by Emelia Blair
Suffice to say that we barely make it in time for the wedding.
When we arrive, Riley is waiting at the front but there is some dissent amongst the guests. He shoots me a panicked look.
I immediately turn on my heel to go searching for Debra and my mother to see what’s going on. In my haste, I forget that Elise is trailing after me.
“There are seating charts,” she says in a low voice. “I don’t want to go around finding mine.”
The area surrounding the bridal room sits at the back of the church but it’s devoid of any life or chattering. This makes me feel uneasy because I know a lot of Debra’s friends should be roaming around here.
The silence is looming and it fills me with an unknown dread.
I quicken my pace as I reach the bridal room at the very end and I hear the sound of hushed whispers inside then an angry, upset voice that belongs to my sister.
I turn the knob but it’s locked. I rap on the door loudly. “Deb, let me in.”
Silence from inside before someone says something which is muffled through the thick wooden door, then there is the sound of flesh hitting flesh.
My blood grows cold and I hit at the door with my shoulder, shouting, “Debra!” but the door is made of solid wood and won’t budge.
More muffled noises as if people are talking but I can’t make anything out.
I hear footsteps and see Elise rushing away, holding on to Sophie tightly. I’m bewildered by her actions and I resume pushing at the door, shouting out Debra’s name.
I hear a thud in the room and my heart sinks.
I’m about to go and look for someone with a key when I hear multiple footsteps.
It’s Elise and she’s brought a clergyman.
Her expression is grim and a few feet behind her is a furious looking Riley. The look in his eyes is dangerous and I can very well imagine this man to be Debra’s rock in the face of a storm.
The clergyman fumbles with a bunch of keys and before I can urge him on, it’s Elise who says shortly, “Can you please hurry up?!”
His movements increase and he finds a key that fits.
As soon as the door is unlocked, I’m pushing the frightened man aside and shoving my way into the room.
My eyes fall on the three women and the man, standing there, the latter looking pale at my forced entrance.
My mother is a frail looking woman with mousy brown hair and light blue eyes. Her eyes are red and her face is smeared with tears. Her right cheek is an odd shade of color that I can’t make out under the light. Debra is standing in front of her, protectively and she’s holding her right arm in an odd position. Grace is flanking her, fear on her face.
On seeing me, my mother nearly collapses onto the ground with relief. “Lucas!”
Riley rushes over to his fiancée and mother-in-law.
I step towards the man who takes a step back. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
My father isn’t a very tall man but Debra and I have inherited his eyes. That sharpness in ours, flickers in his right now as he looks over my shoulder where Elise is standing, holding Sophie.
I don’t like the considering gleam in his eyes as he gazes at them and I immediately block his line of sight.
My action doesn’t go unnoticed and Leon turns his attention back to me.
Behind me, I can hear the clip of Elise’s short heels as she makes her way over to Debra and my mother.
“This has nothing to do with you, son!”
Debra tears herself from Riley’s arms and growls, “He barged into the bridal room, and I told him he wasn’t invited. Mom tried to diffuse the situation but I didn’t want him at my wedding. He got angry and threatened to go to the news with how he’s being mistreated by our family and said that he had some interesting stories about Mom and you,” Debra keeps speaking without catching a breath and her face is red. “Mom got upset and told him that he shouldn’t threaten his children. He called her a two-bit whore. When I intervened, he grabbed my arm, twisted it and threw me down. And then when Mom tried to push him away, he punched her!”
I am now nearly growling at her words.
Her chest is heaving as she continues, “He wanted us to give him money to keep his mouth shut over things he says he knows about you. Otherwise, he said he won’t let this wedding happen, that he’ll object in the ceremony.”
Her words make no sense, Leon’s threats sounding even more baseless. I have a feeling I know what he’s talking about; an incident I was involved in twelve years ago. But the FBI handled that matter, very discreetly.
I see the way Debra is holding her arm and the bruise blooming on my mother’s cheek, and my blood runs cold with rage.
Elise is supporting my mother and we exchange a look.
Without hesitation, she begins leading my mother out of the room. Grace follows her after Debra nods to her.
“You, too, Deb,” I state quietly, my eyes fixed on Leon’s face.
His crafty gaze moves over my sister to her fiancée. Then, he says in a mournful tone, “I was only trying to defend myself from you, Debra. You got so wild. You have no idea what your mother has done! You mustn’t believe her lies. Riley, son, talk some sense into—”
I raise my fist and punch him in the face.
The force of my fist is enough to make him stumble backward.
“Riley, take Debra and go.”
Debra relents and lets Riley guide her out.
The sound of the click that indicates the door closing fuels my rage and my menacing voice grows even softer, “Why don’t you tell me what you’re really after?” I step towards Leon.
He flinches but that scheming look in his eyes doesn’t disappear. “I don’t—?”
I cut him off, “Disrupting Debra’s wedding is of no benefit to you, Father.” I use the title mockingly. “The flimsy accusations that you threw around here can be ripped apart in seconds. You’re not a stupid man. So, what are you trying to achieve by all this nonsense?”
I haven’t yet begun to broach the subject of him raising his hands on the women of my family.
