Hotel Key

Chapter 10

RickyJo was still half asleep. She reached across the bed, finding the other side of it empty but still warm. She smiled when she realized Daryl was banging around down in the kitchen area. That must be what woke her up. There was no doubt that he would make an epic mess of the counters and stove. But it still made her feel fuzzy and warm inside to know that he was making her breakfast. He could be a real sweetheart when he was in the right mood.

RickyJo sighed as she stretched her body like a cat waking up from a nap. There was a little soreness between her legs, which she assumed was probably normal after several rounds of sex in the same night. And her stomach felt weirdly bloated, like she ate too much Mexican food or something the night before. Which was weird, because she didn't. She and Daryl made veggie and steak kabobs and tossed them on the grill. RickyJo rubbed her hand over her stomach, wondering if the sex she had was causing the weird bloating feeling. She didn't think so. But whatever the cause, she tossed the blankets off and headed for the bathroom. She took a quick shower, eager to get downstairs for breakfast despite the funny way her stomach felt.

"It's almost done," Daryl told her. She smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss before she reached for the coffee pot. RickyJo poured herself a big steaming cup, adding lots of sugar and creamer and wishing she had some hershey's syrup to pour in with it.

"Want a little coffee ta go with all that sugar?," Daryl teased. She giggled and popped him on the ass on her way towards the door. RickyJo brushed the leaves off one of the deck chairs and sat down. The morning sun was filtering down through the trees. It was warm out, but not overly hot, especially for summer in Georgia. She was thinking after breakfast they could head out to the gun range and do a little shooting. Then maybe go for a swim in the lake. It felt good to have the day free without any definite plans. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so relaxed. Or happy. And in that moment, she let herself just give into those feelings and believe that this was really her life now. All her hopes and dreams and wishes for a family and a perfect husband and all the other white picket fence bullshit were finally coming true. Even her coffee tasted better than normal and she wondered if it was because Daryl made it and she was in love with him. RickyJo laughed a little at herself and all her silly little girl notions. And she wondered if she really had been fucked so well that it made her half retarded. Because that's how she felt sitting on the porch wondering if coffee tasted better when someone that loved you made it.

The chittering of a few squirrels caught her attention. RickyJo rose up from her chair and crossed the deck, looking for a better view of the silly animals. Two of them were chasing each other, making wild silly noises. When the slightly larger of the two caught the smaller one, they tangled up in a ball of fur and wild swinging tails. And RickyJo giggled, realizing that she wasn't the only one getting laid in the woods today.

"Is the food ready?," she asked hopefully when she heard Daryl's tread on the deck behind her. He nodded, but held his hand up when she took a step forward towards the door.

"Hold on fer just a sec," he said. "I got somethin' I wanna ask ya first." RickyJo felt a little pang of worry form in her stomach when she saw the serious look Daryl had on his face. She took one more sip of her coffee before setting it on the deck railing and giving Daryl her full attention.

"Is something wrong?," she asked. He shook his head as he closed the space between them and took one of her hands in his.

"I had all these plans an' shit," he said, stumbling and stammering over his words. "...was gonna do this whole candlelight dinner and then ask ya. But …uh …I messed that up." Daryl reached into his pocket, fishing around nervously. RickyJo's eyes widened a little when he finally pulled the small velvet box free, gripping it tightly in his hand. He tried to open it, but his hands were shaking. RickyJo put her hands over his to steady him. Finally the box popped open, revealing the beautiful ring inside. The stone was green and on either side there were little filigrees of silver that looked like the designs on her tattoos. "I know this ain't the best proposal," he said. "But I wanna marry ya more than I want anythin' in the world." An awkward silence filled the air around them and it took RickyJo a moment to realize that Daryl was waiting for an answer from her.

"Oh!," she squeaked. "Yes!" The look of relief on Daryl's face was almost comical. And she suddenly realized the reason for his odd behavior over the last week was because he was planning this proposal. And buying her the prettiest ring she ever saw. He pulled it from the box. But he couldn't get it on her finger because both their hands were shaking. Her laughter finally broke the tension. Daryl grabbed her hand, holding her finger still. Then he was finally able to shove the ring on. RickyJo leaped into his arms, kissing him like crazy. He lifted her off her feet, squeezing her so tight that for a moment she could barely breathe. When he finally released her, she held her hand up to admire her new jewelry.

"S'not a diamond," Daryl warned. "Guy at the store said women like diamonds. He said you can take it back if ya don't like it." Despite the sound advice from the jewelry store clerk, Daryl picked a ring with a green stone. Because it reminded him of the color of her eyes.

"Oh no," she gushed. "It's perfect. I would never take it back." She took another look at the ring, turning her hand so that the stone caught the morning light. "I love it! The guy at the store was a moron," she announced. Daryl snorted, the laugh coming out of him unexpectedly. This certainly wasn't the romantic perfect proposal he planned, talking about how dumb the jewelry store guy was. But all his best made plans didn't seem to matter now. Because RickyJo was happy and she wanted to marry him. Which in the end, was all he really wanted. He wrapped an arm around her and they headed inside for breakfast, unaware that their private moment wasn't as private as they thought.

After his fight with RickyJo in her apartment, Merle got drunk. Then he got drunker. He woke up with a splitting hangover and the knowledge that he was unable to drink even a fraction of his misery away. He had no earthly fucking idea how and why he always seemed to manage to fuck up everything good in his life. It seemed to just be a talent he possessed. He had been pining away after RickyJo for years. Fucking years! And what did he do when he finally got his dick inside her. He fucking ruined it with his big stupid mouth. He would be fucking lucky if she even spoke to him again after what he said to her. Let alone ever lower herself to sleep with him again. He mumbled a few curse words under his breath.

