5 Darkness Falls (40 page)

“It’s alright. I’m fine,” I assured her.

She cocked her head, as if I looked familiar. She glanced back at Cecilia, who was watching her closely a few steps behind. “Is this-?”

“Yes.” Cecilia cut her off.

She turned back to me, her eyes beaming with appreciation. “Whatever you did, thanks. I’ve been dying for a vacation. Now, if you’ll just excuse me. I need to pack.”

“Of course.”

She rushed upstairs like a child that’d been told they were going to Disney for the first time. Excitement carried her away to a different world.

“Please have them prepare the documents. I’ve decided to take her to several other destinations afterwards. She deserves a break.”

“I’ll make the call now.”

“Very well.” She bowed her head before ascending the stairs, presumably to pack.

I pulled out my phone and called Auggy.

“Where the hell is that address Jackson?” he grumbled.

“Stop whining and prepare the treaty docs.”

“Wh…” His growl was abruptly punctuated. He chuckled softly. “Well I’ll be damned,” he muttered, mainly to himself it seemed.

“See you soon, Augustine.” I smiled as I hung up.

I opened the front door, and Derek nearly fell on top of me. They tried to play it off like they weren’t ready to barge in if I needed them. “Let’s call a taxi, boys.”

Chapter 3
8

Two weeks later…

His cologne left a faint trail in the hallway outside our condo. He’d been there, probably to get clothes. My heart immediately tensed. It’d been almost a month since I’d seen him. As much as I wanted to forget him and move on, he would always own a large part of me. They both would.

My hand shook as I unlocked the door. The moment I opened it, his cologne assaulted my nose. The baby fluttered about, as if it sensed his lingering presence. The condo was too quiet.

“Go ahead, baby cakes.” Drex was right behind me, gently coaxing me.

I ambled forward and around the corner, abruptly halting. I gasped, my hand flying to cover my mouth. Tears sprung as he came into view.

He’d never looked more handsome. He wore a traditional tuxedo; his hands were clasped behind his back, as if he was waiting at the end of a wedding aisle. His hair was spiked the way I liked it; his emerald eyes were sparkling with love, the love that I always knew was there, even when he treated me bad.

I knew other people were there, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He enraptured me; he spoke to me on every level with his silent gaze. My heart was soaring; my soul was crying out for him. I couldn't get to him soon enough.

“For crying out loud! I freaking stuck a needle in my heart to surprise you and held my breath. Will you at least run towards each other like in every sappy movie?” Mel interjected.

I couldn’t move past the tears. They streamed openly down my face. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him. My chest felt tight, my lungs barely expanding as I took him in.

Slowly, I pulled myself together enough to glance around. Everyone was there. Old and new friends filled the living room, though there was one person notably absent. But it wasn’t just a loss of one; it’d been a loss of many over the past year. I just couldn’t see past the one. None of the others compared to Kai, even my parents, but Kai was never Kellan. No one could take Kellan’s place.

Hesitantly, I moved towards him. I didn’t bother hiding my tears or trying to stop them. I stopped a few feet in front of him; in front of everyone. I swallowed hard, trying not to choke on my emotions anymore than I already was. “What are you doing here?”

He handed me a bouquet of red roses. “Happy birthday, babe.”

“Oh. My birthday. Right,” I faltered, my tears instantly halting. That’s all this was. He couldn’t be seen not giving me something for my birthday without seeming like a jerk. I gnawed on my bottom lip, unsure of myself.

He stared at me, long and hard. He slipped his hand around mine, bringing it towards his chest, towards his heart. “This is about more than your birthday. I brought everyone here because at some time or another I’ve disrespected you in front of these people. That wasn’t right.” His nerves showed as he shifted. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes; we both have. I can’t promise I’ll never piss you off again, but I can promise that I’ll never take you for granted again; I’ll never treat you as if you don’t matter, because you do. I didn’t realize how much you mattered to me. My world isn’t right without you. This probably makes me a dick, but I’m so glad Kai took the fall. Without him, I wouldn’t have had the chance to make things right with you like this.”

