WTF? “So you’re kicking me out AND taking my kid away? You know what? I don’t need this shit from you. Screw you. I’ll leave you alone. Sorry to have bothered you.” I walked out the door and stomped down the hall toward the elevators. I hopped on to head toward the buffet for a drink. When the doors slid open, Marcus was standing nearby—with Olivia’s hand on his ass. Classy.
He grinned at me and cornered me against the wall. “Keep your mouth shut about Olivia, Autumn. If you say one word to Jessica, you’ll be sorry.”
“Stop it!” I shoved hard against his chest. Marcus and his pressure was the last thing I needed right now. He didn’t let up.
I pushed harder. “If Joey sees this he’s going to be pissed. Get off!”
“What the hell is going on here?” Joey said, storming toward us.
I snapped my head around to face Joey. Marcus released me, smirked, and took off down the hall.
Eleven
“Joey, he just threatened me!” I pointed a shaking finger at Marcus’s retreating figure.
Joey looked down at me, anger growing in his eyes. “What did he say?”
I grabbed Joey’s hand and squeezed. “He’s cheating on Jessica. I just saw him with a girl I know from high school. He told me I’d be sorry if I opened my mouth.”
His jaw tightened. “He’s so not getting away with that. Where did he go?” His brown eyes darkened as he spoke, and his biceps flexed under his shirt as he scanned the hall for Marcus.
Oh boy. I didn’t want Joey to get arrested because of me. Or thrown in ship jail.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I can take care of it myself. You should know that.”
“Autumn, he’s going to answer to me whether you tell me where he is or not. No one threatens my wife and gets away with it.”
I choked on my saliva. “What? I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”
His brown eyes focused on me with such intensity, I couldn’t look away if I’d tried. “Autumn, part of my job as your husband is to protect you. And I take that very seriously.”
My gaze snapped down to my ring finger. No rings were there, but a faint tan line proved that I’d had a ring on at some point.
He must have noticed me checking out my finger. “I’m sorry, baby. I figured we could choose our wedding rings when we get home since we got married on the spur of the moment. If you’d like, we could check out the jewelry store on the ship instead of waiting.”
I got married? When the hell did I do that? Why the hell did I do that? I’m only seventeen! I shook my head, hoping it would clear this newest wave of weirdness out. “Not yet. I…I gotta go call Aunt Christine’s hotel and check on the kid. Does she know about the wedding? I mean, does anyone?”
He shook his head. “We decided to keep it between us until we can afford a reception back home once you turn eighteen. So no, we haven’t told anyone else. Only your sister and Marcus know. And your sister consented to the marriage, so we’re good.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm. “Autumn, wait. You know how much I love you, right?”
I nodded.
“And you know I’d do anything for you and Emmie. So, I don’t want you to worry about Marcus. I’ll take care of everything.”
Days of confusion and disappointment and anger and shock built up inside of me. I sighed so long and loud I didn’t think I had any breath left in me. “Joey, Jessica just told me that besides kicking me out, she plans on adopting Emmie.” I stared at the ground, avoiding his eyes and the hurt I knew would be in them. “All I can say is, I’m really sorry.”
I blinked several times to make the tears go away, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The tears soaked my face, and the more I tried to wipe them away, the harder they fell. Joey scooped me into his long arms and carried me outside into the salty ocean air. He headed to a chair, then sat with me in his lap. I didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. My guilt, anger, disappointment, and sadness leaked out of me with each tear that fell.
He stroked my hair and shushed me as I cried into his chest. His even heartbeat sang to my ear. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll take care of it. I’ll handle everything. She can’t just take the baby from both of us.”
Joey was turning out to be more decent than I’d expected. Maybe if he was able to look past all of my faults, I could do the same for him and his over-eager attempts to go out with me back home.
I sat up and wiped the tears from my face and hair. Joey stared at me with the most caring eyes I had ever seen. “I’m sorry, Joey. Look, let me go get my head on straight. I think I got too much sun or something. Can we meet for dinner?”
