Impact (Iron Orchids Book 3)

by Danielle Norman

  “Really? Grow up. Tease me later.”

  “Boys.” My mother’s voice broke through the noise. “We’ve had enough.” Even at thirty-six, that particular tone in her voice still scared the shit out of me.

  I scooted my chair back and went to check on Katy, who had shut herself into the downstairs guest bathroom.

  Giving a few knocks, I waited for her to answer.

  “Give me a few minutes.”

  “Let me in.”

  She didn’t answer, so I reached up, grabbed the skeleton key from the top of the doorframe, and let myself in. My heart broke over the sight of her curled up on the floor.

  “Psichi mou, it isn’t that bad. Come on. You’re going to laugh about this when Bee is older.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve said that.”

  “Said what?”

  “See key, oh, I don’t know.”

  See key? What . . . oh, I’d called her psichi mou and not even realized it.

  Settling onto the floor next to her, I brought her head over to my shoulder. It didn’t matter we were on the floor in a bathroom in my parents’ house with family and friends waiting or in my bedroom with no one else around because I was lost to this woman. Tilting my head down, I brought my lips to hers and wanted nothing more than to infuse her with the strength to face the crowd and acceptance of the fact that I’d fallen in love with her. Psichi mou, I’d been calling her my soul and hadn’t even realized it. We sat for a few more moments until I felt her body slowly relax and uncurl, a sure sign that her embarrassment was ebbing.

  “Come on, let’s go out there and eat.” I stood and held out a hand to help her up.

  “I can’t.”

  “Bee has no clue what has happened. She thinks that she’s done something wrong. As far as the adults, they’re either jealous that they don’t have someone or happy that we’ve found each other. Now, come on.”

  “Is that what we did?”

  “What do you mean?” My hand still held out to her.

  “Did we find each other?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what we did. You’re stuck with me. You, Katy Nichols, are something special, and I have no intention of losing you. I’d find you,” I said the last part in my creepy stalker voice, imitating the crazy chick from Wedding Crashers and hoping that she’d totally get the connection.

  I waited. When she finally relaxed, so did I.

  When I felt her cool, soft hand grip mine, a sense of relief washed over me.

  “By the way, don’t ever do that again.”

  “Do what?” I feigned innocence. “What? I’ll find you.” Of course, I used the same high-pitched stalker voice.

  “Yeah, that. Just don’t, or I can’t be seen with you.” She gave me a wicked smile. “Or you might not be finding anything else for a while. That is some creepy shit.”

  “All seriousness. I love you. I know that we haven’t said it, but I do, I love you.”

  “Oh God, Damon. Yeah . . .” She was mumbling to herself when her words hit me, and I started laughing. “What?” she asked confused.

  “I think it was those exact same words that got us here in the first place.”

  I helped her up and out of the bathroom without putting her on the spot to admit her feelings. It would come, in time, I felt it. The rest of lunch was uneventful, thank God.

  Katy’s laughter slowly returned, and by the look on her face, she was deeply touched by everyone coming together to celebrate, let alone bearing gifts.

  Stella had picked up some items for my mom and Leo to give Katy as well, they gave her a skirt and a green shirt. Ariel had given Katy some jewelry, and there was even a bag from Tristan and Ian, which was funny considering that Tristan wasn’t back yet, and Ian was as surprised to learn that he got Katy a purse as Katy was. Everly, Piper, and Vivian had given Katy a leather vest and helmet.

  “Just in case you want to ride with us,” Piper explained.

  “Here, I’ll take that.” Ariel snagged the vest from Katy’s hands. “I have to embroider our logo onto it. I’ll have it back to you by tomorrow.”

  Katy looked overwhelmed.

  “Here, Mom, this is from me.” Bee held out the white bag. “Open it.” Katy shook as she carefully removed the white box and opened it. “See. There’s a bee, for me.” Katy traced the silver bumblebee with a crown sitting on a bed of pink inside the tiny jeweler’s box.

