Willing Captive (29 page)

Later that day,
Clare and I sat out on the porch while Nox rested. He was still at
the stage of becoming exhausted pretty quickly, and the travelling
really took it out of him.

Finally having some
time alone, I asked her, “What was he like as a kid?”

A wistful smile
graced her face. “He was a fussy baby. Even back then, he was
demanding.” She chuckled. “I always knew he wouldn’t lead a regular
life. He was always protecting or helping someone. Always knew he
was destined for bigger things, my Adam was.” Turning to me, she
said in complete awe, “He was exceptional. Good at everything.
Learned at a quick pace. Like a sponge. Just soaking up
information. Sharp as a tack,” she laughed. “Lord knows he didn’t
get that from his mama. I’m a simple girl, from a simple town, with
simple needs. My Adam…he was much more.”

I sat there
listening with a smile until she said, “That’s how I knew you were
special.”

My
eyes started to burn, but she went on, “Adam has a way of
surrounding himself with special people. Rock and Boo are special,
just like him, and when he said he’d met a girl…” She looked over
at me with a knowing smile. “I knew he’d met
her
. That one person everyone looks for. They search and
search, and some die trying to find ‘em. And when you finally meet
them, something inside of you says ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been
looking for you. And I didn’t even know it.’”

By this point, I was
silently blubbering.

She explained, “See, for me, it was Adam’s daddy. I didn’t
have him for very long before I lost him, but he was
that
person. I knew I’d never love like
that again. And I didn’t need to because that love…I still have it
inside of me. It makes every hard day a little easier.”

I said through
shuddering breaths, “You’re a very wise woman, Clare.”

And she laughed. “Dear lord, Lily! No one ever accused
me
of being wise. And stop calling me
Clare. I like when you call me Mama.”

Smiling out into
fresh air, I closed my eyes and responded quietly, “Okay,
Mama.”

Which brings us to
now.

Staring out the
windshield, I mutter, “Oh dear God, this is going to awkward.”

Nox chuckles, “No it
won’t. Stop being dramatic.”

Scowling at him, I
lean across the seat and punch him in the arm. He mock-blocks me
and laughs, “Hey, no fighting the cripple!”

My eyes flash.
Reaching over again, I punch him twice more while he laughs. I hate
that he calls himself that. I will never see him as an invalid or
cripple.

He’s just…Nox.

Exiting the car, we
reach the front door, and I’m glad I asked Terah to prepare Mom and
Dad for meeting Nox. I didn’t want them being shocked or to ask
stupid questions that he couldn’t answer. My dad worried me the
most.

I wondered how he’d
react to meeting the person who stole his daughter away.

Holding Nox by the
hand, I reach forward to press the doorbell when the door swings
open. Terah runs to me, wrapping me up tight and screeching, “Oh my
God! I can’t believe this! I’m so fucking happy for you!”

Releasing me
suddenly, she runs over to a now freaked-out Nox and throws her
arms around him, yelling, “I’m so glad you’re not dead anymore!”
Nox chuckles silently, and Terah looks up at him seriously. “No, I
mean it. That totally sucked!”

He laughs harder,
putting an arm around her, smiling. “Me, too. It’s good to be
alive.”

Terah bounces up and
down while saying in a sing-song voice, “And getting married!”

Shaking my head at
her, I utter, “Calm down, dorkette. We haven’t told anyone
yet.”

Suddenly, a tall,
handsome man appears at the front door. He has light brown hair,
laughing brown eyes, and an easy smile. Taking one look at Nox, he
walks forward, taking him into a firm hug. Nox hugs him back, and
they talk close for a while.

This must be
Jonathon.

Releasing Nox, he
comes forward, smiling with open arms. Feeling shy, I walk forward
and allow him to hug me tight.

He kisses my head
and my heart aches. Such a sweet gesture and I don’t even know
him.

Jon pulls back a
little and says, “Goddamn, those are some genes. Guess your dad’s
lucky he didn’t have any more baby girls. He’d have to beat ‘em off
with a stick.” Pausing, he adds in complete seriousness, “Or commit
murder.”

Blushing, I giggle
stupidly loud, and both he and Nox chuckle.

