Chapter 12 #3
I cannot help but stare at the lines of her body as she emerges from the pumpkin patch. The dress she’s wearing is looser than it was when I last saw her in it. I imagine chasing after a now three-year-old may have something to do with that.
She lifts her smiling face, and our eyes lock, causing her pace to hiccup for a moment. That smile no longer reaches her eyes…and I feel some type of way about it…
Disappointment? Why? I was not expecting her to run to me , or proclaim for all to hear she’s so relieved I’m alive after all this time…
Had I been hoping she would? Fool…
I remain where I stand and allow her to approach me. The nearer she gets, the less pleased she appears. My heart sinks as she stands before me now, no words. Only a tense, guarded expression. We stare at each other in tense silence.
I hate everything…
“You’re looking radiant as ever, Vanna.” I offer her a smile.
“I thought I heard a motorcycle in the distance.” She glances away from me to inspect the pea gravel lot. “Where’s your bike?”
“The trail behind your old rental.”
“Someone lives there now. And you shouldn’t be here.”
“I have my reasons.”
“You always do.” She sighs, her gaze breaks from mine to glance down at her son. I shift my focus to him for a moment as well. He’s wearing a quizzical expression, scrutinizing me. The boy is the spitting image of his father… He even inherited Keegan’s suspicious glare.
“Who’s he, Mama?” he asks, dark eyes never leaving me.
When she does not respond, I attempt to read her expression. She doesn’t know how to answer him. I do not know how to feel about that . At the very least, she has not introduced me as a very bad man… That’s something , isn’t it?
I turn to her boy, clearing my throat in what I already know is a futile attempt to soften the gravel in my voice. “My name is–”
“ Legion ,” Vanna immediately interrupts, spitting out my road name as if it soured in her mouth. “His name is Legion.” The edge in her voice wounds something inside of me.
“ Damien , actually.” I’m not sure I was successful in hiding the defeat in my tone. Have all of my efforts thus far meant nothing to her? Am I so insignificant , my declaration was this forgettable ?
I quell my simmering temper upon a realization... Perhaps she’s unaware of all I’ve done for her? I would not put it past Keegan to have intercepted my attempts to reach her over the years.
Vanna crouches before her son. Her hand gently caresses his cheek, coaxing his attention back to her.
“Ace, my angel, will you be a big boy and take this basket over to the picnic table for Mommy?” She holds the basket for him to grip the woven handle with both hands.
“It’s heavy. Go slow and wait for me there. ”
With one last lingering glare at me, the young Keegan ambles off toward the picnic table with their gourd-filled basket. Vanna slowly rises, watching him until he’s just about reached the table, before she turns to face me.
“So… a stay-at-home mother now. How very… apple pie , Vanna.”
“I still work a few nights at the roadhouse here and there. And besides…you burned down my job. Remember?”
“Touché.”
“Why are you here?”
True Love… Though I don’t say those words aloud. My heart aches, and I swallow with a bit of difficulty before I reply. “Is it not obvious?”
“Nothing about you , Legion, has ever been obvious .”
“I suppose I’ve earned that.”
She only lets out another soft breath, folding her arms uncomfortably, and glances at her son. “How long have you been back?”
“Not long.” I find myself staring into the dark pools of her soulful eyes when she turns to me, desperately searching for some semblance of a sign she might care. “I’ve only just returned.”
I watch those eyes, which have haunted my dreams, shift back and forth between my own, searching for an answer she has not yet asked aloud.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” she finally speaks.
“I’ve got quite the track record, sweet one. Might you be so kind as to expand on that for me?”
“ Cassidy Jones ,” she says the girl’s name with a mixture of relief and suspicion. “She returned home. Now…here you are.”
I stand before her, silently waiting for her to voice the reason behind her suspicion. I already know what’s coming.
“What I said to you in the warehouse that night…” The tone and timbre of her voice denote a level of fear… She’s afraid of what my answer might be. “You did…didn’t you?”
“ No , sweet one. I did not.”
Tension leaves her body on a sigh that I don’t believe she intended me to note.
Her attention sweeps back to Ace. A little smile pulls at her lips as she offers him a reassuring wave.
I study him for a moment. Her child is lining up the gourds on the bench, occupying himself.
He glances back at us to check on her often. He is indeed his father’s son .
“I did not…but you weren’t wrong. It was a Demon who took her…
Therefore, by proxy …” I let the sentence dangle between us, hoping she picks up the thread.
