Damen (The Marquette Family Book Two)

by Lockwood, Tressie

  “You sure were quick to accept us. I don’t trust it.”

  “What if I told you I’m being selfish?”

  She squinted at him.

  “I’ve never wanted to be a single dad.”

  Her mouth fell open.

  “Family is important to me, as it is with both my brothers. Our parents weren’t there as they should have been, and I see the effects my brothers and I have had to overcome regarding it. I want greater stability for Nita and Gideon.”

  Heaven stared at him. His words blew her mind, and she fumbled for a response. “There’s no guarantee our home would be a happy one, Damen. You have to look at this realistically. What if two months after we’re married you fall in love with someone else? O-or I do?” she forced herself to add.

  “I won’t.”

  “You might.”

  “Listen.” He stopped walking again, halting the entire group. “I’m asking you to take a chance. It’s not a bad gamble, is it? To be with me and to have Gideon with his dad full time? I’m an easygoing kind of guy, and I wouldn’t spend time trying to force you to be something you’re not. Finally, I’ve been married before. I don’t mind risking a second failure.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Is this a business proposition or a marriage proposal?”

  His gaze twinkled. “If it’s business don’t misunderstand. I’m expecting sexual benefits.”

  “Hm, what a surprise.”

  He linked his fingers with hers, and they walked that way until they reached her apartment. Even that much, she knew gave Gideon ideas, but she didn’t have the will to pull away. They walked inside, and Gideon spent time with his dad, showing him his music and other favorites in his room. Guy disappeared somewhere outside, and Heaven dropped onto the couch.

  Heaven must have fallen asleep because the next time she opened her eyes, Damen sat beside her with her feet drawn onto his lap. “What are you doing?”

  He smiled. “Watching you sleep.”

  “You’re weird.” She stood up and walked into the bedroom to check on Gideon. Her cell said it was pretty late, and her son stretched across the bed fully dressed. Heaven wiggled his shoulder. “Gideon, get up and get ready for bed.”

  “But it’s the weekend,” he whined. “No school tomorrow, so I can stay up late with dad.”

  “Yeah, well you’re not up. You’re sleeping.”

  Gideon tried sitting up but yawned and lay still.

  “Let me handle it.”

  Heaven looked around to find Damen coming into the room. She stepped aside and watched as he made short work of Gideon’s clothes. Then he glanced at her. “Pajamas?”

  “Boxers and a tee is all he’ll keep on.”

  He nodded, and Heaven handed over the clean T-shirt. Damen worked as if he had prepared a child for bed many times. She supposed he did with Nita, and she recalled what he said about not wanting to be a single dad.

  When Damen was done, he straightened and frowned down at Gideon. “Should I get him up to go to the bathroom?”

  “Don’t worry. He’ll go if he needs to.”

  “Nita wet the bed until she was six, but don’t tell her I told you.”

  Heaven heard sadness in his voice even if he tried to keep the words light. She squeezed his arm. “The separation from her mom maybe.”

  He shrugged. “Come on. Let’s go out to the living room.”

  They clicked off Gideon’s light, and sat on the couch together. Heaven was just about to ask him where Nita was tonight when someone knocked on the front door. “Who the heck?” she wondered.

  Damen patted her thigh. “Stay there. I’ll get it, probably Guy.”

  Heaven stiffened. She didn’t want the bodyguard hanging out in her apartment. When Damen opened the door, she found it was Guy, but he was holding Nita, who was sound asleep.

  “Thanks. I’ve got her.” Damen took his daughter into his arms, and Guy nodded and turned away. Damen looked at her. “Does that couch pull out?”

  “Are you serious? Damen, it’s late, and you bring her here?”

  “There’s no school tomorrow.”

  “You sound like Gideon. Hang on. Let me get some sheets. Jeez, I feel like you’re trying to railroad me.”

  “Never. I’m just demonstrating the full package.” He grinned. She glared at him.