After he finally got a piece of her, he expected his obsession with RickyJo to diminish. Like an itch. When you finally scratched it, it went away. The way he built her up in his mind, he figured the reality of banging her could never really compare to his fantasies. But he would be goddamned if actually having her wasn't even better than he thought it would be. Her pussy was like the fucking holy grail of vaginas. And that was before she came. Sticking his dick in her was like sticking it in a hot wet electric socket. Somehow, finally having her made his desire for her intensify. Now he knew what he was missing out on. Merle scrubbed at his face. He had it fucking bad. For a moment he seriously considered heading over to her apartment and begging her on his knees to give him another chance. Fuck that. He wasn't going to beg. But he was going to convince her to forgive him. He just needed to clear his mind and come up with a plan. The normal bullshit like flowers and insincere promises wouldn't work with her. Merle decided his best course of action was to give her a few days to calm down. She had a temper like a goddamn honey badger and once provoked, she wasn't known for being rational.

Merle stopped by the shop and got his spare keys. He knew he ought to apologize to Daryl for dipping out on work. But he was still mad at that fucker for locking him out of RickyJo's apartment. Even if he did sort of deserve it. So they had a little Dixon brother chat instead. And Merle got his keys and lit off out of town. All his guns and camping supplies were at Jessica's place. So he stopped there and got his things, secretly happy that she wasn't home so he didn't have to add dealing with her to the list of things that were currently making him miserable.

Merle stayed in the woods longer than he planned. It took him a while to stop beating himself up and start trying to think of how to fix the situation. His initial reaction to simply beg for forgiveness slowly started sounding better and better to him. He wasn't going to beg exactly. But he was going to get her some flowers. And then he was going to sincerely apologize. He actually was sorry for upsetting her. So it wouldn't be that bad to say so. After that, he would try to talk her into going away with him for the weekend. He wouldn't be able to get anywhere with her in her apartment. Not with Daryl hanging around.

Merle packed up his gear and headed towards the main part of the property. He planned to stop at the cabin for a quick shower before he went to Jessica's and put his camping gear away. When the cabin came into view, he stopped. His heart started thumping away in his chest. And his stomach started doing flip flops. Her jeep was parked outside the cabin. She was there. Alone. He could talk to her now. Merle looked around. He knew he saw some wildflowers on his walk. He retraced his steps a little ways and picked a small bouquet. It wasn't the two dozen roses he intended on buying her. But it was better than nothing. His small excursion ended with him approaching the cabin from the opposite direction. The sun was filtering down through the trees and it seemed like it was shining directly on her.

RickyJo was out on the back porch of the cabin, drinking a cup of coffee. She looked happy and relaxed, smiling as she watched two squirrels scurry around after each other. Merle took a step in her direction, preparing to reveal himself and hoping not to startle her too badly. But then he heard the back door of the cabin slap shut. She wasn't alone. Daryl was there with her. That sneaky motherfucker. Merle cursed under his breath, wondering how the two of them managed to make up so fast. RickyJo was way past upset with Daryl the last time Merle saw her. She was moping around and crying the entire time they were camping. Now they were hugging and looking at each other all lovey dovey. It was disgusting. But even Merle wasn't expecting what happened next. His eyes widened when he saw Daryl pull a ring box out of his pocket. This can't be fucking happening. And then RickyJo was smiling all big and excited. And they were kissing and hugging some more.

Merle had seen enough. He tossed the flowers on the ground, stomping on them as he trudged through the woods. And the further he walked, the angrier he got. Daryl had been dancing around her for years. Fucking years. A goddamn decade. And that fucker never got the balls to make a move. Now he suddenly wanted to marry her. Now? Merle didn't think his asshole brother could have any worse timing if he tried. He was never going to get RickyJo to give him another chance now. Not if she was getting married to Daryl's stupid ass. Fuck!

Merle stopped and dropped his pack. He turned on the closest tree and just started slamming his fists into it over and over. When his knuckles split open, he slammed the tree with the sides of his fists. He kept going even when blood was snaking down his arms. Then finally he collapsed, burying his face in his hands. Fuck my life! Fuck it ta hell! He sat there a while with his ass in the dirt and his head leaning back against the tree he just busted his knuckles open on. But finally his self preservation skills kicked in. Like they always did. He gathered up his things and headed the way he was going before he made a detour at the cabin.

Jessica was home this time. Merle groaned in frustration when he saw her little sports car parked in front of her house. He pounded on the door, cringing when he realized he left a bloody smear behind. It took a minute before Jessica swung the door open. Merle expected her to give him shit. But her face was full of concern for him.

"Merle! Ohmygod! What happened?" She ushered him inside her house, sitting him down at her kitchen table. She rushed to get her first aid kit from the bathroom. And then she gently cleaned up the mess he made out of his hands. When she was applying the last few bandages, she glanced up at him. "Want to tell me what this was about?," she asked. Merle shook his head. He expected Jess to pry. But she only nodded and leaned in to wrap her arms around him. When she sat back, Merle took a good look at Jessica, seeing her in a new light. She was always good to him. Even when he was shitty to her. And he liked to hold a grudge against her for sleeping around on him and getting pregnant by someone else. But he was doing the same thing to her at the time. If not worse. Maybe being with her wouldn't be so bad. Who else was there for him? Now that the woman he really wanted was spoken for.

"Love you Jess," he drawled.

"Love you too," she teased, "...but I'm still not loaning ya any more money." Merle laughed.

"I don't need money," he said, the wheels in his head still turning. "...but how'd ya like to go to Vegas with me for a few days?"