A Beautiful Taste

by Lilliana Anderson

  “I got into a bit of a fight.”

  “Did you win?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then you probably shouldn’t fight. Pop says, if you’re going to fight, you should make sure you win it.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Brad chuckles and scruffs him on the top of his head, as I walk over to them and guide Riley toward the breakfast table.

  “Alright, buddy, time to get you ready for school or you’ll be so late that no one will even know you’re there, let alone see Brad’s car.”

  “Is Brad taking me?”

  “Sure, I will. If mum doesn’t mind of course.”

  He glances at me, and despite being exhausted from last night, in this moment, I feel completely happy. “Of course, as long as I can come too to show Brad where to go.”

  “Good idea,” Riley says, as he bounces to the table and sits down on his regular chair. He pours his own cereal, and I pour his milk, controlling the amount of sugar he adds. And with cohesive movement, by the time I’ve finished with Riley, Brad is placing coffee and hot buttered toast with vegemite in front of me.

  Mum, who doesn't eat breakfast, picks up her coffee with a thank you and heads for the shower because she’s about to go to the club when dad gets back. He would have gotten up at five to take his squad out on the water for training, but he’ll come home for breakfast and a shower before the official work day starts.

  When breakfast is done, Riley rushes off to put on his school uniform and brush his teeth, and I get up from the table to make up his lunch box. Brad helps, and we chat as we move about each other.

  “I like this,” I comment, as he hands me an apple from the fruit basket.

  “Me too,” he agrees with a smile. “Actually, I’ve been thinking, when you’re ready, perhaps we could make this a more permanent thing.”

  “What? You mean move in together? Where would we go–you’re apartment?”

  He shrugs. “If you wanted, or Aunt Sara’s house is vacant, remember? The repairs are almost done, so if you’re comfortable there, it’s a big place with a yard–lots of rooms…”

  A grin creeps across my face. “Really? You want to do this every day?” I ask, as Riley yells out asking for a pair of socks.

  He nods. “Yeah. I do. I love the both of you, so why wouldn’t I?”

  “I suppose we’d get to see a lot more of each other,” I say, stepping toward him.

  “I could cut down on the nights I work so I’m home more. Gus is dying to have more to do with menu creation and running the show.”

  “We could organise our days off so we’re home together.”

  “We could get married.”

  “We…what?” I ask, making sure I heard right.

  He smiles and looks a little nervous about saying it again. “I said we could get married.”

  My heart beats heavily in my chest. “Is that what you want?”

  Nodding, he reaches out at takes my hands in his. “Yes. It’s what I want. We’ve been in love from the moment we saw each other, and it’s lasted through years despite age and shitty events that kept us apart, and now, at twenty-three, and twenty-six, none of it matters anymore.”

  I look up at his handsome face, his dark hair just that little bit too long so it falls forward and brushes his face, still messy from a restless sleep. His normally smooth skin is bruised, red and swollen in sections from the fight, and his full lips are even fuller than normal from being split open. Even like this, even looking a mess, he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever known, and I find myself nodding. “That’s what I want too,” I whisper.

  A grin spreads across his face and he glances around the kitchen, before grabbing the burgundy twist that belonged to the loaf of bread. Then he loops it in a circle and drops to one knee, holding the ring shaped wire in front of him.

  “I promise to get you a real one today, but for the sake of formality, will you marry me, Dakota?”

  Tears spring to my eyes, and I hold out my hand as I nod happily. “Yes, Brad. Yes. I’ll marry you.”

  He slides the wire and plastic ring onto my finger and stands up in front of me, wrapping his arms around my body and pressing his lips to mine.

  “I love you, Dakota. We’re going to be so happy.”

  “I love you too, Brad, and I already am.”

  I kiss him softly, being careful not to hurt his mouth when I pull away. Then I see Riley standing there in his school uniform with a huge grin on his face.

  “Does this mean Brad is going to be like my dad, just like his Aunt Sara was kind of like his mum?”

  He looks so excited and I nod, reaching out to pull him against me and he squeals with joy and hugs the both of us.

  “Just wait until I tell everyone. I’ve been praying to God and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny for Brad to be my dad, and Paul said they weren’t real, but it’s happening so it is real!”

  He’s yelling and talking excitedly, so we don’t notice when my mother comes out and finds us all smiling and me crying happy tears.

  “What’s happening?” she asks curiously.

  I hold up my hand. “Brad’s asked me to marry him.”

  “I’m getting a dad!” Riley yells.

  She looks at the twisted wire tie around my finger, and I can see mixed emotions on her face. “Congratulations,” she says, reaching out to kiss both my cheek and Brad’s. “I’m sure you’re both going to be very ha–” She chokes back a sob as she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I’m happy for you, really I am.”

  Pressing my lips together in empathy, I reach out and hug my mother. “I know you are, mum.”

  “I’m proud of you,” she whispers, as she holds me tight. I know her tears are because there was a time when she didn’t think I’d ever find happiness. She nursed me through my broken years, and she cared for and protected, and supported me as I began to heal and return to the world. And I know they’re because after all that, we have a bond that’s closer than mother and daughter. She’s crying because she’ll also miss our daily routine.

