It wasn’t going to happen.
She loved Jagger, and she’d been scared, stupid, and ignorant enough to walk away from him once. It wasn’t happening again.
She wasn’t an idiot.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I am, Granddad, because I love him. He asked, I said yes, and you need to respect that.”
Silas was in a panic.
He hadn’t had all the facts, and he’d just pushed Roxy into something that wasn’t a good situation. He knew the kind of life she was getting into—worse yet, he knew what had happened to Michael O’Banion’s wife.
He was afraid for his granddaughter.
“His father was a very bad man,” stated Silas. “He killed a lot of people before he died.”
She didn’t care.
That wasn’t Jagger.
He was a good man. She felt it to her core. That was saying a lot since she didn’t trust men.
“Roxy, don’t do this. You’re going to get hurt just because you’re with him.”
She didn’t buy it.
“You’re the mob, too, Silas. We all know you are. You can’t point your fingers at him when you’re just as guilty of it. That’s being a hypocrite.”
“Roxanne.”
“You killed him, didn’t you?” she asked, finally frustrated by his heavy handed approach. “When you found out about what he did to me, you took his life.”
What was he supposed to say to that?
“He met with an untimely death for raping a child. I have no problem with saying that I’m glad he’s dead.”
“And my mother? Your own child? Did you kill her too?”
“I don’t think…”
“Silas Reed, you owe me this.”
He did, and he knew it.
“She took her own life. I didn’t kill my child. As much as I hated how much your father brainwashed her into thinking you could be his concubine, I didn’t kill her.”
“What happened?”
“When he went missing, she took her life. That’s all I’m saying about that.”
She didn’t push even though she needed to know. The last thing she wanted was for her mother or father to return. Roxy couldn’t handle it, and she knew it. This was better for everyone involved.
“Silas, I want to do this.”
“Give me one good reason, other than the fact that you’re having a baby. That’s not a reason to get married.”
Okay, in his world, it was, but he needed to stop this. Michael O’Banion’s son would be trouble.
“He keeps me safe. When Jagger is around, I’m not afraid. I have something bad chasing me, and he protects me. I believe in him.”
“Bodyguards can do that, honey.”
“I love him. When he holds me and I look into his blue eyes, I see hope. I see what can be, and I want that future. My father destroyed me. He made me into a cold, bitter woman who used men for their bodies. I used Jagger. I hurt him. I walked away. He still came looking for me, Granddad. When he knew I was in danger, he still came for me.”
Silas was struggling.
“If you love me, you’ll stand by my side and be happy for me.”
Then it hit her.
Bishop!
Oh, shit!
She should have called her. Maybe she could have…
“Okay, sweetheart. If you really feel this is what you need to do with your life, you’ll have me by your side.”
It caught her off guard.
Really?
Silas gave in?
What the hell was the world coming to?
“Thank you, Granddad. He’s a good man. In fact, he’s a lot like you. I think you’ll love him once you get to know him.”
“Will you be coming back to Ravenswood?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t live far from there, so maybe. I’ll talk to him about it. Did you get my job back?”
“It wasn’t easy, but I did.” He didn’t tell her about the hoops he had to jump through. Silas wouldn’t mention how he’d promised that his granddaughter wouldn’t allow Bishop or Lucian Monroe to stick their fingers into her work.
He’d drop that bomb later.
“Thank you, Granddad. I love you.”
She hugged him.
“I love you too, honey. Let’s go get you married. I’ll be nice to my grandson-in-law.”
“You’re my father, Silas. You’ve been my father since the day you took me in and believed I was being abused. You raised me, you fed me, and you put me through college. You’re definitely my dad, and I love you for it.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I love you, Roxanne. I’d do it all over again for you. You’re my girl. Now, let’s go.”
Jagger was a nervous wreck. As he stood there, he’d had the common sense to lose the guns. They were tucked safely away in his vehicle, and he felt naked.
They gave him a sense of security, and he wished he was wearing one as he stood in the judge’s chamber. A little money had cleared out the room, buying him a slot in the judge’s time.
Now he was getting married.
Well, he was if Roxy showed up.
When he heard the door open behind him, he turned. It wasn’t the bride to be, but it still took his breath away.
It was his family.
They were there.
Nate was holding Avalon in his arms, Maura was there, and so was Luke.
They’d showed up.
He wanted to weep, and he would have if it wouldn’t destroy his street cred. Maura would ride his ass if he did.
“What are you doing here?”
“You’re getting married,” Avalon said, smiling at him. “Why wouldn’t we be here?” Honestly, she hadn’t seen it coming this fast. Yes, she knew there was the possibility of a wedding, but Jagger had to live first.
Now fate’s timeline was altered.
Later, she hoped when she looked, it wasn’t changed and for the worst. She didn’t need them both dying. She was trying to save Jagger as it was. It was like chess. Each move changed the game on so many levels.
