by Helen Bright
“But you’re not even going out with Josh. I mean, I know you’ve fancied him for like…well, years now, and he’s been giving you the eye for a lot longer than he should have; but you haven’t been in any sort of relationship with him Keeley. People who decide to get married are usually going out together for a while, and maybe living together for a bit, too. You have spent one night at his home, and suddenly you’re getting married. What will Daisy think about this?”
“She wants to be a bridesmaid, and she’s happy for Josh to be her dad.”
I knew exactly what Daniel was saying. It was only what I had been thinking all morning.
But I wanted it.
For some insane reason, I knew this is what was meant to happen. This pull that I had for Josh, these feelings, they weren’t going to go away or die down just because society deemed that you shouldn’t rush into marriage.
At the end of the day, I was marrying someone who had become my best friend, my protector, and the man I wanted in my bed. I loved him, and I believed him when he said he loved me. In my mind, that was the requirement for marriage. We didn’t have to rush into it. We could live together until we tied the knot. As long as we were together, I wasn’t bothered about when I would become Mrs. York.
“Well, he is great with Daisy, he always has been. But Josh is black, and Daisy might get some taunts at school from kids who don’t understand, Keeley. You know how small minded people can be. I have no doubt that he will be a brilliant dad to her, though, I mean, he’s practically been that over the last few months anyway, since you got your new job.”
“I know. He’s a great guy.”
“He’s also a vampire Keeley, and not the same type as your new boss, or Alex or Nik because he can’t stay out in the sun more than a few hours. He will never age, and Gina explained to me that if she drinks Nik’s blood regularly, then she won’t age, either. How will Daisy feel when she starts to look older than her mum and dad? How will you feel about drinking blood? Have you really thought this through?”
No, I hadn’t thought much about that. My heart had ruled my head when we were thrown into that conversation by Daisy this morning. But I wasn’t letting go of the decisions I made. They would just need a few tweaks, maybe.
“There is one thing Keeley. You’ll be very well off if you marry Josh, that’s for sure.”
“That’s true I suppose. If it weren’t for Josh’s money, Dad wouldn’t be getting the help he needs today.”
“I’m very grateful to him Keeley, and I just hope that this works like it’s supposed to do. Did Josh take Daisy to school today?”
“Yes, he said he would take her after I left. He’s got a car seat for when he looks after her, which is a good thing as mine is still in my car at the Manor. I’m going to get the AA out to my car, and Josh says he will put me on the insurance for one of his cars, so at least I have transport.”
“He’s a good guy Keeley, and I know he will be a good father for Daisy, so I’m happy for you both. But, I think you need to have a really good talk to get some obstacles out of the way before you get married.”
“I know, and I promise I will make sure we talk about stuff tonight Dan. Don’t worry about me. How are you doing? Will you move back here while dad’s away?”
“I’m okay. I hate being on nights. But the money's better, so I’ll have to suck it up for a few more years. It’s just hard to have a relationship with someone when you’re going to work just as they get home.”
“I thought you were enjoying sowing your wild oats, Dan. You seem to have had more women than Hugh Hefner if the gossip in Barrowfield and Rothley is anything to go by.”
Dan had a reputation as a stud, and it embarrassed me to hear the ladies talking about him and how good he was in bed. That’s what happened on my last night out. I was in the toilets at a bar in Rothley when some women came in and were talking about him. One was telling the other how he had kept her up all night having sex, and the other woman said she had never had as many orgasms as what Dan had given her with just his tongue. I was so embarrassed that I stayed in the toilet until I heard the women leave. That’s something you definitely don’t want to hear about your twin brother.
But it seemed like Dan wanted more than casual sex, like maybe he was finally going to settle down. I hoped he could meet someone, though I think he had gone through most of the single women in a ten-mile radius of Barrowfield, so they probably wouldn’t come from around here.
“I wouldn’t listen to all the gossip Keeley. If you did that, then you would be asking Josh questions about Mel from the Red Lion.”
I suddenly felt sick. Had he been seeing Mel? Why hadn’t I heard about it?
“What do you mean, Dan? I wasn’t aware that Josh had been seeing anybody.”
“You know what gossip is like Keeley. It went round the canteen at work that Mel came back with Nik, Alex, and that Russian guy Sergei. They say she stopped the night at Josh’s cottage, and he is sometimes seen nipping in the Red Lion after closing.”
“Thanks for telling me Dan,” I said, although at that moment in time I wish he hadn’t. What I had with Josh had kept me going with all that had been happening with my dad this morning, but I could kick myself just now for not talking more about us and the past.
“Hey, don’t be upset Keeley. If there is one thing I’m sure of, it’s that Josh would have never committed to you if he was involved with someone else.”
“Yeah, you’re right Dan,” I said and prayed it was true.
Chapter Seven
Keeley
It was after seven p.m. when I walked into Josh’s cottage that evening. It had taken a lot longer to get my dad sorted out at rehab than I thought it would, but the staff seemed nice, and I had higher hopes for his recovery than I had this morning.
