Here's another update! Sorry it took me so long, I went out of town this weekend for Labor Day and have been busy with other stuff! But here's an update! Enjoy! This story is coming to an end, though…but I'll start posting the new one shortly after this is over! I started the new one about a year ago! I've waited so long to share it and I can't wait!
HM
Chapter 20
"It's so eerily quiet," Ava murmured to Dameon.
They were stretched out together on the chaise in the back patio with Ava nestled between his drawn up knees as she leaned comfortably against his chest. His arms embraced her from behind while her hands were resting comfortably on his knees. Baxter was happily slithering and curling around their tangled bodies as if it were his own personal playground.
"I know," Dameon said as he perched his chin on the top of her head. "I was just getting use to all the noise and mayhem."
They had just said goodbye to their family a few hours ago and Ava was already missing them, however, she was too content being with Dameon to be sad. "It was good to see them. I know the kids are excited about school starting up again."
"Jacob's pumped about being Head Boy," Dameon said with a chuckle. "I gave him all sorts of pointers."
"That's right, you were Head Boy," she said and then laughed. "I was so mad at you when you came across me and Nicholas Crockett snogging in the Astronomy tower. You took away fifty points from Gryffindor…I was furious."
He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Believe me, you weren't the only one. I was shocked when I saw you with him…I didn't even know you were dating."
"We weren't," she said waving it off. "Just shared a few snogs." She slowly turned around and smirked up at him. "Were you jealous?"
"Jealous is for the weak and simple minded," he said confidently, but then bent his head down to graze his cheek with hers. "I was drowning in it."
She shook with laughter. "Glad to hear it, but there was no need. It never felt right being with him that way."
"Why is that?" he asked curiously. "Not that I mind…I'm quite glad it didn't feel right."
She sighed. "Back then I wasn't sure…I was almost disappointed that there was nothing between us because Nick really was a great guy. But now I know why. It's the same reason it never felt right with Liam." She tilted her head up and lovingly skimmed his stubble cheek with the back of her hand. "He wasn't you."
Dameon's eyes softened as he soothed her hair back. "Ava," he murmured and pressed his lips to hers.
Her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his warm mouth over hers and let out a long, moan of approval as she opened up for him. She twisted her upper body and pressed herself urgently against his chest as he tangled his fingers in her soft hair.
He didn't rush the kiss…there was no need for it. He wanted it to last and last. He wanted to savor the feel of her in his arms…to savor the way she tasted…to savor the way he felt when he was with her. He wanted her, he thought as he drove his tongue into her mouth a bit more urgently, but then immediately went soft again, soothing his tongue along hers. He wanted her more than he ever wanted anyone.
"Dameon." Her voice dripping with need when he started to frantically scatter kisses along her face, down her neck. "I want…"
"What do you want?" he said huskily in her ear, neither of them noticing that Baxer was making a graceful exit, obviously not wanting to be a third party. "Tell me."
Ava gasped softly when he nipped at her ear. "I want to be with you," she said as she eagerly searched for his mouth again. "I want to be with you."
He moaned against her lips. "Ava." He couldn't seem to stop shaking. "You're killing me."
"Don't you want to be with me?"
Dameon heard the hint of insecurity in her voice so he framed her face with his hands. "More than anything," he said urgently and pressed his mouth to hers.
"I want it to be here," she said looking up at him. "Before we leave."
The way she was looking at her…such trust and love…made him drop his forehead weakly to hers. "Ava. You make me feel weak and clumsy."
Ava pursed her lips. "Was that a yes?"
Laughter rumbled out of him and with a smile and playfully tucked her chin. "Before we leave," he said before their lips met again.
That was now Nora found them. "Aww…aren't you two the sweetest thing."
Dameon shooed at her with his lips still locked with Ava's. "Go away," he murmured in between kisses.
"Don't worry I'm not crashing," she said as Ava and Dameon finally pulled away to look at her. "I just wanted to let you two know that I'm off to the pool to meet Phoebe and Manny for a swim."
"No Dallas?" Ava asked.
