Face-Off at the Altar

by Toni Aleo

  “I’m naked here, you just took advantage of me, and you’re calling some other dude sexy?”

  She smiled. “Yes, because I love you and find you sexy. But that doesn’t matter, carry on,” she said simply and he glared.

  “We will revisit this later,” he decided, and she laughed as he rolled his eyes. “You are a lucky lady because your boyfriend will sign a multimillion-dollar contract on Monday with the Assassins.”

  Mekena’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Really!” he gushed, and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him hard on the lips.

  Pulling back, she smacked his chest as she screeched, “Markus! I’m so proud!”

  He looked like he might cry as he looked up at her. “I can’t believe it. I’m signing with my dream team and I get to live with you permanently and we get to be happy, together,” he gushed, and Mekena was on the verge of tears as they fell onto the couch, their mouths meeting in a hot, intense kiss. As his fingers tangled in her hair, she was sure she would burst with excitement and love for this man. She was so unbelievably proud of him. He was doing everything he had set out to do, and she couldn’t be more delighted for him.

  For them.

  Pulling back, he grinned as he asked, “Did you hear the multi part?”

  She grinned. “I did, but how multi? Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool multi?”

  He gave her a dry look. “Really?”

  She giggled uncontrollably. “No! Gosh, you should have seen your face.”

  “You’re a punk,” he announced, and she laughed as he kissed her neck.

  “But you love me, you love me so much,” she sang as she wrapped her whole body around him, so fucking happy she couldn’t contain herself if she tried.

  “I do, so fucking much,” he muttered against her neck. “Enough to ignore this new love for Deadpool.”

  “Oh, baby, my love for Deadpool is old and strong,” she teased, and he groaned loudly.

  “I hate you,” he said and she laughed.

  “You do not, and I know that for a fact,” she said, laughing, and he nibbled on her breast before leaning his chin to her chest, looking up at her.

  “I don’t,” he said, his eyes dark and full of love. “I couldn’t if I tried.”

  “I know,” she said, a grin pulling at her lips as she cupped his face. “Same here.”

  He smiled, his hand coming over hers as they stared into each other’s eyes. Everything was working out. Everything was coming together, and holy crap, they were going to be together. It could change, he could get sent down, but right now, things were perfect and they were happy.

  So damn happy.

  “Hey, when we get back to Nashville, do you wanna go shopping?”

  Her face broke into a grin as she laughed. “The multimillion is already burning a hole in your pocket? You haven’t even put ink to paper yet!” When he didn’t laugh, just smiled, she stopped laughing. “What? That was funny.”

  “It was,” he said, his eyes burning into hers. “But I want to take you ring shopping.”

  Her brows pulled together, unsure what he was saying. “Ring shop—” She paused, her eyes going wide. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

  “No, I said shopping.”

  Her heart kicked into overdrive as she looked deep into his eyes. “Is this ring for you to ask me to marry you?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “But you aren’t asking?”

  “No,” he said simply, his eyes playful as he held her gaze. “I don’t know what ring to get you, and I don’t want to get you something and you hate it. So I’d rather go shopping, check shit out, get a sense of what you like, and then wait.”

  “Wait?” she asked, drawing out the word. “Wait, how long?”

  “I don’t know. I gotta talk to your dad, buy the ring, and stuff.”

  “But this could be next week?” she asked, her heart trying to escape her chest.

  “I mean…” He paused, shrugging. “Maybe. Would that be a problem?”

  She shook her head before she even really thought about it. “No, no problem here.”

  “So you will probably say yes?” he asked, and she couldn’t help but smile at the uncertainty in his eyes.

  “Maybe, I don’t know. You haven’t asked.”

  He held her gaze as his lips twitched. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” she answered back.

  “So we’ll go when we get back?”

  “Yeah,” she said, her heart in her throat.

  “Cool.”