He smiled. “Sure. Promise me you’ll come.”
I took his hand. “I promise. I’ll be there. Meet me at the buffet entrance at seven, okay?”
He squeezed my hand. “Sure thing. You’re my life, Autumn Rayne. You and Emmie. Never forget that, okay?”
I nodded. The lump forming in my throat made it difficult to speak.
Jessica was reading a book on the couch when I walked into our cabin. She refused to look at me. I walked straight to her, sat down, and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Jessica. It’s been a strange few days for me.”
She sat rigidly.
I squeezed tighter. “Really. I’m really sorry. Please, don’t be mad at me. I want to have fun on our trip. You can be mad at me back home, okay? I’ll even let you lecture me.” I offered a smile. “But please don’t kick me out and take Emmie. I promise I’ll do better.”
She remained motionless for a moment, then let out a deep breath and hugged me back. “Aunt Christine is right. We should work hard to be good to each other, don’t you think?”
“Yes. Let’s try. I’m going to meet Joey for dinner. See you later?”
“Sure. After dinner I might go to a show, but I’ll be back at some point. And Autumn? Be good to Joey. He’s a really nice guy. And he treats Emmie like gold. He’s a rare catch.”
I was learning that. “I will. I promise.”
She rubbed my arm. “Good. Now that you’re married, I guess if things go okay, he can move into your bedroom.”
My breath caught. How could I ask her about the wedding without sounding insane? “Um, Jessica…I forgot what you wore to the wedding. Do you still have that dress?”
She chuckled. “Of course. It’s in the closet.” She pointed to the closet behind me. “Why, did you want to borrow it?”
Why would she have the wedding dress here? Unless…
I glanced at the pile of magazines and activity sheets sitting on the table. On top of the pile, a picture of me, Joey, Jessica, and the captain of the ship stood out. I held a bouquet of flowers, and Joey held me.
Printed across the top were the words “Our Wedding.” The date? Today.
“Um, Jessica,” I said, grabbing the photo and staring at it. “When was this taken?”
She shook her head. “You really are getting too much sun. It followed the midnight buffet on the top deck by the pool. So, less than twenty-four hours ago? You’d think you’d remember your own wedding.”
Yeah, you’d think.
I showered and slipped on a blue floral dress. When I got to the buffet, Joey was waiting for me with a box of chocolates. He looked great in khaki pants and a light orange shirt. I walked over to him and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back and held me tight.
The way my heart sped up surprised me. His warm body against mine made my spine tingle.
“I hope you like this kind of chocolate. It’s all they had at the gift shop.”
I opened the box, sniffed them, and nodded. “I’m so sorry. I had a talk with Jessica. She won’t kick me out or try to take Emmie, as long as I get my shit together.” Being able to do that was another matter, but still. I could try.
“I’m confident everything will be fine, babe.” He took my hand and led me through the line, filling both of our plates with steak, baked potatoes, rolls, and salad. He helped me with everything,
just like a gentleman from those old black and white movies.
I didn’t think they existed anymore.
I tried to be inconspicuous as I glanced around to see if Marcus was in the dining room. I didn’t see him anywhere. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with Joey at the table he chose. If he caught a glimpse of Marcus, things would likely get ugly.
Once we sat, he glanced around the room, and I would’ve bet anyone a million bucks he was searching for Marcus.
We munched on dinner as Joey talked about people I’d never met and recalled things we had never done together. But he was happy, and I was glad to not be fighting with anyone, so I just smiled a lot and nodded.
And it felt good. Why hadn’t I allowed myself to feel good sooner? I was learning that, sometimes, life just sucked. And if this trip taught me anything, it was to go with the flow.
I was trying. Besides, did I have much choice? So much was out of my control. The only control I had was in the choices I made.
I needed to make better choices.
After dinner, Joey led me out of the dining room to the outside deck. I didn’t ask him where we were going, but instead let him surprise me. The ocean was beautiful, and the night air warm and refreshing. I reached for the railing and looked over the side. The frothy waves crashed along the ship’s edge. I closed my eyes and listened to the ship’s engine hum a lullaby. It was the best I’d felt in days.
