Daughter of the Demon (I)

Daughter of the Demon-31-The Wedding Part 1

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Chapter 31: The Wedding Part 1

~Jacob~

“I don’t want to go with you, Mom.”

My mother had a look of determination in her eyes. I thought she had left. I thought she was in California. Apparently she wasn’t. Apparently she had stopped in a neighboring state to mull things over, and had come to the conclusion that she would not be leaving for California without me.

I thought we had worked everything out. I hadn’t come this far for everything to blow up in my face.

A week ago Jemma kissed me and it was magic. The kiss was real. Not the desperate, hungry ones from before. It was slow and soft and full of promise and hope. From then on I knew everything had changed. I knew it was for the better, and I finally allowed myself to accept the fact that Jemma could be mine. That I could ask her to be my girlfriend, and she would say yes, and she would be mine.

And then, of course, two nights before the wedding between Michael and Clara, my mother showed up. She really had horrible timing.

“Jacob,” she replied to my statement, “You’ve got no choice anymore.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“If it’s about the girl---”

“Her name is Jemma,” I interjected.

“There are other girls in California, Jacob,” she persisted.

I shook my head. “Not like Jemma. I love her.”

She winced. “Love? What do you know about love, Jacob? You’re eighteen.”

I licked my lips, hands clenching. “I’m seventeen, mother. I won’t be eighteen for another few months. And I don’t have to know about it. I’d die for that girl. I love her.”

I saw her jaw tighten. This wasn’t the same mother from before, the same mother with tears in her eyes claiming how much she missed me but allowing me to stay in Heart. When had she changed? What had changed her?

“You are coming, and that’s final.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are, Jacob! Your clothes are packed. I’ve had the liberty of doing that myself. Everything you will need I already have in California. When Tony gets older he can live with me, too, and we can be a family again.”

I shook my head slowly from side to side. “No, Mom. No. You must be crazy if you think . . . if you think I’ll go with you.”

“I’m not crazy, and I know you will come with me.”

“I won’t.”

“We’ve already established this, Jacob. You’ve no more say in the matter. Now go up to your room and retrieve any last things. We’re leaving. Now.”

I realized suddenly how quiet the house seemed. I looked around me. “Where are Belinda and Tony? Mom? Where are they?” I was growing exceedingly furious with her as the minutes dragged on and the amount in which I respected her plummeted.

“They are not home, Jacob,” she said sternly, like her voice was a taut string ready to snap at any given moment. “I made sure of that. I left Belinda a note. She knows the deal. You are coming, and that is final. Now go.”