  “Cool,” she breathed as he laid his head on her chest. She felt like she was on cloud nine; her heart was going wild, and she couldn’t believe it. He was going to ask her to marry him, something she had wanted since the moment she met him. Yeah, they were young, and she was younger, but she’d known from the moment she met him that he was the man she wanted for the rest of her life. How could she not want him? He made her laugh constantly. He gave her the best sex in the world, and he made her feel so special. No matter what, she knew he had her back and he loved her. Unconditionally. That alone made her heart soar for him. Everything was going exactly how she wanted it to. She was happy, he was happy, and they were moving forward, together.

  Everything was perfect, and she felt like nothing could touch them.

  Kissing her breast, he said, “I love you.”

  Smiling, she kissed the top of his head. But before she could answer him, her phone sounded. It was her mother, but she ignored it. “I love you too, Markus. So much.”

  “Good,” he said as her phone stopping ringing. “Don’t want to talk to you mom right now?”

  “Nope, I love what I’m doing right now. I’ll call her back,” she said, moving her hand down the middle on his back and then back up. But when her phone sounded again, and it was her mother again, she glanced over to where her phone was as her brows came together.

  “Maybe you should answer. She usually doesn’t call twice in a row like that,” he suggested, and she nodded as he rolled off her just as the phone stopped ringing.

  “Well, then,” she said, and she went to cuddle back with him, but her phone sounded once more. “Huh,” she said as a dreadful feeling washed over her. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but her mother never called her like that. Reaching for her phone off the table, she answered it. “Hello? Mom?”

  She was met with hysterical sobbing before her father said calmly, “Skylar was in a car crash, Mekena. It’s not good. You need to come home.”

  As they walked through the hospital to the ICU of Vanderbilt, Mekena couldn’t feel her hands or feet. Her heart hadn’t slowed since she dropped the phone and Markus picked it up back in Florida. He was the one who had made the calls, the one who got them on the first plane back to Nashville, and the one who packed. Mekena just sat there, not able to feel anything but pure fear.

  She didn’t understand what was going on. Only that Skylar was in an accident and that it was bad. She also didn’t understand her feelings. She was supposed to hate Skylar, she did hate her, so why was she on the verge of tears and unable to hold it together as they headed through the cold hospital full of people either dying or fighting for life.

  The place where Skylar was fighting for hers.

  With a lump in her throat, Mekena stopped, and Markus looked back to her, confused.

  “Baby?”

  “I was supposed to drive back with Avery and my stuff so we can fully move in to the apartment. Shit, I didn’t call her.”

  Coming to her, he took her hand, and to her surprise, she felt the warmth of his palm as he laced his fingers with hers. “I called her. Don’t worry, she’s flying up later tonight with Ashlyn and then taking her to Autumn before meeting us here.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said, looking up at him as tears flooded her eyes. She felt like she didn’t even know who she was. What she was doing. What she was walking into. The fear was so great, it rattled her, and she wasn’t sure how to feel. She’d wanted Skyl
ar to get a wake-up call, but getting into a head-on collision with a semi wasn’t the wake-up call she’d wanted. She wanted her sister to live, but there was a chance that wasn’t going to happen.

  And she hadn’t even spoken to her except words of hate.

  Her stomach dropped as she gazed up into his eyes, and he nodded grimly.

  “It’s okay. Just keep walking, we’re good,” he said, reminding her for the nine hundredth time. Kissing the back of her hand, he pulled her along with him as he looked around, trying to find either Skylar’s room or her parents. His face was so set, his eyes wild, and she knew he was worried. He didn’t hide his feelings well, and she could tell he was shaking in his boots, but he was being strong for her.

  When they rounded the corner, they started down another hall but then heard, “Mekena, Markus.”

  It was her father, and when they turned toward a door, her parents were waiting inside what looked like a family room. Her mom was in a ball in a chair, crying, and Mekena just broke down, a sob leaving her as she rushed to her mother, wrapping her arms around her. Linda took her in her arms, holding her tightly as they both cried, her body shaking against her mom’s.

