Damon (12 page)

“The bus Connor and I were on was headed that way. We only got off in Columbus be
cause I couldn’t ride anymore.
We’d be there now instead of here if I hadn’t been hurt so badly.”

Charlie thought about these women coming to Damon’s home
that night and talking to her.
They had all sobbed at what had happened to them and each of them had a similar story to tell
about past men in their lives.
She knew that she didn’t have
it as bad as the other women.
Dane had been beaten and then disowned by her mother because she had a special gift that made her be able to touch people’s lives in ways that would frighten others. Taylor had nearly been killed by her boss in addition to being hurt in a club by some idiot who had bitten
her while she’d been tied up.
Morgan had been kidnapped and raped repeatedly by a man who had simply wanted her. Then when she’d killed him to get away, she had spen
t five years in prison for it.
Ronnie had had to kill her father becau
se he was going to kill Devin.
Cait had been shot several times by her partner and left for dead, then later had saved Meggie from certain death.

“
Charlie, we need to tell them.
The men, they have to know about Ant
hony and what he’s capable of.
We’re going to need them to step
up their security around us.”

Dane had already told her this the other night and saying it again to her m
ade her want to say no.
But she was right. If nothing else, they’d need to be more careful too.

“All right. I should leave, though.
I ca
n’t bring this to your family.
This isn’t right that I…he
’ll hurt you all to get to me.
I don’t know what I ever d
id to make him
…oh, God, Connor is going to hate me. He loves Damon so much.”

“Let’s
go back to our house and talk.
But I don’t think
Damon is going to let you go.
I belie
ve he’s in love with you too.”
With that, Dane left the bathroom.

Charlie looked a
t Cait.
She
didn’t look too happy either.
Charlie felt so horrible for what she had done to these people.

“Do you believe in fate, Charlie? I don’t mean the fairy book kind where you find your one true love an
d you live happily ever after.
I mean the way things just fall i
nto place and it’s just right.
The reason I ask is bec
ause you fit with this family.
I noticed t
he similarities the other day.
Not one of us women has a mother, yet Margaret has acted like one to each of us as though she were meant
for the job.
We have no other fam
ily than who we bring with us.
I didn’t have anyone other than my uncle Paddy and aunt Dee and so
me bastard took them from me.
Now I have Meggie, who I love as thou
gh she were my own, and Paddy.
We each have had someone or something that has made us who
we are and what we can become.
Damon doesn’t just love you. He doesn’t j
ust love Connor. He needs you.
Both of you. I’ve never seen him so happy, as relaxed as he’s been since yo
u two have come into his life.
We’ve all no
ticed it and thank you for it.
All of us have depended on him, needed
him for something or another.
He saved my life when I
was brought into the hospital.
He’s stitched
me up and the others as well.
When Morgan was pregnant with the twins, Damon even offered to marry her, not because he wanted her as his wife, but so that he could care for her
when Nicky was being an ass.
He has a huge heart
and he’s let you guys into it.
Please don’t hurt him by running again.”

“I don’t want him hurt.
I…I love him too. I don’t want anything to happen to him
when Anthony comes to get me.
What would I…I’d die if anything happened to him.”