  Heaven’s couch was a pullout bed. She didn’t expect anyone to visit, but for some reason, she always liked to be prepared just in case. After she had made up the bed, Damen tucked his daughter in, who was already dressed in pink pajamas.

  “Who had her?” she wondered.

  “Her nanny.”

  “She has a full time nanny?” Heaven’s eyes widened.

  “No, not full.” He brushed his daughter’s hair from her forehead and kissed it. Then he straightened. “I only allow her to take care of Nita when I can’t. Otherwise, I do everything for her.”

  “Do you have servants?”

  He looked guilty, and she put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips.

  “Someone cleans the house, but I do laundry.”

  “You do laundry?” She didn’t mean to raise her voice with the shock.

  “Shh.” He reached for her hand and pulled her to him. They shut off the lights and headed into her bedroom. “Yes. She’s eight. At the beginning, I wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t rich. Afterward, I wanted to hold onto caring for her, to keep us close as long as possible. I think I might have gone too far in the opposite direction.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nita is a little spoiled.”

  “I heard a few stories at Marquette’s.”

  He looked offended.

  “Don’t worry. It’s nothing that can’t be reversed when you stop letting your daughter push you around.”

  “I don’t let—oh, who am I kidding.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I was trying to make up for her mother abandoning her. By your expression, you heard about that too.”

  They lay across the bed together, and Damen drew her into his arms. Heaven told herself she let him because he probably needed it discussing such a painful subject. Had nothing to do with her desires.

  You’re lying in your own head.

  “Vida was smart and beautiful, and she had come here to attend school from Mexico. She lured me in with the lilt in her accent, and when I pissed her off, she lapsed into her language to curse me. I pissed her off on purpose sometimes and pretended not to know what she was saying.”

  Heaven looked at him. “You speak Spanish?”

  He shrugged. “I was bored once.”

  “How many other times were you bored?”

  He cleared his throat.

  “Damen?”

  “Four, but it’s not as impressive as it sounds.”

  “I’m not sure how. You speak four languages?”

  “Five if you include English.”

  She smacked his arm. “I could never keep up with you.”

  “I’m not looking for someone to keep up with me, Heaven. I know I’m as you say weird.”

  “I didn’t mean that.”

  “Yes, you did, but it’s okay. I am what I am.”

  “You’re funny, too.”

  “Don’t forget sexy.”

  “And big-headed.”

  He chuckled and then grew serious. “I want you to understand.”

  She nodded. They both sat up and leaned against the headboard. Heaven put space between them because she wasn’t sure she could handle more with him talking about Vida. She didn’t know the woman and disliked her, an immature feeling that had only a part to do with that poor little girl.

  “Vida was young, and she fell in love with me, and she was so full of life. The only way I can describe it is like a butterfly flitting about from experience to experience. We were just getting our business to take off, so I was busy a lot. I couldn’t always be there, and that was a problem. She thought she would get me to focus on her by getting pregnant. It worked for a while because know
ing my daughter was coming was the most amazing gift.”

  Heaven stiffened, wondering if he would recall she hadn’t let him experience the anticipation of Gideon. For a while he said nothing, and she knew he was thinking about it.

  “You can tell me every detail about before and after?” he said, and she saw the hope in his gaze. “Do you have pictures?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, I’ll show you tomorrow.”

  He nodded.

  “So what happened with Vida?”

  He sighed and tilted his head back against the headboard. Heaven watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Her fingers were drawn to stroke his neck, but she resisted. Damen looked at her, and she lost another battle to pull his glasses off. He allowed it but then claimed a reward by kissing her lips.

  “Nita was two when she met someone else and decided to leave. Truth is over that two years, it was hell. She hated the responsibility of raising a child, saying she couldn’t be free to do what she wanted.”

  “I’m so sorry. You two deserved better than that.” Heaven kissed him again. “I’d kill if someone tried to tell me I couldn’t take care of Gideon. He’s my world.”

  “I’m jealous.”

  She blinked at him. “What?”

  “I want him to love me like he loves you. It’s childish.”

