“Yes, I know that for a fact.”
“How?” she asked.
“If she even alludes to hating you, I’ll walk away from her forever and never speak to her again.”
She was shocked.
“I mean it. You’re my wife, and you come first. This part of my life is nonnegotiable.”
Vivian leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Justin.”
“Don’t thank me. Just love me for the rest of our lives.”
“I can promise that.”
That was a good thing, because so could he.
Chapter Eighteen
The man followed her to the parking lot of the restaurant. She was with a group of people and smiling like she had all the time in the world.
It was far from the truth.
Her time with them was very limited.
The smile on her face, as she laughed and joked around with her friends, was so enthralling that he wanted to watch her all night long. In fact, he was tempted to follow her inside.
Yet, he didn't.
For now, he would keep his distance. The minute she saw him, she would know the truth. It would be obvious what he was going to do.
Tonight was about repentance for his lack of patience the last time. Under no circumstance was he going to lose his cool.
She was coming home with him and spending her time in his collection.
Already, he was bored with the first one. All she did was fight and scream. It was to the point that he wanted to hurt her now too.
Taking a deep breath, he let it go.
It was time to focus on the next woman who was ripe for the taking.
This was her moment.
Tonight, she was going to find her way to his basement and into a cage.
She was going to be his for a long time.
* * *
They were finally there. The tension in Vivian had been mounting the entire trip, and Justin was feeling guilty. Now, it was starting to feel like a bad idea. What husband subjects his wife to this, two hours into their marriage?
Not a good one…
As the car came to a stop, he was about to say something to his new bride, when lights in his rear view mirror caught his attention. When they went off, and he could recognize the car, there was a brief moment of calm.
Julian had come to his rescue.
“It looks like we aren’t doing this alone,” Justin said, pointing behind them in the driveway.
Vivian had never been so happy to see two people in all her life. At least with Tori, she wouldn’t be facing down Clarissa Littlemoon all alone.
They both got out of his truck and immediately, Justin went to his brother and hugged him. “Why?”
Julian started laughing. “You can’t face her alone. Even I knew to do it over Christmas Eve dinner. I had to give you a fighting chance. It has always been us against the parental unit. Why stop now?”
Tori hugged Vivian and took her hand. “I have your back. Just stay behind me and give the raging bull direct eye contact. She’ll back down.”
Vivian tried to laugh. “I hope so. This is my first in-law confrontation.”
Justin spoke up, “This better be your only one,” he stated, teasing her.
Tori continued, “I’ll run interference for you. Just be yourself and don’t try to bullshit her. She’s like a pitbull if she smells lies.”
They heard the door and knew it was time.
“Oh my! Are you two my wayward sons? I haven’t seen either of you in weeks! You would think you could pick up the phone and call the woman who gave you life!”
Clarissa moved down the stairs towards them.
“Is that my beautiful Victoria?” she asked, hugging her sons first, and then going to her daughter-in-law. She checked her out, making sure the woman was healthy and regained all the weight that she had once lost.
“It is, Mom,” she replied, hugging the woman. Since coming to the Littlemoon family, she had been accepted in as one of the tribe. Now, she was hoping Vivian passed the woman’s tests.
Clarissa stared into her eyes. “You look well, sweetheart. I see that my son is taking good care of you.”
“Jules is going above and beyond. I’m really happy, Mom.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. It does my heart good to know that I raised him right.” Then, she noticed the other woman behind them. “We have company?”
“Yes, Mom,” Julian and Tori said at the same time.
Looking around, she noticed her one son looked worried and didn't speak up. That was unusual for her Justin. He was generally the more boisterous of the two. “What’s going on, Justin?”
Well, it was now or never.
“Mom, this is Vivian.”
No one spoke, including Clarissa.
“She’s my wife.”
It was as if time stopped around them. There wasn’t a sound to be heard as the older Littlemoon processed that one sentence. When it finally registered, her face said it all.
“WHAT?”
Vivian took a deep breath and moved towards her. Thinking back to how Tori had greeted her, she went for broke. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Littlemoon.”
The woman accepted her hug and stared over her shoulder at Justin. He was now smiling at her. When Vivian released her and stepped back, she tried to figure out if her kids were screwing with her.
“Is this a joke?” Immediately, she looked at Tori. She was the one who would be most honest with her. Clarissa knew her boys would lie their asses off if cornered.
Tori shook her head. “Justin and Vivian eloped a little over two hours ago. Surprise! You got a new daughter and the tribe just got bigger.”
Then, Tori looked over at Vivian, knowing that they needed to escape the nuclear explosion that was about to happen. “Let’s go inside. I’ll introduce you to Roger. He’s the Littlemoon guard dog.” Tori held out her hand and led the woman away as quickly as possible.
“Thank you,” Vivian whispered, as they entered the house.
“It’s my pleasure. It’s going to be ugly until Clarissa calms down. Trust me. You don’t want to see it.”
“Should we leave Justin alone to face her?”
Tori was touched that Vivian was concerned about him. “He’s not alone. Julian will keep his ass out of the sling. It’s kinda their thing. You and I are heading to higher ground.”
