by R. R. Banks
"Yes," I breathed.
I wondered if he had even been able to hear me, but his face lit up and he leaned down to kiss me. My hands shook as he slipped the ring onto my finger and I looked up into his eyes. Those eyes. Eyes that I hadn't been able to forget, and that I never had to for the rest of my life.
I hadn't planned on seeing my parents for Christmas, but the next day I couldn't resist going to their house. I needed them to see that I was still here. I had gotten through it and I was moving forward stronger and better. Micah had offered to go with me, but this was something that I needed to do myself. I promised that I wouldn't be gone long and made the slow, gradual drive down the mountain to their house. Both seemed stunned to see me, but I saw a flicker of happiness in my father's eyes and I couldn't help but feel compassion for him. There was obvious tension and division between my parents now and the future seemed uncertain. My mother had finally admitted that she had over-exaggerated my father's illness when I hadn't shown back up the day that she told me to. She knew that if I thought that he was sick and in any danger because of his heart, I would have to come home. Though she had scoffed and tried to brush it off, it turned out that she had believed me when I told her that there was a man who loved me and who I loved desperately, and it threatened her plans for my future. Her hope was that once I was back, I would begin to forget about my time on the mountain. She hoped that once I was back in my normal life I would remember everything that I had going for me, or at least everything that she thought that I had going for me, and I wouldn't be so inclined to want to be with Micah. My father said that he forgave her, but I could see the anger and distrust when he looked at her and I wondered if things would ever be the same between them again.
I didn't want to think about that now, though. It was Christmas and I had something truly incredible to tell them. We sat down in the parlor, flanking a Christmas tree decorated purely in white, and I decided there was no reason to delay it any longer.
"I came here today because I wanted to tell you that I'm engaged," I said.
Their eyes widened and both of them stared at me for a few long seconds as though they thought I might be joking, but I held my hand out to them to show them the ring that Micah had given me. He had it custom designed for me, and crafted featuring two small diamonds that had once been in jewelry worn by his mother and grandmother. It was exquisite, everything that I ever could have wanted in an engagement ring. There were still moments when I caught myself staring at it, tilting my hand back and forth so the stones would catch the light. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he proposed, but I wondered if my amazement if the beauty of the ring and the deep meaning that it carried would ever dissipate.
"You're engaged?" my father asked.
"To Micah?" my mother asked.
I looked at her, trying to keep the bitterness out of my expression. This was too joyful a day for me to think about anger or sadness. I wanted to put all of that behind me and just move forward. I nodded.
"Of course," I said. "Who else?"
They didn't say anything else and I stood. I wasn't sure if that had gone better or worse than I had hoped. They hadn't yelled or said anything scathing about him. But they also hadn't really reacted at all.
"You could have at least congratulated me," I said.
I started for the door but then I heard my mother's voice calling after me.
"Charlotte, there's something that I want to say to you."
I stopped and turned around.
"What is it?"
"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."
I was stunned by the sincerity and emotion in her voice. I took a few steps toward her again.
"You are?" I asked.
"Yes," she said. "I am so sorry that I never believed you about Daniel. I am so sorry that I never listened to you when you tried to tell me, and that I pushed you so hard to be with him. I should have been there for you. I should have protected you, not encouraged you to be in that situation. Is there any way that you could forgive me?"
I felt at a total loss for words. There's been so many times when I had hoped for this moment. I had prayed that they would understand what I had been going through and what it done to me, for them to push me to be with Daniel for so long. I had wanted them to acknowledge what this had caused and to apologize. Now that it happened, though, I didn't know how to process it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that forgiving them was not what I needed to move forward. I needed to forgive myself.
"You didn't cause what he did to me," I said. "But you could have protected me. Thank you for saying that. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you apologize. But I want you to know that I'm not carrying that with me any more. It doesn't matter. There's nothing that any of us can do about it and I, for one, don't want to go through the rest of my life hurting because of him. I feel like I've already given him enough of my time and my energy. I want the rest of it to be mine. And Micah's."
There was a strange, tense moment where it seemed that we didn't know what to say or do. My mother broke it by coming over and drawing me into a tight hug. When she stepped back, she was smiling. She lifted up my hand and admired my ring for a few seconds.
"Do you have any wedding plans yet?"
I spent the next hour with them talking about my ideas for the wedding and promising to consider some of theirs as well. I didn't want to be away from Micah too long, though, so I promised that we would both come back soon to have dinner with them. I was optimistic that they both seemed open to the possibility of meeting him again and starting over fresh. As I drove back up the mountain I thought about what I had said to my mother. I told her that I needed to forgive myself. I realized that this was completely true. I needed to come to terms with the decisions that I had made. I needed to forgive myself for falling under Daniel's manipulation to begin with. I needed to forgive myself for not recognizing what he was doing to me and for staying for as long as I did. I knew that I had finally gotten to a point in my life where I didn't need, or even really want, the approval of my parents. I didn't feel the guilt or the sadness that had come with the thought that I had disappointed them, or that I wasn't doing enough for them. I was ready to live my own life, and that meant that I no longer had to be a part of the social circle that has meant so much to them. That wasn't my world anymore. Maybe it never had been. All that mattered now was the world that I was going to share with Micah. I was going to go up onto the mountain and create my life there with him, though I did intend on luring him down more frequently than he usually went. There was still so much that we hadn't done together, and I wanted to make up for it all. I wanted to fill my mind with so many memories that I could feel as though I couldn't possibly lose them again.
When I got back to the lodge he was resting on the couch. Scout was chewing on one of the new toys that we had gotten for him for Christmas and there was a sense of peace and contentment in the air. I curled into the very corner of the couch and watch him sleep for a few moments. I was thankful that he seemed to be in less pain and the doctors had reassured us that, while it might take some time for him to heal completely, he would eventually, and there would be no lasting effects from either wound. I leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. His eyes slid open and he looked at me.
"Merry Christmas," I said.
"Merry Christmas," he said.
"What do you think about a beach wedding?" I asked.
He laughed.
"That certainly would be a change of venue," he said. "But that might be nice. At least we would know that we weren't going to get snowed in together again."
"I wouldn't mind being snowed in with you."
I smiled. I knew that Micah and I had different perspectives. There was nothing that was going to change that. We would always see the world in different ways, have different pasts, and have different things that brought us to where we were. But we could teach each other from those perspectives and learn from one another. But wha
t I was looking forward to most was ignoring those perspectives and just living and loving one another.
THE END
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Damaged. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, may I ask you to please write a review? I would really appreciate it and be forever grateful. Reviews are very important and allow me to keep writing the books that you love to read!
Thank you for reading my books and letting me serve you doing what I love!
R.R. Banks
About the Author
As a man (Yes, I’m a MAN!) who is a hopeless romantic, your support is my inspiration. I'm excited to have you read my books so we can go on the hottest romance adventures together! ;)
In fact, if you enjoyed this book, you can also check out my full Amazon Book Catalog HERE.
I’d also like to invite you to connect with me on all my social media channels. I love hearing from my readers and sharing my thoughts and writing progress.
Get FREEBIE | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads | BookBub
Come say hello in our exclusive Fan Group on Facebook! My fans and I have so much fun in there!
Join My FUN Facebook Group!