The Husband Beside Me (The Devil Trilogy Book 2) (23 page)

“Addie? Did the university get back to you yet?” My father asked as he ate.

“No, not yet, but by the end of the month, I should know,” I answered.

“Good, I'm happy to hear both my girls are finally living their lives.”

“No thanks to me,” Daimon laughed. He flinched the moment my foot hit his shin.

“Daimon, if you don't mind me asking…” My father started but had to stop.

“Just one sec, my phone is vibrating.” Daimon rose up and walked into the other room.

“I hope everything is okay?” My father looked over my shoulder.

“Should be fine.” I was wrong.

I heard the front door slam shut. My father and I looked at each other and stood up. I ran to the door but Daimon was already on his bike.

“Daimon, wait!” I shouted after him but he drove off, leaving me behind. “Fuck,” I muttered.

“What happened?” my father asked concerned.

“I don’t know and I can’t even call him right now.”

****

An hour went by and still Daimon was nowhere to be found. I left my father’s home in search for my wayward husband. Worry plagued me when I couldn’t get a hold of him. Daimon would have never ignored any of my calls. It was late by the time I finally reached the penthouse. Both doormen told me he hadn’t been home. Lenny had walked the dog for me and said he had not seen nor heard from Daimon. My anxiety grew, pushing me to call Rafe.

“Hey, Rafe.”

“Hey you,” he said sadly.

“Are you okay? I mean…what happened?” I asked.

“Daimon’s mom…she died.”

“What? When?” I fell back onto the wall and steadied myself.

“This morning, she had cirrhosis of the liver. I guess from her drinking,” Rafe said quietly.

“Have you seen Daimon?” he asked me.

“No, but I have a clue where he is,” I said, hanging up on him.

****

I stood in front of his mother’s penthouse door. I knocked once but no one answered.

“I’m here. I'm not going anywhere. So you might as well open up now,” I said through the door, still nothing.

“Fine. I’ll just sit on the floor waiting until you man up and answer the fucking door,” I shouted at the locked door.

Finally, the door opened…but it wasn’t Daimon; it was Vanessa.

“Hi, Mrs. Evans,” she smiled softly.

“Hello, Vanessa.” I wanted to rip off her head, but I stayed calm, I knew who she was, but I couldn’t help but feel jealously. At the hour of his need, he had someone else with him.

“He’s inside,” she said, pointing.

“I’m going to assume you’re leaving,” I said to her.

“No! She’s not leaving,” Daimon slurred. “I need Vanessa here.” He looked like shit. He was completely disheveled, is longish hair falling to one side, his white shirt dirty from alcohol stains.

“Addie, meet Vanessa, my personal assistant,” Daimon introduced us officially.

“I met Vanessa, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, when I tried to make you jealous. You don't have to worry, Vanessa is my assistant.” He smiled, falling over the couch.

“I know,” I said quietly.

“Vanessa, can you leave us now,” I said over my shoulder as I watched Daimon.

“Of course, Mrs. Evans.”

“So I hear your mother died,” I said, knowing he needed to be pushed. Daimon always wanted to butt heads and vent his anger.

“Yeah, my drunk mommy died,” he grunted as he sat hunched over. I walked inside and knelt before him. I watched as he picked up a glass filled with whisky. He gulped it down, not hesitating once.

“So this is what you want? I mean you want to become a drunk like your mother?” I pushed harder.

“Yeah, Addie, I want to be a fucking drunk, just like her,” he snarled.

“Good. At least you’re on the right path,” I said coldly.

“You’re a bitch, you know that,” he said spitefully.

“And you’re an asshole,” I remarked. “So we’re even.”

It hurt like hell doing this to him. But Daimon wouldn’t want me to comfort him; he would want me to press on, go harder at him. He laughed and then picked up the bottle that was next to him; he looked at it for a mere second. He held onto it, his grip tightening before he threw it hard against the wall behind me. I closed my eyes, my heart skipping a beat. I swallowed my nervousness, knowing Daimon needed me.

