Love That Defies Us (The Devil's Dust #2.2)(19)

“Follow me,” she instructs.

I follow her into the nursery where a pinkish, wrinkled-skinned baby covered in a bit of white waxy substance cries, lying on a scale.

“She is beautiful, Shadow,” Doc says, walking back to the weighing scale with a pink blanket. “She weighs five pounds even, and is eighteen inches long.”

“What’s her name?” a nurse asks, walking up to Doc with a clipboard.

“Delilah,” I reply.

Doc looks up at me, her eyes soft. She knows why we named our baby Delilah; she knew Babs.

“Here she is,” Doc says, handing me my daughter.

Delilah has a fuzz of curly dark hair on her head, her mother’s cheeks, and my lips. I wonder what color eyes she will have—hopefully her mother’s green ones.

“Dani is okay? When can I see her?” I ask.

“She is fine. She got a touch of pre-eclampsia with this pregnancy. You can see her whenever you like; she’s in the recovery room as we speak,” Doc says, touching Delilah’s nose with her finger, a smile on her face. “Dani is lucky, though. Pre-eclampsia is very dangerous; it could have killed her and the baby,” she continues, her tone serious.

My heart sinks at the thought of a life without Dani, it would be something I would never overcome.





Two Days Later

I thumb the silver ring between my forefinger and thumb as Dani sleeps in the hospital bed. We get to go home today. Delilah coos in my arms as I rock her in the chair placed in the corner of the hospital room. I have gone over scenario after scenario trying to figure how I would give an engagement ring to Dani. I suck at being romantic; I just don’t have the knack for it.

Luckily, the beach house fell into my lap last-minute. The morning of Valentine’s Day, Bobby and I came back to the club after dealing with Charlie and the owner of the beach house called, and asked if I wanted it, that he was getting too old to keep up with it. I took it right away, met up with him, and paid for it in full. Living the life of a contract killer before I met Dani paid very well. I look back at Delilah; her eyes are starting to turn a greenish color, making me grin. I bet with time they will turn a vibrant green. It amazes me that even with the dark lifestyle Dani and I live, we have become good parents.

I reach in my pocket and pull out my father’s dog tags, the only thing I really have of his I can keep close to me. It’s been almost a year since I got the news he was gunned down in Iraq. A firm shake from a fellow soldier and they handed me his dog tags. My father was a great man. I never saw him much because of the military, but he stood by me on anything I needed. I unclasp the necklace and slide the ring onto it, clinking against the tags.

Delilah’s coos take my gaze from my father’s tags to her. I wish my father could see my kids, see the man I have become. I slide the necklace over Delilah’s neck, the silver dog tags and ring resting on her chest. My father’s death should have taught me the lesson of how fragile a life can be, how without a second look the person you love has vanished, but all I felt was rage when the world took him from me. I never really grasped how life could be so delicate until Dani and the kids.

“You look so sexy rocking a baby to sleep.” I look up from Delilah and see Dani smiling at me, her hair a mess from lying in bed. She is so beautiful when she looks like that.

I wrap my hands around Delilah and walk to the bed.

“Do you want to hold our little girl, Firefly?” I question.

She turns her head and looks at me quizzically.

“Did you get a ticket?” she asks, quirking her eyebrow at me. The cops have been asking to see me for days. I had been side-swiping them every chance I got, but they finally caught up to me today.

“Nah, they gave us some basket of baby crap,” I respond with a laugh. I hand her Delilah and sit on the side of the bed, waiting for Dani to find the ring. My palms are sweaty and nervous for some reason, making me wipe them on my jeans.

Dani gasps, covering her mouth with her hand, her head slowly tilting up toward me.

“Marry me, Firefly,” I whisper.

She looks down at Delilah and sobs.

“I have been so selfish not being there, not seeing that you were sick. I love you, and I want you in my life forever. By taking that ring, I promise to be the best husband I can be. Of course I am going to f*ck up along the way and still be a shit romantic, but I promise to learn from my mistakes,” I say softly, reaching forward and grabbing her hand.

Dani lets out a half-sob, half-chuckle.

“I don’t know; that was pretty romantic,” she laughs.

I smirk and look at her round face.

“Yeah, maybe,” I respond. It’s not near romantic enough for her; she deserves more than this world could ever give her.

“I’ll marry you, Shadow.”

I lean forward and kiss her passionately, my lips nearly bruising her hers. “Like it was a question,” I whisper against her lips, making her laugh.

“Daddy!” I look behind me to Zane and Bobby walking in.

“Hey, buddy, come meet your sister,” Dani says, scooting over.

Zane climbs onto the bed and sits next to Dani, his eyes wide as he looks at Delilah.

Bobby leans over and slides his finger over Delilah’s cheek.

“No!” Zane yells, slapping at Bobby’s hand.

“Looks like big brother is going to be protective.” Bobby laughs.