Page 107 of Demon's Angel

“Why on earth…?” I can’t get my head around it.

Demon looks at Vicky who nods, something unspoken going between them. “Come, Vi.” He takes my hand and I allow him to lead me through to the family room with the big windows looking out onto the garden. “See?” He points. “That tree? Remember the tree house Nathan and I used to play in? Yeah, not much left of it now, but we could rebuild it. Just think of Theo playing in it. Inviting his friends around. Maybe having a best friend like me.”

For a second, I’m thrown back to those days. I must have been no more than three or four, standing at the bottom of the ladder pouting while Nathan and D had easily skimmed up. One of them would usually take pity on me and come back down to help me climb. My eyes glaze as I no longer see the rotting planks, but a proper platform, walls and even windows and a door, freshly varnished.

A laugh bubbles out. “I used to make you have a tea party with my dolls.”

“Do you have to remind me of that?” Demon huffs. But a glance at his face shows he’s smiling. “This yard, Vi, it’s safe for kids. Theo could have a dog. The house is big enough for our family to grow.”

I pull on his cut, turning him to face me. “Why, Demon? Why?”

“Because you loved this house, Vi. It killed you to walk away. I loved it, too, it brings back happy memories to me as well. When I was a kid it was my second home.” He closes his eyes, then opens them again. “It’s like Nathan’s here, watching over us.”

“You bought this as our home?” I can’t get my head around it.

Again, he looks like he’s having second thoughts. “We can sell it if that’s what you want. We needed a home, Vi. And what better than the place that holds such good memories for us.”

I shake my head. “It’s all changed. My father wasn’t who I thought he was. My mom too…”

“Nah, Vi. They were your mom and dad who loved you. You think Theo’s ever going to look at me differently when he knows I’m the president of an outlaw MC?”

“No, because you’ll be upfront about what you do.”

His fingers touch under my chin. “Not everything, Vi. I’ll never be able to share everything with you, and there will be things I may never want Theo to know.”

He waits a moment for that to sink in. I’m not dense, and I know it’s because who he is and what he does is the reason I’m free, and safe. I nod to show that I understand. There will be stuff that I never want to know, and won’t, because I’m his old lady.

Then he changes tack. “How does this house make you feel, Vi? What does it do to you, in here?” He places his hand over my heart.

Now it’s my turn to close my eyes. To stop thinking and to just feel. It’s quiet, peaceful. Familiar sounds of the house settling. It feels like… home.

It comes over me in a rush. The immensity of what my man has done for me. Bought my childhood home to give me peace, make a safe place for my son to grow. Reunited me with my old friend.

“I don’t deserve you, D.”

Opening my eyes it’s to see him smirk. “Probably the truest thing you’ve ever said, Vi. You could do so much better than me. But you’re mine. You have my ring on your finger, my property patch on your back, and I’m never letting you go.” He waves his hand around then says, as if I still need persuading, “We can make it ours. Change shit around…”

“Put a stripper pole in the bedroom,” I drop in conversationally.

“Whatever you want…What?”

Oh, I wish I had a camera to take a picture of that particular expression on his face. Then I realise I shouldn’t have taunted the bear when he suddenly yells out, “You okay with the kid, Vicky?”

He barely waits for her confirmation before picking me up, slinging me over his shoulder, and taking me up to the bedroom that had been mine since I was little more than Theo’s age.

It appears he has one more surprise in store. I’d expected he’d throw me on the bed, tell me to strip, kiss me. He does the first, but then steps back, his eyes fixed on mine.

“Got something else for you babe.”

My eyes flick to his crotch. “I can see that.”

“In a moment. First, look at this.”

He hands over a sheet of paper, I look at it. It’s the results of a DNA test. I try to make sense of what I’m reading.

Paternity excluded. There were no genetic markers in the child’s DNA profile which could be found in the sample of the possible biological father.

“The results are conclusive, Vi. I checked. There are no ifs or buts. Angel is not Theo’s biological father. He has no links to the Silvestris.”

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