“If you say so.”
Tori dropped her arm over her shoulder. “Trust me on this.”
Clarissa stared at her two boys. Since this wasn’t a prank, someone had a lot of explaining to do.
Julian went to open his mouth to begin explaining, when he was promptly cut off.
“No thank you, Julian. I don’t want to hear anything other than the absolute truth. I have no doubt that this reeks of some mutual mayhem.”
He tried to object. “Hey, I brought my girl here first. I had nothing to do with this. I’m just his moral support.”
Justin laughed, as his brother tried to lighten the mood. “Yeah, thanks for tossing me under the mom bus, bro.”
He simply lifted his shirt and showed him the tattoo. “Remember when you threw me to the wolves?”
“Will you two stop?” she said. “Are you serious? Did you really get married?”
Now, she wanted answers.
Justin held up his left hand and showed his mother that he was indeed dead serious. “Yes, Mom. I did get married.”
“How long have you been dating that girl?”
Julian looked at his watch and helped dig the hole. If they were both going to be buried, he might as well be funny. “Oh, only about two days.”
“Shut up,” his brother muttered. “You’re not helping.”
“Oh my God! Is he serious?” Clarissa exclaimed, closing her eyes. “Justin, you are going to be the death of me. It wasn’t bad enough that you had to run off and be a Marine, but then you had to reenlist. Now, you come home married after two days?”
“Mom, how long did you know da
d before you got married?” he asked. “Wait, before you answer that, let me tell you one thing that you need to know.”
She waited.
“I’m so in love with her. Without her, I can’t be whole. For the first time in my life, I have this sense of peace and if you do anything to hurt her, I’m going to be very angry with you.”
Julian stopped laughing. His brother obviously had a serious death wish. This ranked up there with poking an insurgent with a stick. Holy crap! He just threw down against the mother of all moms.
“Did you just threaten your mother?” Clarissa asked, appalled.
He knew that he needed to soften it up a little, so Justin kissed her and hugged her. “I love you so much, Mom, but I need to be with her. I can’t tell you how I knew so fast, but it’s true. I love her and want to spend what days I have left on this earth with Vivian.”
Clarissa opened her mouth and was cut off.
“When I’m with her, I have hope and a way back from hell, Mom. She makes the darkness disappear. I’ve never loved anyone before like this, and I won’t ever again.” When his eyes filled with tears, he fought the emotion. “She’s healing me and is my one shot at salvation after years of being soulless.”
Julian dropped his arm over his brother’s shoulder. It killed him to watch the man hurt. “If you try to scare her off, Mom, Tori and I are gone too. This is a group deal. If you take Tori, then you take Vivian. It’s all or none.”
He laid down the law and prayed that they could outrun Clarissa if she chased them.
Justin was so grateful for his brother, and what he was willing to sacrifice for him. His arm automatically went around his waist and they stood united as one.
“So, now, you both gang up on your elderly mother? You twins think it’s right to do this?” She tried to guilt them.
“Yes, it’s perfectly fine in this family and you know it.” Julian wasn’t going to let his brother be unhappy, not when he knew how hard he struggled to appear normal on the outside. “If Vivian heals him, and he fixes her, then we won’t be stopping it.”
She stared at her boys. “I knew one day you would both stand up to me, finally.”
They didn't move as they still held their ground. “We love you, Mom.”
She didn't doubt it for a second. “Okay, you bullies. Let me go in and meet my daughter-in-law. If she’s anything like my Tori, I’m going to be a happy woman.”
“She’s a lot like her, but different.”
Neither man was sure how much to share. After all, this was Vivian’s secret. Not theirs.
“I baked today. Let go have some wedding cake to celebrate,” Clarissa offered. If this was what her son wanted, and he was this happy, she would cut the woman some slack.
“That sounds great,” Justin said, hugging his brother. “I owe you,” he whispered.
“No, you really don’t. This is what brothers do.”
Justin stared into Julian’s eyes as his filled with tears. “I’m so damn lucky that I have you.”
Julian pulled Justin’s head towards his, and they rested their foreheads together. “I’m just as lucky, Justin.”
Clarissa started sniffling. “I did a damn good job raising you two. I had my doubts for a while when you were always in trouble, but your father would be proud.”
The men took a minute. When they were finally ready, they followed Clarissa in and hoped for the best.
Their mother was a wild card, but at least she knew going in that bullshit wasn’t an option.
Now, they could hope for the best.
Inside, Tori moved around the kitchen to get some tea ready. Since it was already after eight at night, none of them needed caffeine. As she turned on the stove, she could feel Vivian’s eyes on her back.
“You going to be okay?” she asked.
“I feel a little overwhelmed. I woke up today thinking, ‘great, I have a date tonight’. I didn't think wedding, in-laws, and trip here.”
She understood. “When Julian brought me here, he never told me I was meeting all his family. It was a Christmas Eve surprise.”
“Oh God, that had to be horrible.”
She laughed. “I have PTSD, so it wasn’t exactly a fun little trip. I barely survived it.”
