A brutal betrayal, p.21
A Brutal Betrayal, page 21
“If I hadn’t wanted to initiate in the first place, we wouldn’t have been there, and you wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place. I might have prevented them from pulling the trigger, but you were targeted because of me.”
“What ifs, Dec, they do you no good. If I hadn’t lied to my parents and was at my friend’s place like I should have been, I wouldn’t have given you guys the opportunity to target me. Or if I stayed inside the club and waited for my friend, I wouldn’t have been outside in your line of sight. My choices and actions that night were just as responsible as your actions and choices that led you to that moment.”
“It’s not the same,” Declan retorted.
“No, it’s not, not exactly, but it doesn’t change the fact that I love you, Declan. And if that night hadn’t happened, my life would have taken a different path, and your life would have too. We might never have met, and I would never have experienced the kind of love you gave me. I would never know the man you are inside, the man who would protect me at any cost, who would live with pain as long as he knew I was alive, and the kind who turns himself in just to give me a little control.”
“I’d give you everything I have.”
“I know, and that’s why I came. Why after a sleepless night, I chose to forgive you, to accept your love, and give you mine in return.”
“I don’t deserve it.”
“Maybe not, but I do.”
“You deserve so much more.”
“I deserve you, Declan. I deserve you.”
That was all the encouragement Declan needed before reaching Megan with two long strides.
“I don’t know what I did in life to get you. I should push you away, tell you that I’m no good for you, but I’m selfish, and I don’t think I could take watching you walk away from me. I love you so much, so fucking much,” he told her as he held her close. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Her hair was pinned up in a loose ponytail, something she probably threw together quickly that morning, and yet, she was the most beautiful person he had ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on.
“I love you too, Dec. I love you so much my heart broke when I thought you betrayed me. Not necessarily because you hurt me, but because I loved you despite the fact that I hated you. I detested the fact that I couldn’t stop my heart from calling to you even though you ruined me. There was something missing deep down. And knowing it was you hurt that much more because I loved you that much. I could have faced my rapist, but I couldn’t face it being you, and yet, I still needed you. But it wasn’t black and white. We were given trials, like your dad said, and we’ve overcome them. I’m ready for this to be the greatest love.”
He captured her mouth with his own, feeling the soft satin of her lips press against his, the low moan escape her lips as his hands moved into her hair. It was gentle, yet hungry; it was smooth, yet filled with lust. Declan put every emotion he felt into that kiss. He needed her to feel the depth of his love. He loved her with a thousand suns, a million moons, and gravity be damned; a dozen universes wouldn’t be enough to capture his love. He needed her to feel that although things hadn’t been entirely his fault, he still felt an unwavering remorse for what he did to her, even though he was too selfish to allow that to stop him. He needed her to feel just how much he agreed with her – he was just as ready for the greatest love.
“So you’re my therapist?” Declan chuckled as they broke apart.
“Huh?” Megan asked, her lips swollen from his assault, her eyes glazed over with desire.
“In the police station, you said you were my therapist.”
“Oh yeah, definitely.” She giggled. “I have a feeling we’re both going to need years and years of therapy. And lucky for you, as your personal therapist, I’m sticking around…just so you know, to make sure you don’t pull anymore stunts.”
“We’ve come full circle, huh?”
“Yep, but this is only just the beginning.” She smiled before getting serious. “I may have been joking about being your therapist, Dec, but together, we’ll help each other through anything.”
“Always.” And then he captured her lips once more knowing that from then on, every breath she’d take would be his. It started with brutality, it turned to betrayal, but it ended with love.
