just sent us a text to let us know; you didn’t have to invite us to dinner.”
Declan laughed, but it sounded forced. “She’s been staying here since her brother’s accident. Nyxie never learned to drive, and I can’t spend my time off driving her back-and-forth to Chimera Flats. The day you met her, I had taken her home to get her clothes. But you’re right about one thing, we did invite you to dinner to break some news.”
“She’s probably pregnant,” Roy muttered, leaning closer to his wife as his arms crossed over his chest.
The comment came as no surprise to Declan. He knew his father well enough to know he was just grousing the way he always did when his mother nagged him into doing something he didn’t want to do. “Are you in a hurry to become a grandpa, Coach?”
“Declan, honey, if that girl is telling you she’s pregnant, it’s probably not even yours. Have you even been dating long enough for her to miss her period?”
He made a show of rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “She’s not pregnant.” The timer for the enchiladas buzzed in the kitchen before he could say that it would be okay with him if she did become pregnant. “Mom, if you’ll pull that out of the oven, I’ll run up and hurry Nyxie along.”
As was his habit, Declan took the stairs two at a time to the third floor, and found Nyxie sitting on the little bench in front of the bed. In her hand, she held his grandmother’s rings. He had placed them beside the dress he had picked out. It was the same flowered dress, with the conservative retro cut that she had worn to court.
“They’re here.”
Nyxie nodded and rose to her feet. “You don’t think either of your parents will physically attack me, do you?”
He chuckled and smiled sympathetically at her. “No, baby, they wouldn’t do that.”
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe we failed the home inspection.”
“It’s okay. We’ll buy a hundred fire extinguishers if we need to, and get the water turned on. God, I just forgot that I had turned it off last winter when I drained the pipes. I bet my dad will be happy to show me how to turn down the thermostat on my water heater. It’ll make him happy to think he knows something I don’t.”
He removed his handkerchief from his pocket and dried her tears. “You need to stop crying or I’m going to have to lift your skirt and fuck you before we go down,” he said, giving her a small peck. “There’s nothing on that list that we can’t have fixed in 24 hours.”
She sniffled. “I know. Everything hitting me at one time is overwhelming. I just keep thinking all this shit being thrown at me, has to end soon, but it just keeps coming. I’m just so thankful for your help.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. “I love you, Declan.”
“I love you too. Come on.”
~*~
Despite their interlaced hands, Nyxie lagged a step behind as they descended the steps.
“Ah, there you are. It’s good to see you again, Nyxie,” Dorothea said
politely.
“Thank you. I just hope we can start fresh. All of us,” she said, casting an uncertain glance at his father.
“Yes, I agree. I hope Declan told you how sorry I am for what I said.”
“I know you wouldn’t have said it, if you knew it was my brother that boy ran over.”
“What did you say?” Coach asked his wife.
Dorothea looked annoyed that he would ask. No doubt she thought it was a stupid thing to say aloud, and repeating it for his benefit would serve no purpose.
“Something along the lines of, ‘It’s better for him to die, than for his family to wipe the ass of a drooling invalid for life.’”
“I think I was more upset over the prospect that Cody might be like that, than anything. It really never occurred to me that if he lived, he might not have a full recovery.”
Dorothea smiled sympathetically at her. “How is your brother’s recovery coming along?”
“He’s awake. Talking some. Not drooling. He has pretty good use of his right hand, so I’m thinking he’ll probably be able to wipe his own ass.” Nyxie smiled impishly at the woman, hoping she would see she really had let the comment go, if she could make jokes about it.
His mother smiled back hesitantly.
“Shall we eat?” Declan said suddenly. As soon as his parents had turned to go into the dining room, he gave Nyxie a hard look that told her he was less than pleased with her comment.
“Yes, let’s. It smells delicious. Is this your recipe, Nyxie?”
“No, ma’am. Declan’s housekeeper cooked the meal.”
Nyxie moved into the kitchen and began putting ice in the glasses for the tea, while Declan put the food on the table.
“I brought wine,” Dorothea said. “Do you have stemware, Declan?”
“There are glasses in the cabinet by the fridge, but Nyxie and I won’t be having any. Nyxie doesn’t drink and I’m not allowed to drink for twenty-four hours before surgery. I’m glad you brought it because I didn’t even think to have Sonia pick some up for y’all.”
Declan grabbed his corkscrew out of a drawer and handed it to his father, then caught Nyxie before she could leave the kitchen.
“You’re not offended by people drinking in front of you, are you?” he asked in whispered tones.
She shook her head, despite the anxiety she felt. It was only one bottle, surely that wouldn’t be enough to get them so drunk they would get violent when they found out Declan had married her.
Nyxie carried two of the tea glasses to the formal dining room, and Declan carried the other two. The table had been set with two place settings on each side and no one sitting at the ends, so it would feel more intimate. Or maybe it was so the three of them would not fight over who would sit at the head of the table.
