Blood Lust (27 page)

After they explored the house, they went for a walk along the beach. It was a sheltered beach, more like an extremely large pond, so there were no crashing waves, just the lapping of the water on the shore, like a lake. Unlike a lake beach though, the beach had lovely soft sand where they sat and nestled into each other’s arms. She said to him, “Oh I forgot, I have something for you.”

“For me, why?”

“Yes, for you. It’s actually not anything super duper, but it is something I’ve been carrying around since we flew out here in November. It’s your Christmas present. I’ve been carrying it around with me all this time, so the paper’s a little worn and its certainly not pretty anymore, but I still would like you to have it.”

“I guess we did sort of miss our first Christmas together, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but never again, at least if I can help it,” she said and she dug around in her large purse and handed him the tiny present. It was about a three inch by three inch by one inch box. It looked abused from being in Darby’s purse for four and a half months, but it also looked like it had been lovingly wrapped and pretty at one time. He carefully opened it and found a two inch amethyst heart in the box.

“My father gave it to me a very long time ago. He told me to carry it in my pocket and whenever I got nervous or scared, to rub it between my fingers and it would take my stress away. I’ve carried it around now most of my life, so it is a bit beat up. I wanted to give it to you, because I don’t need it anymore. I have you to calm and protect me. Since the day I met you, I’ve not touched it once. Although I will admit that when you were missing there were times I wanted to rip that package open and use it, but I kept telling myself you were out there somewhere and you needed me to find you and once I did I wouldn’t need the stone anymore. You don’t need to carry it with you, it’s really just a symbolic gesture of how much you’ve come to mean to me. How much I love you and depend on you.”

“Thank you, Sweetness. It means everything to me, thank you. I feel horrible that I never even got a chance to go shopping or think about Christmas.”

“Well, you were a bit tied up,” she joked, but didn’t laugh at how horrible it must have been to be chained, drained, and tortured for months on end. She sighed and said, “God, it’s lovely here. I absolutely love the house. You know you really have this romantic thing down, Devon. You should market your skills for the goober guys out there that just don’t know where to even start at doing something romantic for their loved one.”

“It just comes from the heart; I just try to think of something you might like and go from there.”

“You make it sound easy, but some don’t find it so easy.”

“Well, thank you. I’m glad you like it here. So tell me, would you like to go out to dinner or would you like to dine in?”

“I told you when we met, I was a cheap date. I’d just like to have you all to myself tonight, if you don’t mind. Just enjoy you and no one or anything else.”

“Sounds perfect.” They sat there for a long time in silence until the sun slowly started to hang low in the sky. Darby was a bit cold and Devon could sense this and asked her if they should head back. He would make her a fire and she could warm herself while he put a few things together for dinner. She agreed that sounded delightful.

He helped her up and they headed back hand in hand. As he had said he would, he turned on some lovely background music of mostly guitar and started the fire and headed for the kitchen for a few minutes. He came back carrying a cutting board with a loaf of fresh French bread, cut up cheese, some grapes, smoked baby oysters, and a bottle of white wine with some glasses.

“Nothing fancy, but good, just the same.”

“It’s absolutely perfect – like a picnic without the ants and cold.”

“My thoughts exactly.” They had a few pieces of bread each and sat back with their wine glasses, watching the colors in the sky start to turn orange, pink, and purple. He took her hand and walked her to the sunroom where the sky was absolutely gorgeous. The sun had set and the clouds were an amazing pink and orange against the sky that was now turning from blue to purple.

He grabbed her around the waist and they started to dance to the music that was playing ever so softly. They danced in front of the fireplace and watched every bit of pink and purple color turn to darkest blue. Standing there swaying in his arms, warm and safe, she felt the sense, again, that she must be dreaming.

“You know, Darby, I have a gift for you too, although it’s not really a Christmas present like yours.”

“Really? I thought you said you’ve really not had any time to shop or think of anything like that.”

“Well, this is a little different. I didn’t really get this from a store. It’s more a…” and he pulled out a tiny leather antique box and held it in front of her continuing, “…family heirloom.” As Darby took it from his hands in astonishment, he had spun her completely around, landing her in a chair near the window and he was now in front of her, between her legs on his knees. She slowly opened the tiny box revealing a beautiful diamond ring, simple and perfect and not too big.

“It was the ring my father gave my mother when he asked her to marry him. Dominic had held on to it for us until I asked him for it this morning after talking to Blake. I was hoping that you would do me the honor of being my wife, Darby O’Rielly. My love for you is such that I can’t believe I ever thought I had been in love before. There is absolutely no comparison to anything I’ve ever felt for anyone else. I just know that it is perfect and timeless and I can’t imagine my life with anyone else, but you forever.”

He took the ring from the box and held it in one hand and held her other hand in hopes of putting it on her left ring finger. “So what do you say? Will you be my most cherished love, to share all our days and nights together for the rest of our lives, as husband and wife?”

The End.

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Special Thanks

To my readers: Cyndi True, Bonnie Tolles, Betsy Riccomini, Tina Rollins, Lori Day, and Janet Traxler, and also to my family – thank you for all your support.