People are quite easy to manipulate, especially the kindhearted.
And depending on her response, I’ll know how much progress, if any at all, I’ve made in my attempt at redemption in her eyes.
She turns to face me. “The news said the reward was paid out, but the person responsible for her return wanted to remain anonymous.”
“He did.”
Suspicion further narrows her gaze. “Why? Wouldn’t parading yourself in front of the media as a Hero make your return to this town a little…I don’t know… easier ?”
“Nothing about my life has ever been easy , Vanna. And I’m no Hero . I think we both know that. Besides… I didn’t do it for recognition or acceptance in this town. I didn’t do it for reward money or notoriety. Hell, I didn’t even do it for her … I did it for you .”
She blinks. “Me?”
“Yes!” I begin with impatience, “I couldn’t go on allowing you to think I’d ever have a deliberate hand in–”
“Mama!” The young Keegan rushes to his mother, stealing her attention from me completely.
The boy has his fist clenched, aside from his index finger, which he thrusts into her face as she crouches down to him.
“ Ouch , Mama.” He pouts pitifully.
“ Oh… let me see.” Vanna gently takes his hand, inspecting his injury, a little splinter in his finger from the table. “It’s okay, we’ll fix you up.” She kisses his cheek again, then rises to take him gently by the wrist and leads him to the farmstand.
I follow behind them, watching from the broad doorway as she rummages through a drawer behind the register, searching for something to remove the offending sliver from his little digit. Closing the drawer, she looks over at Ace.
“I think we’re going to have to say goodbye to Legion and walk back up to the house, Ace. Mommy can’t find any tweezers down here.”
Goodbye… Already … No. No, I’ve only just returned to her after all this time apart. My mind scrambles to formulate an excuse to prolong this reunion.
“How about a needle? A pin? I can sterilize it for you,” I quickly offer, removing the Zippo from my pocket.
While smiling and giving Ace a wink, I flip the lighter open, and the flame springs forth.
I make it dance and swirl around my fingers.
Her son is dazzled by the few tricks, innocent eyes wide with amusement.
A genuine, infectious smile forms on his face for the first time since we’ve met.
“ Magic!” The word is full of childlike wonder.
I glance briefly at Vanna, who is attempting to fight a little smile of her own as she brings her hand to her face, fingers barely hiding the curve of her sexy mouth.
The kid is the key to her heart. Of course, he is. Vanna is a good mother. The road to redemption…the way to her heart, is through Ace. If I win the boy over… it’s another step closer to winning her over.
“How about it, Ace? You let us get that nasty little splinter out, and I’ll show you another Magic trick?”
He peers up at me, wearing another one of Keegan’s cynical expressions, and I search for a trace of Vanna in the handsome little devil. Although I am no longer his father’s enemy, it doesn’t mean I don’t resent the bastard…resent, and envy him to my bitter core .
“ Okay...” Ace concedes, though he seems to do so with some reservation.
“I promise it won’t hurt.” I remove the safety pin I keep pinned inside my cut for the purpose of refilling the fuel in my Zippo, and after passing it through the flame to ensure sterilization, Vanna and I make quick work of painlessly removing the splinter in Ace’s finger.
“There we are.” I offer the child what I hope is another friendly smile. “Was that so bad?”
He only looks at me, then his gaze scans my leather cut, his curious young eyes landing on my pocket where I tucked the Zippo away.
“Oh, that’s right… We had ourselves a bargain , didn’t we?”
He nods, and I produce the lighter once again, dazzling the child with a few more fancy tricks as the flaming Zippo dances around my fingers. This time, his bright smile is accompanied by laughter and applause.
“What do we say?” Vanna prompts him.
“Thank you… Leh… Leh?” Ace turns to his mother for guidance. She says my road name slowly for him, and he makes another attempt. “ L-Le-gen-d .” He smiles proudly, as if he got it right, turning to me before she can correct him. “Thank you, Legend.”
Legend… I smile inwardly.
“Actually, sweetheart,” Vanna begins, but I raise my hand to stop her.
“ Actually , I’m quite content with Legend .”
She purses her lips, fighting another smile of her own. “I’m sure that suits your ego just fine.” She rolls her eyes at me, lifting Ace off the counter and placing him back down on his sneakered feet. “I should take him up to the house anyway, wash his hands, make him lunch.”
Alas…my official cue to leave… Though there are no other employees meandering about anywhere in sight.
“The hours of operation state your little farmstand is open until this afternoon.”