"He has an afternoon trail ride today," she said as she took a seat on the chaise next to them. "So he'll be busy till it's time for him to come over tonight. Anyway, I wanted to let you know where I was and see if you wanted to meet us later-that is if you can manage to stop locking lips long enough."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Of course we can…we'll come by later. Is mum and dad back from their meeting with Mr. Hamilton?"
"No, not yet," she said shaking her head. "You'd think they'd be back by now…it's been a almost two hours."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Ava assured her. "You know dad…he's probably just covering all the basics to keep Dallas from getting into any trouble."
"I guess you're right. Are your parents still on that morning hike, Dameon?"
"Apparently," he said as he casually caressed Ava's knee. "They'll probably be gone for awhile I imagine."
Ava giggled. "They're probably becoming one with nature…if you know what I'm saying."
Nora chuckled while Dameon groaned. "Jeez, A.J…those are my parents you're talking about…"
"Oh come on, you know your parents have sex…how do you think you got here? A stork?"
"I am fully aware that my parents…do that…I just don't want to visualize it, thank you very much. Want to talk about your parent's sex life, sweetie?"
Nora grimaced while Ava let out a laugh shaking her head. "Okay, point taken."
"Good," he said as he playfully shoved her head.
Ava just laughed and smiled at Nora. "We'll be down to the pool later…we have to change in to our suits and…where's Baxter?" Ava said suddenly as she shot forward in her seat.
"What?" Nora asked suddenly as she darted her feet up on the chaise. "You lost him?"
Dameon chuckled and gave Ava's arm a soothing rub. "Relax, he probably got embarrassed and slithered away."
"Okay, I'm out of here," Nora said as she got up and looked around urgently. "Before he comes slithering back."
"We'll see you down there," Dameon called out to her and Nora just gave him a hasty wave of understanding as she darted back into the house. "She seriously cracks me up…what do you suppose she thinks Baxter will do? Swallow her up in one bite?"
"Don't say that to her," Ava warned. "She'll have nightmares."
Dameon smiled and then gave her a slight nudge. "C'mon…let's go find Baxter, then we can go upstairs." He nuzzled her neck and gently nipped at her ear. "And take advantage of an empty house before heading down to the pool."
Ava shivered from head to toe as she cocked her head to give him more access. "Excellent plan."
XXXXX
"C'mon, Daddy, hurry!" Phoebe said as she urgently tugged on his hand. "You're walking too slow."
"Settle down, princess," he said with a slight chuckle. "We'll get there eventually." But he quickened his pace a bit since she looked ready to pop with excitement. They were walking from their cabin to the Potter's cabin suite on the other side of the resort. It wasn't that long of a walk, but to his excited five year old, it was a trillion miles away. "Did you have fun swimming with Nora today?" he asked, hoping to distract her.
"Uh-huh!" she exclaimed as her eyes lit up. "She came and played with me, then A.J and Dameon came. Dameon threw me up in the air, just like you do, Daddy…he was pretty good and threw almost just as high as you do. Then, Harry and Hermony, came, too."
"That's great…but it's Hermione, sweetie," he corrected with a wink.
"Her-mione," she repeated and then shot him a toothy grin. "I like her…she's really nice."
"What about Draco and Natasha? Did they show up?"
"No, they never showed up…but Dameon assured me they'd be at dinner…I can't wait! I just love them Daddy…they remind me of our family back home."
Dallas stopped suddenly, causing his arm to tug forward since Phoebe had kept walking. "Daddy, why did you stop?" she asked with a huff.
Dallas knelt down to her level and pulled her to him. "Phoebe, do you really feel that way?" he asked as he gently placed his hands on her tiny hips. "You like being around Nora and her family?"
She nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh. They're funny…and it's kind of cool they're from a whole other country." She let out a giggle. "I like their accents."
Dallas grinned. "Me, too. So if I asked Nora to be a part of our family…you would be okay with that?"
"Sure!" she exclaimed as her eyes went wide. "You mean you'd marry her?"
"That's my plan," he said and took the time to let out a slow breath since it still shook him a bit. "I love her very much, Phoebe."
"I know, I can tell. Your eyes get all…sparkly when you talk about her…or when you look at her."
Dallas shook his head in amusement. "You're observant for a girl your age."
