Darius’s eyes scanned the crowd for the twentieth time in twenty minutes. He hadn’t seen Alannah since she’d been looking over the auction items, and he was getting ready to seek her out.
He knew he didn’t have to be with her twenty-four-seven, but he was concerned her father may have snuck back in. He didn’t trust Edwin Miles… not one single iota. There was strong security present, but still, Darius felt better having her in his sights.
Darius excused himself from the conversation, then turned around only to find Paul and Martin Jackson approaching him. Years of pure, unadulterated hatred brewed instantly to life as he eyed the men walking so casually toward him.
His heart started to pound pretty hard. He too
“I poured my soul to him and he just… left. He abandoned me after I told him I loved him…” Alannah said, her voice quiet, her body almost numb. “After everything that happened to me, I thought loving Darius was a gift, the most beautiful experience of my life. Why does it hurt so bad? Why I can’t shake this sadness away? Why do people choose to do this over and over again? I don’t understand how they can bare it…” She hadn’t seen Darius in two weeks. The first week she’d cried so much she thought she might die of a broken heart. Her face was all puffy and her eyes were red. Finally, the tears had stopped and a deep sense of numbness had set in, thankfully. She didn’t smile, didn’t cry, she just sort of existed.“Oh, sweetie… I promise it will get better, Lanah… I know this answer sucks, but just give it some time. H
Cam choked on her final words as tears welled in her eyes. Darius was horrified. She told him the truth… Alannah was really in love with him… But she couldn’t be, because she never would’ve betrayed him if she was.“Where is she, Camryn?”“You don’t need to go there and upset her all over again. I swear if you hurt her again, Darius, you’ll have to deal with me!” Cam threatened. Darius looked at the petite girl before him, not standing more than a couple of inches over five feet, weighing less than half of him, and he realized she actually thought she could harm him. The thought was so absurd it made him smile, which was apparently the wrong move on his part. He jumped when the heel of her shoe slammed down on his foot.&ldqu
“I’m sorry, Mom, but you let me down. You lied to me my entire life, preventing me from having a family who loves me, and you almost cost me everything. You did cost me years… many years of happiness. You used your hands as punishment, you cut me down, and still, I loved you. I tried my best to honor you. What I’ve come to realize in the last three months, is that you didn’t deserve my honor or respect. I won’t come back here again. What you did to me was unforgivable. I hope you’ve found happiness wherever you are… I truly do, but I’m done with your burdens.” Darius stood over Charlotte King’s grave, a solitary flower in his hand. He’d come to say goodbye. For the last three months, he’d slowly gotten to know the men he’d vowed to harm, the cousins he’d thought were so evil.&
Alannah looked up into Darius’s intense face, his features so familiar, so stunningly handsome. He was wearing his tux, looking even better than she remembered. Her breath hitched as her body reacted. She felt herself wanting to fall into his arms and stay there for eternity. Without giving her a chance to refuse him, Darius pulled her into his arms and started moving in a slow circle, his hands positioned on her hips, his fingers caressing the sensitive dent of her back. Goosebumps appeared on her skin as his breath whispered across her face and he looked into her eyes, his own filled with intensity. The room faded away until it became just the two of them, the sound of the music guiding them along. When he started singing the words of the song while still loo
“Darius King…you must ALWAYS remember who you are! ALWAYS!” his mother wheezed before she fell back against her pillows, the words interrupted by her severe cough filling the room.“I will, Mother. I promise you I will. But please… You have to take your pills now… they will make you feel better…” Darius begged the frail woman.“Throw them away because I’m not going to… I’m dying, Darius. Those little pills can’t help me any longer,” she whispered, causing fear to cut through the heart of the thirteen-year-old boy.“Then we have to go to the hospital, Mother. Please… The doctors will help you…” Darius begged her.“Not this time, Darius. Not this time… I’m too tired... exhausted... I just need to rest. There’s nothing else to doctors can do for me… All I need now is for you to promise me that you’ll never f
Fifteen Years Later Alannah was exhausted… Like her body was going to be swallowed by the ground under her feet exhausted. Deeply, utterly, fall-on-her-face exhausted. She also had a feeling of pure accomplishment. The wedding was finally over... thank God! No more endless discussions about cake, and flowers, and the wedding gown and everything else."If I am ever going to get married, I want none of this. I'll keep it simple... just me and the man I love... if I'll ever find him," she whispered looking around with utter disgust. With zero regrets, she tossed the slightly wilted red roses and white freesia into the nearest garbage can and then found a chair to rest in for a few minutes. Thank God she was alone at this wedding! No man to take care of, no dancing to be done... no one but her.  
One week earlier Darius set the papers down on his desk and sat back. He was perplexed… Intrigued but perplexed. When he’d received the phone call yesterday, he’d thought it was a joke. A father couldn’t truly be serious offering his child in exchange for money. Though, as Darius went through the files on Alannah Miles, he was beginning to realize that Edwin Miles was more than serious. The man was willing to trade his daughter for cash. Normally, Darius wouldn’t give the scum of a man the time of day. His time was too valuable to waste, and he didn’t make poor business decisions. However, he was curious... What was in it for Alannah? Was she going along with her father? How far was she willing to go?&
Alannah awoke, stretching out her arms before daring to look at the clock next to her bed. With a quick glance, she saw it was only seven in the morning and she was a bit disappointed with herself. She knew she’d never be able to get back to sleep, but she’d so hoped she’d sleep until at least nine, maybe even ten. With frustration running through her, Alannah stumbled from the bed and dragged herself to the bathroom. The long, hot shower woke her in a refreshingly pleasant way, and she scrubbed the rest of the wedding stench from her body. ‘No more weddings… Not for me…’ she thought She took her time putting her hair up and applying make-up. She wanted to make her father wait on her for some r