I wanted to resist, but the taste was fresh on my tongue and Damon’s soothing voice broke down my self-control.
I drank until he made me stop, my body coming alive in a way food and water could never accomplish. And then I lay on the bathmat in delirious euphoria as Damon drank from behind my knee, where no one would see the marks.
I didn’t know how long we lay there holding each other, amazed by the swirling colors in the air, the tingling in our bodies, and the beautiful music of our voices.
Until Aunt Cynthia banged on the door and asked, “Are y’all all right in there? Others need to use the bathroom.”
Damon and I forced ourselves to move. We showered and dressed, feeling rejuvenated and happy. I loved him, I loved myself, I loved the world and everything in it! And I knew in my heart that the voice in my head wouldn’t return. I was so powerful now I wouldn’t let it return.
I had absolute control.
When we were ready, Damon opened the door and leaned his head out to look both ways, then he led me from the bathroom by the hand, staying close to the wall. I couldn’t have guessed why he was acting sneaky, but he was so funny and adorable I wanted to attack him there in the hall and kiss him all over, from the tips of his ears to his toenails.
His human movements were so very appealing.
When we stepped into the living room, Damon straightened and put on a serious face. Mama was still sitting on the sofa, having one of her silent mornings, and Aunt Cynthia was reading the paper in the scratchy chair.
She folded the paper noisily and gave us an annoyed look as she pushed up from the chair. “You two were in there for over an hour. I only have one bathroom.”
She walked past us and went into the bathroom. I could only hope no stray drops of blood had escaped our quick inspection.
I trailed my fingers through the air so Mama would look up at us. She slowly turned her head to catch the flying movement. “Guess what, Mama. Damon and I are getting married.”
Damon stood beside me and tightened his grip around my waist. I didn’t know why I’d said that. We hadn’t discussed marriage. But the notion had been planted in my head like a solid fact. When I looked up at Damon, he nodded seriously. “Soon,” he said.
“This weekend in our gazebo.”
Mama stared at me blankly, blinking slowly. “Will the birds be there?” she asked.
“Sure, Mama, it’s springtime.”
“That’s fine, then,” she said.
“C’mon, I’ll show you something,” Damon told me.
We turned but stopped abruptly when Aunt Cynthia came out of the bathroom with a wild expression on her face. She was in our way, I suddenly realized. Her clear mind and sharp eyes were in our way. We had to pretend around her. And now she was moving home with us. I couldn’t stop her.
“Guess what, Aunt Cynthia, Damon and I are getting married.”
“This weekend,” he added.
She stared at us for a long moment, then blinked. “You are? Why so soon?”
“Because we can,” Damon said, deliberately trying to goad her.
She crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “Are you two doing drugs in my house?”
“No—” I began.
“Because I won’t have you doing that on my property,” she interrupted. “It’s cocaine, isn’t it.”
Not even a question. I’d never so much as smoked a cigarette in my life, let alone used cocaine. But Damon’s blood was like a drug, it had that effect on me, and I guessed that my eyes were too wide again, my skin too flushed, and my mannerisms too flamboyant.
Damon aimed a sharp finger at Mama. “She’s the only one doing drugs in this house.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Aunt Cynthia said.
“We’re in love,” Damon told her. “I guess that’s something you can’t recognize.”
Her mouth flew open and her eyes turned wild. “Well, you better not be,” was all she had left to say.
“We’re going out,” Damon told the room. He snatched up my purse and pulled me along by the hand.
I couldn’t stay mad. I loved the world. I smiled and waved at my small family and trotted to keep up as we went out the front door.
It was so wonderful to be able to run off whenever I wanted and know Mama was taken care of. No worries.
God, I loved them all so much.
My life was perfect.
CHAPTER TEN
Soon we were driving the city streets. Damon pretended to know where he was going, but it seemed to me we were driving randomly, he was driving recklessly, and soon we found ourselves in a rather unsavory part of town.
I checked to make sure my door was locked. “Where are we going?”
Damon drove without speaking, keeping his lips tight and his eyes on the road.
“Are you hearing voices again?” I asked.
Damon remained silent.
“You’re afraid if you open your mouth his voice will come out?”
“I don’t want your aunt living with us,” he said.
Oh, that. He’d only shrugged when I’d told him as we were leaving Cynthia’s, but apparently, he wasn’t okay with it. I wasn’t too happy about it, either. “It won’t be so bad. She can take care of Mama sometimes.”
“She wants your grandmother’s room.”
“Well, the house really belongs to her, Damon, so I can’t stop her. Gram left it to her in the will. She just let me keep it when she moved away. Ran away, I mean.”
“And so odd man out?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his pun. “Well, I thought you’d move into my room,” I said with a chuckle. “Since we’ll be married. If we’re still planning to do that.”
“You’d let me in your room?” he asked. He still wouldn’t look at me.
“Let you? I think you’ve been in my room more than I have.”
He finally glanced at me. “Could you stand being married to a crazy freak?”
“You’re not a crazy freak.”
He grunted. “That answer doesn’t mean anything.”
“I love you, Damon, just the way you are.” Unless…. “Do you really want to marry me?” I asked.
