Broken Road (Fate's Intent Book 7) (15 page)

Chapter 29

Darius

Everything was set up in the study for only me and Adele looked right at me before lighting the herb. “Ready?”

“Only if it’s promising.”

“What about your future wouldn’t be?” Jaylyn asked. “We’ve seen you before.”

I frowned. “When?”

She looked around like maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. “When Trever showed us how he could induce a vision with specific others in it and you―”

“Walked away. Right. What happened?”

“Nothing much.” Zayden said. “We saw all three of our sons doing some kind of training then you were there, asking how it was coming along.”

“That’s it?” It seemed useless.

“It’s always rather short.” Adele said. “Are you ready?”

I sighed and sat back on the couch. “I suppose.”

She lit the herb and I watched the smoke rise up above it.

It was dark but there was a small fire lit. I saw me. I walked into my room at the Senian palace and the image focused down on what I was holding in my arm. It was a little boy; my boy as an infant. He had his mother’s hair but he was right out asleep so we couldn’t see that he also had her eyes. I looked a little tired myself so it must have been late.

I walked over to the bassinet in the room and gently lowered him down then covered him with a blanket, tucking it in around him. “Goodnight.”

I kissed his head but hung back and watched him for what seemed like the longest moment. I was seeing this unusual change in myself. The baby was very young so this had to be only months away and I saw how much I really wanted to be there.

“Am I too late?” Jaylyn came into the room from behind me and skipped right over to me.

“Shh. Don’t wake him.”

“Awe, I wanted to say goodnight.”

“You can. You just have to be here when he wakes up in another two hours.”

Jaylyn laughed and I was beginning to find it weird that we haven’t seen Ruby putting her son to bed. “I will if you want me too.”

I laughed a little while Jaylyn put her arm around me and I did her, getting her to snuggle beside me. It was weird. I looked up at Troy and he was kind of unhappy about how close we seemed.

“He’s just so sweet. I don’t want to leave him.” Jaylyn went on, keeping her starry eyes down on my son.

“You’re welcome to stand here all night. It’s probably what I’ll do. I’m afraid to fall asleep like something will happen if I do. He’s kind of all I have.”

“Not true. You have us.”

“Thanks.”

Jaylyn’s smile was relaxing just watching it like this and the image began to fade while she gently rubbed my chest.

I didn’t really know how to respond but it accomplished seeing what I wanted. I didn’t even want to sleep while my son did in case anything happened. Now that’s devotion.

“What was that?” Troy asked.

“Oh, did you see him?!” Jaylyn said, ignoring Troy’s jealous moment. “He was so sweet and Darius you were so sweet! I kind of can’t wait to see him now!”

I wanted all of that to happen but I was having doubts about if Ruby would even accept an apology this late.

I had to try.

“I should talk to her.”

“Yeah, you should.” Adele said. “See, I knew you wouldn’t be bad at it.”

I tried not to smile because she was right but I couldn’t help it. “Let’s not carry on about it. I have to see if this works first.”

“Then go see.” Zayden said.

I nodded and left the room. I started towards the stairs and went up them with long strides, skipping steps but I stopped before taking the last step that would put me on the sixth floor. I haven’t stayed up here in a while but realized I missed it. I took the step and slowly started walking towards my old room where Ruby stayed. I felt almost nervous to actually see her but I stayed outside the door, deciding to knock instead of going right in.

Ruby came to the door and was wrapped tightly in thick clothes like she was cold. “I’m not speaking to you.”

She closed the door in my face before I could say a word and I leaned in towards it with a soft voice. “Ruby, please. Can I come in?”

She opened the door again and looked at me with narrow eyes but they were her natural golden glow not red. “I’m not speaking to you until your hair grows back.”

She closed the door again and I couldn’t help but laugh and ask. “Why?”

“I loved your hair.” She said from inside. “You know that. How do you think that makes me feel, you cutting it all off?”

“Ruby, I—”

She opened the door. “I’m not speaking to you until it grows back. So try knocking again in about four to six months. Bye.”

She slammed the door shut again and I started to get a smile on my face with a quick thought and raced towards the stairs. I flew down from landing to landing without even touching the stairs until I made it to the bottom and thankfully everyone was back on the first floor because I wouldn’t have been able to stop any sooner.

“What are you doing?” Jaylyn asked while laughing.

“Adele, you can make hair grow, right?” I was sorry that I completely ignored her question but I needed this.

“Ah, yeah. I can do lots of things.”

“Good. Could you make mine how it used to be?”

“Why?”

“Ruby won’t talk to me until it grows back and I don’t really want to wait the four to six months she said it’d take.”

Adele looked around at the others and smiled. “All right. Sounds like a good enough explanation for me to have to lift a finger.”

“Thank you. Now get lifting.” Adele brought her hand towards me and my hair slowly started to grow back to the original length. The moment it was, I turned from them and started up the stairs in a hurry. “Thank you!”

I was feeling better about this and made it up quickly, knocking repeatedly like I was someone completely different. I could hear her sigh from inside and she came to the door again. “What now?”

It opened and I was standing with a smile. “Can we talk now?”

Ruby sighed with a laugh behind it. “I’m going to kill Adele.”

“You didn’t say it had to be naturally.”

“Well, I still have nothing to say to you.”

“But I have something to say to you if you’ll let me come in.”