She giggled. "I know…you tell me that a lot."
He playfully tweaked her nose. "Well it's true." He laughed as he straightened and grabbed her hand. "C'mon…we don't want to be late."
"Daddy?" she asked after a moment of walking.
"Hmm?" he asked as their joined hands began to swing.
"If you marry Nora…does that mean she'll be my mommy?"
Dallas felt his heart turn in his chest as he looked down at the wide hopeful eyes staring up at him. "That would be for you and Nora to talk about, Phoebs. But I'm sure Nora would love that…if she accepts my proposal."
"Oh, she will," she said confidently as she waved it off.
Dallas arched a brow. "Oh? How do you know?"
"Because…her eyes are all sparkly when she looks at you, too."
Dallas let out a deep, enriching laugh as he reached down and scooped her up. "You're a piece of work, princess."
She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her the rest of the way.
Nora was waiting for them on the front porch and when she first heard Phoebe's squealish laughter mixed with Dallas' deep chuckle, she pounced off the steps and met them out on the road. "Hey!" she exclaimed and laughed when Phoebe immediately reached for her.
"I'm so glad you're here!" She perched her on her hip and leaned up and kissed Dallas. "Both of you."
"She's excited," Dallas said with a smile. "It's all she talked about since the moment I came in from work."
"Well, then let's get started," she said as she swung her back to the ground. "Every one is out back waiting to see you."
She let out a whoop as she ran ahead of them, following the path around the back while Nora and Dallas slowly followed hand in hand. "It was nice of your parents to invite us…and for them to talk to my boss to cover for us."
"He knows you make me happy," she said as she paused and turned into him, circling her arms around his neck. "Do I make you happy, Cowboy?"
He bent his knees slightly and lifted her off her toes. "Deliriously," he murmured before laying his lips gently against hers.
Lips curved, she let out a long, satisfying moan. "Great answer."
He chuckled and nipped at her lips, then scattered kisses down her jaw and then nuzzled her neck. "We better join your family before they get suspicious."
She giggled as he set her down on her feet. "Okay…maybe later we can sneak off somewhere."
"Looking forward to it," he said as he lifted their clasped hands and kissed her fingers as they rounded the house together.
XXXXX
After dinner, Harry went up to Dallas and Nora, who were sitting on the porch steps as they watched Phoebe play out in the field with Dameon and Ava. "Hey guys," he said as he lightly nuzzled Nora's head. "Would you mind coming back inside? Hermione and I would like to talk to you both."
"Sure," Nora said as she got up and Dallas quickly followed. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," he assured her.
"Phoebe!" Dallas called out. "I'm going inside, you mind Ava and Dameon."
"Okay!" she exclaimed, happily perched on Dameon's back.
"She's in good hands," Nora said as she linked her fingers with hers.
"I don't doubt it," he said as he gave a little wave as they passed Draco and Natasha, who were sitting at the patio table with their drinks, then followed Harry back inside.
Hermione was waiting for them in the den sitting on the love seat sipping a glass of white wine. "Anyone need a refill?" she asked as they sat down. "Dallas? Another beer?"
"I'm okay for now," he said holding up his half empty beer bottle. "Thanks, though."
"So, what's up, Dad?" Nora asked anxiously.
"Well," he said as he leaned back next to his wife and casually placed a hand on her knee. "As you both know, Hermione and I had a meeting with Mr. Hamilton today…a fairly long one."
"Yes, you were gone longer than I expected," Nora said with a slight frown. "Did he give you a hard time about inviting Dallas?"
"Not at all," he said with a slight wave of his free hand. "In fact, I never even brought it up."
Dallas lifted his brows. "What? But…"
"Relax, Dallas," Hermione said softly. "It's okay that you're here…we promise."
"I almost immediately understood what you were talking about, Dallas," Harry said as he leaned forward to set his glass of wine down. "He didn't have the passion for this place like you do. I discussed about the resort with him and what it meant to him…he pretty much said he'd rather be doing something else but the money was too good to give up."
"I had a feeling he was in it just for the money," Dallas said with a slight hint of resentment in his voice.