  The front door opens and my father walks in. “Who the hell died?” he asks, when he sees us hugging and crying.

  We release each other from our embrace. “No one died, Kyle,” Mum says, wiping her tears. “Our daughter is getting married.”

  He looks between Brad and me. “Well, I had a feeling this was coming. Congratulations,” he says, reaching out to kiss my cheek then shake Brad’s hand. “Mind telling me what the beat up face is about?”

  “I’ll fill him in,” mum says. “You two get this little boy off to school.”

  Chapter 37

  Brad

  “Pick whichever one you want,” I tell Dakota, as we stand in front of a jeweller, looking through the window at their display of engagement rings. We dropped Riley off at school and drove into the city, where I immediately led her to the Tiffany store on the corner of Martin Place and Castlereagh Street in the city.

  As much as she claims to like the bread tie on her finger, it’s not really going to stand the test of time like diamonds and platinum will.

  “Oh, I couldn’t choose,” she says, shaking her head as she looks through the glass. There’s a feel about her demeanour that makes me think she desperately wants to make a choice, but she feels uncomfortable for some reason.

  I tighten my arm around her waist and press a kiss to the top of her head. “This ring will live on your finger for the rest of your life. I want you to have exactly what you want.”

  She turns to me, pulling at her lip with her teeth as she looks over the diamonds. “They’re all so expensive,” she muses.

  “Is that what you’re worried about–the cost?”

  She wrinkles her nose up before she answers and tilts her head to the side. “A little. I mean, it’s Tiffany. I’ve never even been inside one of these stores, let alone actually owned something from here. And I don’t want to go in there and point out a ring I like and have it cost a fortune.”

&nbs
p; Smiling, I wrap my arms around her and talk quietly in her ear. “How about, we go in there and you point out every single ring you like the look of, from the smallest to the largest and everything in between. Then I’ll go in and select one of those. Does that work for you?”

  She takes a deep breath and looks back through the window. “OK, I can do that.”

  “Then it’s settled,” I say, taking her by the hand and leading her inside. For close to an hour, we inspect all of the different rings in the store, and I watch her closely as she tries on the different designs and shows them to me. It’s obvious after only a few rings which one she favours. It’s a princess cut diamond that’s just under a carrot in size. It sparkles like the night sky, and is set on a delicate platinum band within a claw setting.

  “Are you going to show me?” she asks, as we leave the jeweller, and I’m holding the small gift bag in my hand.

  “Oh, so now you’re all eager,” I laugh, holding it out of her reach.

  “I am a girl you know.”

  Leaning down, I kiss the end of her nose. “Just wait five minutes until we get back to my apartment.”

  She smiles. “If I have to.”

  ***

  Dakota

  Brad walks me over to the large floor to ceiling windows in his living area where we can see the Botanic Gardens. But if you stand in the right position, you can see all the way out over the water and the top of the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

  He smiles. “I’m setting the scene,” he says, as he reaches into the bag and pulls out the turquoise box. “I know you’ve already accepted. But, I want to do this properly…” He kneels down before me. “Dakota Morgan, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

  Nodding, and tearing up as much as I did this morning, I whisper, “Yes,” as he places the one ring I loved most out of all the designs we saw. It’s simple, beautiful and elegant, and I love the way it looks on my finger. “How did you guess this was the one?”

  He stands and kisses my hand. “It’s the only one you chose.”

  We both laugh as he tilts my chin up and takes my lips in his, kissing me softly. “And now, it’s official.”

  I slide my arms up and clasp my fingers behind his neck. “Mrs Dakota Rae, I like the sound of that.”

  “You do, huh?”

  “I do. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have a notebook from high school that shows just how much I like that name.”

  He laughs and reaches down to lift me off the floor. I wrap my legs around his waist. “I like the sound of it too.”

  Kissing him deeply, I inhale his masculine scent and feel my body melt into his. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like my body wants to be a part of him. And that feeling makes me sure that soul mates exist. There doesn’t seem to be any other way to explain this physical and emotional connection. My mind and my body know him, trust him, desire him–he’s my home, my shelter, and I want nothing more than to be married to him and wake up to him next to me every morning.

  “Make love to me, Brad,” I whisper.

  “As you wish,” he murmurs with a sexy glint in his deep blue eyes.

  Carrying me to his room, he lowers me onto the bed and kisses all the way down my body before lifting my dress and hooking his fingers into the edge of my panties.

  “There’s still a long list of things I want to do with you,” he says in a low voice, thick with lust. It makes my stomach skitter lightly in anticipation.

  “I want it all,” I whisper. “With you, I want everything.”

  Slowly, he begins to pull my panties down, but he pauses when his house phone begins to ring.

  “You have a house phone?” I whisper, as if they could hear me if I spoke in my normal voice.

  He frowns. “Yeah, but I rarely use it.”

  “I feel like they can see us,” I whisper with a giggle, as the answering machine cuts in. Brad laughs in return.

