by Jordan Marie
“I barely know the bitch.” I hide the flinch I make when I call Faith a bitch. She’s not. She’s funny as fuck, she’s smart, sweet and she… God, she’s fucking beautiful.
I miss her. I miss her so much I ache and it doesn’t make sense. In fact, it probably makes me the stupidest fuck in the history of the world, but it’s true.
I don’t want to do this.
Things with Faith might be over, but I can’t make life decisions like I’m making. It’s time to man up.
“Just wanted to clear that up, because she’s in California.”
“She’s what?” I ask, Aden’s words stopping me from opening the door to the main chapel.
“She’s coming in with her cousin Black today. At least that’s what Ida Sue told Hope.”
“Why?”
“No idea. Maybe she wanted to see her ex-husband get married,” Aden says and my gut twists at the thought of Faith being out in the crowd when I give vows to another woman.
Fuck.
“Hey, where you going? We don’t go outside until they start the pre-march music,” Gavin yells as I open the door. I planned on going to talk to Jacey in private, but the moment I open up the door the music begins.
My time has run out. The only chance I’m going to get to see Jacey is at the altar.
Fucking hell.
27
Faith
“Black, I don’t think this is a smart idea.”
“Did you fly out here just to chicken out, Faith?”
“What? No… Maybe.”
“That doesn’t sound like the Faith I know,” he laughs and I roll my eyes at him.
“I mean, how melodramatic can I get? I show up at a man’s wedding to tell him I’m pregnant? What if he…”
“He what?”
“What if he has me arrested? Escorted off the premises? Tries to kill me?”
“Of those three, the only possible scenario is escorting you off the premises and if he does that, then what does it matter? You’ve told him your news and your conscience is clear.”
“He could murderize me.”
“Murderize?”
“It’s a mixture of pulverize and murder. Never experienced it—but I’m thinking it’s painful. I really don’t like pain, Black.”
“It will be fine. I’ll be right beside you the whole time,” he says and I look up at him for reassurance.
“You really think I need to do this? Can’t I just send him a note?”
“If it were me, I’d want to know before I married another woman,” Black says, point blank.
I sigh, because I know he’s right. That doesn’t mean that when Black pulls our rental car into the church parking lot I rush to get out. I look around the gigantic church and my stomach lurches like I’m going to be sick.
“So we’re saying if you were getting married you’d want someone you had a one-night stand with—for argument’s sake we’ll say it’s the new mayor’s girl Laney—that she’s pregnant.”
“Fuck, don’t even joke about that shit. And quit throwing Laney into anything. That woman’s nose is so far up in the air she can smell the clouds.”
“She is a little… uptight.”
“There’s the understatement of the year.”
“Okay, a lot uptight,” I whisper, almost smiling—despite my nerves. Black grabs my hand and squeezes it.
“Stop distracting me with rich bitch snobs.”
“Ouch, that’s harsh.”
“I was trying to be nice—I had other words. But again, stop distracting me. How about you get out of this car and go tell Titan you’re pregnant?”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“You make it sound easy, and we both know it’s not. That church is full of people, including a bride to be and all of her rich family and friends. None of these people will like to see me coming.”
“Well, if you don’t get a move on, it will be after they say I do, and trust me, they will like you much less then.”
I look at him and close my eyes. My hand goes to the door and I do my best to get my nerves under control.
“Time to go crash a wedding,” I whisper, my voice literally shaking.
“That’s the spirit,” Black says, sounding way too cheerful. I ignore him. I have enough on my plate just concentrating on walking without my legs giving out.
I get to the entrance and I swear it feels like my heart is about to jump out of my chest. I open the big heavy entry doors, wincing at the squeaking sound that seems unnaturally loud. I’m ready to run back outside and forget this whole thing when I feel Black behind me, his hand on my back holding me steady, but also not allowing me to turn around.
The bastard.
I walk through the vestibule, my palms sweating. I look down at my jeans and yellow T-shirt that proclaims my love of waffles and wonder if maybe I should have tried to dress a little better before crashing a wedding.
Why didn’t someone point out that I looked like a homeless man?
I swallow down bile trying to rise. Right now would not be a good time to get sick. My hand goes to my stomach and I close my eyes. I just have to tell Titan what I need him to know and then sneak back out before the wedding starts. That seems simple enough.
I go into the main chapel and my heart drops to my feet. There will be no talking to Titan before the wedding. That’s impossible now.
The wedding has started and the preacher has already started talking.
Shit.
28
Titan
“… We are gathered here today to join…”
“Uh… I need a word.” I finally say the words, getting them out way too late, but shit… at least I got them out.
“What?” the preacher says, clearly surprised, and I can’t say as I blame him. I’d venture to say this shit doesn’t happen often.
“Jacey, I think you and I should talk,” I tell her and you can hear the gasps throughout the church.
“Nothing like timing.” This comes from Aden and I’d cock-punch him, but I’ve kind of got my hands full at the moment.