“If I can’t have you I’m going to kill myself,” he said with tired seriousness, rubbing his forehead. “I’m done looking. You’re the one. The only one. Nothing else matters.”
He wasn’t making a grand romantic declaration, I could easily see, he was just stating facts, as he saw them.
“Don’t talk about killing yourself, okay?” I told him. “Mama talked about it and then she tried to.”
“And you tried to…” his jaw muscles bulged “… over Teddy. You bled for him.”
His jealousy didn’t pass me by and I was secretly flattered. “I was having a super-hard time with Mama back then, which was the real problem. His rejection just set it off. I never loved him. It was an impulse decision. Dr. Sanderson said my reaction to stress wasn’t normal, but understandable. I had the whole world on my shoulders and I wasn’t even old enough to drink. I went to therapy for two years and I’m much better now.”
“Naw, you’re okay,” he assured me with a sigh and a pat on the knee. “You always have been. You know how to muddle through.”
“Thanks.” It was a lie but I appreciated the gesture.
He reached over and grabbed my hand. “I’m about to throw up.”
“Do you need to pull over?” I asked with alarm. I looked around the car for a cup or anything useful. “How close are you?” I asked.
“I’m afraid you’ll leave me,” he said in a soft voice.
I watched him and tried to guess what was going on. “Are you not really going to throw up?”
“I could, but I’m not going to.”
I sat back and let out a breath. “You scared me.”
He found my hand again and squeezed hard. “What we did was like a consummation. It’s like we’re already married. I’ve got your blood in me and that makes you mine. You said you loved me
.”
I didn’t like having this conversation while driving. He sure knew how to pick his moments.
“I do love you, and I’m not leaving. But let’s talk about it later.”
“Look in my pocket,” he said.
Eagerly, I changed the subject with him. “Which one?”
“Front, right.”
It wasn’t easy to get my hand in his jeans pocket with him sitting down. He stretched as much as he could and I maneuvered my hand inside the pocket.
A ring came out in my hand. It was so pretty. Silver with a large square emerald framed by eight diamonds. “Is that where you were? Getting the emerald cut for me?”
“No, there wasn’t time. I kept the box for you,” he said with a slight grin. “But I wanted the ring handy when I got up the nerve.”
“Where’d you get this? At a real jewelry store?”
He frowned. “Of course. I bought it when I went out earlier. That’s the real thing, baby. Nothing but the finest gems will ever touch your skin.”
I slipped the ring onto my ring finger and it was a close enough fit. I didn’t know much about the cost of jewelry, but I had to assume the diamonds alone were worth a small fortune. “It’s just right. How’d you know?”
“Take it off till we say our vows.”
I did and stared down at the ring. I was a little stunned. I was very stunned. The ring wasn’t just pretty, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
I leaned over and gave him a distracted kiss on the neck. “I love it almost as much as I love you.”
He fought off a grin and gave me a sly glance. “Marry me today.”
“Today?” I looked at the handsome, mesmerizing man sitting beside me, then the beautiful, sparkling ring in my hand. All reason must have left me because the idea made my stomach clench with a swirling, giddy pleasure. The impetuous personality that slept inside me woke up, and a wicked thrill overtook my senses.
My rational side was fighting but losing fast. I was going to say yes within the next few seconds. Vaguely, it occurred to me that everything Damon had said in the car had been leading up to this moment. He’d been sick with nerves about asking and afraid I would refuse. The thrill of knowing I could have that effect on him was impossible to ignore. I believed he really did love me.
“I don’t think we can do it today. We have to get a license.”
He turned the corner at Main Avenue and we drove in front of the Old Courthouse. He lifted my purse and dropped it again. “You’ve got your Tennessee driver’s license, and I’ve got cash.”
He was a man of action, all right.
***
We were late getting back to Aunt Cynthia’s. It had taken us a little while to find someone to marry us on such short notice. Damon wouldn’t settle for the justice of the peace and finally bribed an uncertain couple, and the director, into letting us go ahead at a small wedding chapel.
The delay gave me time to find a nice off-white dress, and for Damon to purchase a crisp blue shirt to match his eyes. I was so nervous I didn’t hear a word of the service, but I did hear Damon’s private vow, which he whispered in my ear.
“I’ll cherish and protect you for all eternity,” he’d promised.
I promised him, also whispering in his ear, that I would never abandon him, or send him away, no matter what happened.
We’d decided to try another hotel, for our wedding night, and needed to pack our bags – and break the news. So we went back to Aunt Cynthia’s. Truthfully, I was more worried about what Bella and Chester would say than Mama and Aunt Cynthia. I was afraid their feelings would be hurt that they hadn’t been invited, or even told. But it was too late for any worries. I was officially Mrs. Magic Star Baushke Jennings now. Or just plain Maggie Jennings.
I liked it. People could never spell, or pronounce, Baushke. Jennings was a nice, easy name. And just maybe, it would lead me into a nice, easy new life.
Aunt Cynthia was cooking supper when we got there. I was excited and anxious to tell somebody, but I was also apprehensive. I knew she wouldn’t approve.