Vivian had to be honest. “I feel like throwing up.”
Tori understood her feelings. “You’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” She pointed at the door and whistled.
Both women watched the really fat dog enter the room with his nose sniffing the air.
“Is that really the guard dog?” Vivian asked, incredulously. “How did he get in that small opening?”
“I have no idea. Roger is a mystery to me, and as for a guard dog, I’ve yet to see him protect anything but his food dish.”
First, the dog waddled over to Tori and she scratched his ears. Then, he stared at the other woman.
“Roger, go meet Vivian.”
Surprisingly, he listened. When he sat in front of her, she crouched down to let him sniff her. As he began to lick her face, she started laughing. “You’re kind of cute for a little barrel on stilted legs.”
The dog didn't care. He kept giving her kisses as he enjoyed the attention.
At that moment, Clarissa entered the room. She watched the woman with her dog and relaxed. So far, Roger had given his approval on all the spouses in the family and been right.
“Tori, are you making tea?” she asked, getting their attention.
“Yes, Mom.”
“I made chocolate cake today. Do you eat dessert?” She asked, looking at Vivian. The girl needed to gain a few pounds. She was too skinny, like her Tori.
“I love cake. In fact, I make a really good one with raspberry filling.”
That had Clarissa’s attention. “You can cook?”
“Yes, ma’am. The woman who raised me made that sure I could.”
She crossed her arms. “Do you want to make me mad?” she asked.
Vivian looked nervous. “No, ma’am.”
Tori stepped in and helped her. “You’re married to her son, so you have to call her mom or she gets bitchy.”
Clarissa slapped Tori with a dish towel on the ass. “You used to be less disrespectful. Hanging out with those two has made you just like them.”
Vivian relaxed.
“Now, back to us,” she said, pointing at the woman. “He’s my son and I love him. If you take really good care of him, I will love you and respect you. If you hurt him, I will make you pay. Are we clear?”
She nodded. “Yes, Mom.”
“Oh, and next time you come here, be prepared.”
Vivian got nervous again. “For what?”
“We will be baking that raspberry cake. I want the recipe.”
Tori grinned and wrapped her arm around Vivian’s waist. “Welcome to the family,” she whispered in her ear. “You passed the test.”
“Come girls, we have wedding cake to eat,” she said, pulling the big chocolate cake out of the refrigerator.
Vivian and Tori followed carrying dishes and silverware. Gone was the fear, and in its place was calm.
Vivian not only got a husband, but she also got a family.
Oh, and a guard dog…
Justin was pacing like a mad man. His mother had told him to stay out of the kitchen, and it was taking everything in him to not rush in there to her rescue. He did promise to protect Vivian for the rest of her life.
“Calm down, bro. Tori is in there with her. She’s not going to let mom make her cry.”
He became more agitated at Julian’s words. He was well aware that Clarissa had terrified the women who both men had brought home over the years, and it never ended well.
Then, he saw his mother carrying the cake. Behind her was Tori and a smiling Vivian. He rushed her and pulled her against his body.
“Are you okay?” he whispered in her ear, as the scent of cookies overwhelmed him. God, he hated being away from her.
She reassuringly ran her free hand up
and down his back. “Yes Justin, I’m good. Your mom made cake, and I love chocolate.”
“It’s all good, Marine,” Tori stated, winking at him.
Releasing Vivian, he hugged his brother’s wife. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”
She nodded and went to sit by her husband. When he pulled her down into his lap, she laughed. “Hey, I missed you too, babe.”
Julian kissed her and earned a slap from his mother. “No making out at the table. I taught you boys better than that. For once, I want my sons to not act like barbarians. You were raised with manners.”
Justin snickered and kissed his wife too, since he could.
“Oh, dear heavens. What is this world coming to when these two are both married?” Clarissa laughed and began cutting big slices of cake. “Julian, where are my grandchildren?”
Immediately, the tension in the room reappeared.
“I don’t know,” he answered softly.
Clarissa felt horrible. She didn't know that he’d be hurt by her words. Her sons were always good at being teased, but obviously, this was a sore point.
Instantly, Justin was at his side, and had his hand on his shoulder. He knew his brother wanted kids in the worst way, and it just wasn’t happening.
“I’m sorry, Julian, I didn't know you would get upset,” his mother said, placing cake in front of him. Then, she looked at Tori, and she looked distraught too. Clarissa made a mental note to never push them again when it came to children. The last thing that she wanted was to make them hurt more than they obviously were.
Lesson learned.
Julian knew his wife was feeling the same pain that he was, and when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, he took a moment to just close his eyes.
“It’s okay, Mom. Don’t worry about it.”
Vivian felt horrible. She didn't know that they were even trying. She wanted to offer them something. “In my dream, where I saw Justin and myself together, you were holding a child.”
They both looked up at her, unfortunately, so did Clarissa.
“What do you mean dreams?” She handed her cake.
Before she could answer, Julian had to know. “Really? There was a child?”
Blood Red Rage (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 1) Page 28
