Page 32 of Dyana
Chapter nine
Jack
As soon as the sun lit the sky, I was out of bed. I wasn’t surprised when Bryce and Evan were, too. None of us had slept the night before, knowing that Dyana was out there somewhere and we couldn’t get to her. I had wanted to go after her right away, but Cora told us that if we went after her in the dark, anyone who made it back alive wouldn’t be welcome on her property. I could make the argument that technically the tower wasn’t her property, but it wouldn’t do any good but piss Cora off. Something about that tiny blonde terrified me.
Once we found Dyana I had half a mind to turn her ass red for running off like that, for running away from me. I was attempting to let go of those angry feelings. Dyana was scared. I couldn’t begin to explain why she was scared of me, but I knew that approaching her with anger wouldn’t resolve anything. After a long talk the night before, we devised a plan when we found her. I’d let Evan and Bryce take the lead with Dyana. She didn’t seem to mind their presence as much as mine. We’d take it day by day from there. Slowly, she would come around. I wassure of it. We headed down the hill as soon as we had everything we needed.
Cora and her guys were in the yard waiting for us when we descended.
When we reached them, Trent asked, “Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?”
“I’m sure,” I replied. “I know my way around town. It shouldn’t be hard to find her.”
Cora rocked her baby in her arms, giving me a stern look. “Bring Dyana home or don’t come back.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.
We hurried down the mountain, significantly reducing the time it should have taken. I led us straight to Dyana’s house, hoping she was still there.
“Dyana?” I called. I checked the first floor quickly before rushing up the stairs. Her room was empty but showed signs that she’d spent the night there. At least we knew she was still in the area.
“Where is she?” Evan asked. “We would have passed her if she had gone home, right?”
I nodded thoughtfully. There were several places Dyana could have gone. “I think I might know where she is. Come on.” With all the old memories getting dredged up, I had a hunch that Dyana might have gone to our spot. As we neared the park, I saw her sitting by the pond and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Stay here,” I ordered.
Bryce grabbed my arm as I took a step toward Dyana. “I thought we agreed that Evan and I would take the lead with Dyana.”
“Trust me. This is our spot. I’m the one who needs to talk to her.”
Bryce looked at Evan for agreement, and at his nod, he released me. “Don’t fuck this up. We’ll only get so many chances.”
I nodded as I left them and crossed the overgrown grass. Nobody knew that more than me. I approached Dyana quietly and sat beside her on the bank, looking around the pond. Nature had run wild here. The grass along the edges was long and tangled. The reeds were thick and tall. A family of ducks swam lazily around the pond.
“It sure has changed over the years without anyone maintaining it,” I commented.
“It has,” Dyana replied.
“I like it better this way. Change isn’t always bad.”
“Jack,” Dyana warned.
“No, hear me out,” I pleaded. “This feels like home. Not the place, the person— you. You are my home, Dyana, and I don’t care how many notches you have on your bedpost or bodies stuffed in the closet. You’re my home, and I know a part of you still feels the same way. Why else would you be here? In our spot, where we first said ‘I love you’? If you truly want us to go, we will, but please let us stay. Please don’t take away the only place I feel safe. The only place I feel at peace. You make me feel like as long as we’re together, it’s going to be ok. It hasn’t felt ok in four years, Doll. Somehow, in the fucked up world, I found you again. That has to mean something. We’re meant to be together, and nothing else matters.”
Dyana didn’t say anything as she continued to watch the ducks swim, and I began to get nervous.
“But listen, Bryce and Evan like you too,” I continued anxiously. “Actually, I think they’d use love if they didn’t think it would scare you away. We’re yours, Dyana. However you want us. And if you only want them, or me, or one of them, or none of us, we will accept that and won’t push. But please don’t makeus leave. There are all kinds of families in the world, Dyana, and we’re the only family each other has left. Bryce and Evan are like brothers to me. Give us a chance to show you.”
I was unsure if I just fucked everything up, but I spoke from my heart and that had to be good enough. All we needed was a chance to prove ourselves.
“You don’t have to leave,” Dyana finally said. “But I’m not sure if I want to be with anyone. I don’t think I deserve to be, but I’ve been thinking about it. You’re my last connection to my family, and I can’t throw that away. But...”
She trailed off, and after nearly a minute of silence, I prompted her to continue. “But...?”
Dyana looked at me for the first time since I sat beside her, and the torment swirling in her eyes broke my heart. “But watching you inevitably walk away from me will kill me.”
Slowly, so I didn’t spook her, I reached a hand out and stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers before tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear. I always loved her natural hair best. “Why are you so certain that I’m going to walk away from you?” I whispered. “I’ve never walked away from you, Doll. Ever. And I’m not about to start.”