“I want what’s mine!” Leon says… his words hold a ring of truth and greed, but they still don’t seem enough to make him pull all of this.
I let him conduct his little play. “And what would that be?” My voice is dangerously silky.
“Your mother is living in glory while you can’t even fund one casino for your father! I am just as much of your father as she is your mother! You owe me!”
“We don’t owe you jack shit,” I snarl. “You left her pregnant and alone. She gave birth to us in a seedy hospital. She skipped her own meals in order to let us eat. She put us through schools while cleaning other people’s toilets. What did you do?” I almost growl the last sentence. “Oh, I know. You gambled the money that you stole from our pregnant mother after you knocked her out. You stole all of her savings and emptied her bank accounts in one night. You lived lavishly off of her life’s earnings while you then knocked up a rich heiress and you blackmailed her for money because you had something on her.”
I let him glimpse the cruel darkness that lurks inside of me, “Who do you think arranged for that tape to be stolen?”
Leon’s face tightens as fury and understanding clash in his eyes. “You bastard, son of a –“
I smoothly interrupt him. “You bled that woman dry for years, and I decided to cut off your means of income. It didn’t take much. All I needed was to know the right people. I’ve known who you are since I was seventeen years old.”
His eyes widen fractionally.
I tilt my head. “Why are you backing away? You were so quick to hit my mother and my sister. Try it with me. Go on.”
Leon looks uncertain. He doesn’t seem to have thought this through.
I can imagine that he just walked in here for the express purpose of ruining Debra’s wedding day to the best of his abilities and he probably forced my presence to the back of his mind. But I still sense that there
’s something more to it.
“D-Don’t be ridiculous,” he stammers out, stumbling back. “I was just trying to protect myself from Debra. She was getting too excited, out of control.”
I choose not to pick on that, instead of saying, “And my mother? Was she out of control too, that you had to put her in her place?”
The idiot thinks I’m agreeing with him, and he nods, rapidly, relief in his expression. “Janie always needed to be knocked around a bit to know who’s master in the—?”
My bunched fist arcs upward, clipping him in the jaw.
He barely has time to let out a startled cry when the second fist makes contact with his abdomen, making him wheeze.
My father is not a weak man, physically. His vanity has ensured that he maintains himself. However, compared to me, he’s nothing. His belly is softer, his reflexes slower.
He crumples to the ground, gasping out.
My hand goes to his hair and I twist my fingers into it in a painful grasp, pulling his head back, letting him see the savage look in my eyes. My voice is calm and low, and all the more chilling in its intensity as I speak, “You come near my family again, and I will toss your ass in jail. The FBI owes me a favor and they’re very eager to clear their debt. We owe you nothing. In fact, you owe my mother reparations for everything that you stole from her. So, either you walk away or I will make your every breathing second, a living hell.”
Leon is trying to pull free, his eyes watering from the pain.
“Are we clear?” I ask, coldly.
He doesn’t answer me and I tug even more roughly, making his teeth grit. A swift kick to his gut has him keening in pain but it’s not enough to satisfy my heart which is stone cold after seeing my the bruise on my mother’s face and the misery on Debra’s, on what was supposed to be the happiest day for her.
“Lucas.”
A soft voice from behind me has me looking over my shoulder.
I let Elise see the savagery in my eyes, the bloodthirst, and I wait for her to step back in fear.
However, she doesn’t flinch from me. Instead, she ignores the way I’m holding Leon and instead, steps forward. “I need the keys for the car. I have to get my sewing kit out of Sophie’s bag.”
“They’re in my pocket,” I say, evenly.
She understands what I’m saying and without hesitation, she comes over and retrieves it.
“Sophie?” I ask, something inside me churning.
“Your mom has her.” There is not a hitch in her tone, not a sign of upset. It’s like she and I are the only two people in the room.
As she leaves, she lingers at the door, turning to meet my steady gaze. “How long do you think you’ll be? The ceremony is going to start in half hour.”
I nod.
She leaves quietly.
When I turn my head, I see Leon wincing but his eyes are fixed on the door through which Elise has just exited. “That goes for her too,” I snarl, something about that crafty look in his eyes, makes me uneasy.
I toss him on the floor. “Get up and get out.”
Leon stands up and glares at me. “This isn’t over, boy.”
When I move, he immediately flinches and backs away.
A coward at heart.
A knock on the door and two policemen enter. They see me standing there and their eyes shift to a battered Leon.
Their eyes narrow and Leon immediately uses that as an excuse to get back at me, “This man just assaulted me!”
His cry might sound genuine but when one of the officers steps forward I shake my head. “He assaulted my mother and my sister. Who called you?”
“A Miss Elise Smith,” one of the officers says, glaring at his partner. “She said that the bride was injured by this stranger who broke in. One of our team members is taking a statement from the three women involved. Two of them are pressing charges.”
I feel disappointed.
I know who it is who isn’t pressing charges.
“They’re all lying! Fucking whores! They attacked me and they brought this man in to-“
But nobody is listening to Leon’s screams as his hands are forced behind his back and he looks frightened for the first time.