  She laughed. “Uh, did you hear the number of times that boy called you dad? At least a million.”

  He grinned and flattened a hand over his heart. “And it shot me right here every time. I can’t believe how great tonight was. I would kill for more of that, Heaven.”

  “I get it.”

  “Do you? I know it seems sudden to you.”

  “Not for Gideon. Truth is, from the beginning I told him all about you, some of the funny things you used to say, the way you acted, how awkward you were when we met. I’ve been telling Gideon about you for years, so when you wish he’d love you like he loves me, trust and believe, he does already.”

  Damen stared at her in awe. “You did that?”

  “Yeah, I did that.”

  He held up a finger. “More evidence that you love me.”

  “Shut up!” She turned away, kicking herself, but Damen drew her back to him. His arms were a vice, gentle but firm in not allowing her to escape. With talk of all she had shared with Gideon about Damen over the years, she suddenly remembered the hoodie. The gray beat up one Gideon loved to wear was the one Damen had leant her all those years ago when they got caught in the rain. Oh yeah, that boy loved his daddy all right. No doubt about it.

  One of Damen’s hands splayed over her belly and slid toward her pussy. “So, what do you think about getting frisky tonight?”

  She smacked his hand and dragged it away from her goodies. “No way. We’ve got two kids in the house.”

  “We’ll have two kids when we’re married.”

  “I didn’t tell you I’ll marry you.”

  “Well, even if you don’t, which I’m hoping you will, we’ll still have the kids. Come on, beautiful, let’s make love.”

  “Go sleep on the couch with your daughter.”

  “But…”

  She climbed off the bed and headed to the bathroom. “I’m taking a shower, and I’m going to crash. Good night.”

  As she shut the door, she grinned hearing his grumbles of protest.

  Chapter Nine

  Damen opened his eyes to bright sunlight and noise. He started to ask Nita to watch cartoons downstairs, but then he recalled they weren’t at their house. They were in Heaven’s apartment, and he lay on the pullout bed in the living room, not the most comfortable mattress. All he recalled of the night was Nita’s knees in his back and a hand slung against his head. For an eight-year-old, she slept like a wild animal. He would have preferred to spoon Heaven’s snuggable ass.

  While Damen had visions of what else he’d like to do with Heaven, Nita’s high-pitched tones cut across his dreams. “Why are we at your house?”

  No answer. Damen knew she spoke to Gideon.

  “Hey, are you listening to me?” Nita’s voice rose.

  “Get off,” Gideon snapped. “You’re noisy!”

  “If you answer me, I won’t have to pull them out. Why do you listen to music so much? You’re like Uncle Stefan. It’s creepy.”

  “You’re creepy!”

  “Shut up.”

  Damen shoved the covers off his head. “Kids, stop arguing.”

  “She started it.”

  “He started it.”

  Damen groaned.

  Heaven appeared. “Both of you cool it, now.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gideon said right away.

  No answer from Nita.

  “Nita?” Damen sat up.

  She looked at him with wide innocent eyes. “Yes, Daddy?”

  “Did you hear Heaven?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then answer.”

  She gave a dramatic sigh.

  Not for the first time, Damen felt embarrassed at her behavior. His face warmed. “Nita.”

  “Fine. I heard you,” she said to Heaven.

  He was about to give Heaven an apology, but she marched past the couch to the narrow space in front of the TV. Both kids sat too close. Heaven bent over and fingered Nita’s chin higher. “Little girl, when I tell you to do something, you say ‘yes, ma’am.’ You’re not going to disrespect me in my own house. You can pull that with your daddy but not me. Got it?”

  Nita looked around. “This is an apartment, not a house.”

  “Excuse me?” Heaven’s voice had gone deeper and harsher than he had ever heard it.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Damen stared at the woman in awe. He had never won an argument with Nita because he could never use simple logic with her, or for that matter command her to do something and she just do it. His mocha beauty had earned greater respect from him than she already had.

  “Okay, everybody up,” Heaven announced.

