“I’m fine.” I force a smile, keeping the fact that I’m scared he’ll leave me if we don’t get that passion back to myself. Or that I received another bouquet of flowers at work a couple of days ago. When the courier dropped them off, my heart stuttered as I looked at them and the note. Jake Snr. thinks they were from Striker and even commented on how Jake never sent flowers to my workplace. I keep trying to think of who might be sending them “Let’s go downstairs. Dad and Emily will be getting impatient.” I clear my throat and stand, walking down to see Dad, Lauren, and Emily waiting with big smiles on their faces.
“New memories, remember,” Striker whispers into my hair, kissing my head before he walks in to join them all.
This is my family—the one I always wished for.
***
Looking down at the framed certificate of a star named after me, my vision blurs so much I can no longer see.
“Mom, are you all right?” Emily asks. I nod, unable to speak.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Lauren says, coming to sit by me.
Placing the frame down, I walk toward Striker. The whole place ebbs away when I stand close to him. It's just the man I love and me. Without a word, I reach up and kiss his lips slowly. This kiss is different from any other kiss we have ever shared. This is love. Our tongues are dancing a slow dance.
Breaking the kiss, I look deep into his eyes. “Thank you.”
“What for?” His voice is husky and full of need.
“For that special gift.”
“You're always looking up at the stars, Daria. You're the brightest star in my life on my darkest days.” He places a strand of hair behind my ear, leaving his hand resting on my cheek. “It's only fitting that you have a star named after you.” He leans down and kisses me again, whispering against my lips. “I love you, baby.”
“Whoa, is it hot in here?” Jess chooses this moment to bring us back to reality. My face flames a little that I forgot where we were.
“Eww.” Emily makes a gagging sound.
“Right there with you, kiddo.” Nico mirrors her face.
“Pumpkin.” Dad calls me over to the grand piano. A sense of nostalgia creeps over me when I come to stand by him. “Do you remember when you were seven, eight-years-old? We sat here playing the piano and sang-”
“Silent Night.” Unshed tears burn the back of my eyes. “My favorite Christmas song. You used to sing it to me every Christmas Eve.”
“I sang it to you since you were a baby.”
“Mom, is that why you looked so upset whenever you sang it to me?” Emily asks.
“It reminded me of a time when it was just your grandpa and me. We were happy. Denise used to go visit her sister on Christmas Eve and come home early Christmas morning.” I look at Dad. “It was just you and me.” Dad closes his eyes with a wistful smile.
“I want to hear it,” Lauren says, smiling. “It's our first Christmas together as a family. I'd love to hear it.”
“Me too,” Nico chimes in.
I nod at Dad, and we sit on the stool together and begin playing.
As the song goes on, I feel all the emotions of lost moments with my dad bubble to the surface. My voice wavers near the end of the song, and I stop and walk out of the room and outside.
I can't do it anymore.
“Baby?”
Turning, I see Striker standing in the doorway of the porch. Walking up to him, I wrap my arms around his waist, breathing in his scent and calming my erratic heart.
“Promise me that, no matter what, you'll support Emily in anything she does.” He stays quiet. I look up at him. “Striker, promise me.”
“I promise.”
“You both okay?” Lauren comes outside, looking between us.
“Yeah, we’re fine.” Striker nods, kissing my nose.
“Dinner’s ready, and Dad said you do the Christmas Day prayer beforehand and asked me to come get you.”
“I’m just coming,”
“Quite the Catholic, aren’t we, Miss Denver?” Striker teases me. “I wonder what God would say if he knew what you did last night, out of wedlock, no less.”
“Dad’s Catholic, I was raised one, but I don’t believe in anything other than fate and destiny. So, I can do out of wedlock shenanigans.”
“Oh yeah?”
“As you well know, given that I’m about to pop out another one of your kids. Plus, I like sinning too much.” I wink up at him, licking my lips.
“What kind of sinning are we talking about here?” He regards me with intrigue, his eyes glittering with trouble in mind.