I’d had to call over to the Manor to see how work was progressing and get some paperwork sorted for tomorrow when Gregor flew in. While I was there, I got the AA out to my car, and they told me it would cost way more to fix than what it was worth.
Ryan had been down in the cellars doing his thing. The cellar spans all of the house, and although part is portioned off for wine, there is a huge section that is currently having extensive remodelling that I wasn’t able to see the plans for. Very secretive, and a bit strange too, as this was the only part of the house that Ryan had brought in a different team of specialist contractors for that didn’t have the planner’s approval.
I was exhausted, and I had a headache, so I was happy to see that Daisy had been bathed and was in her pyjamas waiting for me.
I also felt a little guilty for being out so late, so I picked her up and apologised for not being home earlier.
“It’s okay Mummy, me and my Daddy have been too busy to miss you anyway,” she said very matter of factly.
Daisy seemed to love saying the word daddy, and it surprised me that she hadn’t slipped up and called him Josh again. In a way, until I had a good talk with Josh, I kind of wish she hadn’t called him daddy yet. I needed to know the truth about Mel at the Red Lion first; I mean I knew I should trust that Josh would never hurt me, and especially Daisy, but I trusted my ex too, and he still broke my heart and ignored Daisy’s existence.
Instead of giving in to her watching Ellie the Fairy Queen again, I opted to read her a story. I sent her into the bathroom so we could brush her teeth and Josh handed me a cup of tea and gave me a kiss. I pulled away before he could deepen the kiss any further and walked into the bathroom after Daisy.
After brushing her teeth, Daisy picked out a book from her backpack. It was an old board book that she had since being a baby. For some reason, at least once a week, she liked me to read it to her.
Even though Daisy had lots of new books, she still loved this one. So I set about telling her the story about a little nut brown hare, and a big nut brown hare. After I had got to the end the second time, and told her that I loved her to the moon and back, she was looking really sleepy.
I k
issed her on the cheek and wished her sweet dreams. Daisy insisted she wasn’t tired, but her eyes told a different story. After telling me that she would be able to sleep much better if she had some Queen Ellie pictures and bedding in her new room, Daisy turned on her side and was asleep within minutes.
I laid next to her for a while and thought about how I would bring up the conversation about Mel from the Red Lion. A few moments later Josh opened the bedroom door and said he had put my supper on the table, so I kissed Daisy goodnight and went to eat.
Josh had made baked potatoes with chilli and a side salad. He asked about my dad and I told him about the rehab clinic and how nice it was. He held my hand across the table and told me he was sure it was going to work out okay, and that the next time we saw my dad, he would be much better than he had been in a long time.
I told him about my car, and he said I should scrap it as I could have his Toyota Avensis. Josh said that he didn’t use it much since he bought the SUV, and he would feel much better if Daisy and I were in a bigger, better vehicle than what we previously had. I nodded my head and kept on eating my supper. Josh was watching me intently, and it made me a little nervous. His mobile phone rang and he got up to answer it.
“Hi Mel,” he said in a cheery voice.
Mel. So was the gossip right? Was there something going on between her and Josh? I tried to listen to the conversation, but Josh walked towards the bureau and rifled through a draw for some paperwork. He read out details of a company then looked at me as he said, “No sorry Mel, tonight’s not going to be good for me. Perhaps tomorrow night. Yeah, that would be good. I think I have it sorted anyway, so don’t worry. I will make sure you are in good hands. Yeah, okay. See you soon.”
He hung up the phone, and I felt his eyes follow me as I got up to scrape away the remaining food in the bin and place my plate and cutlery in the sink. When I turned around, he was behind me, blocking my way to the table as I tried to get the rest of the dirty dishes so I could wash them.
“Keeley, what’s wrong? You have been off with me since you came home. Have I done something to upset you? Did you want to get Daisy bathed and ready for bed? I mean, I know you missed her, but you had a long day today, and I thought you could do with a rest when you got home.
“Daisy kept asking to get in the magic Queen Ellie bath with the bubbles ever since she got home from school. Oh, and I have found a whole new phenomenon. A child’s doll will end up holding more water than the actual bath it was in. How does that happen? I thought I got all the water out; then I went to lift it out of the bath and more water came out, then it happened again when I turned it over. It went on for about five minutes before I just gave up and left it to drain away.”
I had to laugh at his bewildered expression. I think that’s the last time Josh will allow Daisy to put her doll in the bath.
“No, Josh it’s not that… I heard some gossip today. I know we shouldn’t listen to gossip, but I noticed something too, the last time we were at the Red Lion. I heard today that you may have had something going on with Mel, that she stayed here overnight, and you have been seen visiting her late at night at the pub. Then I hear you arranging to see her tomorrow. What am I supposed to think?”
“That when I said I would never do anything to hurt you, I meant it,” he said staring intently into my eyes.
“Well, I’ve heard that line before, so forgive me if I don’t put too much stock into those words,” I said resignedly.
“Not from me, you haven’t Keeley. You have never heard them before from me, and when I say them, I mean them. I’m nothing like Daisy’s father, so don’t treat what I say like it was him saying it.”