Terah slaps his arm
playfully. “Leave her alone, Jon. You’re embarrassing her.”

She takes me by the
arm and leads me down the hall. I know what she’s doing. She’s
trying to put it out in the open that she supports me, whatever the
decision. And I’m grateful.

Approaching the
kitchen, I hear Mom chatting away to herself. When I peek inside,
she squeals, “Oh, my baby!”

Laughing softly, I
wrap her up in a hug and hold her tightly. She sighs, “It’s so
quiet here without you, honey.”

Squeezing her, I
say, “I thought you liked the quiet.”

Squeezing back, she utters, “There’s quiet. And then
there’s
quiet
. And I
don’t like
quiet
.”

Releasing her,
she looks past me to Nox. Using his cane for support, he comes
forward, and Mom’s face turns devastated. Not a second later, she
takes him into a motherly embrace and mutters over and over again.
“Thank you so much.”

He did save my life,
after all.

Nox holds her. “I’d
do it again in a heartbeat, ma’am.”

Pulling back, she smacks his chest, “Don’t you
ma’am
me. You’ll call me Mom.” Staring at
her in shock, she turns to me and adds with a wink, “Nice
ring.”

I mentally smack my
forehead.

I forgot to take off
my ring. Some surprise.

Mom tuts, “We need
drinks! And I think the occasion calls for something bubbly.”

She moves across the
pristine kitchen with such ease it looks as though she’s gliding.
Opening the refrigerator, she pulls out two bottles of Dom Perignon
and hands them to Jon to pop the corks.

He pours and hands
us our glasses, but something doesn’t feel right.

“
Where’s Dad?”

Mom’s happy face
droops. “In his office.”

Silence.

We stare at each
other for a moment before I blurt out, “I should go get him.”

Moms smile
reappears, gentler this time. “That would be nice, sweetie.”

Nox squeezes my neck
and asks Mom, “Do you think I could sit down somewhere? I get tired
pretty quickly these days.”

Her face falls, “Oh,
honey! I’m so sorry. Of course we can sit. Let’s go outside. It’s
such a nice day.”

Linking her arm with
his free one, she leads them to the backyard, and Nox turns to wink
at me. Shaking my head, I smile and bite my lip to stop my
laughter. The goof is giving me time by distracting my mom.

I love that man.

Watching them all
exit through the double doors, I take a moment to prepare myself
for this encounter. I love my dad. I do. But I wish he’d done
things differently.

It’s too late to do anything about that now, but it still bugs
me.

Quietly making my
way down the hall, I stop by my dad’s office and listen in.

Nothing. Not a
sound.

Peeking in, I see my
dad at his desk, going through a photo album. I assume he wants
privacy, so I turn to leave, when I hear, “Nothing scarier than
almost losing a child.”

Stopping in my tracks, I listen as he goes on, “Losing a
child, as in your wee one passing away, I think ye could come to
terms with. It’s so final. I’m not saying it would be easy, just
that it’s permanent. But
almost
losing a child…” He clears his throat. “…It’s a very hard
thing to witness. Ye do the best ye can to hold it together for yer
family. Somehow, it always comes back to that day. The thought of
ye being out of me sight for even a minute was enough to make me
loopy.”

Turning, my eyes met
my father’s as he continued, “Because if ye were out of me sight, I
couldn’t protect ye, love. It’s a father’s duty. And I only did
what any father would do. I could handle ye thinking I wasn’t fair.
As long as ye were safe, I could deal with yer attitude, Lily.”

And although I don’t
completely understand, I get it somewhat. Nodding once, I shift
from foot-to–foot, suddenly nervous.

A
smiling Dad breaks the tension with, “So he fought the underworld
for ye?”

Not able to keep the
smile down, I whisper, “He promised he’d come back for me.”

He looks serene as
he says, “Must love ye a lot, Lily girl.”

Dipping my chin, I
tell him, “He says he does.”

Dad returns in
perfect Irish sarcasm, “I’d be inclined to believe him. Coming back
from the dead is overkill, but the gesture was nice.”

And I laugh softly,
shaking my head.

Standing, Dad smiles
up at me. “Missed ye a lot, darling. Do ye think…ye think I could
get a hug?”