What if I got home and found this to be my permanent reality? For once, I thought it was something I could get used to.
Then I heard a baby cry off in the distance and changed my mind. I knew I wasn’t ready to be a mom.
But being Joey’s girl? Maybe.
He put his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my head. I let myself enjoy the moment. It felt good to not be working so hard to push him away.
The breeze picked up and I shivered. He tightened his arms around me. “I know we’re still young, Autumn, but I know this marriage will work. We both want it to. For us, and for Emmie.”
I couldn’t imagine a time or place where I would have said yes to his proposal except for on this screwed-up ship. I wasn’t even eighteen yet. I had no plans for the future other than escaping from Jersey and starting over somewhere. Anywhere.
And now with Joey treating me like royalty, instead of the royal pain in the ass that I was, I didn’t know how to act or think or feel. Maybe life wouldn’t be so bad with a good guy to love me…
Ugh! No. I had to stop this right now. None of this was real. I repeated it to myself—none of this is real. I couldn’t let a little fantasy change my whole life. I was getting ready for my life to begin. In another place. And another time. And now I had no idea what to do. As his warm arms held me with strength and love, I didn’t want to keep pushing him away. I settled my head against his chest and sighed.
“How do you feel, babe?” He kissed the top of my head.
How did I feel? Confused. Scared. Upset. Nervous. Exhausted. And something else…
Oh yeah. I knew how I felt.
I felt like jumping off the boat.
Twelve
“I feel like getting some sleep,” I said.
He looked at his feet and nodded. “Okay. Let’s get to bed.”
He wound his arm around my waist and led me through the pool deck to the elevators. He frowned as he pushed the button for down and waited.
Even though I’d done nothing wrong in reality, I felt guilty for some reason. Before the cruise, he annoyed me, but I was discovering some of the goodness in him as the cruise pushed on. Did I even deserve to be a part of his life?
And what did he mean, “Let’s get to bed”? I hoped he didn’t think we were going to sleep together. Married or not, I would not share his bed tonight.
That was just not happening.
The elevator doors opened. Marcus stepped out and looked at us. He started walking away, but Joey sneered at him.
That did it.
He changed course and walked up to Joey, jabbing a finger in his face. “Hey man, what’s your problem?”
My mouth fell open and my nerves ignited. These two were about to have a major throw down, and I was the reason.
I grabbed Marcus’s arm and shook him. “Marcus, you’d better leave before someone gets hurt.”
He wasn’t deterred. “Like I’m scared of him?” He jerked his thumb toward Joey. “You’ve got to be kidding.” He flexed his biceps like that would somehow save him.
Wrong.
Joey dropped his arm from around my waist and balled his hands into fists. “Man, Autumn better have been kidding when she said you threatened her, because I know you can’t be that stupid.”
Marcus laughed with shimmering eyes and stepped closer to Joey. “What I say to Autumn has nothing to do with you, pal.” His eyes didn’t release Joey’s as he said to me, “Besides, Rayne and I have a history together, don’t we, Rayne?”
“No!” I snapped.
“Really? Remember right before you got pregnant with this grease monkey’s baby, when you came to me about what to do? You weren’t happy with him then.” He smirked at Joey. “And you don’t look happy now, either.”
I stepped between them, bracing myself for the fight. Joey remained frozen.
“Don’t listen to him, Joey. He’s full of shit.”
Joey defrosted and grabbed my shoulders, gently shoving me out of the way. He gave me a sad glance before leaning over Marcus and poking his shoulder. “Stay the hell away from her, understand? I will NOT warn you again,” he said in a low growl. “Threaten her again, and it will be the end of you. I promise.”
Marcus didn’t back down. “Yeah, I’m so scared. See me shaking?” He motioned toward me with his eyes. “And since Rayne slept with me first, you just got my sloppy seconds.”
