A
Few Minutes Later
Darren gently set Jack down on the ground and loosened the rope around her neck. Her lungs instantly filled with precious oxygen as she too her first breath. “Get Nadia,” he told Dan. Darren cradled Jack in his arms as Dan ran back to the house. Her breathing went from a raspy gasp to a more regular tone. The deep impression the rope left around her neck was turning from red to purple. There would be a significant bruise, but at least she was still alive.
Hearing footsteps, Darren looked up to see Dan and Nadia quickly approaching. Nadia took one look at Jack and her hand instantly went up to cover her mouth as she gasped. “It’s okay,” Darren said. “She’s still alive.”
“Um… Nadia replied, shaking. She kneeled down to look at the bruises on Jack’s neck. Just as she was about to touch one of the deep purple blotches, Jack began fluttering her eyes. Nadia let out a sigh of relief and stepped back.
Darren held Jack closer when he realized that she was waking up. With his hand, he gently brushed away a few strands of her brown hair away from her face. Jack slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times as she focused on Darren. “Are you an angel?” she whispered.
“No,” he replied, shaking his head and smiling.
“I’m not in heaven?” Jack asked.
“No, you’re still here on earth,” Darren answered.
“You’re alive?” her questions kept coming.
“Yes, I am.”
Jack reached up to touch his face. Her fingertips gently brushed down his cheek as she took in a deep breath. “You really are,” she giggled as he kissed her fingers. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Darren said. “I love you.”
Jack smiled as she pulled him in for a soft, simple kiss. “I love you too,” she replied.
It was Darren’s turn to hold her close. He placed a series of kisses around her face; her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, her chin. Jack’s body yearned for his tender kisses and exploded with joy every second he placed one on her skin. She couldn’t wait for his lips to fall on hers. He paused for a long moment to stare into her deep green eyes. Their souls connected, and for one fleeting second, Jack felt as if she were in heaven.
Darren finally went in for the kiss she had been waiting for. His lips fell on hers with such a warm intensity it was almost euphoric. The only way Jack could describe it was absolutely perfect, something like that scene from “Jerry Maguire” where Jerry kisses Dorothy on the porch right after their date.
When it was over, Jack was left in a daze. She could feel her head spin with delight. Darren delicately lifted her off the ground and carried her back to the house with Dan and Nadia trailing behind them.
“Can you believe that just happened?” Nadia whispered as she elbowed Dan to get his attention.
“Yeah, I can,” Dan replied as a smile came across his face.
“Oh, my God! What happened!” Leonie exclaimed the moment she saw Darren carry Jack into the house. She didn’t notice their dreamlike state of mind until Darren passed her.
Nadia stepped closer to her and said, “They are so back together.”
Darren walked up the stairs with Jack and headed straight for her room. He gently set her down on the bed and lay beside her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said.
“I can,” he whispered, nuzzling her. “You kept me alive. You saved me.”
Jack smiled. “You saved me too.”
“I was just returning the favor.” Darren softly kissed her and added, “You’re my world. How can I let you go? And now with the baby, I don’t think I ever will.”
“You know?” Jack asked. He nodded. “I should have thought.”
“I think it’s wonderful. I can’t believe that after so many years of searching, I finally found the woman who wants to have my child and I can see myself with until the day I die.”
“Is this another marriage proposal?”
“If you want it to be.”
“I do,” Jack whispered.
“Then Jack, will you marry me?” Darren asked as he pulled the ring out of his pocket. She nodded as he slipped it onto her finger. Jack looked at it for a moment before turning and kissing him.
“Did he finally ask her?” they heard Nadia whisper from behind the door.
“Shut up, I can’t hear anything,” Leonie replied.
Darren looked at Jack and stood up. He took her hand and led her to the door. They opened it to find Nadia, Leonie, Angi, Ben, and Dan with their ears pressed against it.
“Did you pop the question or what?” Angi asked.
A wide smile came across Jack’s face as she stuck her hand out in front of them to show off the ring. The girls looked at it in awe and Nadia asked, “How many carats?”
“Six,” Darren happily answered.
Nadia suddenly became angry and turned to Dan. “Three months pregnant and already there’s a six carat ring on her finger. When are you gonna pop the question?” she growled.
“Hey! We never discussed marriage,” Dan retorted.
“Oh, my God! What is your problem? Are you afraid of commitment?” Nadia yelled. Dan took her by the arm and dragged her into her room. “This is not fair! You’re toying with my emotions! I don’t need this right now because it’s stressing me out.”
“You never said anything about marriage. I just though you wanted me in the baby’s life and nothing more,” he replied.
“But what about all the things you said? You told me that you like me. You told me that you wanted to protect me. And then there were all those kisses. Was it all to keep me happy or did you really mean everything?” she confronted. Dan looked away trying to find the right words. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe you. It was all bullshit, wasn’t it?” Nadia pushed past him with tears in her eyes.
“Nadia,” Dan called after her.
“ Fuck off, Dan!” she screamed as she ran out the door. “I’m going back home. I never want to see you again!” Nadia ran downstairs and out the front door to the car. Dan tried catching up to her but couldn’t. She had already pulled away from the curb when he reached the front door.
“Fuck!” Dan yelled, going back into the house where everyone had assembled in front of him. He walked right past them and went upstairs to his room, slamming the door shut after he entered.