As they served themselves, Nyxie put only a small amount of food on her plate. She knew she had trouble swallowing if she felt stressed, and despite his mother’s apology, anxiety permeated her mood. After placing a single enchilada on her plate, she used the hot pad to slide the casserole dish to Declan. He scooped up two for his plate and put another one on hers. After putting a spoonful of cornbread salad on her plate, she passed the bowl. She caught Dorothea’s expression as Declan doubled the amount on her plate. Before she said anything, Nyxie popped up out of her chair. “Does anyone need salsa?” she asked.
“On enchiladas?” his mother asked, as if it was unheard of to put hot sauce on them. When Declan and his father answered no, Nyxie lowered herself back into her chair. She stared down at the plate for a few moments before she felt Declan’s foot tap hers; she glanced over at him. Frowning at her, he pointedly looked at her untouched food and wagged the utensil in his grip at her. With a sigh, she picked up her fork and began eating.
She had only taken three bites when she set down her fork. “Coach Stryker, you asked me to explain the other day about the flip-flops. They really were my only shoes.”
“So you said. But why didn’t you drop the class? You had P.E. as a freshman. It wasn’t required for you to take it the next year.”
Nyxie took a steeling breath, opened her mouth but hesitated. She squared her shoulders and put her hands in her lap.
“You don’t have to explain, baby,” Declan said before she could speak.
“I know,” she said. “I just don’t want your father to think I was doing it intentionally to make him mad.” She turned back to Roy. “My mother disappeared the spring of my eighth grade year. She supported the family. Within a couple of months, both our electricity and water were shut off. I took P.E. so I could shower. Even after everything that happened my sophomore year, I sig
ned up for P.E. my junior year too.”
“I remember your name being on my attendance sheet, but you never came to class.”
“I never came out of the locker room. I already knew I was quitting school at the end of the month, so I saw no point in having you yell at me for two weeks.”
Roy stared at her. “If that’s true, why didn’t you just say something? Even if you didn’t want to tell me, why didn’t you tell the counselor or one of the female coaches?”
When she hesitated again, Declan covered her hand with his. Her eyes filled with tears. “Because I was ashamed. I still am. You don’t have to like me. I can stay home when Declan visits you. I just don’t want you to think I’m the kind of person who would intentionally set out to aggravate a teacher.”
When no one said anything, Nyxie picked up her fork and took a bite. She chewed slowly but could hardly swallow it past the big lump in her throat.
“So,” Dorothea said, trying to break the awkward silence. “Have you gotten a chance to finish your education?”
“Not yet,” Nyxie said and turned to Declan. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I have been watching the classes online, and I found out Tech is offering tests on Saturday. I thought if I took the tests first, I could concentrate my efforts on the subjects I failed. I’m pretty sure I can pass the reading, writing and social studies cold. Math and science are going to be my downfall.”
With a smile at her, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Dorothea spotted her mother’s rings on Nyxie’s hand and gasped. “Why are you wearing my mother’s rings? You have no right. Take them off!”
Nyxie immediately reached to do what she was told, but Declan stopped her.
“Mom, we got married yesterday. She has every right to wear them.”
“Are you nuts?” Roy yelled, making Nyxie shudder and press back into her chair, as if her mind flashed back to gym class when he was belittling her in front of her whole class.
“How could you marry her?” Dorothea cried. “She’s trash. Do you know how your dad got his job? Her sister got the old coach fired.” She turned to Nyxie. “That’s right. I started asking around about you. Her sister slept with the whole football team, then tried to kill herself when everyone found out.”
“That’s not what happened,” Declan shouted before Nyxie could even try to defend Melinda. “They lured her sister to that party and kept feeding her alcohol until she passed out. Those boys raped her and took photos. She slit her wrists in biology class when she found out about the pictures.”
Nyxie’s head jerked around to Declan as an unheard gasp escaped her body. Her eyes were wide and her body leaned away from him, as if she could escape his words if she sat further away.
Roy slammed his hand on the table. “If she told you that, she’s a liar.”
“She didn’t tell me anything, Coach. I saw the pictures. Rowdy Timmins showed them to me. His brother Clete brought her to the party. I saw every one of those disgusting photos. Three players raped her and the rest took pictures with their dicks in her mouth. She was passed out in every shot. After Melinda tried to kill herself, the previous coach got wind of what really happened. The coach wouldn’t drop it and the next year he cut the three boys who raped her. When the administrators wanted their star players put back on the team, he refused and they fired him. No football coach from around here would take the job, because they knew the administrators wouldn’t stand behind him.”
“That was her sister?” Roy asked, making Declan realize his father knew some of the circumstances behind the other coach’s termination.
Nyxie suddenly bolted into the powder room in the hallway. A moment later, the sounds of retching filled the air.
“Fuck.”
Declan glowered at his parents as he rose from the table.
“I’m going to put her to bed and when I come back down here, we are going to have this out once and for all. If you can’t accept Nyxie, you are out of my life.”
He made his way to the washroom just as she came out. Her face was pale and blotchy, and vomiting had made her eyes red with spiky, wet eyelashes. As they passed the dining room, he put his arm around her and tried to shield her from his parents, but she pulled away and moved to face them.