“I fucked Vanessa, you know.” He grinned, the blue in his eyes lost in his drunken haze.

“No, you didn’t,” I said calmly, knowing he was trying to get a rise out of me.

“Yes I did. I fucked her hard. She’s not like you, Addie. She has a perfect body,” he said heartlessly as he kept grinning.

“I know you didn’t fuck her,” I said again.

“Oh, look who’s calling my bullshit? How the hell do you know I didn’t fuck her? I’m fucking Daimon Evans! I fuck what I want, when I want,” he said furiously.

“Your mother died and this is what you a want to fight about? You want to fight about how big your cock is and how many women you fucked. Good for you, Daimon,” I bit out.

“I hate how you know me. I hate that I can’t ever hide from you,” he said angrily; his eyes narrowing as he looked at me menacingly.

He grabbed onto my arm and pulled me close; his breath reeked of alcohol. He glared at me and then threw me onto the ground, pinning me underneath him.

“So now what, Addie? If I can’t fuck anyone but you, how do you think this is going to end?” he threatened.

My heart ached watching him do this. I knew Daimon would never hurt me. He was doing this to hurt himself.

“Go ahead, Daimon,” I said calmly, giving him permission, looking up at his sorrowful face. “Do what you want. Ruin everything if you have to,” I said to him. Whether I liked it or not, Daimon and I had built a relationship and he was in the midst of taking it all away.

“Ruin what, Addie?” he said in pain, his eyes filled with tears.

“Us,” I breathed.

Daimon closed his eyes, his tears falling onto my cheeks, my wrists protesting as he still held onto them. He finally let go and fell on top of me. I felt the heaviness of his body as he melted into my embrace. I wrapped my arms around him and held him as he cried silently for his mother.

Deidra’s funeral was small, very small. Not many knew her and those who did were associated with Daimon’s father. I sat by Daimon in the small funeral home, filled with various white flowers, her favorites; lilies, tulips and roses. He stared at her dark brown casket. His eyes were red; the death of his mother hitting him hard. I understood his pain. I knew he would feel a void, but I would be there for him, in every sense of the word.

My father sat quietly behind us, only offering me a faint smile. Sofia had called Daimon, who was barely responsive to her, but thanked her for her kind words. Rafe had shown up and I finally felt like I could leave his side for a moment. I stepped outside to take some fresh air. The day was sunny and by all accounts would have been glorious.

“Addie?” I heard faintly. Darren had shown up, wearing his black suit. He quietly smiled as he walked over to me. “How are you?” he asked as he leaned in and kissed both my cheeks.

“I’m good. You?” I said sadly.

“I’ve been better. How’s Daimon?” he asked.

“Not the best,” I admitted.

“I miss you,” he said softly.

“Darren,” I warned.

“As a friend, Addie. I miss you as a friend,” he corrected.

“So I turn my back for just one second and this is what I see?” Daimon said angrily as he stepped down the stairs of the funeral home.

“Daimon, Darren came to see you, not me,” I stated.

Daimon only nodded as he came beside me, taking my hand, and entwining our fingers. He squeezed tightly. I sensed his unbridled fury that was just beneath the surface.

“Daimon, I came to give you my condolences,” Darren offered.

“Thank you,” Daimon said coldly.

“Look, man, I'm here because you’ve been my friend for over ten years,” Darren added.

“I know, but all I see is you wanting her, and I fucking hate it,” Daimon said angrily. I was disappointed in him. This was his mother’s funeral, but Daimon being Daimon, avoided feeling what he needed to feel.

“Whatever, man, I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to see you and maybe I can take you out for a drink. I figured you might need one.” Darren extended the olive branch and I waited, wondering what Daimon would do.

“Not today, but thanks.” Daimon pulled me toward Ted.

“We’re leaving,” he said to Ted as he pulled me into the car.

“Daimon, we have to stay. It’s your mother’s funeral,” I implored.

“We’re going home,” he stated coldly.

“But Daimon—” I tried pleading.

“BUT NOTHING,” he turned and shouted. I sat there stunned, sinking slowly back into my seat as Ted drove us back to the penthouse.

