Page 40 of Tear Me Down
I can see his point, especially with how close I am to the Andersons. I look at them as my real family, so I understand how he feels.
“That’s true. How old were you when you got adopted?”
“I was one of the lucky ones. I was only a couple of weeks old when I was adopted. My birth mom was apparently a druggie. I was dropped off at the hospital here in town—in nothing but a basket and papers from a hospital in Tennessee, go figure. After a few days, I successfully detoxed from whatever drugs I was born with in my veins, and they put me in the system. It only took about a day before my parents fostered me, and then they officially adopted me a couple of weeks later.”
“Do you like your parents?”
“Oh, I love my parents. They’re the best. I got seriously lucky with them.”
A pang of jealousy punches me in the gut, but I shove it away quickly, knowing how childish that seems.
“No foster or adopted siblings?”
“Nope. One time when I was thirteen they convinced my parents to foster for a little while, and just when she was about to be adopted, they gave her back to her parents. It broke my mom’s heart. Emily was only five then, so it was really hard for them to let her go.”
“Aw, that’s so sad.”
“Yeah, plus my mom is really sensitive.” He chuckles. “She was distraught for weeks and then they never fostered again.”
“Well shit, I wouldn’t either.” We laugh and fall into another comfortable silence before he speaks up again.
“So, we’re really doing this party tonight?”
“Fuck yeah! It’s going to be so much fun!” I boast, probably a little too loudly for a grocery store. He grimaces and shakes his head lightly, clearly getting tired of my antics and not fully on board with the idea.
“I don’t know, the mercs seem uptight as hell,” he whines.
“Well, that’s the point. To loosen them up so you guys get to know them.”
He shrugs and we walk up to the registers, knowing that he doesn’t really have a choice.
Chapter fifteen
Ashia
‘Good Girls Bad Guys’ – Falling In Reverse
‘Emergence’ – Sleep Token
Well, Damien did not appreciate the orders I gave Zeke. Not at all. In fact, for the first thirty seconds of our conversation, he looked at Zeke like he was going to kill him. That quickly morphed into him looking at me likeIwas the crazy one. He crossed his arms and tilted his head at me like he was waiting for me to make sense, but I pushed forward, almost to the point of a dispute.
I turned the tables a little and asked Damien what all he did today for work, knowing that it would be a long list of important things that could back up my argument. Of course, he responded in that sweet way he does where he says, ‘Nothing is more important than you,’ and I melt like a teenage girl. But I held firm after a moment and convinced him that it would’ve been ridiculous to bother him.
After he finally gave in and let Zeke leave, we quickly got ready for the party and headed to Until Dawn. He dressed in a black button-up and black slacks, and I have enjoyed every second of it. The top three buttons of his shirt have remained open all night—giving me just a peek of the smooth skin underneath and making my mouth water over and over again. Though, I can tell by the way he looked at me throughout the evening, that my fitted black cocktail dress has kept his attention in the same way.
Looking back now? It probably wasn’t the best decision, but it was nice to know that the other men weren’t looking at me for more than a second. If anyone was, I don’t think Damien would’ve had as great of a time as he did.
The party went as well as I was hoping it would. Everyone definitely loosened up, and a lot of the mercenaries actually seemed pretty cool. They were telling Damien stories about his dad in-between pool games and there was a lot of mingling between the two sets of men, which definitely seemed to ease the tension. Zeke even ended up bringing Taylor, so the rest of us women—Serena included, because Carter brought her—tried our hardest to make her feel welcome and comfortable.
I also met Alex’s wife, Trina, and she was very sweet—way more outgoing than Alex is. He’s one of those silent but deadly guys, one that doesn’t really talk a whole lot, but just from what I saw last week, he might be able to step to Damien and get a few good hits in. Damien thinks the world of him, so behind that quiet exterior, there must be something underneath.
Damien invited the other business owners he works with, so the mercenaries could get to know them. Emmett, DJ, and a few others came, and this is the first time I’ve really seen Damien let loose since the night at his parents’ house. It's hard to believe that it was almost a month ago now. So much has happened these past couple of months—it's hard to wrap my head around it all. My life is far from boring anymore, but I've never been so happy.Even talking and hanging with all of the girls, I can’t help but look for him in the crowd of people, and he can’t help it either because every time I find his gaze, he’s already looking at me.
I never thought I was capable of feeling so whole, so delighted. Yeah, I almost died, but that doesn’t even matter to me anymore. I'm not really sure that it ever did. He has given me more in the past two months than I could have ever dreamed of, and it’s not material things. It’s his love, confidence, and determination, and I love all of it.
We’re at the end of the night now. Most everyone is drunk, Damien included, and I'm not going to lie, being the only sober one might be the funniest thing ever. I can’t drink for another week, but if being sober is this much fun, I'm not sure I want to drink again. I sit back and watch as everyone starts to leave, some stumbling out the door and talking so loudly I can hear them from across the bar.
We’re staying behind a few minutes to make sure Tyler is paid up, but I’m not sure we’ll be doing that tonight either since his boyfriend—Brandon, I’ve learned—is hanging on him like all he needs is permission and he’ll jump him right now. His body language is loose, and he’s leaning into Tyler like he’s trying to feel what’s under his jeans. Damien quickly gets the hint and walks back over to me, grabbing my hand and leading me away. A part of me is surprised he’s walking so straight, considering how much he drank, but I suppose that’s just Damien—always under control, even when he's under the influence, apparently.
