Beautiful Creatures Series

Chapter 54: 12

Chapter 54: 12

Gordon walked into Stanton’s backyard hand in hand with Mackenzie. It seemed they were the lasts to arrive. When they got there, they found Katelyn hugging Aurora. It looked as though they, too, had made up. They were welcomed by everyone, and Stanton tossed him a beer. For the past few months, Gordon had spent most of his time with the younger crowd. He no longer trusted the friends he had in his own age bracket, and he found Mackenzie got along better with his children than she did with others.

Ah, his children. It was surprising how much a man could come to love cubs that were not his flesh and blood. Though Aster was his only physically related child, the other had come to mean as much to Gordon as she did. He had known most of them since they were cubs, and they were his family regardless of the fact that he had not brought them into the world.

Gordon sat in a patio chair with a beer in one hand, watching Mackenzie interact with the others. He was the oldest person at the party by a minimum of twenty years, if not more. Watching the party, Gordon could practically see them all as cubs once more, causing trouble at community functions. He watched Mackenzie run her hand over the small swell of her belly absentmindedly.

Forty-five.

He was forty-five and expecting a brand new baby. He was too old to be changing diapers again. His daughter was in her twenties. By all rights, he should be done with child-rearing. Yet here he was expecting another. At this point in his life, the only infant he should be holding was a grandchild. He was too old to be starting over. Sitting here with all his cubs, he felt even older.

What was he doing with Mackenzie in the first place? Was he trying to hold onto his youth? He watched her and felt his heart skip a beat. He could not end it now. Not because of the baby but because he had come to love Mackenzie. His feelings for her had far out weighted any feelings he had once had for Melissa. He had married Melissa because it had been the right thing to do, so he had

thought at the time. Mackenzie was different. He was with her because he could not picture life without her.

His gaze drifted to Darrell and Katelyn. He had thought they were crazy rushing into their marriage. He could not understand how Derrell could want to marry a woman he had only known a few months. However, since he had met Mackenzie, Gordon understood how it was possible to fall in love with a woman he had just met.

Love, such an intimidating concept, but it was love. It had to be. It could not be anything else. He loved her, but he had no idea how she felt. He could not tell her he loved her. When he suggested getting to know one another, she had run. There was no telling what her reaction would be if he dared to tell her how he truly felt about her.

After a few hours, Aster came to sit with him. Gordon had spent most of the party sitting and drinking, not really engaging anyone. He had spent his time contemplating his life. Gordon smiled as Aster took the seat next to his. “You are awfully quiet this evening?” Aster commented.

“Just thinking?”

“About?”

He shrugged. “Life in general, I suppose. It’s nice to see you all getting along with Mackenzie.”

“Turns out, she’s not that bad,” Aster chuckled. “She’s nice, and she’s infatuated with you.”

“I’m quite fond of her too.”

“Does she make you happy?”

“Happier than I ever remember being.”

“She treats you, right?”

“Better than your mother ever did.”

Aster sighed. “Then, I approve.”

“Do you now?”

“I just want you to be happy, Daddy.”

“I am,” he promised, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Happier still that you approve.”

“Happier than you were with Mom?”

Gordon frowned. “I was never happy with your mom. I should have left her a long time ago.”

“Yeah, I suppose you are right,” they did not have to say it out loud. They both knew why he should have left. Aster had grown up watching the abuse. She loved her mother, but she knew her mother was not a nice person. Gordon knew Aster was having difficulties accepting the divorce, but he knew that deep down, all his daughter truly wanted was for him to be safe and happy. With Mackenzie, he was.

Movement from the side of the house caught Gordon’s attention. Looking over, he groaned, his nose turned up in a scowl. Speaking of Melissa, she had just arrived. “I thought you said she was not invited,” he snarled, drawing Aster’s attention to her mother as Melissa was storming over to them.

“She wasn’t,” Aster said as they both stood up to deal with the unwelcome guest. Melissa’s presence had attracted the entire party’s attention. Infuriated, Melissa walked right up to Gordon. As she reached him, her eyes began to glow, and her right hand became claws, and she smacked him across the face, her claws tearing the flesh of his cheek deep enough to require medical attention.

Gordon growled from the pain, and his hand went to his face. Looking down at his hand, he saw so much blood. He would heal, but it still hurt. Gordon was about to deal with Melissa when Mackenzie walked up behind her and tapped Melissa on the shoulder. Melissa turned, and Mackenzie balled up her hand and punched Melissa in the face so hard, Melissa was sent reeling back a few steps.

The whole party gasped, shocked by Mackenzie’s assault. “You bitch,” Melissa snarled. “I’ll tear you apart,” Melissa growled as her eyes began to glow once more, and her fangs descended in an attempt to intimidate.

“You don’t scare me, bitch,” Mackenzie punched Melissa again even harder, knocking Melissa on her butt. “You’re not the only one with claws,” while Melissa was on the ground, Mackenzie kicked her first in the ribs and then in the face so hard Melissa spit up blood. “How do you like it?”

Gordon really ought to stop this… but maybe he should let Mackenzie get in a few more shots.

“Dad!” Aster snapped at her father for letting the assault continue.

“Ok-ok,” he grabbed hold of Mackenzie’s arm and pulled her out of range from Melissa. “Enough,” Gordon moved Mackenzie behind him, placing himself between the woman he loved and the woman that no doubt meant them both harm. Melissa awkwardly picked herself up and fixed Mackenzie with a violent glare. “Why are you here, Melissa? You are not welcome.”

“My lawyer just told me you are fighting alimony?”