She placed the wedding ring set on the table next to his mother. “I told him he didn’t have to give me the rings. They’re obviously precious to you. I don’t love him for his money—frankly, that much money scares me, just like the prospect of losing those rings. Declan is the best friend I’ve ever had—even in high school when I didn’t know it, he was my best friend. I can’t deny him anything he asks of me. Someday he’s going to realize I’m not good enough for him, and he’ll divorce me, but even then, I will love him with all my heart. I don’t give a flying fuck if either of you like me, I was just hoping we could get along for Declan’s sake.”
He stepped between them and ushered her away, before his parents could hurl any more accusations at her.
Nyxie felt a bit foolish being helped up the stairs. She wasn’t sick. “That was true?” she asked as they entered his bedroom.
“Was what true?” he asked.
As she kicked off her pink ballet flats, he stepped behind her and unzipped her dress before pulling it over her head.
“What you said about Melinda?”
He looked at her wide-eyed. “Of course. You didn’t know?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head as he disappeared into the closet. She took the dress into the bathroom, and dropped it down the laundry chute. When her hands were free, she unfastened her bra and placed it in the chute also. She brushed her teeth, suspending the conversation until she finished, and emerged from the bathroom to find Declan turning down the bed while he waited for her.
“All of the sudden, the kids were yelling at me that my sister was a slut and she had slept with the whole football team. I knew she went with Clete to that party. They’d been hanging around together for a couple of months. Melinda is not like me. She wanted the kids at school to like her, so she was excited to go to the party. I believed the rumors ‘cause I thought, if sleeping with the football team would make her popular, she would have done it. I guess because she couldn’t remember what happened, she never contradicted them—maybe she didn’t even know herself. I guess someone told her about the pictures; maybe she saw them, I don’t know. In biology class, they were dissecting something. She took that scalpel and cut her wrists. She spent about a week in the psych ward. When she came home, she refused to go back to school. She called some guy she met at the hospital. He drove out to Chimera Flats and got her. I hardly saw her again after that.”
She assumed the t-shirt on the bed was for her and pulled it over her head.
“Jesus.”
“Now that I know the truth, I feel sick over what had happened to her. I never even doubted those horrible stories.”
He reached for her face, gently cupping it. “A week ago, you would’ve flinched if I did that.” He kissed her gently. “I’m sorry I just blurted it out like that. I would have said something before, if I had realized you had never heard the truth.”
“You didn’t know.”
Chapter 5
“I don’t even know what to say to you,” Declan said, returning to his parents in the dining room. Their plates were nearly empty but their wine glasses had been refilled. “You won’t even give her a chance.”
If people had treated Nyxie this way her whole life, it was no wonder she wavered between timid and smart aleck. Had no one ever cut her a bit of slack?
Declan noticed his grandmother’s rings were no longer on the table. “Taking the rings doesn’t make us any less married.”
“Well, at least she can’t pawn them now,” his mother said and pursed her lips to form unflattering lines.
Declan stared at his mother, refusing to take the bait. “And I thought Coach was going to be the problem.”
“I don’t know how you can stand her. She
’s so…weak,” she said, her lip curling up with disgust. Dorothea had had to be strong in the Marines. She took pride in the fact she had the toughness and fortitude to excel, and judged most women on the standards set for her by the Corps.
Declan bore a strong desire to reveal his sexual proclivity to his mother—just to shock her and to explain his attraction to Nyxie, but he also knew that would only weaken her in his mother’s eyes.
“Her strengths rest in her ability to love unconditionally and to sacrifice for those she loves. That’s something you’ve never done.” Declan ran his hands through his hair. “God, I had hoped by some miracle, she would feel from you the parental love she never got from her own parents. Stupid me.”
“Declan….”
“No, Major, I have heard enough. We wanted to have a second ceremony so you could see your only child get married, but I see now there is no point in it. Frankly, why should this milestone in my life be different from any other? You missed my first steps, my first words and my first day of school.”
“We were serving our country.”
“Don’t think as an American that I don’t appreciate your service to our country. But how many times were you stationed stateside and never asked me to come live with you?”
His mother’s lips pursed in a way that showed him he had hit on her parental guilt, making him instantly contrite. He had never set out to hurt either of his parents, but rarely could he get together with them without lashing out over the same thing. He didn’t know why he couldn’t let it go. It wasn’t as if he could change them or change what happened.
“We didn’t want to disrupt your life.”
“It wouldn’t have been a disruption over the summer or during holidays. You only wanted to be my parents when it was convenient for you.”
“For God’s sake, Declan, how many times are we going to have this same argument?”
Declan slowly blew his breath out of his mouth as he shook his head. “Until you acknowledge the pain you caused me. Maybe that’s why I can relate to Nyxie the way I do. Neither of us feels our parents loved us.”
The Love He Craves (The Love She Craves: Selling Her Soul to Declan Book 2) Page 4