“Ah, that would be telling,” I walk away in the direction of the kitchen to join our family. “My biggest sin is loving you.”
His arms circle around my waist, pulling me to him so his front is to my back. His breath tickles the shell of my ear. “I can’t wait to sin with you later tonight.”
My heart blooms full of love for this man. I didn’t think I could ever love someone as much as I love him. No matter what’s happened in the past, he will always be my future. Nothing else matters when I have him in my life. I love this man with all of me.
We walk into the dining room where the rest of my family is waiting for us.
“You just gonna stand there while we starve?” Nico shouts over to me. My smile widens as I walk farther in, looking around at everyone. Striker squeezes my thigh as I sit beside him and winks down at me.
Time to make more happy memories.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Daria
Three weeks later
I sit in my car, mulling over a file outside of the prison gates. I finally found the file on Ramon with all intentions of meeting him face to face. I wanted to face the man that thought it was a good idea to beat up a woman, not only that, but beat her up while she was pregnant. Also, face the person who threatened to kill his own son on more than one occasion. Yes, Lauren cheated, and it was terrible, but did that give him the right to put his hands on her like that and try to kill the baby while still in the womb? No. No it doesn’t.
In the past, he’s killed women and children. Also on his list of crimes are rape, torture, and carving out someone’s heart while they were still alive. My stomach rolls and I grab a paper bag and throw up. He’s a sick son of a bitch. The list of women he beat up goes on for three full pages. The last girl being eighteen years old, and she’s been left paralyzed. A tear slips down my cheek. Do I want to add my name to this list? That’s what will happen if I go in there and face him. A man this dangerous will have connections on the outside, ones that would do whatever he tells them to do. I already have Brad out there waiting to pounce, I don’t need to add Ramon Sanchez to that list.
Am I willing to take that risk? No. No, I’m not risking it. I made Striker a promise that I would leave it, and for once, I will keep my promise to him and leave it.
This is a mistake. Striker’s right, I need to leave this whole thing where it belongs, the past.
I throw my car into drive and head back to my new house and to my family.
***
We moved into our new house last week. Emily is staying with Barron until we get the majority of the house decorated. She was all too happy with that idea; she will have Grandpa to herself for a few days.
“Baby?” Striker shouts through to our kitchen. “Dee?” I jump when I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it's just me.” Striker smiles. He places his hand on my cheek, and I lean into his touch. I can’t stop thinking about the contents of Ramon’s file. No wonder Lauren was scared to leave him. I would have been too. Striker is a pussycat compared to him.
“You okay?” He frowns at me.
“I'm fine. I was just in a world of my own. I didn't hear you come through.”
“These came for you.” He hands me a bunch of lilies, and my heart races hard against my ribs. I’ve never been so scared to take a bunch of flowers in all my life. It’s as if they’re going to come alive and eat me like that plant in Little Shop o
f Horrors. This is the second bouquet this week. They seem to be coming more and more frequently now, and it’s scaring the shit out of me. Not only are they sending them to my new home, they’ve started sending them to my office. They used to come once every month, on the second, like clockwork. I used to dread coming home to see them sitting there waiting, and now this. “Who's sending you flowers?”
“I don't know.” I swallow, taking them from him. If I put them in the bin, he'll get suspicious—more than he already is.
“Hey.” Nico walks in, kissing my cheek. He's been helping with the renovations and decorating. He eyes the flowers suspiciously in my hand. “You got more lilies? The same person from work? They must love you.”
Shit. Striker doesn’t know about the others I received at the old house. I thought moving here, I would have gotten away from it all, but I guess I was wrong.
“More? Who from your work? A guy?” Striker’s jaw twitches.
“No, they're from Lydia, the new girl who's taking over from me. She's thanking me for getting her out of a sticky situation.”
I look down at the card as the lie spills from my mouth. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop the gasp and tears from escaping when I see who they're from. Striker nods and goes to collect something from the yard, leaving me with Nico.