“Of course, I am. Why should I continue to support you?”

“I haven’t worked a real job in twenty-five years. I have no skills. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Oh, I see, ok, I’ll help you… practice this phrase… Would you like fries with that?”

“I can’t live on minimum wage.”

“Aww, no longer my problem,” Gordon mocked her. “I’m done taking care of you. Learn to stand on your own two feet.”

“How could you do this to me after all we meant to each other.”

“Seriously? What we meant to each other. All I was to you was a meal ticket and a punching bag.”

“That’s not true. What about all the good times we had together?”

“We never had any good times.”

“You married me.”

“You were pregnant. It seemed the right thing to do.”

“Are you saying you never loved me?”

“I love pizza and beer. You, I tolerated.”

“How dare you! You have always been suck a….”

“ENOUGH!” Gordon screamed at Melissa, his eyes lighting up like an atomic bomb as he advanced on her, and Melissa backed away with cowardness. “I am a very patient man, but I have reached the limit of my tolerance,” he growled. The whole party was backing away, terrified of this side of Gordon, a side they had never seen before. A frightening and dangerous side of a man who, up to this point, had the patience of Job. “One more outburst from you, and I will exile you. I will cast you out, and the entire pack will shun; because at the end of the day, I am the motherfucker in charge… AND YOU WILL FALL IN LINE!” He screamed at her. Suddenly Gordon stopped. He took a breath to quiet himself. Resuming his usual peaceful self-control. “Have I made myself abundantly clear?” He asked calmly.

“Perfectly,” Melissa confirmed with quiet rage.

“Good. Now leave because you are ruining the party,” Melissa shot a hateful glare at Mackenzie, then she turned and stormed off, muttering to herself. Gordon turned to see all the shocked faces. Everyone was stunned by what had just transpired. “My apologies. Now, when is dinner?”

The party resumed, and everyone gathered around to enjoy the barbeque ribs Stanton had just finished cooking. As they talked, trying not to bring up what had happened, Katelyn whispered into Darrell’s ear. He smiled and then tapped the side of his beer bottle with his fork. “Since everyone we care about is here tonight, Katelyn and I have an announcement,” he said, taking his wife’s hand in his with a grin. “We are going to have a baby.”

“Oh my God, you are pregnant?” Charlotte gasped with excitement.

“Two weeks,” Katelyn announced.

“We decided that since Gordon had proven it possible, we made an active attempt to get pregnant,” Katelyn said.

“Best two and half months of my life,” Darrell grinned cheekily. “No, stop sex.”

Everyone laughed. “Only took me a month,” Gordon teased.

“Well, it looks like all our cubs will get to play together,” Aurora grinned as she was burping her son. It was a nice thought. Gordon looked around at those he considered his family, and he took Mackenzie’s hand in his. Despite his trials with Melissa, Gordon was happy.

When the party was over, they drove home, her fingers laced with hers as he drove. When they reached the house, Gordon pulled into the garage and hit the button on his visor to close the door behind them. As they got out of the car, Gordon stopped at the hood and stood there watching as

Mackenzie walked to the door that led into the house. She stopped on the bottom step when she noticed he was not following her.

Mackenzie stepped down, concerned as she walked over to stand in front of him. She looked up at him. “Is something wrong?”

“Marry me?”

She chuckled. “You can’t be serious,” her expression became serious when his did not change. “You are serious.”

“I tried. I really did. I tried not to fall for you. I did everything I could not love you, but the more I tried not to love you, the harder I fell for you. I love you, Mackenzie. Pretending like you don’t mean the world to me isn’t working for me. I want you to be my wife?” He placed both hands on her swelling belly. “Let’s give this baby a real home. Marry me.”

“Are you sure you aren’t proposing because you think it is the right thing to do because you got me pregnant? I don’t want to be another Melissa.”

“I love you, and I’m done doing things to suit convention. I want to marry you because I love you.”

“And if I say no?”

“I will just keep asking.”

“Gordon, I don’t know.”

“Are you questioning how I feel about you?”

“It’s hard not to, given your history.”

“You want to know my heart?” He lifted his hands to frame her face so she couldn’t look away. “Look at me. Look into my eyes,” he knew one way to bond them for life. Lycanthropes had the ability to imprint. They could only ever do it once, and since he never loved Melissa, he had never bothered to imprint with her. He would not have thought it possible to do with a human, but Darrell had proven him wrong. Now it was his best hope to convince Mackenzie of his feelings.

Gordon looked deep into Mackenzie’s eyes past the windows and into her soul, exposing his to the woman he loved. It took a moment, then it happened. A rush of images and feelings flooded his mind and sent his pulse racing. He saw her life. Her happy childhood and the horrors of the morning her parents were murdered. He saw her adult life, and then he saw himself and the joy and love she felt for him. Mackenzie gasped. Her eyes widened as her mind was bombarded by images and feelings from him. Gordon let go of Mackenzie and tried to catch his breath as she did the same.

“What the hell was that?” She panted heavily, trying to make sense of the images and feelings she had just experienced. “I saw things. I felt things.”

“They are my memories,” he explained. “I imprinted with you.”

“What?”

“Our souls are forever bonded,” he leaned against the hood, trying to slow his pulse rate. “Imprinting is something Lycanthropes do so that we can bond. We can only ever do it once in a lifetime. We are picky about who we do it with because it connects us, heart and soul, forever.”

“You never did it with Melissa?”

Gordon looked into her eyes. “I never loved Melissa. I love you, and now you know how much.”

Mackenzie slipped into his arms and kissed his lips softly. “Yes. I will marry you.”