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“It’s okay,” she said to Phoenix, stroking her hand down his back to try to calm him. Not that it worked. “He’s not getting away. Not this time.”
Shooting a quick text off to Damian, she headed for the door, only pausing to grab the mace hanging from the key rack next to it.
Damian
It had been a while since Damian had seen Elizabeth. Too long, really. He’d visited more often before he’d started being attracted to Emily. He hadn’t visited much the past couple of years because it felt weird to visit Elizabeth when he was lusting after her daughter. He’d felt guilty.
Not that he felt less guilty now, but the imperative to visit her was greater. Especially considering what he wanted.
“So.” Elizabeth tapped her fingers against the metal table in between them. She’d aged since being convicted, yet she looked healthier. Her eyes were sharp and focused, all of her attention engaged on him. “You and Emily.”
“Me and Emily.” He held his hands out on the table, palms up, in a gesture of surrender. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“I know. You’re not the type. Which is what makes it all the more surprising.” She shook her head. “I don’t really know what to say to you. I know you’re a good man, but the age thing…”
“I know. If it helps, Katrina almost immediately informed me that her current boyfriend is not only her former professor but also closer to my age than hers, so I have some idea how you feel.”
Elizabeth laughed, looking more like the woman he remembered.
“Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a parent.” She sighed. “In the end, it’s up to Emily. I am definitely not one to be judging anyone else’s decisions. I ended up with Don and stayed with him for far too long.”
“No one could have known how he would turn out when you married him,” Damian argued. Hell, he’d been the best man at their wedding. “He wasn’t like that originally. He just… changed.”
“But you haven’t. You were a good man from the beginning. You helped us out every step along the way.” Elizabeth tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling, as though she was searching for answers. “That’s what makes this so weird.”
“I know. I promise I didn’t even look at Emily this way until a year or two ago. Definitely not when she was a kid or anything. I just turned around one day, and there she was. Sweet, beautiful, kind, so damn determined, and… well, for some reason she feels the attraction back.”
“For some reason.” Elizabeth snorted as she met his gaze again. “You’ve always been a handsome man, and you know it.” She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “When it comes down to it, what I want most is for Emily to be happy. You made Anita happy for a long time.”
“I did. We were happy together. And I still miss her, but…”
“But you deserve a life.” Elizabeth smiled, reaching out her hand across the table and placing it in Damian’s. He closed his fingers around it, feeling the warmth of the long friendship they’d had. “You deserve to be happy. You spent so much time pouring all of your energy into Katrina. Now, she’s all grown up, and you feel like you can finally be you again.”
“Yes. That’s it exactly.” He let out a long sigh of relief that Elizabeth wasn’t angry at him, even if she didn’t really understand.
“I want that for you, too. And I want that for Emily.” She squeezed his hand. “If you are what makes her happy, I won’t stand in your way. I’ve caused my baby girl enough pain.”
“That’s really good to hear.” Damian took a deep breath, his free hand reaching into his pocket to pull out a small velvet box. “Because I’m going to be asking for more than your acceptance. I was hoping to get your blessing.”
He held out the box in his hand, and Elizabeth stared at it for a long moment, as if it might suddenly come to life and bite her. Releasing his hand, she picked up the box and opened it. Even though her elbows were braced on the table, he could see that her hands were trembling. Damian kept his mouth shut.
He was asking a lot of Elizabeth, and he wasn’t going to push her through this critical moment.
She popped the box open and let out a low whistle.
“It was my grandmother’s. It was never Anita’s style, but I think it’s Emily’s.”
“And you don’t want Katrina to have it?” Elizabeth looked up from the perfect cushion cut diamond, flanked on either side by sapphires.
“Anita wanted Katrina to have her ring. It’s waiting for Katrina in a safe deposit box for her engagement or her thirtieth birthday, whichever comes first.”
“I see.” Elizabeth looked back at the ring she was holding. “It does look perfect for Emily.” She snapped the box shut. “Don’t you think you’re moving a little fast, though?”
“I know what I want and don’t see any point in waiting.” The side of his mouth quirked up. “Especially at my age.”
“You’re terrible.” But she was laughing again, even as she shook her head and handed the box back to him. “Just make her happy, okay? That’s all I want.”
“That’s all I want, too. I promise, Elizabeth. I’m going to take care of her.”
