Tragic Beauty (Beauty & The Darkness #1)(27)

Then another paper appears before me. I stare at it, not understanding why the words ‘Power of Attorney’ are across the top. That’s when Shayne leans in and whispers, “With us married, you won’t be needing your place anymore. It’s going up for sale. Now sign.”

The pen falls from my fingers and everything starts spinning around me. I vaguely hear Shayne say something to Kyle about giving us a minute, then I’m lunging at him, striking, kicking, pounding on his chest, until he takes me into a bear hug from behind and pins my arms to my chest. I’m crying now, my heart cracking open from the loss of the home I love so much, of the dream I’ve had for so, so long.

I’m still raging when his hard voice slithers into my ear. “Listen to me very carefully, Ava. We had a deal. You broke it. So this is the price you pay. You know I’ll make good on my threat to kill him, don’t you? I saw the way you were looking at him. I know he means something to you. You think I don’t have it in me? Well, think again. Or how about those horses? You know how easy it is for them to break their legs, right? Especially in pasture. Not much else to do but put them down after that. Or how about your neighbor? Think anyone would think it was nothing more than an accident if that old man got run over by his tractor? I can do it, Ava. I can do it all. And I’ll get away with it, too. Then what will you have? Nothing, Ava. Nothing. So you’re going to sign that paper. And you’re going to walk into that chapel, and we’re going to be married.”

I’m not raging anymore. Instead, the world is giving way beneath my feet. My knees collapse, but Shayne holds me tight against him. He practically has to carry me back to the car, where he shoves the pen back in my hand and holds my wrist while I sign, because I’m trembling so hard. Then Shayne takes the pen and signs too.

Kyle’s been standing off to the side, looking anywhere else, then comes back over when Shayne puts the pen down. He grabs all the papers, saying he’ll finish the rest later, then scrambles into his car, muttering a barely audible, “Congratulations,” before driving off.

Shayne leads me to the chapel and stops when he reaches Father Watkins. “Marry us.”

I hear nothing but silence while I stare off into darkness.

It’s gone.

It’s all gone.

The little house. The tiny creek. The mustard fields. The orange poppies. The giant oaks. The hills. The horses to rescue. The dream.

Everything.

And I know I won’t get to see my friends anymore. I won’t get to be there for Ben. I won’t get to visit Helen and Paul. I’ll never get to see Gavin again.

They’re gone.

They’re all gone.

Everything.

“Ava?”

I turn at the sound of the gentle voice, and see wise, blue eyes through a thick veil of anguish, my heart bleeding out where I stand. But strangely, there are no tears. I absently wonder if I’ve used them all up.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

I nod in a daze.

“She’s fine,” Shayne says.

Father Watkins glances to Shayne then back to me. “Is this what you want?”

I look away, and nod again.

I hear the old man sigh, then he turns and walks towards the chapel. He knows how it works here.

Inside, the place is dark, lit up only by candlelight. It smells damp, of old wood and earth. We make our way between sets of wooden pews until we come to the altar, Shayne still holding my wrist in his grip.

Father Watkins begins to talk, but I tune the words out. I don’t want to hear about honor, and love, and cherish. Instead, I find myself turning to the beast, to Shayne, watching him, studying him as he listens to Father Watkins. He stands there, his black hair falling over his forehead, his lips bruised from the fight earlier, his breathing hard but steady. I wonder if he feels anything…anything at all, here in this sacred place. Especially given how much it meant to his mom. I always use to see her in here, kneeling in one of the pews, when I started coming here for some distance away from my father, once I could drive. I wonder what she would think of him now. I wonder if he cares. I wonder if he has any guilt or remorse, or any inkling of shame for the act he’s committing. But there’s something intent on Shayne’s face, something resolute in the way his jaw is set, the way he looks almost sincere, standing here before the altar. Eventually, I hear Shayne’s deep rumble of a voice. “I do.” Something about his tone makes me blink. He sounded so earnest, so determined. His dark eyes turn to meet mine and for a fleeting moment they seem almost…sad.

I look away as more words are spoken. “And do you, Ava Rose Bennett, take this man…” I tune the words out again, when eventually silence settles in, and Shayne’s grip tightens around my wrist. Slowly, I look up into the somber eyes of Father Watkins, and in a quiet, broken voice, whisper, “I do.”





PART II





CHAPTER TWELVE




Gavin




The old man, Ben, sits across from me at the kitchen table, his words still echoing in my ears and too fucked up to make sense of. I shove the chair back and pace the tiny room. “So let me get this straight. This McAllister guy took care of her financially while her dad was dying, and he’s collecting from her now that he’s dead?”

Ben yanks off his truckers hat and tosses it on the table with a hard flick of his wrist, looking about as torn up as I feel. “Something like that.”