“Were you in a relationship with Mel?” I questioned.
“No, I wasn’t in a relationship with her. But we did sleep together a few times.”
I was shocked to hear that. I think it was the casual way he said it that got me the most.
“You said that like it was nothing. And now you are still going to see her tomorrow night. Is it one of those friends with benefits things I’ve heard about?”
“What? No Keeley, you have it all wrong,” he said as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“Keeley, come and sit with me and let me explain it better.”
I let him lead me over to the sofa and he switched on a lamp. I shut my eyes against the light and placed my hand level with my eyebrows to stop the glare.
“Can you turn it off please Josh, I have a banging headache,” I said, utterly fed up. My mood being a complete opposite to how I started my day. He switched it off and turned back to me.
“Why didn’t you say anything Keeley? I could help you with that.” Josh said frowning as he bit into his thumb and pressed it to my mouth.
I didn’t want to take his blood until I heard what he had to say, but he was pretty insistent, so I took the few drops that he offered and immediately felt a little better. Josh got up and got me some water and asked if I had any painkillers in my bag. I got out two paracetamols and took them with the cold water. When he sat back down next to me, he took my hands in his and ran his thumbs over the back of my hands.
“I own the Red Lion, Keeley. That’s what that phone call was about. I was thinking of selling the pub, which I have told Mel about because she is the manager. She may not have wanted to stay on under new owners, although I have someone who has already expressed an interest in purchasing the business.”
“When did you stop sleeping with her?”
“We only hooked up a few times, and it only started when something really bad happened. It was just a way to find some comfort.”
“You could have come to me for comfort Josh.”
“Not then I couldn’t. Keeley…I will tell you something now, and I don’t want you to freak out on me, okay? Believe when I tell you that we don’t normally go around killing people or other vampires.”
I sat up a little straighter and waited for him to carry on speaking.
“Last year when Alex got involved with Julia we found out that both she and Alex were being watched by another vampire, although we didn’t know who at the time. Then one day he kidnapped Julia when she called into the Red Lion to see Mel about something. It was just after they had a delivery and he found them in the cellar. He knocked Mel unconscious and was going to take Julia away with him so he could force her to be with him as his bonded woman. We learned he had done the same to another poor woman in the village before, but she managed to escape him when he went back home.
“The vampire used mind control to force the woman to sleep with him, and bond with him. He even got the poor woman pregnant, but like I said she managed to leave the village and get away from him.”
“Who was he, and why did he want Julia?”
“He was Brandr, the man that Alex thought was his father, but it turned out that he wasn’t. His father was called Sebbi, and Sebbi had been having a relationship with Alex’s mum, fathering Alex and Freya and using mind control on Brandr so he wouldn’t know. It’s a long story, but because Alex’s real father had turned this Brandr into a vampire and left him out to burn in the sun, then gone on to claim Alex’s mum and his children, Brandr came back to get his revenge.
“Because Sebbi was dead, he waited until Alex was bonded to a woman so he could steal her instead. That’s a really quick way to explain it, and even I found that confusing,” Josh stated.
“He was a monster,” I said horrified.
Poor Julia. The woman had been through enough before she met Alex. She must have been so frightened. And the other woman was lucky she managed to get away from him.
“Yes, he was a monster. Anyway, Mel called to tell me about what had happened, and I called Alex. We got to the Red Lion and…well, Mel had a gun and some knives, and we stayed behind the bar while Alex tried to talk Brandr out of it while communicating telepathically with Julia through their bond.”
“Gina told me about that. I suppose it was a handy thing to have just
then.”
“Yes, it was. Anyway, Mel shot Brandr in the head, and Julia was able to stake him in the heart with a Santa stop here sign that she had bought earlier, and it rendered him useless.”
“A Santa stop here sign?”
“Yeah, she had just bought it at Chloe’s flower shop.”
“That was lucky,” I said grinning a little. But Josh wasn’t grinning. He looked positively ill.
“To kill a vampire you have to stake them in the heart then chop off their head and burn them. The head and the body have to be separate because if not they can heal if they become re-joined and the stake is removed.”
I nodded as if I understood it all, but this was all new to me and a little creepy if I’m honest.
“I wanted Alex to take Julia away, so she didn’t see the rest. I removed the vampire’s head. Then Nik, Sergei and I burned the head and body where we had the bonfire at the back of the pub. After that, we tried to clean the place up, and Mel ended up coming back here with me rather than be on her own where everything had just happened. We ended up having sex that night and then just held each other. It was just a cathartic thing. We had both seen and done some terrible things that day, and we just wanted a way to forget. Then we hooked up again a couple of times but it was just sex for both of us, and we realised that there was never going to be anything more.”
He was sincere, and I knew he was telling the truth.
“I was just so lonely at times, Keeley, and needed some company. I was thrilled when you let me watch Daisy for you while you worked in your new job. I was falling for you but trying not to because I’ve known you forever and thought you may think I was a bit of a pervert to be fantasising about you all the time.”
“You fantasised about me? What did these fantasies involve?” I asked, wondering if they were anything like mine were about him.