His words hit me hard. They were all I’d longed to hear. We both had to take responsibility for where our relationship ended up.

My breath hitched as he dropped down to one knee. He pulled a ring from his pocket and held it in front of my left ring finger. “Lexi, Leka, I love you. While I can’t promise you perfection, I can assure you and our baby boy happiness. If you’ll marry me, I’ll be the best man I can be, the best vamp I can be, and the husband you deserve. Will you allow me one last chance to be all you deserve?”

I smiled wide, unable to speak as the tears returned, sitting on the edge. I hated crying so damn much, but this time I had a good reason. I nodded. “Yes,” my voice cracked.

Cheers and sniffles erupted around us as he pulled me into his arms. Someone took the flowers from me so I could hug him back.

“
You look so handsome. I love the tux.
” I squeezed him to me, the baby pressed between us, completing our little family.

He nuzzled my neck. “
I’ve missed you.
”

I leaned back and cupped his face, searching his eyes. “
I've missed you too.
”

“Woohoo! Let’s go, people!” Aunt Claire declared. “We have a flight to catch.”

I turned towards them. “Where are you rushing off to?” I riled her.

“Not me, all of us. We’ve got a destination wedding to plan.”

My eyes widened, immediately going to Auggy. “You finally popped the question?”

“Hell no. She’s gotta work harder for that title.”

Aunt Claire slapped his chest. “Don’t get fresh, Augustine.”

“Then whose wedding are you running off to plan?”

“Ours,” Kellan replied. “We wouldn’t be together if it wasn’t for
him,
so I decided we should get married in Hawaii. But I don’t want to wait anymore. I want you wholly mine in every world, if you’ll still have me.”

A single tear trailed its way down my cheek. “Of course I will.” The baby chose that moment to kick around, knocking Kellan and me both.

He chuckled. “He’s going to be a damn good fighter. He’s already got good combat skills in there.” He pulled away enough to rub his hand over my baby belly.

“Let’s go, Lex!” Mel squealed.

“I know! Stop holding us up. We have a ton of work to do these next few days.” Gabi extracted me from Kellan. “You’ll have the honeymoon for the mushy stuff.” Gabi looked around the room. “Beth, Claire, Francesca, let’s go ladies. We have no time to waste.”

In the midst of the women stealing me away, I caught Kalel’s gaze. He stood with his hands tucked into his black pants. He was so different from Kai, yet similar enough for me to immediately see the resemblance. He offered me a small, wistful smile, but the pain was evident. He still hadn’t let go. My heart ached for him.

Will walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. I could tell he wanted to be angry with the man for allowing his brother to go through with this, but the logical part of him told him that Will couldn’t have stopped him. No one could have. Kai made his choice. He chose love. He chose to love me more than I could ever love myself. He chose sacrifice. He chose to sacrifice himself as the greatest show of love.

I was pulled around the corner towards the door. I frowned. “Um, guys, I need to pack a bag.”

“We took care of it, sweetie.” Beth smiled, her face glowing with delight. She was happy for us. “I’m so happy you two worked it out.”

Chapter 39

“You look beautiful, honey. So stinking beautiful.” Tears stained Aunt Claire’s eyes.

“Kellan is going to die. Seriously, Lex, you’re gorge.” Mel gave me a hug, being mindful of my baby belly.

“I’m jealous, but so happy for you,
chica
.” Gabi gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Flowers are here,” Drexel announced. He held a box in his hand as he came into the bridal suite at the resort. He passed a small white bouquet to each woman. He stopped in front of me, his eyes sweeping over me. “He’s a very lucky man.” His eyes sparkled.

I smiled, feeling color flush my cheeks. “Thanks.”