“Dee.” Nico waves his hand in front of my face. I blink a couple of times and look up into his amused hazel eyes.
“Huh?” I try to concentrate on what he’s saying, but all I can focus on is the card with the flowers.
I’ll see you real soon, babe.
“Daria.” He nudges me. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. What is it?”
“I said, what do you want to do with the nursery?”
“Um, nothing yet. It’s still too early.” I walk around him.
“Too early? You’re what? Five months gone?”
“Nico, I said leave it.” I slam the vase down on the counter, causing it to shatter in my hand.
Shit.
“Jesus, Daria.” He tries to help me clean it up. “I’m sorry. I just want to help.”
“It’s fine. I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”
Almost meeting your dad, someone sending me flowers, Brad still being out there, always worrying about this pregnancy. The list goes on.
“Wanna talk about it?” he asks, placing his hand on mine.
I look up at my big brother and give him a watery smile. I feel horrible lying to him about all of this. If Striker’s reaction to me just asking to trace Ramon is anything to go by, then telling Nico will be worse.
“Nah, I’ll be fine.” I stand with a groan.
“What happened here?” Striker looks at the broken glass in the dustpan, then between Nico and me.
“Little Miss Independent here refused to ask for help to get a vase for the flowers down.” Nico saves me, and I mouth, thank you.
“Dee, how many times? You can’t go around climbing the worktops. If you can’t reach, ask for help.” Striker sighs, shaking his head.
“I’m pregnant. I still have use of my limbs and I’m perfectly capable of doing things myself. I was doing way more than climbing worktops when I was pregnant with Emily. Jake was away at college, and I had to do the decorating on my own.”
“Well, I’m not Jake. You have plenty of help around you this time around.”
“Whatever. I need to get going. I have to meet Jake and Lydia at the courthouse to meet another client.”
“You going to be climbing ladders there too?”
“Only if the client is a giant like you and needs some sense slapped into him.” I shrug, looking up at Striker with a raised eyebrow.
He chuckles, bending to kiss my lips. “Love you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Love you too.”
“Love you too, cupcake,” Nico calls as I walk away.
“Love you.”
***
I switch my cell on after leaving Jake and Lydia to finalize everything for the new client and find a dozen messages from Striker, asking me to call him. Starting my car, I place my cell on the hands-free set and dial his number as I drive. The clouds overhead darken. I’m hoping I’ll get home before the rain starts. I hate driving when it’s raining.
“Hey, baby.” His voice alone sends hot chills through me.
“Hey. What's the emergency?”
“No emergency. I just missed you and wanted to know if you’ve climbed any ladders or done anything you shouldn’t have today?”
That's it? That's the emergency?
A big smile spreads across my face. “You think I would tell you if I did?”
He chuckles. “No, you wouldn’t.”
I glance in my rearview mirror and see a car drive up close to me.
The car flashes his headlights at me, swerving all around the road.
What the hell is this guy doing?
I put my hazards on to try to tell him to round me. The rain starts coming down hard; this guy’s going to cause an accident if he continues driving like a maniac.
“Daria?” Striker's voice penetrates my ears, bringing my attention back to him. “Baby?”
“Sorry, yeah.”
“You okay? You sound weird.”
“Just a long day. That meeting went on longer than intended. I need a relaxing bubble bath and to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie with my man.” Am I hell telling him about this douche trying to cause an accident. He'll be on his bike quicker than I can blink. “I'll be home soon.”
“I’ll get right on that, baby. It’ll be ready for you coming home.”
As I drive, I can't shake the feeling of this other car following me. The rain is hitting off the windshield and I'm struggling to see when the bastard rear-ends me, causing my car to spin out of control. I try my best to straighten up, but I hit a slippery patch and crash into the barricade. My head slams forward and hits the steering wheel hard.
“Goddamn it,” I touch my forehead and see blood on my fingers. “Fuck.” I reach down to pick up my cell that fell off the hands-free cradle down to the footwell of the passenger seat.
