The Hailey Holloway Complete Series
Page 58
Then again, they hadn’t made those vows yet.
And whose fault is that?
She had stopped pushing him a few days ago. Hailey still talked to him but it was quieter and less invasive as it had been, as she usually was. He had just needed some time to put his head back on straight and he ended up fucking with his relationship.
Hell, he was a mess.
Logically he had figured out and knew what Darby had been up to. Dacea had seen her deterioration with his own eyes but he had always pictured her there with him on his Mating day. Lennox was there too, but he had already come to terms with that death months earlier. He didn’t have either of them anymore. With no parents or close family, Dacea was alone in the world.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he really was the idiot Hailey accused him of.
Dacea wasn’t alone; he’d never be alone again. He had Hailey and everything she came with. Her friends and family were now his. Her heart and warmth were there to keep the loneliness away. She was his family now.
How could he keep forgetting that?
Maybe he should put his work aside for a few days and just take her away. They could both use the distraction and when they got back, they could plan the Mating. Or not. He’d be fine with one of those chapels in Vegas at this point.
Dacea had caught up on all of his work in the last few days. He also did a lot of things he usually had others look into. Minor details kept him going, moving. Diving head first into work had been a way to cope and obviously wasn’t working for him. He should have been diving into his Mate.
“God dammit, I’m an idiot.”
“Yes,” Dane said from the doorway. “You are but you said it, not me.”
He waved him in. “What can I do for you Dane?”
His head of security sat down in one of the chairs across from him. “I have orders to come get you, to use force if necessary. Will it be necessary?”
Dacea sat back in his chair. This sounded interesting. “Oh? And who, pray tell, gave you these orders?”
“The lady of the house, Sir.”
Ignoring Hailey was never a good idea, he knew this and yet that is just what he had done. She would pay him back for all that time lost in some clever way. “Tell me Dane, what kind of doghouse am I in this time?”
He laughed. “Eh, it’s not that small. More like a shed than a doghouse. You have some room to maneuver.”
He nodded with a smile. “Good to know. No force will be needed this time. I’ll come willingly.”
“You’re taking away all my fun, Boss.”
Both men stood and Dacea turned his mind off to work and closed up his office. He would use the vacation idea first to gauge her mood. Depending on how badly he fucked up, he’d have to start pulling apologies, I love you’s and the dreaded “you’re right” out.
Dane walked him out to the back door. “She’s by the fountain,” he told Dacea and closed the door. The click of the lock told him that he was not welcome back inside until he saw Hailey.
At the first sign of spring, Dacea had part of the land turned into a small path of gardens all centered around a stone fountain. It was just a place to walk and clear his head but he found Hailey out there more and more often. She found little spots here and there to read or nap with Boo by her side. The little feline had all but abandoned the house to stalk the insects and birds of the flowery garden.
There was a glow coming from that area of the yard. He could see it above the trees. Curious, he walked a little faster. What have you got planned for me, Céile? He saw the lights first. The trees looked alive with hundreds of thousands of tiny little lights. A smile crept onto his face. He knew by those lights what he just walked into and he was glad of it.
A small crowd of people awaited him at the start of the gardens. Alex, at the very back by the fountain, stood alone with his hands by his sides and a large grin on his face. He was wearing a tuxedo, black with red accents. Lia stood in front and off to the side of him. She was dressed in a long flowing chiffon gown of deep red. He laughed, running a hand down his face. Hailey was going to mate him right here, right now. Dacea looked down at his out attire. At least had a dress shirt on and slacks, attending his own mating in jeans or, god forbid, sweatpants, would have haunted him.
A hand landed on his shoulder. Silas, the last man he had ever imagined being at his mating. He too was dressed, but his colors were of a forest green. Silas would rather be dead than wear red. “You’re spot is up there,” he pointed to Alex. “I wouldn’t make her wait any longer if I were you.”
“That’s some good advice.”
“Here’s some more.” The hand on his shoulder tightened. “You will be tortured within an inch of your life, repeatedly until you or I die, whatever should happen first, if you ever hurt her. I didn’t think it needed to be said, but you know how much I like to threaten you.”
Dacea waited for the squeeze on his shoulder to ease. “Just make sure you get her down the aisle to me in a timely fashion.” The word “brother-in-law” popped into his head. Not exactly who he had wanted when he thought of family but he could have worse. And if that didn’t say how much they had grown in this time then nothing did.
He walked down the aisle, shaking hands of those who had come to share this with him. They were just a handful but everyone who mattered was there. When he reached the end, he kissed Lia on the cheek and told her she was beautiful, then did the same to Alex.
“I always knew I was the prettier one,” Alex told Lia. She rolled her eyes but didn’t take the smile off her face.
Silas disappeared and was back a second later with Hailey.
For a man, there are only two things that run through his head when he sees the woman he loves walking toward him to give him her love and promise to share her life with him. The first was how gorgeous she was. Hailey was, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature in the world. The dress, long and lean, covered her body in a slip of creamy lace. Her hair was pinned back on her nape, exposing her face and all those lines and curves he loved to look at. The blush in her cheeks was the most beautiful thing of all. A flush so deep and red, he had never seen a prettier shade and swore to make it the official color of his Sept.
The second thing a man thought about was a simple one. That right there is mine. It was a little barbaric but true none the less. That was his woman. His Hailey. His Céile. As Dacea was hers. They belonged to each other and as she slipped her slender hands into his and he looked into her eyes so full of love and joy, Dacea knew that there was nowhere on earth or otherwise that he would rather be. Everything he had done in his life was leading him to this moment with her. He would protect her with his life. Love her with his soul. Make her laugh and smile till his heart and hers overflowed.
This, right here, right now was what life was all about and he would never take for granted, the life, the woman or the love that was standing before him. Their journey was just beginning and their story started here.
Author's Note
My very first series is finally over. I’m not going to lie, I’m kinda happy about that. I love Hailey and Dak but was unable to keep going with them when I have so many other characters talking to me. I have a notebook full of ideas for new storylines and unfortunately, none of them included Hailey and Dak. I’ll probably pull them back out and say hi every now and then, might write a little something for my mailing list subscribers. But for now, they are going to live happily ever after and I’m ok with that.
If you’ve read Hailey’s series then I’m going to nudge you on to the Adirondack Pack series. It’s all about werewolves. These characters are quickly becoming favorites of mine. Each book features a different couple. They could be considered standalone but I do suggest you read them in order starting with the free novelette, Over the Line.
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About the Author
K.C. Stewart is the self published author of the Hailey Holloway series and most recently, the Adirondack Pack series. All her life she had fantasized and day dreamed on a regular basis but it wasn’t until she began writing flash fiction and that she made those fantasies a reality. Now she has graduated to novels but still dabbles in the occasional flash fiction and short story. Because of her love for reading and the written word, K.C. is currently continuing her education at Clarion University for Library Science. When she isn’t taking photographs, studying or writing, she is supporting a very real gummy bear habit. Currently, she lives with her boyfriend, german shepherd and cats in central Pennsylvania.
The Hailey Holloway Series
Spark
Singe
Scorch
Smolder
The Adirondack Pack Series
Over the Line
Too Far Gone
Fault Lines