Fighting Destiny (23 page)

“Wait
here, Darius I have to get my clutch and my shawl!” said Candasee turning to go back inside the room. As she opened the door a draft of warm air told her that Nathan had gone out onto the balcony into the balmy night air. Taking up her purse and shawl from the bed, she walked to the door and peeked out. He was leaning sideways against the wall looking out toward the beach with his back turned to her.

“
Nathan, I hope everything goes well tonight at the rehearsals. If you need me just give me a call, okay,” she said cautiously.

“You know Candase
e, I couldn’t care less about the damned rehearsals right now. If you leave here with him tonight it will kill me, do you hear me? This is my heart and my life that both you and Darius are messing with,” Nathan choked out raggedly without turning to look at her.

“
Nathan, please don’t do this. I just want to see Marianne tonight. I won’t be comfortable enjoying the event knowing you are up here miserable like this! You’re asking me to trust you with this secret you are hiding about Eve and now I am asking you to trust me too. Look it is just a party for Marianne and her fiancé, okay. It is not as though Darius and I are going on a date together.”

“Do you still love him Candasee?”

“What?” replied Candasee caught off-guard by his sudden question. “Nathan, what are you asking me?” she stuttered.

“
The question was clear Candasee. I have never been anything but open with you about how much I love you and I was able to show you how much when we made love for the first time yesterday. I would have loved to finish what we started then tonight, but here you are going out to, “
see your family
”. A family you divorced two years ago. I think I deserve to know the answer to my question!”

Candasee stood in silence unsure of how to answer Nathan and she paused a little too long!

“Well I have my answer!” he said bitterly walking past her and out of the room.

Candasee took a minute to calm her shaking nerves by taking a few deep breaths and locked the balcony doors before leaving the room.
Why didn’t she say anything?

When she got outside Nathan was nowhere in sight and Darius
immediately handed her the corsage.

“Can I pin this on?” he asked softly noting how her
stormy her eyes looked and she was on the verge of tears since Nathan left the room so angrily.

“Yes sure, go ahead!”
she said, but her voice was faraway and distracted.

They walked silently to the elevators and rode the lift down to the lobby and when they emerged outside
, a sleek black stretch limo was waiting for them under the porte-cache.

“I
can’t remember the last time I rode in one of these,” said Candasee, as Darius opened the door for her and allowed her to step inside. When she did, she was greeted by the enthusiastic welcome of its occupants.

“Welcome my daughter, I am so glad that you decided to come!” said Marianne excitedly and Candasee slipped over to the seat where she was
seated and embraced her tightly. A tear of happiness streamed down her face at seeing her adopted mother again.
But was it worth it?
By coming here tonight it meant she hurt someone else she loved, Nathan. It seemed that was all she was doing these days.
What was really true for her
?

Seeing them
holding each other like that was all the confirmation Darius needed that reuniting his family was the right thing to do. Things were uncomfortable now, but Candasee needed Marianne and Marianne needed her daughter back. Although she tried not to pry, he knew how much Candasee’s leaving had hurt his mother who had always wanted another child but never had the opportunity until she met her.

“Oh Mom, I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.
” Candasee replied. “Is this the lucky groom,” she asked noting the tall gentleman who sat beside her.

“Yes love, this is my fiancé Francis!”

Candasee extended her hand to him and he shook it with a strong grip and a wide smile.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know Marianne’s daughter. You know, she talks about you all the time!
I feel as though I already know you,” he said.

“
Oh we are all together again! Doesn’t this just feel so right?” Marianne asked happily looking meaningfully at Darius as she spoke and seeing the silent agreement in his own eyes.

Darius sat alone on the seat at the back of the limo surveying the scene that lay before him. The plan he’d envisioned could now be carried out without a hitch and he was determined to see it through!

The majority of his marriage to C
andasee was beautiful and untainted and the ugly times only began in their final year, but were intense enough to cause this damage. Tonight he would explain everything to her and she would see that everything they lost could become new again and even better than it was before!

As the limo drove the conversation was rich and interesting a
nd Candasee got a chance to hear about how Marianne and Francis met and what they loved about each other. It turned out that Francis was an ex-policeman who had risen to the rank of Deputy Commissioner before his retirement a few years ago and he’d spent almost a year travelling the world to see all the sites he’d dreamed of visiting. His job had kept him too busy to consider having a family so he had no children.

He and Marianne had actually met on a cruise she took to Alaska with two of her girlfriends and once he’d danced with her that first night he already knew he would be pursuin
g her after the cruise was over. It was like destiny for them to discover that they were both residents of Derrien Island.

The limo came to a stop and Candasee chanced to look through the dark glass at her surroundings. It appeared that they were at some kind of helipad. Darius got out and was speaking to a man dressed in a Captain
’s uniform for a few moments.

Darius re-opened the door and offered Candasee his hand
, and helped her out before helping his mother.