“Good girl.
And nothing is going to ha
ppen to him or you and Connor.
As
of right now, you’re a Grant.
And Grants take care of their own.”

~~~

Damon thought there was something wrong the minute D
ane came back without Charlie.
Then when Cait and Charlie
came back, he knew there was.
He started to rise and go to her, but her slight
shake of her head stopped him.
When she sat back down beside him, h
e took her hand and kissed it.
Connor making a nasal noise brought laughter from the others at the table.

“Might as well get used to it, son,” Byron said as he ruffled his hair. “They are going to be doing a lot of that, I’m think
ing.
Connor, why don’t you c
ome over to our house tonight?
Taylor and I have a couple of questions to ask you abo
ut that new game we got today.
She’s a girl, you know, and she hates when things get…rough.”

Everyone burst out laughing.
There wasn’t an adult at the table who didn’t know that Taylor and Byron were
into playing games during sex.
That was how Byron had met his Taylor. She had come into one of his bondage clubs, Tightly Bound,
and they had played together.

“Don’t let him fool you, Connor. Bryon squeals like a
little girl when I shoot him.
I think he just wants you to
show him how to shoot better,”
Taylor said with a wink.

“You people are weird. I really like
you all, but you’re all weird. Momma, can I go over?
I’ll be good and everything else.” Connor look
ed at both him and his mother.
Damon wanted to crow!

“Actually, w
e all need to go to our house.
Jamie an
d I want to have you all over.
We al
l have some things to discuss.
If you don’t mind, I’d lik
e for you all to stay as well.
Pi has been dying to cook for you all and this will be the perfect opportunity to let her have some fun,” Dane said quietly.

“What’s going on, Dane? Cait? Something’s going on, isn’t it?
You can’t just drop something like that on us and expect us to com
e along quietly.
It’ll drive po
or Morgan here over the edge,” Nicky said.
His joke was strained.

“I think it’s time that Connor and I…well, we’ve grown very fond of you all over the past few weeks and I think it’s time we…we need to trust someone sometime and I can’t think of anyone th
at I think we could trust more.
The man who is…there’s a man try
ing to get me and he’s coming.
I will understan
d if you want to bail out now. Connor and I will understand.
We know what sort of man Anthony is and—”

“I know that I speak for the
entire table when I say this.
And Charlie, I say this wi
th love and understanding too.
Shut the fuck up and
tell us,” his mother snapped.
“We aren’t going anywhere and neither are you two.”

No one moved.
Their mother had never cursed at anyone…well, she
had before, but not like this.
Damon turned to Charlie and d
ropped to one knee before her.
This was as g
ood a time as any, he thought.
Then realized this was perfect.

“Charlotte Kirkpatrick, will you do me the honor of becoming
my wife?
I want
you and Connor to be my family.
I love you both more than I’ve ever th
ought…I ever dreamed possible.
I want to care f
or you both and keep you safe.
I love you.”

He trembled slightly when
he pulled out the little box.
He’d gotten it just today when he and Connor ha
d been coming back from lunch.
Having Connor there was wonderful and he knew he’d never forget the conversation he’d had with him for as long as he lived.

“Connor, I was wondering if I cou
ld talk to you about something.
It’s
about you and your mom. Man to man sort of.”
He had babbled and had been afraid that he would screw this up.

“Sure, Damon.
Ca
n I have another burger first?
I think that one was made on the skinny side, as my momma says. I have five dollars that Byron gave me for helping him hang one of his and Taylor’s toys.”

Damon nearl
y choked to death on his drink.
He had thought he’d have to murder his brother when all Connor had helped hang
was a pot rack in the kitchen.
Connor had looked at him oddly for a few minutes.

“No, that’s okay. Umm, let me pay, though
. Y
ou’re working for me today and I
pay my men for their lunches
. Y
ou go ahead, but don’t get out of my sight.”

When Connor returned with not one but three more burgers, Damon decided to see about investing in
a large freezer for the house.
Feeding this kid through his tee
nage years was going to be fun.
He sat up in his chair while Connor polished the burgers off quickly.

“Connor?
I wanted to
ask you about staying with me
. Y
ou and your mom, that is. I want to know if you want to stay with me.”

“I thought we already were.
Did M
omma say we were moving again? I like staying with you.
I like my room and all, but if Momma says we have to go then I gotta go with her. She needs me.”

“Of course she does.
No, what I meant was would you mind if I…yo
u see, I really like your mom.
She’s wonderful and I love having…she’s very special to
me and I…that is to say that I…
”

“
Damon, why don’t you just ask?
We could get really old if you keep stopping and starting li
ke that
. Y
ou want to ask my momma to marry you, don’t you?”

Out of the mouths of babes. “Yes.
But I don’t want to do i
t if you don’t think I should.
I understand that you and your mom are a package deal and I love the idea of you living with us too. I know I’ve not known you all that long, but I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess
. Y
o
u and her gonna have kids too?
I guess
that’ll be all right with me.
When you gonna ask her?”

Damon had thought Connor had looked hurt, but then he’d asked about other children and all Damon could focus on then was seeing C
harlie swollen with his child.
He looked around the mall food court and saw a woman huge with child and c
ould picture Charlie that way.
It took him several times of clearing his throat before he could answer Connor.

“That would
be something we’d all discuss.
So, would you help me pick out a ring for her? I’d like to ask her t
his weekend at my mom’s house.
It’s Thanksgiving, you know? I think she’d like knowing that you approved of me asking, don’t you?”

So they’d spent a good two hours going from jewelry store to jewelry store
to pick out the perfect ring.
Connor knew she’d want something simple, though it had taken two very frustrated clerks and forty minutes of Damon wanting to wring his
little neck to figure it out.
Now here is was on bended knee with his family present, asking her.

“Momma, you gonna answer him?
He sure took a long time picking out that thin
g
. Y
ou gonna put it on or what?
He knows that I come with you as a package deal, he said, so answer him.”

Damon wasn’t sure if he wanted
to hug Connor or growl at him.
The kid sure had a way of cutti
ng to the heart of the matter.
Damon took out the ring
and picked up Charlie’s hand.
She was crying and he wished he’d done t
his with just the two of them.
Maybe when he
was buried deep inside of her.
It was hard to say no to anything when in the
throes of passion, he thought.