“Mama!” I run up the steps, and my mother envelopes me in a hug.
“Oh, my baby, I’ve been worried sick.” I pull back, and my mother takes hold of my face and looks me over, lovingly brushing away my tears. “Where have you been, mi amor? Your father and I have been beside ourselves with worry. Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”
“No. I’m okay, Mom. I’ve just missed you all so much.” I cry, and she sobs, hugging me again. “Where’s father?” My mother pulls back, and a look of sadness mars her features.
“Your father is terribly upset with you, mi hija. Where did this marriage come from all of a sudden?” I sigh, my shoulders slumping. “Is that him… your husband?” I nod and look back at Damien, standing a couple of feet away, his hands in his pockets. “Yes, Mama. That’s him.” My mother being a kindhearted soul, gestures Damien to come in as we enter the house.
“Hello, I’m Diana Quintero.” She introduces holding out a hand to Damien, who accepts her hand and shakes it.
“Damien Wolfe.” He introduces politely. “It’s nice to meet you finally. Ezra has told me a lot about you. You have raised a wonderful daughter.” My mother nods and eyes her new son-in-law dubiously.
“Grasias. I wish she would have told us…something about you also.” She tells him evenly and turns to walk to the living room. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Ezra. Your father is furious and wounded, and rightly so, you betrayed his trust and brought shame to our name with your little stunt. Why didn’t you come home and speak to us before you got married?”
I sigh deeply and run my fingers through my hair. I glance over at Damien, and he nods subtly, his eyes trained on me.
“I couldn’t, mama. The people that abducted me, after father paid them, tried to kill me. I managed to get away when I overheard that they never intended to let me go; they’re still after me now. I knew they would come looking for me here, and I couldn’t come back home. I couldn’t put you and father in harm's way, so I called the one person I knew I would be safe with. Someone no one knew about. I had to disappear for a little while until it was safe.” I explain, and my mother looks over at Damien and back at me again. “Damien has been protecting me. He’s the reason I’m not dead in a ditch somewhere.”
At least that part was true. I did owe him my life.
My mother winces and presses her hand to her chest as though the thought alone of me being dead pained her heart deeply. “You didn’t have to run off and get married, mi amor.” I shrug and pull my eyes away from my mothers to meet Damien’s from across the room.
“I love him, mama,” Damien’s jaw clenches, and I see his Adam's apple jump up in his throat. “I’ve always loved him.”
“Then why not tell us about this boy before you agreed to marry Calum?” I shake my head sullenly and cast my eyes down to my feet. “I tried to refuse; Father didn’t listen to me. He had his mind made up, and we both know that once he has his mind set on something, nothing will change it.”
“Mi hija, your Father loves you very much.” I snort and shake my head.
“No, he doesn’t, Mama! He doesn’t give a shit about me or my wishes. Father loves his business and cares more about his precious reputation than his only daughter. He couldn’t give a damn about what I wanted; he never has.”
“You’re damn right. I do care about my reputation, and that’s why I paid out twenty million dollars only for you to go and disgrace me anyway!” I gasp and turn when I hear my Father’s voice boom behind me.
“Father,” I whisper and retreat when he steps closer to me. My father glares at me hard with his icy blue eyes. A shiver ran straight down my spine as it did many, many times growing up. I wince and close my eyes, bracing myself when he raised his hand to slap me, but his palm never touched my cheek because Damien’s hand had caught his arm mid-air. I peel my eyes open and see my father glaring murderously at him.
Oh God.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Damien cautions him sternly, his jaw set tight, eyes like steel glowering menacingly at him. “No one touches my wife. I mean no disrespect, but I don’t care who you are. I will break your hands if you so much as hurt a hair on her head.”
Damien pushes his hand away and steps protectively in front of me, shielding me from my father, who stares at him. “Who the hell do you think you are coming into my house, threatening me and telling me what I can and cannot do with my own daughter?!”
“I’m her husband,” Damien retorts, his voice deep and edged with such animosity I feared he would snap my father’s neck in the middle of our living room at any given moment. I step between them and look up at Damien, who keeps his eyes trained on my father.
“Damien,” He doesn’t respond. “Baby, hey, it’s okay.” His eyes flicker down to mine; though still angry, he simmers a little. I turn and face my father, still seething at Damien’s threats.
“Father, I know you’re angry, but I told you I couldn’t marry Calum. My heart belongs to Damien; it’s always been him. I love him, Daddy.” My father scoffs and turns his glacial glare to me.
“Love?” He scoffs. “This…this thug is who you see as a respectable suitor for yourself, Ezra? Have you forgotten who you are, mi hija?!” He furiously retorts while waving his arms toward Damien, showing his agitation. “I thought you were seeing that idiot Xavier, even he would have been a better suitor than this...punk.”
I roll my eyes and exhale deeply; I can practically feel the anger radiating off Damien behind me while my father continues with his rant.
“You’re a Quintero! Is this how we raised you, Ezra, to run off and marry an insolent brute in that joke of a chapel, like some commoner! You’ve made us a laughingstock!”
“That brute you speak of is the reason your daughter is still alive! Whatever the hell you’ve gotten yourself involved in or whoever it is that you have pissed off, Daddy wants me dead! And the only thing standing between me and a morgue is this man you’re so crudely deeming unsuitable for your precious daughter.” I gripe back, and my Father narrows his eyes, scrutinizing Damien.
“Him?!” He points at Damien, who moves to stand next to me. “He doesn’t have the means to keep you safe,” Damien stiffens beside me; his jaw twitches incessantly, showing his state of growing agitation.
“I’m standing here, aren’t I? Alive and well.” I cross my arms over my chest and stare at my father irritably.
My father’s face takes on a newer, deeper shade of red as he rakes his fingers through his head of greying dark hair…well, what’s left of it. “Mi hija, you’re home now. You’re safe here. We’ll deal with the people that are after you as a family. No one will hurt you; I promise you. I understand that you were scared, but we can still fix this before it’s too late. You will get an annulment, and we can put this reckless mistake behind us and move on.” I look up at Damien, who turns his stormy gaze to me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking though I hear his threats about killing the ones I love one by one if I don’t keep up this façade.