“We need to take the helicopter the rest of the way to our party location,” he said calmly.

“A helicopter?” exclaimed Candasee in disbelief. “Darius, you know how much I dislike flying. You could have told me this before-hand!” said Candasee now feeling a sense of woe creeping up her spine at the thought of being airborne again.

“If you are scared you can hold my hand! The other guests have already been flown out to the venue and they are waiting for the guests of
honour to arrive, so please let’s go to the chopper quickly,” he said hoping she would just trust him and not delay their arrival by putting up any further resistance.

But why
a helicopter, she wondered. Was the party being held somewhere in the mountains or on a yacht at sea? Candasee was perplexed at the need to fly around such a small island. An hour long drive through the mountains would’ve been okay with her!

Marianne squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly as they walked the short distance to the chopper. They all climbed in and secured their seat belts. True to his word Darius sat beside her and held her hand immediately in his as soon as he was settled. His hand felt so big and warm and she leaned into his warmth instinctively when the chopper started the engine and while they were zipping through the air. Candasee gripped Darius’ hand with all her might and closed her eyes not wanting to see anything outside. Instead she focused on the warmth of the hand holding hers and tried to calm her irrational fear of flying.

The
flight was smooth and lasted just about fifteen minutes! Candasee waited to feel the impact of the chopper landing before she once again risked opening her eyes. Plane flights were way more bearable for her than helicopters ever were, and she really hated flying in planes.

They’d
landed on a cement surface and behind it rose from the heavily vegetated landscape a beautiful mansion. The path leading to the mansion was lit with torches and festive music could be heard weaving its way to them over the trees.

A golf cart was
parked and waiting for them. They boarded it, and were driven by a uniformed staff member all the way to the front door of the majestic house.

Candasee could
n’t remember ever coming to a party here and they had been invited to the homes and restaurants of so many of the wealthy and influential on Derrien Island already. They must be somewhere in the Northern Mountains based on the terrain and vegetation, she thought.

Darius could see the questions all over Candasee’s face and knew she had no idea that she was no longer on Derrien Island. She always trusted him so completely to arrange details like travel that she never really asked him their destination sometimes. She had said
back then, that she did not care where she was, that just being with him was enough and that she would follow him anywhere in the world because she trusted him with her life! And tonight subconsciously she was doing the same thing and she did not even realize it. Despite that observation though, he didn’t dare hope as yet that she was here because wanted to be with him. He knew that she was motivated by a desire to be with Marianne, but it still spoke volumes. He would make sure that he told her soon before it ruined the rest of his plans for the evening.

Darius signalled to the butler the arrival of the guests of honour
who rang a bell to get everyone’s attention. As the chatter stopped, Darius stepped into the centre of the foyer and spoke loudly,

“Good evening to you all and welcome to this wonderful estate. I am pleased to present to you our guests of honour tonight, my wonderful mother Marianne and her
handsome fiancé Francis!” he said gesturing with a smile.

The people gathered
in the grand ballroom applauded and many came forward at that time to hug and congratulate the couple.

Darius was so happy in this moment
that he thought he could burst because not only was his mother happy but he had Candasee finally away where he could talk to her privately! She was already mingling with some of the guests who were old friends of the family and many exclaimed in delight to see that she was there, followed by a quizzical expression in his direction.

“
That’s right! Get re-acquainted with your life here and with our friends
!” he said to himself quietly.

A waiter
came to him with a tray and he took off two flutes of champagne and approached her slowly.

“Darius, you didn’t tell us that you and your wife were back together!” laughed Dalton Byrnes, one of his neighbours in Willercrest Heights.
“But then you’ve made yourself so scarce lately!” he said. “This is good news!”

“Actually Mr. Byrne’s
we’re not...” began Candasee trying to get in a word edgewise.

“Yes, she’s back home
, isn’t that great!” cut in Darius placing the glass of champagne into Candasee’s hand.

Mr. Byrnes was always one of her favourite neighbours and she’d often stopped by his house to play with his dog whenever she took a walk through their neighbourhood. Sometimes they would sit and talk and laugh for a while before she returned home. He would regale her with his old war stories and it was always hard to stop him once he got go
ing. She did not mind it though because he was a charming man.

“Well
, wait till I tell my wife, she will be thrilled. We always knew you guys were perfect for each other and seeing how miserable Darius looked after the divorce, oh it nearly broke our hearts. Where is that woman?” he asked panning the room for his missing wife.

Candasee
speared Darius a brief withering glance before smiling and returning her attention to Mr. Byrnes again. Candasee didn’t have the heart to disappoint him and several others after that who just assumed because she was there that she and Darius had reconciled. She didn’t count on how excited the people were to see her and on these repeated stories about how Darius was never the same after she’d left! Well she would be gone in a few days and Darius would be the one to break the news to everyone about his pretence. That would teach him! So why did the thought of leaving again fill her with so much dread?

