Page 30 of Irrevocably Mine

“Relax already, it was just a sleeping pill, nothing you haven’t had before. I’m fucking tired as shit, and I can’t have you running off to the neighbor’s, no matter how far you seem to think it is. If you try anything, I’ll handcuff you to bed, got it?”

As much as it galled her to comply, she had no choice. The pill would hit her in no time and she couldn’t stumble across the street in spiked heels and groggy. Plus, her worry for Ms. Miller kept her compliant. She wouldn’t jeopardize the old lady’s life by running to her and she was her only neighbor for a quarter of a mile.Hmm, I wonder how Hank got passed old eagle-eyes, anyway? She probably just thinks I’m a slut.These were the thoughts that swam in her fuzzy head as the pill kicked in. For someone who could down tequila like a champ, her body couldn’t process narcotics very well at all.

Feeling Hank slip into the bed behind her and spoon nauseated her, but she was too far gone to offer any resistance.

Dax checkedhis messages as soon as he got on the plane, which, in hindsight, he shouldn’t have done so early. The entire flight was spent in a state of confusion and heartbreak. Two message, that was it. One from Walker, saying he and Erika were heading to Panama City Beach for the weekend and inviting him and Stacy to tag along. And one from Stacy.Dax, it’s me. We need to talk. I mean, I’ve got shit to tell you. It’s important. John has my phone, long story, so come by my place when you get this. I’m calling…shit. It doesn’t matter, I can’t say it over the phone, just come by.

That was it. No indication what or why, just that.Zena’s damned leather bustier, Stacy’s flustered, and she’s never flustered.Does that mean she’s decided I’m not what she wants?Dax let his gaze drift to Macy. Thatwe’renot what she wants? If it were good news, Dax believed she would’ve just said so. Stacy was as blunt as they come. The only reason his mind could come up with why she wouldn’t say it in a message was if she wanted to let him down gently and give him the wholeit’s not you, it’s mespiel. Screw that, he only needed a yes or no from her. Dax didn’t need her pretty words or excuses; he just needed to know where they stood.

“Hey, Bug, I think it’s best if I meet with Stacy alone first. You know, since we aren’t technically together yet. No pressure, you know?”

His beautiful daughter couldn’t hide her thoughts from flashing across her face. Dax witnessed her reading between the lines and knew the moment understanding clicked and sympathy took over. He hated it, but it was for the best. “Of course, Dad, I get it. Mom was the same way, you know? Tom was the first boyfriend I ever met. So yes, I understand, but I do want to meet her soon. She holds your heart and, well, I don’t think that will change.”

Macy stunned him yet again with her maturity and insight. He was a mess the rest of the flight. Over and over, he replayed the voicemail in his mind, memorizing every single word and inflection. He was driving himself crazy by the time they landed. It was a very ambiguous message and he still couldn’t get a handle on it as he drove Macy home.

Macy.

Home.

Even with his brain running a hundred miles per hour, those two words buoyed his flagging spirit. He took great pride in showing his Bug around. Her interest in his forge and art not only felt amazing, it bound them. Already, she asked if he could teach her smithing and carving. She seemed fascinated with their shared artistic streak.

“Sure, Bug, I would be honored to teach you.” To him, it was nothing more than giving her a new medium, a new outlet to express herself. To her, it seemed like it meant the world.

“Mom encouraged my drawing, but she never understood it. She saw drawing as just…drawing.”Ah, Dax could relate. Drawing to her was like woodwork to him. It spoke to her in a voice only she could hear, and the drawings created were so much more than pencil marks on paper that looked pleasing. Yes, Dax got it, and he would encourage her in every way possible, because her art was a part of her soul, and that should never be minimized.

“Come back inside, I want to show you something.” On the way inside, he explained to her how the wood spoke to him, how the material itself created his pieces, he was just a tool.