  “It’s so bad, Mekena. They don’t know if she’ll make it. We might lose her. We might lose her before we could save her,” her mother cried, and Mekena squeezed her eyes shut, the pain rocking her core. “Why couldn’t we save her?”

  “I don’t know, Mom. I’m sorry, I don’t know,” she cried, holding her tightly as her mother’s sobs filled the room. Guilt washed over Mekena as she buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. She should have tried. She should have talked to Skylar, tried to fix her, help her figure out whatever was wrong. She didn’t know because her sister had cut her out. Skylar had hurt her, broken her, and instead of getting over that, Mekena threw her out of her life. She had to; she didn’t know what else to do. But now, now she felt horrible.

  What if this was her fault?

  “Preston?”

  Mekena looked up as a younger man in a white coat came into the waiting room, her father meeting him halfway. “Yes, that’s us. We’re Skylar Preston’s parents.”

  Letting Mekena go, Linda got up, rushing to Stan’s side as the doctor tucked his hands in his pockets. Mekena was unable to move as he said, “I’m sorry, but we’ve done everything we can. Your daughter wasn’t wearing her seat belt, and her head hit the window so hard that it not only cracked the glass, but her skull, exposing her brain and, of course, causing some irreversible damage. She sustained injuries to her lungs, liver, and pelvis. Along with breaking all her limbs and shattering her feet. We are keeping her comfortable, but I’m very sorry to say the tests are indicating no brain activity. We don’t see her making it through the night.”

  Mekena closed her eyes as tears rushed down her cheeks. A ringing noise filled her head, and all she felt was emptiness. She felt lost, unable to process what the doctor was saying, but then Markus was there, pulling her into his lap, kissing her temple as he hugged her tightly. “Breathe, baby, breathe.”

  She couldn’t. She felt like she was going to pass out as her mother’s sobs filled the room and her father’s guttural cry followed.

  She heard Markus’s voice. “There is nothing you can do? Could she make it?”

  Clearing his throat, the doctor said, “The damage is just too great and, unfortunately, irreparable. The swelling in her brain is so severe that we’ve had to cut open her skull in spots in the hopes of stopping it, but we aren’t seeing improvement. Her blood pressure keeps dropping, and we are doing our best. But I’m very sorry, it is unlikely she’ll survive the night.”

  Clinging to Markus, Mekena cried as he held her, kissing her and reminding her to breathe.

  “Can we see her?” her mother asked, her voice breaking between the sobs.

  “Of course. She’s heavily medicated. We’re unsure if she has control of her eyes. They keep flickering and are very swollen from the damage to her skull, so just a warning, it’s not easy to see.”

  “I don’t care, I want to see my baby!” Linda cried, falling into Stan’s arms as he cried too.

  “Please, we want to see her.”

  “Of course, follow me,” he said, leading the way, and Mekena watched as her parents walked with him. They were almost out the door when they stopped, looking back to Mekena and Markus.

  “Mekena, come on,” her mother urged, but she couldn’t move. Her heart was in her throat, her stomach was twisted in fear, and she couldn’t control her legs. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to see her sister like that. She couldn’t.

  But how was she going to tell her parents that?

  “We’re right behind you,” Markus said, and Mekena looked up at him in complete bewilderment. She didn’t expect him to want to go. That was his rapist, and he wanted to go in there? He wanted to be near her? How was that fair? How dare the world do this to him! It was bad enough he was dating Mekena, or hell, wanting to marry her with the possibility of seeing Skylar at the ceremony, but now he was supposed to stand beside Mekena as she watched her sister die?

  That wasn’t right, and he probably felt guilt, bone-deep. He’d probably wished Skylar dead and now this. How was that fair? Everything was going so well for them, and then, bam! Skylar was fucking things up once more. Anger rushed through Mekena as the tears continued down her cheeks. Why couldn’t Skylar have just kept it together? Why did she have to be an addict? Why couldn’t she go back to the girl she was? When she loved Mekena and gave good advice and was there? Why did she do this? Why was she hurting everyone?