Epilogue
Ten years later…
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,” everyone sang to her, their voices a mixed jumble, especially when it got to the part where they said her name. She heard a chorus of Meg, Megan, even a Mommy mixed in. She blushed, after all these years, still not one hundred percent comfortable with all the attention she was getting, but she had learned to not only live with it but appreciate it in spite of her insecurities. She had been blessed in life. It hadn’t seemed that way for many years, but now, as she gazed at her loving husband, the man who had both beaten her down and raised her back up, her four-year-old little sweetheart Lana, named somewhat after Lucas, and all their friends and family beaming at her, waiting for her to make a wish, she wasn’t sure she had a wish to make. Before she had stepped into Declan’s office, she had been bedraggled, frustrated, not quite ready to give up on hope, but pretty close to it. She had seen countless therapists over the years, some at the insistence of her parents, some on her own, others recommended by other therapists, and she always had some aversion to them. But Declan with his warm smile, his friendly attitude, and his calming touch—he was a spark in her monotone life.
Any woman with even half a heartbeat couldn’t possibly stand a chance against falling for him. Even when she was pretty sure she had feelings for him, her mind and the walls built up around her heart and wouldn’t let her expose them. It was only after Declan had made the first move that she felt the pressure lifting from her chest, chipping those walls a bit. It didn’t take much more for the walls to completely fall, leaving only a few stones standing to stumble against once in a while.
And then came the big reveal. It had torn her apart, obliterated her world, and ruined her very being more than it had been previously. She was absolutely and utterly lost. It took a lot to get her to finally see the truth, to understand that life wasn’t full of perfect lines or even squares. There were curved lines, unfinished edges, octagons, and a million other shapes thrown in. Even with all those possibilities, she and Declan didn’t fit into any of them. They were their own unique shape, and right or wrong, she was in love with him. Right or wrong, he had saved her while devastating her. Right or wrong, they were in it together, and they were going to stay that way.
Even after she forgave him, things were still complicated, still rocky. They spent hours talking things out, figuring out missing details of Declan’s life, dealing with his guilt, with her fears. Declan finally convinced her that they should speak to Chuck, and he was a godsend. He helped them see things through. No matter what, though, no matter how rough things got, how wonderful or horrible the memories were or the emotions got, they didn’t give up on each other. They couldn’t even if they wanted to. They were both hopelessly, unconditionally, irrevocably in love with each other. They needed to get through it all. And finally, they got to a good place, one where they were comfortable with the outcome.
And when they finally made love…Megan’s heart fluttered a little every time she remembered how gentle, how caring, how absolutely wonderful Declan was with her. He had driven the fears and bad memories away with his love and with his body. He made her feel like a woman, a seductress, like she was in control. It was phenomenal, and their sex life only got better from there. She finally understood what people meant when they said that sex with the one you love isn’t sex, it’s a union of two souls merging into one.
The day Declan proposed was one of the happiest days of her life, that was, until her wedding, and then the birth of Lana. Seven years ago, Declan had wanted to get away for his birthday, telling her his ideal birthday would be spending it just with her. They had found a quaint little bed and breakfast near the ocean and the owners helped arrange a picnic on the beach to celebrate Declan’s big day. When they made it to the beach and Megan starting putting everything out, Declan got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and told her that the greatest birthday present she could ever give him was to say “yes,” and then he asked her to marry him. It was simple and sweet, exactly what Megan would have imagined. They came back a little over a year later and got married in almost that exact spot with their close friends and family.
When they found out she was pregnant, Declan cried and then ran outside into the street and starting yelling, “We’re having a baby!” over and over to anyone that would listen. It was absolutely the sweetest sight that Megan had ever seen. Lana, the second love of Megan’s life, was Daddy’s girl first and foremost, and then Mommy’s little princess. She had them wrapped around her finger, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Even though it was Megan’s birthday, she had a surprise present for Declan, a surprise that would be arriving in a little less than nine months, actually, but she would save that for later, when it would be just the two of them. As she looked again around the room, taking in the faces of her parents, Declan’s parents, the other family they were close to, the friends who were more than just friends, Declan’s wide smile and Lana’s toothy one, she put a hand over her belly. They were waiting for a wish, but she didn’t need one. She had it all.
“Happy birthday to me,” she practically sang, and everyone laughed before she blew out the candles. “I love you,” Declan whispered against her lips as he moved in for a quick kiss. No, no wishes needed.
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D.C. Renee, A Brutal Betrayal