“What the hell is going on here, Marsh?” Meyers—Jacey’s father—growls, standing up and coming toward us.
“I think whatever is going on is between me and Jacey,” I tell him, but even before I say it, I know it’s not going to go over well. A moment later, that’s proven when Meyers hits me. I wasn’t expecting it. I probably should have, but I thought it being a church, and because of what was going on, he would give me time to explain. But I go down like a chump, because her father might be getting up there in years, but he spent his life playing football and he hits like a man who has spent his life pumping iron—because he has.
“Titan!” I hear a scream from the back of the church. Then I hear running. My heart is hammering here, because I know that voice. Fuck, I’ve been dreaming about that voice. I look up just in time to see Faith pushing Meyers out of the way to get to me.
“What in the fuck is going on here?”
“Daddy, your language!” Jacey yells. “I’m sorry, Reverend,” she adds, and that just seems to make her old man angrier.
“I’m not. I want to know what in the hell is going on and who you are,” he says, looking at Faith.
“I’d like to know that too,” Jacey answers.
“This is my wife,” I growl, standing up and pulling Faith behind me.
“Your wife?” Jacey and her father question in unison. One’s voice is curious, the other is full of even more anger than before.
“Ex-wife really,” Faith answers, peeking over my shoulder.
“You’ve been married?” Meyers growls and he pulls his arm back again. I’m not about to take another hit from him. Jacey grabs his arm, though, and holds him back.
“Not really. We weren’t,” Faith says again and I frown down at her.
“We were too.”
“Well, I mean we were but we weren’t.”
“Woman, we were
.”
“We got an annulment. Actually, Titan hunted me down to get me to sign the papers so he wouldn’t disappoint you,” Faith tells Jacey, and for some reason I want to pull her over my shoulder and carry her the fuck out of here, then maybe spank her ass.
“You’re saying you two didn’t sleep together, then? Why did you get married in the first place?” Meyers asks.
“We—” I start, but again Faith butts in.
“Were drunk,” she says, and I definitely want to spank her ass now.
“What in the hell, Titan? I’ll destroy you!” Meyers threatens.
“It’s fine. Daddy, it’s fine. Let’s just get this done,” Jacey says and guilt hits me. She doesn’t care about me, she has her own reasons for this marriage, but I’m about to fuck that up for her.
“About that…” I start, but I needn’t worry because Faith pipes in again.
“Could I just talk to Big Daddy one little momento? It’s kind of important,” she says and I hold my head down and pinch my nose.
“Big… Daddy?” Jacey whispers the words, but her father nearly screams them.
“Titan, I really need to talk to you…” she says and I think I see fear in her face.
“Jacey—”
“You leave anywhere with this—”
“I’d be careful what you call my cousin,” a guy yells from a few feet away. I’ve met him before. I think he’s White’s brother.
“Go talk to her, Titan. You and I can talk after,” Jacey responds and I see the recognition on her face. I nod my head in agreement and then turn to Faith, wrap my hand around her upper arm and pull her into the room where Aden, Gavin and I got ready earlier.
Thinking about them, I look over and they’re both standing there grinning like fucking fools. After I spank Faith’s ass, I may punch them for fun.
29
Faith
“Hi,” I tell him lamely after he closes the door. It’s stupid, but I had to say something. He just keeps standing there, staring at me with his arms crossed as if daring me to move. “You’re looking good,” I add, because apparently I have a knack for being stupid.
“Why are you here, Faith?”
“Uh…”
“Because if I remember correctly you fucked my brains out and then left me again. I kind of took that to mean whatever we had was done.”
“Uh…”
“And if that didn’t clue me in, the fact that you signed the annulment papers and left me a nice little note sure as hell did.”
“Uh…”
“Not to mention that it has been—”
“Will you let me talk?”
“Get to talking,” he growls and I’d like to throw something at him, but I don’t figure that would be the smart play to make right now.
“I uh… Are you really getting married?” I ask, unable to tell him what I need to and instead asking the one thing that has been bothering me since I found out.
“You got to be shitting me right now,” he growls and I bite my lip.
Yeah, I shouldn’t have asked that.
“That’s probably none of my business,” I tell him with a sigh and sit down in a chair, trying to figure out how to get the words out that I need to tell him. Words I don’t really want to say.
“Gee, woman. Do you think?”
“I think I liked it better when you called me wife,” I grumble.
“But you aren’t anymore. You signed the papers.”
“You don’t get to sound angry about that, Titan. You’re the guy who chased me down to get me to sign them. Remember?”
“So to be clear, we’re saying you came all the way to California to bust my balls?”
“No… I had something to tell you. I was going to write you a letter, but my aunt said it was something you would want to know right away, and that you were getting married. That’s quick moving, by the way. I mean, I know you said it was a business deal and all that, but couldn’t the ink get a little dry on our annulment before you say I do?”
“Faith,” he says, his voice full of warning.
“Okay, fine! I lied to you,” I tell him while wringing my hands. My nerves are about to get the best of me.