“Hi, you must be Candasee, I’ve heard so much about you,” said
the beautiful woman who just approached her. She had short hair and the most beautiful golden brown doe-like eyes.”

“I’m sorry but have we met before?” Candasee asked.

“No we haven’t but I feel as though I know you already. My husband Ramon and Darius have become quite close so your name came up on several occasions as well as pictures of you. I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Courtney!”

“Courtney?”
asked Candasee sounding puzzled.

“Courtney Belham actually and here’s my husband now,” she said with a smile.

Candasee turned around to see a handsome man with his arm slung casually around Darius’ shoulders and the two of them were sharing some kind of joke.  Wow, when was the last time that she saw Darius really laugh, Candasee asked herself.

“Hi Candasee, I see you’ve already met Courtney, I’m Ramon. I’m glad to have finally met you.
Darius cannot shut up about you, so I feel as though we’ve been introduced hundreds of times. But at least this time it is official.”

She was stunned!
What was she to say to all of that? Darius had been talking about her to these people? She arched her eyebrow as her mind filled with questions. He never even called her but yet he was speaking of her in glowing terms. She didn’t understand him at all!

“It’s nice to meet you too Ramon,” Candasee replied holding out her hand. Ramon ignored it and gave her a brief hug instead.

“Candasee, Ramon is an events planner and he is responsible for planning this party tonight and Courtney is our photographer. She will be taking pictures to capture the moments tonight as well as the photos at the show tomorrow night at the hotel.”

“I think Darius is forgetting the most important point though,” Ramon prodded with a smile.

“Yeah these two crazy people here have become my closest friends and I don’t know where I would be now if I didn’t know them, seriously.”

“Aww,” said Ramon slugging him in the arm good naturedly.

Candasee liked Ramon and Courtney immediately.

“I hope we can get together sometime before you leave Candasee, I would love to have
lunch with you perhaps?” Courtney asked.

“That sounds great!” Candasee said sincerely. There weren’t that many people who could get Darius to laugh and to open up and for that reason this couple intrigued her.

“Come with me, I want to get a photograph of the two of you first before things get more hectic later Courtney said, walking away from them and expecting them to follow her to the staging area.

“After you!” said Darius with a smile.

What could it hurt to play along? Candasee thought to herself. When they got to the area Courtney asked them to stand side by side and to pose for the shot.

“Surely, it hasn’t been that long that you don’t know how to take a picture with me,” Darius said taking her hand and drawing her close to him so that he could slip his arm around her waist.

Candasee stiffened at the intimate contact with his body. Why was he looking at her like that? She was sure that Courtney could get a shot of them together without his arms wrapped around her like this.

“Okay, you guys smile!” said Courtney, but when the flash went off they were still staring into each other’s eyes oblivious to the instructions being given to them.

A little later on Candasee needed some fresh air to clear her thoughts from overwhelm, and she made a beeline for one of the side doors and found herself standing on a wide wraparound porch with several golden lights hanging from the ceiling. The area was illuminated by a soft warm glow.

The butler had just called everyone in to be seated for dinner and it would be at least five minutes
before most people found their seats and got settled. So this was the perfect opportunity to slip away for a moment alone.

She placed her hands on the intricate white banister and leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the house and
its finely landscaped grounds. This was a spectacular property! Suddenly she felt a warm hand touch her exposed back and Candasee whirled around sharply in surprise.

“Oh Mom, you really scared me there!” she said acknowledging Marianne’s presence.

“Are you okay? I saw you slip outside and I thought I would come out here and check on you.”

“Yes, I’m fine, just a bit overwhelmed at all these people assuming that Darius and I are back together. They are all really excited about it too!”

“Is that such a bad thought? You know, working things out with Darius?” she asked.

“I
t’s a thought too late, I don’t think I told you but I’m engaged too!” she replied holding up her hand to show Marianne the diamond on her finger. “Up till three days ago I had almost convinced myself that I was over Darius and that I was ready to move forward with Nathan. But now here I am, a literal emotional roller coaster!” she said blowing out an exasperated breath.

“
I know you think I’m biased because Darius is my son, but I love you as my own daughter and I wouldn’t lie to you! Darius still loves you very much and I can see that you still love him. You may think that you don’t but all the signs are still there. I met your fiancé Nathan yesterday and he seems to be a fine choice for you too, but I think you owe it to both of them to make sure your heart is clear on what it really wants before you move forward. At least hear what Darius has to say, and if you still choose Nathan we will all have to accept it! I will be happy for you once you are happy, but let us stay in touch this time. Darius tries to be strong and he’s gotten a lot of that from me but he hasn’t been the same since your divorce. It is as though you were that balancing piece in his life. You see that he practically lives out of his office now!”

“Yes I did notice that he
always seems to be at the hotel,” she replied quietly.