Haven's Knight
Page 28
Silence descended as I thought about how we’d all survived such a traumatic event, and how it would affect us all going forward.
“The cops are still waiting to get a statement from you,” Damien informed me.
My eyes shot to his. I felt a little nervous at the thought.
“It’s merely to wrap up all the loose ends,” he assured me. “They’ve already collected statements from countless students and teachers as well as statements from Mark, Chris and me.”
I kept quiet while I studied him.
“They know everything about what happened, including how Mark shot Grant when he tried to attack him.”
My eyes held his for a few moments and I gave a brief nod.
“Mark shot Grant when he tried to attack him,” I confirmed, setting that lie deep into my subconscious.
All four of us would stand by that story for the rest of our lives, even though we all knew it wasn’t true. That incident pulled us closer together and the friendship that connected the four of us before had evolved into a deeper connection that went way beyond friendship. What happened that day in the school made us family.
The day before I got released from the hospital, Detective Green and another cop came to get my statement. I was a little nervous, but everything went smoothly, and with a smile Detective Green said goodbye.
I spent a week off school recovering from my injury before I went back to school.
Nervous knots had made me sick with worry as I’d stepped into the hallway for the first time since the incident, with Chris and Damien with me as moral support. The first day had been the hardest. The fear and worry I felt was mirrored in the eyes of the other students.
The school offered counseling to all the students who had been affected by the shooting.
As each day went past it got easier, and everyone seemed to carry on as normal. That was one thing about life: no matter what happened, it carried on, whether you were ready or not.
Damien, Chris and I became inseparable and I missed not having Mark around at school. Although he’d moved on to another assignment, he visited our house every Sunday for lunch. Damien’s parents had insisted.
A few weeks after the attack, the cast on my arm was removed and I’d been so excited. I was able to get my license and the day after I passed my driving exam, Amy took me shopping for a new car.
It was hard to believe that my life had changed so dramatically in such a short space of time. I’d gone from having nothing to having everything that I’d ever wanted. I knew how lucky I was, because things could have worked out differently.
I still visited the therapist once a week, and slowly but surely I was working through my issues.
There were days I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
And Damien—well, he was just awesome. I didn’t experience any nightmares anymore, which I put down to me talking about my past with my therapist. Damien still slept in my bed every night. I would never get tired of waking up in his arms every morning. He was serious about me and I was serious about him.
One morning about six months after the attack I was laying in his arms, kissing him. We’d been making out for a while and my hormones were raging. Not once had he pressured me into anything that I wasn’t ready for.
“We need to stop or I won’t be able to,” he said when he broke the kiss.
I lifted myself up onto one arm as my eyes swept over him. I loved him in every way, and in that moment I was ready to share myself with him in every way that two people who loved each other could.
“I don’t want to stop,” I said, watching him for his reaction. His eyes held mine.
“Are you sure?” he asked in a whisper. I nodded.
To cement my decision I lowered my lips to his and kissed him. He lifted his hands to my face as he began to kiss me back. He pressed his tongue into my mouth, and I groaned as he explored it. My tongue moved against his and I felt a flutter come to life in my stomach.
In between kisses, we removed our clothes, until we were both just in our underwear. He switched positions and I lay beneath him. My hands reached out and skimmed his hard chest. I loved the feel of his skin beneath my hands.
His lips touched my scar on my shoulder and I closed my eyes for a moment. His lips trailed down my body and he kissed the scar on my stomach.
I hated that I still felt self-conscious about the scars; they reminded me of how close I’d come to dying.
“I love every inch of you,” he whispered against my skin.
I opened my eyes and lifted my head to look at him.
“I hate my scars,” I said.
He stopped kissing me and lifted his eyes to meet mine.
“I don’t. They’re beautiful.”
I gave him a confused look.
“Really?”
“Yes. I love everything about you, including these,” he said as his finger touched the scar on my stomach. “Each one of them brought you closer to me. Every time I see them I remember how close I came to losing you.”
“Wouldn’t that make it more difficult to love them?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Nearly losing you reminds me of how lucky I am to have you now. I don’t look at them like a negative reminder of what could have happened. When I look at them, I see every day I still have with you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
He moved up and I lay down. Our eyes met and I saw in his eyes how he felt about me. The time for words was over as he kissed me.
I thought I’d feel shy when he removed my bra and underwear, but I didn’t. Beneath his gaze, I only felt beautiful. He removed his last piece of clothing before his body covered mine and I put my arms around him and held him close.
We gave ourselves to each other with our hearts filled with love.
Afterward, we lay in each other’s arms. I don’t think I’d ever felt so happy or content.
“I love you,” Damien whispered to me.
I raised my eyes to his and smiled at him.
“I love you too,” I replied as I pressed my lips to his briefly before I lay my head on his chest again.
“It’s more than that,” he added and I lifted my head to stare at him. He suddenly looked nervous.
“I want everything with you,” he began to explain as he ran his free hand through his hair. “I want the marriage, the kids, and forever with you.”
I was speechless for a few moments as he waited for my reaction.
“Okay,” I said as I smiled.
Events we’d both experienced had broken us. We could wish those experiences away to make us whole again, but it had made us into the people we were today, and all those cracks made us perfect for each other. With Damien, I’d experienced so many beautiful moments, but this one was the most beautiful, because it was the moment I started to believe in happily ever after again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Regan discovered the joy of writing at the tender age of twelve. Her first two novels were teen fiction romance. She then got sidetracked into the world of computer programming and travelled extensively visiting twenty-seven countries.
A few years ago after her son’s birth she stayed home and took another trip into the world of writing. After writing nine stories on a free writing website, winning an award and becoming a featured writer the next step was to publish her stories.
Born in South Africa she now lives in London with her two children and husband, who is currently doing his masters.
If she isn’t writing her next novel you will find her reading soppy romance novels, shopping like an adrenaline junkie or watching too much television.
WEBSITE
Also by Regan Ure
Alpha
Loving Bad