  Damen’s moans blended with the kids’, but he figured he would make an example of himself to Nita if nothing else. As Heaven fired off orders for him to fold the sheets he and Nita had used and tuck in the sofabed, Gideon and Nita were to go brush their teeth, shower, and get dressed.

  “It’s Saturday,” Nita whined.

  Heaven stood with her hands on her hips. “Yes, and it’s ten thirty. You slept in. Now, I want a clear living room and dining room while I get some breakfast on the table. After you’re cleaned up, you can go back to your shows.”

  Nita spun to Damen. “Why is your waitress telling me what to do, Daddy? And why did we sleep here?”

  “Crap, forgot about that,” Heaven said.

  Damen looked at Gideon. So he didn’t tell. He was proud of the kid, or maybe Gideon didn’t want to admit the relationship. Damen thought back to yesterday and the moment he realized Gideon was his. Shock, disbelief, and oddly enough, hope had gone through him. He had recalled Heaven from the first moment she walked into Marquette’s. How could he forget? She’d been so beautiful, and when she disappeared, he hadn’t understood why. Then later, she stood in his restaurant admitting Gideon was his.

  Damen considered it, and he knew he wouldn’t have believed the story if he hadn’t met and gotten to know Gideon on his own. While everyone had been shouting around him, Damen reviewed every detail of his interaction with his son. He recalled the longing in Gideon’s eyes when he looked at Damen and the gentle personality that was similar to Stefan’s. Gideon didn’t have a lot of outward appearance that matched the Marquettes, except maybe the nose, but that could be almost any person of European descent.

  The fact was, he recalled how Gideon had mannerisms, which matched Damen’s mother. That was another of Damen’s studies, but in this case it was for a school paper. Research showed children could inherit mannerisms of family members even if they hadn’t met those family members in person. Of course, when Damen hung out with Gideon, not knowing who he was, he didn’t make the connection, but he recalled
with total clarity.

  The “evidence” was superficial at best, but Damen believed Gideon was his without a doubt. On top of that, Gideon himself believed it, and Damen counted the boy’s feelings on the matter much more important than his own. Especially after meeting that dick who dared to hurt Heaven. He won’t ever do it again.

  “Why don’t we all sit down and talk,” Damen suggested. “Nita, come here.”

  His daughter wrinkled her nose at him, but she complied. He drew her down beside him on the couch and kept an arm about her shoulders. Damen crooked a finger at Gideon when he hesitated and patted the seat on his other side. Gideon was beside him like a shot. Heaven took the spot on the other side of Gideon.

  Damen cleared his throat. He met Heaven’s gaze over Gideon’s head, and she nodded. He turned back to Nita. “Sweetheart, a long time ago, I met Heaven in college. That was before you were born and before I met your mom.”

  “Oh, a really old friend.” Nita scoffed and started to rise, but Damen held her in place.

  “Hey, I’m not that old, thank you.”

  Damen chuckled. “She’s eight, Heaven. Let it go.”

  Heaven pursed her lips.

  “Nita, from me…uh…knowing Heaven…we both received a gift.”

  When Nita wiggled around in impatience, he got straight to it.

  “Heaven and I had Gideon together. Gideon is your brother. Now, I want you to understand I love you very much. Nothing will ever change that.” He hugged his son closer to his side. “And I love Gideon. Nothing will change that either. From now on, Gideon and Heaven will be a permanent part of our lives.”

  “Wait,” Heaven protested.

  “My brother,” Nita protested. “He doesn’t even look like you, Daddy.”

  “Neither do you,” Gideon shot back.

  Damen chuckled. “Nita, Daddy got the short end of the stick in the looks department. You and Gideon got your looks from your beautiful mothers.”

  Heaven appeared to have eaten something sour. She rolled her eyes at him and stood up. “I’m going to cook breakfast. Do you two like pancakes?”

  “Pancakes.” Nita seemed to fight with a desire to reject Heaven and Gideon, but pancakes happened to be her favorite.