  A tear rolled down her cheek, I wanted to reach out and wipe it away, but I was afraid too much public display of affection would just push her away especially after earlier events.

  “Here, let me put that on you.” My mother reached over and removed the Pandora bracelet from the box with the single bee charm.

  “Damon said that I could get you another charm for Christmas.”

  Aghh, eight-year-olds, do they ever know when to shut up? I hoped that she didn’t take that as too presumptuous.

  “Thank you.” Her soft hand wrapped around mine.

  “You’re welcome.”

  As with any event with the Christakos family, lunch turned into a near all day event.

  “We’ve got to get going if we are going to make our dinner reservations.”

  “Can I just stay here and go home with Harlow?” Bee looked up to Katy for her answer.

  “Sure, I don’t see why not. Do you have a key, Sophie? She already has her overnight bag packed.”

  “Christine has a key, we’ll get it. You guys have fun. Happy Birthday.”

  Bee ran over and gave me a hug, and then she kissed me on my cheek, and I knew what my mother meant every time she said her cup runneth over. She’d say it when we would bring her flowers even though they were weeds or we’d try to make her a masterpiece that required her to clean up the mess. I’d always thought it was just some crazy old girly shit, but I was so wrong.

  Katy and I headed to my house where she set down her load of gifts. “I can’t believe your family. This is incredible. You all have done so much. We can stay in, no need to spend more money. I can cook something for us, and we can watch a movie.”

  “Shh. I’ve been looking forward to this date for so long. We are going out. I know that your birthday isn’t yet Do you want your birthday present from me now or later?”

  “Do we have time?” Katy gave me a devious wink.

  “Okay, let me rephrase. Do you want the first of your two gifts now or later? Because the other one is definitely later.” I pulled her against me. “If I gave it to you now, we would be busy until tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay. I’ll take one now and one later.”

  I guided Katy out to the garage. “Before you say anything, I bought it used. It can stay here.” I was spurting out answers to protests that she hadn’t even given yet, trying to preempt any fights. Placing my hand over her eyes, I guided her down the last few stairs. Switching on the garage lights, I moved my hand.

  “You bought a motorcycle. Did you buy me a fucking motorcycle? What kind of person gives a motorcycle? Are you insane? Of course you are, your entire family is insane. The birthday party, the gifts. Holy shit, Damon. I can’t. Oh my God. I can’t accept this.”

  “Will you stop?” I shoved my hands through my hair. “I didn’t want to ruin your birthday. I wanted to make it special.”

  “It is special. I just don’t need expensive gifts to make it special.”

  “Can we talk about this later? Let’s have a nice night out. Like I said, it was used. I want you to be able to do more things with the girls. Please, though, we will talk about it tomorrow, when it isn’t your birthday.” Katy nodded. “Now go upstairs and let me see you in that gorgeous outfit.”

  Chapter 28

  Damon

  Katy came downstairs about thirty minutes later wearing the outfit, and I about died, she was a fucking knock-out. Her blonde hair was twisted up in some sort of fancy knot. And when she walked, the slit up her pants showed her sexy legs and sexy fuck-me heels.

  On the way to Cooper’
s Hawk, I hated how silent the truck was. Katy hadn’t said a thing, but I could see a myriad of emotions cross her face. I was scared that the motorcycle was still weighing heavy on her. “You’re awful quiet.” I squeezed her hand. “Have you had a great birthday so far?”

  “Yeah. Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” I felt a sense of dread sweep over me.

  “Have you been in a serious relationship before?”

  What kind of question was that? Why did she want to know this? Shit. “I’ve had a few girlfriends over the years. I guess the most serious one was my girlfriend in college.”

  “Why’d you break up?”

  “This is fucked up, you know that, right? Talking about other relationships with you.”

  “Please.” She pulled one leg up so she could turn in her seat and watch me.