He handed me my bouquet, larger than the others, with an array of flowers in white and cream. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

“Can you all give me a minute with Lexi, please?” Aunt Claire grabbed a tissue from the box on the vanity and dabbed the stray blood-red tears before they did any more damage to her make-up.

The others filed out of the room, giving us some privacy.

She openly gazed at me, swallowing hard, as if she could swallow back her emotions. I knew all too well that they always came back up. “I never imagined that it’d be me here alone with you today. We always thought it would be both of us sharing in your special day. This is a memory I know she was looking forward to.” She took a deep breath.

I struggled to keep the memories at bay. I didn’t want to open that floodgate, not today.

“You’re so beautiful, honey, and I’m so proud of you and Kellan. You’ve done amazing things together; one of which is in your belly right now.” She smiled as she rubbed my belly. “I know your parents are looking down on you right now and they’re so happy for you, bursting with pride and overwhelmed by the woman you’ve become. You’re going to be a wonderful wife and mother. And don’t think for one second that because I didn’t give birth to you that I won’t be playing the role of grandmother to that baby or that I won’t be there for you through it all. I love you. I love Kellan, and I love that little miracle inside you.”

I was on the verge of losing the little bit of control I’d summoned not to break down. The gaping hole I’d grown accustomed to feeling seemed to become a vortex, sucking all of my strength, sucking all I had inside. I missed them; all of them. I was sad to know they wouldn’t see me today; I was brokenhearted to know they were missing so many moments, that they’d sacrificed so much for me to have these moments and then they weren’t here to share them.

“I love you too, Aunt Claire. You’ve always been there for me when I needed you and I really appreciate it. I know Mom would be proud of the woman you’ve stepped up to be; so would Gran.”

Without warning, she hugged me, her tight squeeze making it impossible to breathe. I emphatically reciprocated nonetheless, relishing her love. That was one thing I was grateful for. I had lost people I loved, but the love never stopped coming. I was surrounded by love; I was
in
love.

A sharp knock sounded on the door before Auggy burst in. He fidgeted with his button-up shirt.

“I’m damn near suffocating in this stuffy outfit,” he grumbled.

Aunt Claire released me, and both of us appraised the burly man. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s a pair of khaki pants and a nearly sheer white linen shirt. You’ve damn near uncovered your elbows in the thing and no one wants to see that much of your chest. Button a few more buttons. You’re lucky we’re not stuffing your feet in alligator shoes; it’s not every day a girl decides to have a barefoot wedding.”

He mumbled something as he fastened a few buttons, leaving two open at the top.

“I’ll see you outside, sweetie. You look beautiful.” Aunt Claire kissed my cheek. She stopped by the vanity, quickly retouching her make-up. She slapped Auggy on the chest. “Stop complaining and compliment the beautiful pregnant woman you’re about to give away.”

He scoffed, as Aunt Claire strolled out, closing the door behind her.

Auggy slowly lifted his gaze to where I stood. His hands immediately fell away from where he was still fussing with the shirt; his eyes crinkled in the corners. His chest ceased to rise and fall for a minute as he looked at me.

I tugged on the dress, trying to cover more of myself. It was a white dress that made me feel like I was wrapped in silk. Layers of smooth linen surrounded my body, tight against every part of me from chest to knee. A cream colored bow spanning half of my width sat low on my back, giving the appearance of all those layers of silk fusing, ending eloquently there.

Aunt Claire had bought me a platinum necklace with a single pearl dangling on the delicate strand, representing the most important person I’d lost. Lastly, she gave me Gran’s pearl earrings, the same ones my mother had worn on her own wedding day. My chest cracked open, my aura darkened at the thought of them both. Would the pain ever disappear? Would there ever come a day that I didn’t mourn the loss of someone?

Auggy slowly approached me. His lips curled up as he grabbed my hand. He kissed the back of my hand. “Kellan’s a very lucky man.” He winked. “You look breathtaking. Any man would be fortunate to have you.”