“You what?”
“I lied to you.”
“When… what about? Start talking, woman,” he growls and I bite my lip and watch him. I figure the worst case scenario here is that he tries to kill me. My cousin Black is in the next room and my brother-in-law Aden was out there. That probably means Hope is around somewhere. Surely, between the three of them they won’t let me die.
“Okay, so it’s time to be straight with you,” I tell him, trying to sort it all out in my brain.
“Fuck, I’m waiting to see this miracle before I get my hopes up,” he says.
“You’re not exactly helping me over there. In case you couldn’t tell, this isn’t easy for me and you being Mr. Pissy Pants is making it worse.”
“Mr. Pissy Pants?”
“If the Depends fits you should wear them.”
“You’re as fucking looney tunes as your aunt with the cow.”
“That’s not nice—”
“I—”
“—though probably true,” I continue, ignoring his interruption. “I mean… I think it’s pretty clear.”
“I wish to God I could say that,” he growls.
“What kind of sane woman leaves a really bad relationship—and when I say bad I mean really bad—to end up married by Elvis in an all-night wedding chapel in Vegas? Right? She would have to be insane. You could have claimed that on your annulment papers and I wouldn’t have had to sign them.”
“Faith, no offense, woman, but I got a man outside who probably is gunning for my life. A fiancée that I may not have feelings for, but the two of us had a deal and you are causing waves in that deal, so I need to talk to her. There’s a preacher outside, a room full of people and most of those are not my people. All of this means we need to get a move on with this conversation. So can you try to stay focused and give me what you needed to give me, so I can go out and see to shit I need to see to?”
“You could go talk to them first if you want. You and I could have our talk afterwards. Now that I think about it, that might be for the best. It will give me more time to figure out what I want to say.”
“Jesus. Woman, just tell me. What the fuck did you lie to me about and why does it even matter now that we’re divorced?”
“Technically we’re annulled.”
“Faith—”
“Okay fine! I lied when I said there was no way I could be pregnant. I mean, I thought there wasn’t. I was on birth control. But, I guess… maybe… Somehow it didn’t work.”
“What the fuck are you saying?” he says and he’s a man of color and that color is gorgeous, but I’m pretty sure it’s much paler than normal right now.
“Titan… I’m pregnant,” I tell him, and I say the words avoiding his face, but when he doesn’t reply, I can’t resist looking up.
His face is filled with shock and anger… That’s definite anger I see.
Shit. This isn’t going to go good at all. I’m going to kill my aunt and Black!
Well, if I survive Titan.
30
Faith
“Are you okay?” Hope asks again, for like the hundredth time. I haven’t really answered her once yet. I guess out of all the reactions I imagined from Titan, I wasn’t prepared for… Silence.
“He… didn’t say anything to me,” I whisper, admitting the truth that has my stomach in knots.
“It’s going to be okay, Faith. I promise it will be,” Hope says and then she does something that I love, something that rarely happens, because we were never taught to be that way. She wraps her arms around me and pulls my head to her chest and lets me cry.
That’s the exact moment I realize it too. I’m crying. I have no idea how long I’ve been crying; it might be since Titan stared at me and then turned and walked away without a word. It might have be
en when Aden, Black and Gavin came in the room without Titan and gently got me out of the church. They were sweet, their faces troubled and they ushered me through the back—away from the crowd.
“Did he get married?” I ask, letting the tears fall and deciding it’s okay to be weak at least once.
“No, honey. He called the wedding off. Aden says he was about to before you came to the church.”
“Oh… You’re right, Hope. I am a screw-up,” I confess, lying back on the bed, suddenly feeling exhausted.
“You are not,” Hopes argues, and she does it lying back on the bed too. That’s when a memory pops up of the three of us sisters hugging on Hope’s small bed during a really bad storm. Mom and Dad were fighting—as they often did—and the thunder and lightning was kind of terrifying, especially for three young girls. I don’t know when we lost that closeness we used to have—but I will admit I’ve missed it.
“I married my one-night stand and…”
“And… you’re going to have a beautiful baby,” Hope interrupts me.
“I might be a little scared. I know next to nothing about kids. Mom wasn’t exactly a great teacher.”
“Faith—”
“I’m going to ruin this baby’s life, Hope!” I cry and let my sobs take me over.
“You are not. We had the same mom, didn’t we?”
“Yeah,” I sniffle into her body and I love my sister, but I really wish it was Titan’s arms around me right now. Titan reassuring me that he doesn’t hate me and that he loves… that he will love our baby.
“Jack isn’t ruined…”
“He’s beautiful,” I agree because my nephew is. He’s the best and he never fails to make me smile.
“And your child will be all that and more to you, Faith,” she whispers, kissing the top of my head.
“He walked away without a word, Hope,” I tell her again, because Titan’s reaction cut me deeply. I was afraid he’d be mad and want to kill me. Now, I realize, I’d rather that had been his reaction. At least, I would have known how he felt…