Joey exploded into a fit of rage, shoving Marcus back against the wall. He pinned him there, with his elbow pressing on Marcus’s neck. “You’re one word away from death, little man. Go ahead and push me. Do it. I would love an excuse to end this.”
Joey’s aggression paralyzed me. I never knew he had it in him. I stared in horror as Marcus’s face turned red, then purple, then blue. His eyes bulged.
“Joey! Marcus! Stop it!” Jessica yelled from behind me as she ran toward the three of us.
Joey loosened his grip but did not let go.
Jessica flew past me and grabbed Joey’s arm. “Let go of him! What the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you see he can’t breathe?” She yanked back on his arm until he released Marcus.
Marcus coughed and grabbed his throat. He slid to the floor next to the elevator, choking and gagging. Jessica knelt next to him. The short white skirt she wore exposed the pink lace thong underneath. Marcus didn’t try to hide his stare at her inviting panties.
What a freaking dog. He’s on the verge of being choked to death and all he can think of is sex?
“Marc, are you all right?” She grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her.
Marcus nodded but kept coughing and hacking. Jessica checked his neck, rubbing at the red marks from Joey’s elbow. She looked up at me. I hadn’t moved from my spot. “Why didn’t you stop him, Autumn? What’s wrong with you?”
Water dripped from Marcus’s bulging eyes. Jessica’s glare snapped me out of my trance. I knelt next to her. “I think I was in shock. Marcus said…then Joey pushed him…he was turning blue…” I glanced at Marcus. “Are you okay?”
His coughs lessened, but when he tried to speak, the words sounded like gravel. He nodded again.
I pulled my hand back and slapped his cheek, stinging my fingers in the process. My hand painted a red outline on his smooth skin. “Maybe next time you won’t be so mean to Joey. He’s right. You are a jerk.”
I got up and walked over to Joey. His face was red and beaded with sweat as he leaned against a glass wall across from the elevator. His chest heaved with each breath. Watching him fight for me like that and put Marcus in his place set
my every nerve ending on fire.
I threw my arms around him and kissed him hard. He hesitated at first, then held me tight against him and returned the hungry kiss. I could feel his heart racing under his shirt. I stretched on my toes to hug him and closed my eyes.
He whispered in my ear through heavy breaths. “It’s okay. Everything’s all right. We’re fine. Don’t worry.” He rubbed my back as he spoke and kept my body snug against his. “I’ll take care of everything.”
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. With night surrounding the ship, I could see the elevator behind us reflected in the glass.
Next to it, I saw Jessica kissing Marcus on the floor. His hand trailed up her overexposed leg.
Ugh. How could she be with him knowing what a jerk he is? “Jessica, take it to the bedroom. Please.”
Marcus laughed at me. “Yeah, like we did? On Joey’s toolbox at midnight was the farthest from the bedroom we could’ve gone, don’t you think?”
I pushed away from Joey and exploded. “I never touched Marcus!”
Marcus laughed. “Right. Keep denying it so your loser boyfriend believes it. As a matter of fact, are you sure that kid is Joey’s and not mine?”
I shook my head and turned to Joey. “He’s full of shit, Joey. Emmie belongs to us. I swear, nothing happened with Marcus. I just met him when we boarded the ship!”
Jessica and Marcus both shot me incredulous looks.
I stared at them for a moment, turned on my heel, and grabbed Joey by the hand. I dragged him down the hall and away from Jessica and Marcus as fast as my feet would allow.
My trip into Psychoville just kept getting worse and worse.
I didn’t stop dragging him until we made it to my cabin. I opened the door, shoved him in, and locked it behind us. When I turned, I could see tears trickling down his cheeks, reflecting the light from Jessica’s open laptop.
“Joey, I don’t know what to say. I never slept with Marcus.” And I really hadn’t. But I had nothing. Nothing I could say would change this. With Marcus saying I had, and Jessica concurring with her silent glare, how could I deny it any longer? He collapsed on the floor in front of me and covered his face in his hands. I jumped to his side. He looked so pathetic, tears sprang to my eyes. Now, we were both crying.
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