  “I guess we just came to the point where we wanted different things.”

  “And the others?”

  “I don’t know. Jesus Christ, Katy. I guess the other one wanted to get married and I couldn’t see myself being married to her. What about you? Where’s Bee’s father?”

  “We were seventeen when I told him that I was pregnant. He called me a slut. I knew Bee was his, though. I hadn’t ever had sex with anyone else, but that didn’t matter, he had his friends spread rumors that they’d slept with me. That's how my parents found out I was pregnant; some lovely person painted whore and your baby is a bastard on our driveway.”

  “That’s intimidation and bullying.”

  “But I was a scared kid being threatened and shortly after I was told by my parents that I was being kicked out. I wasn’t exactly in my right mind at the time.” Katy pulled down the vanity mirror in the visor and patted her eyes.

  I pulled into a parking spot but didn’t get out. “What’s this all about Katy?”

  “Damon, I have to tell you something.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah, now.”

  “Okay.” But I already had a feeling that I knew what she was going to say.

  “You’ve done so much for me and Bee. And you’re right, there’s something different between us. But . . .”

  “We both have pasts. I won’t judge you for yours and you don’t judge me for mine.” I lifted her chin with the crook of my finger and brought her lips to mine.

  “I’m glad you said that. Because that’s sort of what I want to—”

  “Katy. Stop. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s in the past. Whatever it is, does it change what we have moving forward?”

  She shook her head. “Well, umm, no.”

  “Does it change who you are as a person?”

  She shook her head again. “No. I kind of like to think it shaped me.”

  “There. Then you have your answer, whatever it is, don’t stress because I happen to think you’re just about perfect. If it helped to make you who you are, then it ended up being a good thing in my book.” I got out and walked around to her door and opened it. She’d unfastened her seatbelt and turned so I could step forward so I was standing between her legs. “Let’s go eat. You look too gorgeous not to show off.”

  Once we were inside and at our table, she seemed to relax and return to the Katy that I’d fallen in love with.

  “With Tristan coming home tomorrow, Bee and I won’t see you once I pick her up after the community center. We are going to go out this week and hunt for a new apartment. I want to find something a little nicer than where we’re currently staying.”

  “Do you have to?”

  “Yes. I’m making better money, it’s my job to provide better living conditions for my daughter.”

  I held out my hand to stop her. “No, that isn’t what I meant.”

  The server came by and interrupted us to take our drink and appetizer order.

  “All I meant was, if you’re looking for a new place, why not stay with me? Let’s see where we go.”

  “Aren’t you tired of having moody girls around?”

  “No. The truth is that I don’t want you leaving.” I clasped her hands in mine. “It’s different. You asked me about past relationships, but what you and I have is different. Please, just consider staying. Don’t do anything until after Bee’s birthday. Mana has some special things planned for her birthday. Please. Promise me that.”

  “That’s two weeks away.”

  “Yeah, two-week trial,” I assured her.

  “But I have secrets.”

  “And I told you if the secrets helped shape you then I don’t need to know them, consider them structure or foundation.”

  She was trying to be honest, and I hadn’t given a second thought about the fact that I’d recorded her. Shit. That wasn’t foundation, that didn’t shape me. That only made me a crazy stalker dude.

  The server brought our drinks and appetizers, and I wanted to start eating, but I dropped my fork and let out a low groan.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The world’s most demanding client just came in, pest, asshole, you name it. God, the man is pushy, aggressive, and rude. And honestly, I don’t like him, he rubs me the wrong way.” I looked at my plate, hoping he wouldn’t see me. “Fuck. He’s coming this way.”

  We were seated in a high back booth, so at least Katy was shielded from the asshat. Katy grabbed my hand and tugged me forward. She was cute in her attempt to pull me into a private romantic conversation.

  “Whisper to me.”

  I gave her a weak smile, appreciating her suggestion but knowing full well that it wouldn’t work.