When Dax opened his bedroom door, a familiar scent hit him, one that wasn’t there before he left, but one that soothed his aching heart.Orchid and amber. Stacy.She had to have been here recently, maybe she called from here.If she was here…she saw the bed and tables together…that’s it!That’s why she’s not giving them a chance.She saw all this and freaked out.This is exactly why he didn’t show her already, why he made sure his room stayed dark the other night, he feared she would bolt. Well, it was clear now, but he would still hear it from her lips before he tucked tail and ran.

Macy’s cries of awe broke through the sound of his heart shattering. “Oh, my God, Daddy, this is…just, wow.” She excitedly pointed at the headboard. “That’s Odin!” She ran to the table and checked out the one carved for Stacy. “And, that, that’s Syn, I believe. The doorway with the scales is the giveaway.” Before Dax could confirm her suspicion, she was already around the bed looking at his table. “Now this one is tougher. This is either Tyr or Ve?” Dax was impressed, to say the least. Her knowledge of Norse mythology rivaled his own.

“Vidar, but close.”

“Ah, Ragnarock survivor.” Her gaze shifted to Dax assertively and she nodded her head as if contemplating something. “Yep, I can definitely see it. So, does Syn represent Stacy? On second thought, don’t answer. This is beautiful, Daddy.” Her voice dropped with disappointment.

“Well, if you like this, you’re going to love yours. Mind you, the headboard is just a twin, because I did it the year you were ten. However, I put a bigger bed in there the year you turned twelve.” The emotion that overtook her face was unreadable to Dax.

“You…you did that, even though you didn’t know if or when I’d ever be here?” The childlike voice in which she posed the inquiry ripped at his heart.

“Of course, Bug, I never gave up on you coming home. I never stopped looking.” Macy leapt into his arms again and he enjoyed holding her so much, he walked her down the hall with her long legs swinging back and forth as she clung to his neck. Opening the door to her room was bitter sweet. It was a sacred place to him, although she had never slept there. He cleaned it and updated the size of the furniture three years ago, but other than that, it went undisturbed. Now, she would actually sleep here…under his roof.

Macy still clung to his neck and he would be damned if he ended the embrace, so he simply stood there with his daughter dangling from his neck, with her toes kissing the ground.My Bug is tall, and beautiful. And smart, so freaking smart.Dax lost himself to his daughter. Her breathing was the only sound and he relished holding her in his arms. For a moment, he felt like she was five again. The spell was broken when she loosened her grip and dropped to the floor, spinning to take in her room for the first time.

His little, not so little, girl, plopped on her bed with joy, giggling and laughing as she looked up at the cheap glow-in-the-dark stars he’d stuck to the dark ceiling. When she started naming the constellations and motioned for his company, he gently lowered himself to the bed and laughed with her. She sat up abruptly. “Is it okay if I draw on that wall?” she asked, pointing toward the opposite bare wall. The off-white expanse was interrupted only by a dresser. “I know exactly what it needs,” she whispered with glee.

Reaching out, he cupped her cheek. “Of course, Bug, you can paint the walls too, if you want. This is your home, your room. Make it your own.” She stood up and twirled with her arms out. Then, she stopped with a stutter step to catch herself from falling, he looked behind him to see what caught her eye.I almost forgot about the headboard.

Macy headed back toward it in a state of shock; much like most people did when they took in a piece he carved for them the first time. When they did that, he knew he had listened to the wood and told a story—a story that fit the recipient perfectly.

Dax wasn’t shy or embarrassed as she took it in. Again, pride overtook him. That seemed to be happening a lot with her.

“Wow, this is…perfect. Oh, Daddy, I love it,” she breathed as she traced the lines cut into the white oak. “She’s…beautiful. That’s all I’ve got. I mean, she’s beyond that, but I don’t have…just, wow.”

Barely audible, even to himself, Dax whispered, “Gersemi. Precious thing. Treasure. That’s what you have been to me since I learned of your existence. My treasure.”

And now, she was back where she belonged. With him.

As valiantly asshe fought sleep, Stacy lost the fight. The pills, yes multiple, made it impossible. Every time she felt like she was gaining a portion of control, Hank shoved another one down her throat. Trying not to swallow them became impossible. At this point, she didn’t know how many hours she’d been lying in bed with a man she despised.

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