“I just thought…”
“That we were too busy?” Nate said, placing Avalon on her feet before slipping out of his suit jacket. “Well, you’re an idiot. Of course we’d drop everything and show up. You’re family. You matter.”
He was touched.
“Here, put this on. You look a little too mercenary for your wedding day.”
Jagger did what he asked.
“Do you have rings?” Luke asked. “There’s a jeweler right across the street. I can grab some.”
“I have them. Thank you, guys, for doing this. I don’t know what to say.”
Avalon moved toward him. She stopped in front of him and reached up to touch his cheek. He placed his hand over it. “You’re our brother. We’d die to make you happy. We’re a family, Jagger. Roxy is now one of us too.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, Avi. Thank you. You were right. I wasn’t supposed to know everything. It would have ruined the surprise.”
She felt horrible for keeping the rest a secret.
“Where’s the bride to be?” Avalon asked. Jagger was nervous.
She could see his aura.
Avalon did her thing, offering him as much calm as she could—despite being exhausted.
“I don’t know. I’m beginning to think she’s a runaway bride,” he admitted to his family.
Avalon went perfectly still. She went into a trance, and then blinked a few times.
“Stop worrying. She’s coming right now.”
The door opened and she stopped. Jagger was there, and so was all of his team. Immediately, she felt horrible.
“Where’s Bishop?” she asked, when she saw her friend hadn’t bothered to show.
It stung.
“She’s with Lucian.”
Of course she was. It made her want to cry. She and Bishop were broken. It was heartbreaking.
“Hi, baby, wa
nt to get married?” Jagger asked.
Did she ever?
Roxy pushed Bishop to the back of her mind, and she smiled at him, trying not to focus on the bad. It was her wedding day, and she wanted to be happy.
She deserved this.
“Yes, I really do.”
He held out his hand.
“You look beautiful.” And she absolutely did. She was wearing a white wrap dress, and it made his heart skip. Her hair was perfectly coifed as she’d let it down from the ponytail she’d been wearing, and her brown eyes were filled with so much love.
He’d never forget this day for as long as he lived.
How could he?
Here was his soon to be wife and the mother of his unborn child. Jagger couldn’t believe how much had changed in the last few days.
From hating her.
To loving her.
Then needing her to survive.
He’d been on one hell of a ride the last ten weeks, and it had finally come full circle. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder if this was his karma for being a soldier.
He’d finally earned enough good mojo to settle down and be happy. He’d finally erased Michael O’Banion’s debt.
Jagger was ecstatic.
“You look handsome,” she offered. “You clean up really good, Marine.”
His heart skipped in his chest.
The judge cleared his voice. “We should get this started,” he offered. “I have a schedule to keep.”
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, and then ran his thumb across her lower lip.
He was ready.
For better or worse, they were about to take the plunge, and he could honestly say, he’d never seen this day coming.
Still, he was excited.
This was a new path for him and Roxy, and he was looking forward to it.
So with the vow, and his family by his side, Jagger did the unexpected.
He and Roxanne Marie Faust got hitched.
Chapter Fourteen
Friday Afternoon
It had been a fast ceremony, but one he would never forget. When they were done tying the knot, they had to get back to work. The team was going to regroup back at the morgue to talk about everything they’d found.
Maura had taken Avalon, who had cried through the brief ceremony, back to the cabin to rest. She was getting antsy, and they knew what that meant.
Oracle’s radar was flipping on to warn them.
Something was coming. They were all betting that the killer was going to strike again. In fact, they would bet money on it. The best thing about Avalon was her ‘early warning’ system.
It kept them from being surprised.
As Jagger drove, Nate and Luke following, Roxy sat beside him holding his hand.
“Do you regret it?” she asked.
He glanced over. “What?”
“Getting married?”
“Can I be honest?”
She got nauseous. Roxy hoped he didn’t just marry her and now wished he hadn’t. That would kill her. It was probably a good thing that Silas was heading back to Ravenswood. If he were there, he’d shoot Jagger himself.
“Yes, I guess. Honesty in a marriage is good, right?”
“I only wish my sister was here. That’s the ONLY thing I’d change. You looked beautiful, and our rings make my heart skip. All of this makes it hard to breathe. I can’t believe…”
She relaxed. Roxy understood. She wished she’d thought to call Bishop.
“I’m married,” he said, smiling at her. “I never saw that day coming.”
“You? What about me? I’m not really the marrying type.”
“You’re not?”
“I wasn’t until you.”
He kissed her knuckles so tenderly that it made her heart skip in her chest.
This was love.
This was what she always craved.
“When this is over, do you want to go away on a honeymoon?” he asked.
She grinned like a kid in a candy store. “Really? Are you kidding me? You want to take one?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked.
“I just thought…”
“What?” Jagger asked as he drove. He could hear it in her voice.
“I am having a hard time accepting that someone wanted me. You know about my past, my grandfather, and you still wanted to marry me. That confused, horrifies, and astounds me all at the same time.”