As he is led away, I feel a niggling in the back of my mind.
Something isn’t right.
Leon is vindictive but he isn’t smart enough to do all this. He may be a smooth talker but that’s only when he feels he’s in charge of a situation or if he can bully the other person. His brains are useless otherwise for scheming, his plans having no strong foundation. He’s impulsive, violent, and quick to anger.
So, why do I feel so uneasy?
A rap on the door has me looking up.
Elise peeks in, her cheeks a little wan. “You all right?”
And suddenly, I realize I’m not. Like a child, I open my arms to her and she rushes in.
She lets me hold her, her own arms wrapped around me so tightly as if she wants to draw me into herself. I breathe in the light peachy scent that she’s doused herself in and that scent so unique to her, grounds me.
I pull away from her lightly, my arms loosely around her waist, my eyes seeking hers for answers. “You weren’t scared of me?”
The strength in her eyes is one that has slowly been growing over these past few months and she shakes her head. “You were protecting your family. I’ve learned a thing or two about how far I would be willing to go to protect Sophie.”
It’s true.
When I first met Elise, she’d been a gentle soul with a carefree manner and a laughing persona. She’s still gentle, but there is a sturdiness to her now, her eyes are fierce. And if I had been attracted to her before, I am head over heels in love with her now.
She has grown into herself, has taught herself to adapt to her situation. And that’s something I admire about her. I had always been attracted to that soft woman with the infectious smile. But this woman, who isn’t afraid to stand up to me and yet, is pliable when I put my hands on her, I worship her.
“I’m so angry,” I confess. “I want to rip him to pieces with my bare hands.”
Elise is silent for a few seconds before she says, firmly, “Parents are supposed to love you and protect you and be your rock through thick and thin. But we all don’t get so lucky at times, I guess.”
I know she’s thinking about her own parents and I let out a tired sigh. “No, we don’t. But Sophie won’t go through what we went through.”
Elise doesn’t refute me. A quiet smile forms on her face, lighting it up and making it even more beautiful. “No, she won’t.” She shrugs off my hands from her shoulders and grabs my hand. “Now, come on. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
The wedding ceremony is lively, despite the recent events, and Debra makes for a glowing bride. My mother is still shaken and although Grace and Debra have fixed her makeup, she still looks too pale.
She has a six month old in her lap though, who keeps demanding her attention, and this does distract her.
Elise sits next to them throughout the wedding. It’s only when it’s over, does she take Sophie back. But the color in my mother’s face is back and she looks more upbeat.
The reception has more people and with everyone dancing and having a good time, I see Debra shoot Elise a grateful look for not leaving my mother’s side, throughout.
Mom has always had a weak constitution and as she’s getting on in age, she doesn’t handle such shocks so well. She is an active woman but she’s led a hard life.
I have to keep greeting a lot of people but I circle back to Elise in the end. “Mom, how are you holding up?”
My mother looks up and then she smiles, wanly. “I feel like I owe both of my children an apology. I should never have let him into your lives again, or insisted on it.”
“Well, he won’t be coming around again,” I promise her.
She sighs and then glances at where Elise is trying to stop Sophie from chewing the tablecloth, and says, “So, this is Elise. You
’ve chosen a good woman, Lucas.”
My lips curve unintentionally as I see Sophie decide to throw the shrimp on Elise’s plate. Elise just looks exasperated and when she meets my gaze, she rolls her eyes.
“I did, didn’t I?” I murmur.
“The girl is very much in love with you,” my mother says, softly.
My heart skips a beat and I immediately turn to face her. “Did she tell you this?”
My mother chuckles quietly. “It’s quite obvious.”
Hope blooms inside of me, but I know not to take things for granted. Until Elise says so herself, I don’t want to believe it. “I’m taking it slow for her sake. But I love her, Mom. There is nothing I won’t do for her.”
“I know.” Then she nudges me, “Go, sit with her. And bring her around for dinner once in a while. And little Sophie.”
I laugh at her but do as ordered.
Sophie is looking at her mother, unhappily, and Elise is giving her a stern look. “Just because you can throw something, doesn’t mean you absolutely have to.”
Sophie’s response is to grab the small bread roll in the plate and drop it on the ground, all the while maintaining eye contact with her mother.
“I love how you’re determined to treat her like an adult.” I grin. “Let her throw things. I’ll pick them up.”
Elise glares at me. “Stop spoiling her. If you’re this bad now, she’ll have you wrapped around her finger when she’s older. Wait until she starts wanting to date teenage boys. I’d like to see how you handle that.”
I grab a shrimp from her plate and pop it into my mouth, saying cheerfully, “We’ll see if she still wants to date them after I’m done breaking their faces.”
It takes a few minutes for both of us to realize that we’re talking about the future as if it’s a guarantee. While I smile, Elise shifts, uncomfortably, clearly feeling as if she’s crossed a line while I’m just giddy at the fact that at a subconscious level, she’s already imaging the future and I’m in it. Impulsively, I grab her hand. “Come on, dance with me.”
Her face brightens up and I can see she’s ready to jump onto her feet but a quick glance at Sophie has her wincing. “I still have to—”