She sighed again and turned into the room, leaving the door open. “Should I just start getting angry now?”

“No. I think we need to set some things straight and I owe you an extremely huge apology.”

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “They got to you, didn’t they?”

“It shouldn’t matter. The point is that I am sorry.”

“For what?”

“I should have never went as far as I did to make sure nothing happened to you. I know you’re not the fragile thing like I was treating you but I did those things because I know what it was like to grow up without my mother and—”

“Darius, you don’t have to—”

“And I just didn’t want that for our son. The saying may go, ‘every boy needs his father’ but I think he needs a mother just as much.”

Ruby turned away. “Funny that you say that now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know about you and Meg.”

My eyes got wide but there was really no point in trying to hide it. “Who told you?”

“No one needed to tell me. Walls have ears you know.”

“Ruby—”

“What I really can’t believe is that you were actually willing to be out of our son’s life completely and be a father to a child that’s not even yours.”

“Ruby, I thought you hated me. I haven’t talked to you in weeks or even seen you until today. You had me convinced that you were leaving me and Meg was the one that was there to help me not break down.”

“Oh, you mean by fucking her? Yeah, that sounds like you.”

“Ruby, I’m sorry. If I knew you were the one waiting for me, I never would have been with her. I would have come to you right away.”

“So, now what? I’m supposed to forgive you for cheating on me for the second time while we’re married and be okay with it? How many times do we have to do this? How many more times are you going to choose someone else over me? I don’t think I can take another time.”

“You won’t have to.” I stepped up behind her but kept my hands from touching her. “I didn’t think that you wanted me anymore. I thought that I had lost you.”

“And I cried myself to sleep every night knowing you were making love to another woman that should have been me.”

“Ruby, I don’t know what you want me to say. Apparently, neither of us knew what was really happening because we never asked. I just wanted to give you the space you wanted and thought that you’d come to me when you were ready but when you never came after weeks, what was I supposed to think?”

She turned around and looked up at me with watering eyes. “I don’t know if we could make this work again.”

I took a slow step forward, getting emotional with every word. “Don’t say that. I need you.”

Ruby slowly shook her head and took a step away. “No. You need sex. Not me.”

“I would give it all up if it meant having you back. I love you. When I saw you this morning after what felt like a lifetime, I fell all over again. You’re the only one for me.”

“You know that’s not true.”

“Meg? No. I used her because I didn’t want to feel the hurt of you leaving me anymore. We both knew it and that’s why she left. I wasn’t nearly as hurt then because I knew I still wanted you. I was just waiting for you to come to me but I guess now I’m coming to you. I want you back and I’ll do whatever you ask of me to get it. I can’t lose you. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

There was a long pause while Ruby stood through my speech and just watched my eyes. For a moment I thought she was going to see my way but then she let out a frustrating sigh. “Darius, I can’t—”

“Please don’t. I won’t walk away from you.”

“But I don’t know how I can be with you again. Trever was right. He knew I’d get hurt by you more than once. I should have listened.”

“No. He’s wrong. He’s always wrong. Would you really rather be with him than me?”

“At least he’s never made me feel like this.”

“Don’t do this. I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this. Please. I won’t have you go to him. I love you. I want you. Just tell me what it is I have to do.”

Ruby’s eyes were on the brink of letting out more tears and she only got out one thing. “Just leave.”

“No.” I muttered, taking another small step towards her to close the gap.

“There’s no other way. I don’t want to hurt you and I will if you don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Ruby.” I stepped even closer and took her arm.

“Please.” She begged me and tried pushing me away. “You have to go. Now! You’re going to get hurt if you stay around me!”

“Then I don’t care. I’m not leaving you.” I got my arms around her and she began to cry harder. Her grip became tight on my back through her loud cries and a breeze came through the windows, chilling the air around us.

I didn’t back away. I kept my arms around her even though I was beginning to feel weak but Ruby’s hold only seemed to get tighter with her crying anger. It was like I even got too tired to stand after only seconds and without knowledge of it, I collapsed down to the floor. “Ruby.”

My voice was low and I could barely keep my eyes open as the wind faded and Ruby dropped to my side with her own tired breaths. “You fool.”

“I told you I wouldn’t leave.”

“And I told you, you should. Why don’t you ever listen?”

“I’m stubborn that way.”

“I could have killed you.”

“Nah. I’m stronger than I look, remember?”

Ruby smiled through the pause but suddenly reached for her stomach, letting out groans of pain.

I was worried and quickly tried to get the energy to sit up. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the baby. He doesn’t like it when I get stressed. I have to lay down. He’s mad. I used too much.”

“Okay, here.” I got us both up and led her over to the bed. She closed her eyes as she laid back on it and took slow, deep breaths to relax. “I’m sorry. It was my fault. Please relax. I’ll go.”

I started to get up but Ruby reached for my arm with her free hand. “Don’t go, Muscles. I want you to stay with me. You should relax too. You haven’t gotten your energy back yet either.”

I was surprised when she used my nickname again but more so when she wanted me to stay after saying she didn’t know if it was going to work. I couldn’t refuse it now. “Okay.”

I sat next to her and she turned towards me, wrapping her arm around my thigh. “Thank you. I don’t want you to leave me and get hurt worse from falling down the stairs.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Babe. I’m here.”