So I told Mama first. She was sitting out on the back steps with a yellow sweater draped over her shoulders.
“Are you cold?” I asked, sitting beside her as close as I could get without touching her.
“No, I don’t think so,” she said with a heavy, slow voice.
“Guess what. I got married, Mama.”
She turned her head to look at me. “To the devil?”
“To Damon. Today. Just an hour ago.”
She turned her head back to the scenery. “That’s fine, then,” she said. “If you promise to behave.”
She sounded like she thought I wanted to go spend the night over at a friend’s house. She was so dull I didn’t think she understood me. “Okay,” I said and stood up. “Everything’s running smoothly, Mama. Don’t worry.”
To my surprise, she caught hold of my skirt and looked up at me. “I love you, pretty face.”
For a moment, I couldn’t respond. She hadn’t told me that for years and years. I wanted to give her a kiss on the cheek but knew she wouldn’t like it. “I love you, too, Mama,” I told her and waited until her eyes drifted back to the yard before I went inside.
Aunt Cynthia had more to say. Damon had conveniently busied himself with packing and left me to face her alone. I approached her as she stood at the stove stirring something in a saucepan.
“We’re going to stay in a motel tonight,” I told her.
She frowned at me over her shoulder. “What about supper?”
“Well, we were going to eat out. We’re celebrating.”
“Celebrating what?”
“Well….” I moved farther from the stove. “Damon and I got married this afternoon.”
She whirled around splattering spaghetti sauce from the spoon. “You did? Why on earth….”
“Look at my ring,” I offered, holding out my hand. She grabbed my fingers and gave the ring a thorough examination.
Then she turned her back to me. “I just wish you’d have waited.”
“We sort of got excited.”
“He’ll hurt you. Not only does he have mental problems he’s compounding them by using drugs. Real drugs.”
“He’s not using drugs. Why won’t you believe me?”
She turned around again, anxious to slap me in the face with what she had to say. “Because if he was the only one walking around here looking like he stuck his finger in a light socket I’d think it was his disorder. But then, like this morning, you’re both bouncing in your seats and he runs off and comes back and you two go hide in the bathroom, coming out all high. Well, I’m not unwise to the world. He’s so bad for you, Maggie. He’ll ruin you. Mark my words. I’ve been there.”
I couldn’t defend myself because I couldn’t tell her the truth. What Damon and I were doing was worse than using drugs. So I became indignant.
“Well, it’s too late for that,” I told her, keeping my chin raised, “we’re already married. Forever.”
I strode from the room, letting out a hard sigh and almost collapsing as soon as I turned the corner.
Stumbling back up to my feet, I saw Damon wasn’t in the living room. I found him in Aunt Cynthia’s bedroom, going through her closet.
“Damon, get out of there!” I hissed, glancing back to make sure the coast was still clear.
“Just a minute,” he mumbled. He was sifting through papers in a shoebox. Cynthia’s private and personal things.
“She’s already mad at us.”
“Look at that.” He pointed to something on the dresser. It was an old square ring box. When I looked inside, I saw the gold ring with three diamonds in a row that I’d seen in photographs. “It’s Grampa Harvey’s wedding ring.”
“I know. Keep it,” he said. “I’ll wear it.”
I knew Aunt Cynthia would be furious, more than furious, murderous, when she saw Damon wearing the ring, but I wanted him to have it. I wanted him to wear
something of mine. And it was forgotten stored away in the box. So I handed Damon the box and tucked the ring into my pocket. “Put the box back where you found it. Maybe she won’t notice.”
After checking the hallway, I rushed back to the closet. “Damon, get out of there. Please.”
“Just go back in there and run interference till I’m done,” he said. “This is important.”
I knew I couldn’t get him out of that closet without drawing Aunt Cynthia’s attention, so I went into the living room to do the packing Damon hadn’t finished, or even started.
Aunt Cynthia came through the room just as I was carrying the bags to the door. I dropped them and walked fast to catch up to her.
“Where are you going?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, and failing.
“Oh, I got sauce on my shirt. I’ve gotta soak it.”
“Wait!” I practically yelled, grabbing her arm, whirling her around to face me. “I need to say something.”
She frowned wildly. “Well, what is it? This stain is setting.”
Nothing came to mind and I almost panicked. “I’m afraid I’ve made a terrible mistake,” I finally said. “He seduced me.”
She forgot about her shirt and squeezed my arm. “Oh god, Maggie, I was so afraid of that. You know you can get it annulled. It’s not too late.”
“Can we talk? In the kitchen?”
“Sure, hon, just let me slip outta this shirt.”
I saw Damon dart into the bathroom just as Aunt Cynthia turned, but she didn’t see him. She turned at the bathroom door and stopped abruptly.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t know you were in there.” She backtracked and went into the bedroom instead.
Damon came out of the bathroom wiping wet hands on his jeans, giving me a lopsided grin.
“You almost got me in trouble,” I told him when he came near.
He put his arm around my waist and pulled me up close to him. He gave me a long warm, probing kiss then whispered in my ear. “Let’s go.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing useful.” He draped his arm around my shoulders. “C’mon. It’s our wedding night.”
Damon Page 14