  As he neared, his hand was already extended and a woman who’d been in his shadow moved to the side of him.

  I froze when I saw her because she looked familiar in a way that made my skin prickle. I hadn’t ever met her, but I felt as if I knew her.

  “Damon, nice to see you.”

  Chapter 29

  Katy

  Every molecule of my body was alert. It had been nine years, and I still knew that voice. Slipping a little farther down in my seat, I tried to make myself invisible. Then I heard it, the gasp.

  “Katherine.”

  Fuck.

  Painfully slowly, I turned and looked right into my father’s shocked face.

  “You’re here. You’re lovely. How’s Bee? Is she here?” Each word he spoke sounded as if he was ripping it from his heart.

  I moved my eyes to the right, to the woman next to him. She hadn’t changed a bit. Sure, my mother looked a tad older, but she still had a cold air about her.

  Wait. Bee, how did they know Bee? My heart squeezed, and my head spun. Wait, how did Damon know them?

  “May we sit for a second?” My father—wait, no, Jim—looked at me as he asked for permission.

  But I couldn’t talk. I didn’t want to talk to them. They did enough talking when I was seventeen.

  “What is it you need to say?” Damon asked for me.

  I glanced up and my mother, who was still staring at me, tears pooling in her eyes. Happy Birthday, she mouthed.

  Oh my God, I was going to lose it. I was going to lose it in front of all of these people.

  “Very well.” Jim pulled my mother against him. “I know you think I’m an asshole, and I can’t even imagine what Katherine must think of me. But do you understand why I wanted that house so bad. I knew—we knew that Katherine and her daughter, our granddaughter, were staying there. It took us so long to find them, and we didn’t want them to move and risk losing them again.”

  “Wait, what?” My stomach roiled.

  “Katy”—Damon stared into my eyes—“we can we move this to a private table so you can hear them out or we can leave.”

  “Table,” was all I was able to get through my lips.

  Let’s move to a table.” Damon flagged the server down and asked if there was a table in a more secluded area that we could move to.

  In a fluid array of movements, the manager, our server, and a few busboys had my and Damon’s food and drinks moved to a table in the back cor
ner.

  “Katherine, we’re sorry. I don’t know what we can do to say we’re sorry. Bee is so beautiful and smart. You’ve done such an amazing job.”

  There was a giant ball of contradicting emotions caught in my throat, making it so I couldn’t speak if I wanted to. Meeting Damon’s eyes, he obviously read the questions going through my head.

  “How do you know Bee? Have you seen her?” He asked the question for me.

  “We’ve hired a few private investigators over the years, and all they could find were your school records where you were taking a class or your work records but none could find a way to contact you. Until this last one, he’s done the best. He told us about the community center, so we started donating things there to help.”

  “The Santas?” I was going to throw up. My head was spinning.

  “Yeah. Denise said it was always like Christmas when we came and started calling us that, so that’s what the kids call us. Oh, but Bee doesn’t know anything. She just thinks that we volunteer at the center. We don’t want to overstep.”

  “What would make you think it would be okay for you to go see my daughter without my knowledge or consent? She is my daughter, the same baby that you wanted me to abort. You had no right to go see her. No right to give her things. None.” I pinched my lips closed and gritted my teeth. There were so many things I wanted to shout at them, but I settled on the truth. “If you think for one second that I’m going let you do to her what you did to me, you’re deluded.”

  “We regretted our actions almost immediately, but we just couldn’t find you. Years passed, but we never stopped trying. When we actually found you, we knew you wouldn’t want to see us and resigned ourselves to trying to help in a different way. So we worked to buy each of the homes you stayed in, but you moved.”

  I was slowly taking in his words. I looked over at Damon as my stomach sank. Damon didn’t know I didn’t have anywhere to live.

  Ignorant to the hole my father was digging for me, he continued. “We bought the house you were staying at in Windsurf, but you moved. Then we bought this last house in Windswept, but then you left again.”