  “We’ll ignore it. It’s probably just someone trying to sell me something,” he says, as he lowers his head and runs his tongue along the very top of my panties, as we listen to Brad’s basic greeting on the machine. But, he freezes when the caller begins to speak.

  “This is a message for Bradley Rae concerning a Miss Ruby Garvan. You’re listed as Miss Garvan’s emergency contact. Mr Rae, I’m calling to inform you that she’s been brought into St Vincent’s hospital this afternoon…”

  I barely hear the end of the message because Brad is up in a flash, grabbing for the handset to let the woman know he’s there. Pulling my dress back down, I sit on the end of the bed and watch him as he rakes his fingers through his hair and walks back and forth, listening to the caller and asking questions of his own.

  When he hangs up, he comes straight back into me. “She’s unconscious,” he states, shaking his head and swearing under his breath.

  “Was it him?” I ask carefully, and he nods.

  “The nurse didn’t say, but it makes sense. Jesus, I should have chased him down. I should have...”

  I interrupt him. “Stop. Don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your job to catch criminals, Brad. What if they killed you? Then where would I be?”

  It’s at that moment my phone begins to ring in my handbag.

  “You’d better get that. It might be Riley’s school.”

  I nod and head to where my bag is, touching Brad lightly as I walk past him. “I love you, OK?”

  He nods and keeps his eyes on me as I pull my phone out of my bag and see a number I don’t recognise. “Hello?” I ask as I hold it to my ear.

  “Hello, is this Ms Morgan–Dakota Morgan?” a courteous male voice asks.

  “Speaking.”

  “I’m Senior Constable Peters with the Chatswood Police. I’m calling regarding a recent statement you make concerning the identity of a man you believed to be involved in an incident you were victim of seven years ago.”

  “Yes?” I ask, my heart thudding in my chest as Brad moves closer to me with a curious look in his face.

  “Ma’am, we have who we believe to be the man you described in custody. Would you be willing to come down and identify him in a line up?”

  “Yes. Absolutely,” I say, feeling a surge of hope and relief as he gives me the details I need to get there. “Can I ask how he was found?”

  “He was brought in, in conjunction with another assault.”

  “It wasn’t Ruby Garvan, was it?”

  “Ah, can I ask how you know that name?”

  “She’s a friend of a friend, and we just heard she’s in the hospital.”

  “Well, I’m sure you can see the need for us to get a positive ID on this guy. I’ll see you soon, Ms Morgan. Ask for me at the desk when you come in.”

  I disconnect and relay the details to Brad, who immediately picks up my bag and grabs his keys.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Wait, what about Ruby?”

  “I’ll call the hospital, and ask them to call me if she wakes up before we can get there, and I’ll call her flatmate to go to her as well. I’m sure she’d rather I go with you to ID your attacker. I’m not letting you do this on your own.”

  Chapter 38

  Brad

  “Hey you,” I say quietly, as Ruby’s swollen eyes open to a slit.

  “Hey,” she whispers, her voice sounding dry and crackling. I stand and offer her water, helping her by placing the straw against her lips. She takes a sip. “How long have you been sitting there?”

  “Not long,” I say with a small smile, although I’ve been waiting beside her bed for hours. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I have really shitty taste in men.” She tries to laugh but it only serves to hurt her broken ribs. “Where’s Dakota?”

  “She had to go home to Riley. She’ll come back as soon as she can.”

  “Good. I want to talk to her. It was him. It was Tony.”

  I place my hand on hers. “We know. The police arrested him at the scene. Cody went and ide
ntified him as one of her attackers, and they’re in the process of getting a court order for a DNA sample.”

  “Good. I hope he rots in prison.”

  “I think we all want that. The police are going to want to talk to you too.”

  She nods. “I can’t believe I fell for a guy who could…” She gasps out a sob and shakes her head from side to side. A tear rolls out of her eye and she lifts her unbroken hand to wipe it away.

  “It’s OK. You can’t blame yourself. There was no way you could have known what he was like at first. Even the devil was an angel once.”

  She closes her eyes and just cries, and I sit beside her, holding her good hand, my heart in sorrow for my broken friend.

  ***

  Dakota

  After identifying Tony Ryder as one of my attackers, the police use my statement as well as his vicious attack on Ruby to threaten him with the maximum amount of time behind bars when his DNA results come back as a match to one of the samples taken after my attack.

  In a bid to bargain for less time, he gives up the names of the three other men involved, and when I’m asked to come down to the station, I’m shown all of their mug shots and asked if I recognise anything about them.

  “They all had masks on so I’d need to hear their voice,” I tell Senior Constable Peters, as I look over their photos. I don’t recognise any of them, but there is one picture I linger over, feeling the sickness in my stomach boil up and burn in my throat.

  “Are you alright?” Brad asks gently, placing his hand in the centre of my back, as I stare at the only blond man out of the four men.

  I nod even though I’m not alright. All of a sudden, the man who fathered my child is placed in front of me. I scan the details beneath his photo and one word jumps out at me. Deceased.