Now here in the present,tied to a chair, Cassie shook her head as if to shake off the darkness.She could feel Rufus inside her roaring as if he were willing to accompany her to the safe place but Cassie reached deep down inside her soul to grab something that wouldn’t take her back to that time in her life.She barely made it from her safe place back then and she hadn’t needed to be rescued in such a long time.She sure as hell didn’t want to go back now.She knew she had to remain strong for Deke, for her kids, for the life she had barely begun living.
She reached inside to find one of the best memories of her life, she pulled at it to come and take the darkness away.
Think of Deke...remember when he had surprised you...with joy...
––––––––
Her head rose up asthe bathroom door opened.She turned to look.Gasping, her hands came up to cover her mouth.
Out stepped Deke in an actual Tux.Well, it was a more casual one if a tux could be that.
Cassie stared and stared.If she thought the man looked yummy in just jeans and those tight t-shirts...THIS?She couldn’t even swallow.
Deke nodded at her.“What do you think?”
Cassie could only keep nodding and nodding as her throat seemed to swell shut.
Deke cocked his head.“What?Do I look ridiculous?”
Cassie released a long breath.“Hell no!Oh, my God, Deke.Now all I wanna do is take it off of you!”
Deke tilted his head at this.“Ok.I’ll take that as a yes, you do like it?”
Cassie started to laugh.“You are beautiful Deke Tory.”
He furrowed his brow.“Now you are just being plain mean.”
She kept laughing.
He grinned.“But I love hearing that laugh.I swear to God, I would wear a fucking bunny outfit just to hear it again.”He walked over and took her arm.“And no one could be beautiful while standing next to you.You were right though.I just wanna rip that fucking dress right off that delicious little body of yours.”
They both laughed now.
Leading her out and down the hall, Cassie could hear people and other sounds and as they got closer, she could smell the food too.She stopped just before the double doors.
“What?”Deke asked.
She looked up at him.“How had Reva pulled off making all that food I smell?”
He shrugged.“Well, she didn’t.I had it all catered.It’s about time the woman got a break, don’t you think?”
Cassie shook her head at this, but she had thought the same thing herself many times But catered?Jesus that must have cost a small fortune.
He turned her to the double doors and opened them.
Cassie peeked in.
The room was simply unrecognizable.
It literally glittered.
The kids were all dressed in their finest.Jingle Bells was playing in the background.The tree glimmered over in the corner like a batch of sparkling stars had been poured all over it.That would be the beautiful ornaments that Phoenix had made by hand.There were so many presents they didn’t all fit as they stretched out for at least four feet all around the base of the tree.
Cassie gasped and stood very still as her gaze swung all around.
The Morgans were all here and the Moores.Their kids were dotted all over the room.
Black Jack and Molly Moore waved at her.