"I agree," Harry said and then casually leaned back in his chair and grinned. "That's why Hermione and I both agreed to buy it."
Dallas choked on his beer. "What?" he gagged while Nora slapped a hand on his back. "You, what?"
"Bought the place," Nora said as she gave him another pat. "It's so like Daddy to do that."
"I don't understand," Dallas said once he got his throat cleared. "I mean…you just bought it? Like that?"
Harry chuckled. "Well, some documents had to be signed and we had a few little discussions before we could settle on a contract we both agreed on. Mr. Hamilton I believe, is packing up his stuff right now and has to be out of the main house by next week."
"Soooo….what?" Dallas asked still shocked and a bit confused. "Are you two going to move in?"
"No, don't be silly." Just because Harry would find it amusing, he waited until Dallas took another sip of his beer. "You are."
Dallas choked again as Harry and Hermione chuckled in amusement while Nora took the beer away from him. "Sweetie, maybe you shouldn't take a sip until they're done talking."
"Me?" he said as he stared at Hermione and Harry as if they both had two heads and a tail. "But…I'm sorry, I'm not following. That house is for the owner of the resort…you can't just…"
"We can do whatever we want," Hermione said with a slight smile. "We're the owners…and we want you to manage it, Dallas…we want you to make the decisions and run the place for us. We're basically giving you the resort."
"Not completely," Harry added when Dallas just stared and Nora grinned foolishly. "We'll still own it financially, but you'd be in charge of everything…and would keep us updated on anything we may need to know or any new ideas you may have."
"I…" He shook his head in amazement as he gripped Nora's hand. "I don't know what to say…I've always dreamt about buying this place from Mr. Hamilton…I've always wanted to start a small nest egg, but I've started one for Phoebe's future instead."
"And so you should have," Hermione said nodding in approval. "Dallas…the resort is yours. Yes, a silly piece of parchment claims we own it, but…it's heart belongs to you."
"Thank you," Dallas said as he got up to his feet and went over and hugged Hermione the minute she stood up from the couch. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."
Harry got up and hugged him as well. "You can start by making my munchkin happy."
Dallas grinned. "I can definitely do that," he said as he turned to Nora. "That is…if she's loves me enough to move over here and marry a Yank."
Nora's eyes filled and her heart felt as though it would burst with happiness. She finally knew where she belonged…and that was with her cowboy. "Oh, she does," she finally said and ran over and flung herself onto him. "She loves you so much."
Hermione sniffled as she watched her little girl kiss the man she was going to marry. "Oh, Harry."
"Shh, don't cry," he said laughing softly as he brought her against his side. "You'll get me going."
"C'mon," she said pulling him away and led them back outside. "Let's leave them alone for awhile."
Dallas nuzzled Nora's neck and he held on tight. "I can't believe it," he murmured. "I can't believe your parents did that for me."
"You're family now," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. "They love you because I love you."
"This has happened so fast." He leaned back and framed her face. "This should be crazy….this should be nuts, but…I know this is right."
"You better believe it is," she said with a grin. "The moment I saw you…I knew you were going to change my life. I didn't know for sure how, but…something inside me changed that day."
He swept the pad of his thumb across her cheek. "For me too…I watched you…interact with Tango…longer than you thought probably." He leaned down and nibbled at her lips. "You were so darn cute."
She chuckled against his mouth. "I was thinking you were so darn hot…anyone ever tell you, you look good in a pair of Levis?"
He grinned. "Anyone ever tell you, you look good in a pair of designer jeans?"
Nora laughed as she flew her arms around him. "Oh, I do love you, cowboy."
Dallas plucked her off the floor and spun her around. "I love you right back." He then set her down and placed his hand on her shoulders. "You know, though…I come with a package deal."
Nora's eyes softened. "Of course." She reached up and touched his cheek. "I wouldn't have it any other way…she's mine just as much as you are."
Dallas shut his eyes as gripped her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. "Thank you." He kissed the inside of her wrists and down her arm until he pulled her back in his arms and nuzzled her neck. "I'll make you happy, Nora. I promise."
Nora smiled as she held on tightly to the man that held her heart. "I'll hold you to it."
-->