I dial Striker's number with shaky fingers. My free hand is rubbing my swollen stomach. I throw up over my lap, just as he answers.
“Baby?”
“Shit.”
“Dee? Are you okay?”
“I... um...” I inhale a deep breath. “I crashed my car.”
“What? How the fuck?” I hear him muttering to someone and frantic footsteps running.
“Some asshole rear-ended me.”
“Are you hurt? The baby?”
“Nothing I can't handle. The baby is fine.”
“Where are you?” he asks, and I give him my location. “Hang tight. We're coming.”
“I'm not going anywhere.” I keep scanning around the place, going over what has just happened. What if the person that just ran me off is the same person that is tormenting me with flowers and little notes, and the photos? Brad’s still out there, and I’m pretty sure it’s him sending me those flowers. All the signs point to him. The way the cards are signed with babe, which is what he used to call me all the time. And lilies? He bought me them once. I accepted them, then I took them to Grandma and Grandpa’s grave. He came over the following day and asked where the flowers were, and I lied and said that Emily was allergic to them. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that lilies were my least favorite flower. My heart thumps wildly in my chest, my anxiety rising higher as the minutes tick by. I need to calm down and stop making up scenarios in my head that are probably not true.
Ten minutes pass, and I'm still waiting at the side of the road. Not one car has passed in that time, which is weird for this time of day. I hear a rumble of bikes coming closer.
Thank God.
“Daria? You okay?” Striker sprints towards me, touching me everywhere. I turn, climbing out of my car as a sudden wave of nausea hits me.
Nico rubs my back as more vomit comes up. My head
spins.
“I'm okay.” I feel a little twinge in my stomach as I stand up straighter and stagger a little. Maybe I stood up too fast.
“Baby?” Striker grabs me.
“I'm good.”
He tries to steady me and I look up at him, hoping this twinge goes away. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“What? I'm fine. My car, on the other hand, is totaled.” I look at my pride and joy, after Striker, Emily, and the baby, of course. The whole front is crushed. “My car’s wrecked.”
“Daria, it's just a car. It can be repaired or replaced. You and the baby can't.”
“I don't need the hospital, Striker. I'm fine. I just need a nice hot bath, a massage, and a bed.” Just as the final word is out of my mouth, so is the rest of my lunch.
“I'm taking you to get checked out. No arguments.” He turns to Nico. “I want you to find out who this asshole is that ran her off of the road.”
“Did you get a look at him? What kind of car he was driving?” Nico questions. I try to think, but my head hurts and I feel lightheaded. Another wave of nausea hits me and I bend over and throw up again. “We’ll talk tomorrow. You go get looked at and call me.”
I nod as I dry heave.
***
“We’ve been here an hour. They’re busy, Striker. We can come back tomorrow.” I sigh. I just want to go home and get out of these dirty clothes. I should have asked Striker to bring a change of clothes for me. The smell of stale barf is making me feel sick again and I don’t know if I have anything left to bring up other than my internal organs. Plus, I’m scared that the crash impacted the baby. I can still feel them moving, but that doesn’t stop my fear. I start playing with my necklace as we wait.
“Daria Denver.” A young nurse calls my name, and Striker smirks at me as if to say, see? Let’s go.
“Wipe the goddamn smile off your face,” I huff.
We follow the nurse into Dr. Brooks’ office.
“Oh my goodness, Daria. What happened?” She examines my face. The doctor down in the emergency room told me I have a concussion, and I have to rest for two to three days. Striker laughed when he said that. I hate resting. Resting means doing very little, which also means unwanted thoughts filter through my brain, and that’s the last thing I need right now. I need to do something. I’m not one of those people who can just sit around and watch television all day. Besides, I have far too much to do, between the new studio, the new house, and not forgetting the fact I’m pregnant.
Nothing Else Matters (Demons Disciples MC Book 2) Page 16