He grinned. “Roxy, I’d die for you.”
Those words touched her.
“What are you thinking?” he asked. “Just say it. Be normal Roxy and blurt it out.”
Jagger was curious as to what was going on in her head.
“God! I love you. I’ve loved you for the last wo months, and I was an idiot to walk away from you.”
“We weren’t ready. Now we are. Everything in life happens for a reason. This needed time.”
She agreed.
Leaning over, she kissed him on the cheek. It was sweet, gentle, and sent a flush up his neck. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.
It was the genuine Jagger—the sweet man.
When they pulled into the morgue parking lot, he got out, opened her door, and held her hand all the way into the building. The entire time, there was a smile plastered to his face.
He was in Heaven.
He was smiling so much, in fact, Nate and Luke were staring at him as if he was possessed.
That was some funny shit.
Once inside, Roxy went into the spare room to get changed. The men stood there, waiting for her. It didn’t take long for Bishop to arrive. She was silent as she headed their way.
“Congrats on your marriage,” she said, hugging Jagger. “I’m happy for you both.”
Her voice said otherwise.
In that moment, Jagger realized what he and Roxy had done. In their haste to get married, they’d left someone out of the equation. They’d forgotten Bishop. She was Roxy’s family, and they’d never even called her.
He was ashamed they dropped the ball on this one.
Before he could say anything or apologize, Roxy came back into the room, and she was all smiles. That was until she saw Bishop. She stopped dead in her tracks.
“Oh, hey.”
“Yeah, Same to you. I was just telling your husband congratulations on your marriage. I'm happy for both of you.”
Again, her voice gave her away.
“Bishop.”
“It’s okay, Doctor Faust. I mean, Doctor Armstrong. We should get down to business. We don’t have time for this.”
Everyone was watching the two women. All three men saw the mêlée coming. It was hard not to see it.
Roxy wasn’t one to back down, and she certainly didn’t shy away from speaking her mind.
She was pissed.
“Why didn’t you come?” Roxy asked. “Everyone else did, but you didn’t bother.”
That pissed Bishop off. She was already hurt, and the woman in front of her wasn’t putting this on her.
“Why didn’t you call me and ask?” Bishop countered. “Is your cell phone broken?”
The tension in the room got thick.
Nate, Luke, and Jagger started backing up and toward the doors. They knew there was a chic fight on the horizon. Only, before he could escape, Nate reminded Jagger.
“You’re the man they’re about to fight over. Welcome to the reality of it all. You have to stay. This is all about you.”
“Shit. Really?”
Who the hell made up that horrible rule?
Certainly not a man.
Luke laughed at the look on his face. “Yep. Welcome to the fun world of wedded bliss. Good luck, and dodge and weave if they start throwing punches. We’ll be out here if you need first aid.”
The door closed.
Jagger didn’t know how to stop two women from fighting over him. This wasn’t the kind of chick fight any man liked.
Jesus.
He was screwed.
“I really had to invite you?” Roxy said. “We’re best friends. You could have just showed up. I was a little busy with trying to get ready.”
Bishop was pissed. “Like with how you showed up at the hospital for mine? You took off before I even woke up. Silas was there, my deputies were there, oh, and you weren’t. I, at least, was in town. I was five minutes away.”
“Lucian was…”
“Shut up, Roxy. Someone has to say this, and I hope you see it for what it’s worth. What you just did was hurtful. It’s how you always behave, and it never changes. For years, I’ve had to watch you come and go when it suits you. You freaking didn’t even care that I got married.”
“I did so! I called Silas and he told me about it.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s awesome. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to run away and leave me behind. AGAIN.”
Jagger cringed. He didn’t know if he should get involved or let it run its course.
He took a shot.
“Bishop.”
They both faced him. “Shut up, Jagger,” they said at the same time.
Yeah, he would. There was no way he was going to incur the wrath of two women on his wedding day.
The women went back to focusing on each other.
“I had to leave,” Roxy stated.
“You always do, and I’m always left behind to clean up the mess, Roxy. It’s getting old. I was in a hospital bed, I couldn’t put on a pretty dress, or have my best friend tell me it was going to be alright. Mine bailed on me when I needed her most, but here I am, digging your ass out of trouble once again. You could have called. After everything, Roxy, you owed me. When you called, back in Ravenswood, to tell me you were leaving, I rushed out of Graymoor to get to you. I left Lucian, and he was almost killed. I was shot. I nearly died, and I personally didn’t even rank a wedding invite.”
She was horrified.
Bishop was absolutely right, and that was why she didn’t stick around. She felt guilty. Roxy had nearly gotten her best friend killed, and she knew it.
“Bishop, I'm sorry.”
The woman’s eyes filled with tears.
Roxy stared at her in horror. Bishop NEVER cried. She tried to kill Lucian for making her weep, and now here she had done the exact same thing.
Oracle Saving (The Phoenix Files Book 3) Page 25