Not wasting another
second, I cross the room in a second flat and wrap my arms around
my father’s waist. Placing my cheek to his chest, I take in the
warmth and love being given in this moment. I mutter into my dad’s
shirt, “I’m getting married.”

He sighs and strokes
my hair, “I know, sweets. It’s time for me to let go and place ye
in the hands of someone who deserves ye. And I think Nox deserves
ye.”

Squeezing my dad, I
assure, “He does deserve me. As much as I deserve him.”

He pulls back a
little and smiles softly, “Shall I go meet my future son-in-law
then?”

“
Yeah. I think that would be nice.”

Wrapping his arm
around my shoulder, we walk together to the back patio where
everyone sits chatting. Terah’s leading the conversation, as
always.

Nox turns to the
doorway and smiles, seeing me and my father wrapped up. Taking his
cane, he stands a little unsteadily, and walks towards us. My
father holds his hand out. Nox takes it. And I’m a little stunned
when Dad pulls him towards him and hugs him tight.

My throat tightens.
My eyes burn.

Still in a manly
embrace, my dad says, “Owe ye everything, son. Ye need or want
anything, ye just ask.”

Nox earns a point in my dad’s book when he utters, “I’m quite
partial to your daughter, actually. I was kinda hoping I could keep
her.”

Dad bursts into
laughter and claps him on the back. He chuckles, “I’d love to say
yes, and ye’ve got me permission.” He looks over to me. “But it’s
up to her.” He smiles at me, “If it’s any help, I think she’d
follow ye to Hell and back.”

They release each
other, and Nox steadies himself on his cane. He turns to me. “She
already has.”

***

The guys stay
gathered in the dining room, while us ladies clear the table.

We’ve been chatting
about our men and wedding stuff. Terah says, “God, sometimes I look
at Jon and think ‘how the Hell did I manage to get you?’ We’re so
lucky.”

Mom adds, “They are
very handsome.”

Terah and I scoff. Shaking my head, I say, “Handsome is
something. And Nox is handsome most times. But, by God, he
is
hot
. Hotter
than Hell, Mom. I never thought I could love someone so much. I can
hardly keep my hands off him.”

Mom chastises on a
gasp, “Lily! That’s inappropriate! You’re a lady and ladies do not
speak that way.”

Terah chuckles,
“Screw being a lady. I love my special cuddle time with Jon.”

Mom covers her ears, but barks out an embarrassed laugh, “I
can
n
ot
hear this! You girls can
clean the rest up while I powder my nose.”

Terah and I chuckle, watching her leave. After a moment, she
turns to me, “Nox
is
hot,
babe.” Turning back, she side eyes me. “
Have you- you know- yet?”

Sullen, I wipe a
serving dish dry and pout. “Not yet. But I’m happy to wait. We
haven’t really done much more than kiss since he’s been back, and I
think a lot of it has to do with his leg.” Pausing a moment, I lean
forward and say quietly, “I don’t think he has a clue what he does
to me. I’m blazing hot all the damn time. I want sex, Terah!”

Doubling over, she
laughs hard. “Oh, God. I never thought I’d see the day my kid
sister would be so openly sexually frustrated.” Straightening, she
smiles big, eyes wide. “Seduce him. Tonight.”

Face becoming
serious, I place the dish down. “Really?”

She raises her
brows. “Uh, yeah! Show him how much you want him. Show him he’s
still the sexy man you fell in love with. Maybe he needs you to
build his self-esteem some more. I didn’t know him before, but Jon
said he used to be the most confident and sure-minded man he ever
met, and that he must be feeling like shit.”

I know this. I’ve
seen Nox get frustrated at the simplest things. Things haven’t been
easy.

Making a snap
decision, I place a hand on my hip. “I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna
show my man he’s still the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. I’ll show
him just how much I want him. How much I need him.”

Then something
passes through my head. “What if he rejects me?”

Terah comes forward,
smiling softly. “He won’t. He loves you so much. He’ll see this is
important to you. He’ll try for you.”

I whisper, “I miss
him.”

Wrapping me in a
warm hug, she says, “I know, kid.” Pulling away from me, she adds,
“Go on back, I’ll be there in a few. There are only two dishes
left.”