****

We finally stepped into the penthouse, the afternoon sun shined softly through the front windows. Drako ran to us but stopped the moment he saw Daimon and how he stood ahead of me.

“So what now, Addie, you flirt with Darren at my mother’s funeral?” he seethed.

“Are you crazy?” I spat out. “He was there for you.”

“He said he missed you.” He turned and glared at me.

“As a friend, Daimon. Darren and I were friends in high school and the last ten years. Only since I married you did I have to give up my friendship,” I huffed.

“Oh, that’s right, Darren, the protector. He watched over you all throughout high school, while I didn’t,” he said callously.

“Yeah, he did,” I admitted.

“So why don’t you just go to him then? Just go! Go be with your sweet loving Darren,” he bellowed. Daimon looked like shit. His world had stopped when his mother died.

“Why can’t you trust me? I would never do anything with Darren. I married you,” I said. Why couldn’t he see I meant it when I said it?

“Trust?” he said in disbelief. “Addie, my own mother abandoned me and she was supposed to love me unconditionally and yet she left me and died drinking. You? You don’t even like me that much,” he said, looking at me sadly.

“I don’t like you? You think I blurred the lines because I don’t like you? I’ve given everything that is me to you and you think it’s ‘cause I don’t like you?” I shouted.

“You don’t like me. You can’t even stand me half the fucking time and yet I thought—” He stopped and snaked his fingers through his hair.

“You thought what?” I pushed.

“In high school…you liked me back in high school,” he said bluntly.

“Who said I liked you?” I challenged.

“YOU! YOU SAID YOU LIKED ME!” he shouted.

“I never said that to you,” I said guardedly.

“No, Addie, you never did, but your letter said it all,” Daimon corrected.

“My letter…what letter?” I said, taken aback. My mind halted as I remembered how I felt for him in high school, before he began bullying me.

“I never gave you a letter,” I muttered.

“No, you didn’t, but it fell out of your bag when you fell in history. I barely knew who you were, yet at my feet, a tiny little paper landed.” He reached into his pocket fumblingly as he pulled out his wallet. Inside was a folded worn-out note. “You wrote how much you liked me and how much you wanted to be with me.”

My heart stopped, remembering how I wrote it, thinking that one day I would work up the courage to give it to him, but I never did.

“I was a stupid kid back then,” I said, trying to take the note out of his hands, but Daimon pulled back his hand and held it above his head.

“That’s why,” I murmured, staring at him. “That’s why you started bullying me. You knew how I felt and used it against me,” I accused.

“You think I bullied you? You think I did all that for nothing but my amusement?” He narrowed his beautiful sky-blue eyes at me. “I did it because I wanted you. I wanted you then and I want you now! Don’t you understand, Addie? This feeling inside me, this feeling I hardly understood then and still can’t understand but when I'm with you… I love you. I love you. I LOVE YOU!” he bellowed. “I loved you then and I love you now,” he declared as he stared down at me. I was fused to him, his eyes willing me to say something, but I just couldn’t.

“For fuck’s sake, Addie, I love you more than anyone. I love you more than anything. I need you more than anyone. You are meant to be mine.” He lowered his arm, reached out his other hand and feathered my cheek ever so slightly. “Please, Addie, God, I love you. I love you and I know I’m an asshole. I know I’m a prick and I don’t even understand my own feelings. But be with me. Just be with me,” he begged. His words resonated throughout my body. My heart was beating so loudly I scarcely could hear anything else. I looked up at Daimon, knowing how I felt, but was too afraid to say it.

“Fuck, I know this isn’t what you wanted to happen. I know the timing is wrong, but, Addie, I just couldn’t go one more fucking day with you lying beside me in that bed, feeling your heat off your body, hearing your heart when we fuck and not tell you how I feel,” he said softly, his low voice going deeper into my soul, embedding him inside me. His thumb gently grazed my lips as his eyes looked down at me hauntingly. I closed my eyes, letting my face sink into his palm. The heat from his hand made me feel like I was home.