  “You don’t have to go in there,” Mekena cried, but he looked down at her as she shook her head. “I don’t want to go in there.”

  “Mekena, you have to. She’s dying.”

  “No, I don’t want to,” she cried, her tears rushing down her cheeks as the lump in her throat nearly choked her.

  “Yes, you do,” he said simply, bringing his hand up to cup her face. “You’ll hate yourself if you don’t, Mekena, and you know it. You need to go in there and say good-bye.”

  “I can’t,” she cried, her sobs burning her chest. “I can’t see her like that.”

  “I know, that’s why I’m going with you. I’ll be right there. Beside you, holding you, being the rock you need. We’ll do it together.”

  “That’s not fair,” she cried, clinging to him. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

  “Life isn’t fair,” he whispered, kissing her jaw. “But I’m going because I want to be there for you. Not because I feel I have to, because I want to. For you.”

  Pulling back, she looked at him through her tears and didn’t understand how in the world she was blessed with this man. “I don’t want it to hurt you.”

  “It won’t. It will hurt if I know you have to do this alone. I’m good. I’ve got this because I’ve got you.” A sob escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around him, crying against his neck as he held her, slowly standing and lifting her up. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, stopping him, her eyes pleading with his.

  “Will you be beside me?”

  She nodded jerkily, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. “Yes.”

  “And I’ll be right beside you. So we got this. Don’t we? Together. Remember, we can do anything together,” he said, his voice breaking a bit as he held her gaze. She let out a sob as she nodded, her head feeling as if it was going to fall off her shoulders.

  “Together,” she whispered, and his lips curved a bit before he laced his fingers with hers. He started walking first, his shoulders back and his chin high as he pulled her along with him. All she could do was watch him.

  Watch the man who would walk through fire, ice, and anything else to be by her side.

  The man who would forever be the first and only love of her life.

  To say that fear was rattling Markus’s core was an understatement.

  Markus wasn’t scared of much. H
e met everything head on with a fucking plan and executed it. That was who he was. But at that moment, only pure fear and anguish for the woman he loved built up inside of him. And for himself too. This was the first time he would see Skylar since they’d fought outside her parents’ home. The first time he would look at her, knowing he would never see her again. There was a chance she could make it, that the doctors could be wrong. More than likely, they weren’t, and that didn’t sit well with him.

  As much as he could not care less what happened to her or where she ended up, he sure as hell never wished death on her. He wouldn’t want that for her or her family. For Mekena. He wanted Skylar to clean up, he wanted her to get better and maybe one day have a relationship with her sister. Mekena did love her, even though she didn’t see it at that moment. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he was sure it was nothing good. He could see it on her face; the guilt was eating her alive, and he could feel her anxiety and grief pour off her in waves.

  Like she said, it wasn’t fair.

  But nothing prepared him for what he saw when he stepped into the ICU room that held Mekena’s sister. His attempted rapist.

  In the bed was who he assumed was Skylar since her parents sat beside her, crying with their hands on her. Her face was completely swollen, red and bandaged up. There was a sheet starting at the middle of her forehead that draped back, which he assumed was being used to cover her exposed brain. The rest of her was swathed in bandages, and when they fully entered the room, Mekena stumbled beside him, her sobs filling the room as he fought to catch her, not allowing her to hit the floor.

  “I can’t.”

  “You can,” he reminded her, holding her up and against him as she dug her face into his chest, crying, her whole body shaking.

  “Mekena, please come here,” her mother said, but he wouldn’t let her go. She wouldn’t make it. He knew that, so he held her, his eyes closed as he calmly tried to breathe, his own eyes filling with tears.

  “Mom, no, give me a second,” she cried, shaking her head against Markus as he looked past her to Skylar. She wasn’t even who he remembered. The strong girl who could kick his ass. She was broken. Completely broken, and he cried for the girl that was lost. Not the one who hurt him and Mekena, but the one before that. The good one. The one who loved her sister, who loved life, and who loved to make people laugh.