Thomas grabbed the bag before the rest of the men could get a hold of it. He tossed a bag of cookies to each man and hid the rest. With these greedy bastards lurking around, he' have to stay on his guard. He took the shopping bag into the garage and locked it in his car. He came back into the house to find Aaron laughing and joking with the rest of the men as if he'd known them for years. So that could only mean one thing, he had become the new object of ridicule.
***
Connie was enjoying herself immensely. It was great being surrounded by the people she loved. Aunt Mabel was in rare form tonight, she never knew her aunt could be so raunchy. The real fun didn't begin until Tati and Alexander got settled in bed. They played pass the bouquet, wedding trivia and know the bride. Things began to loosen up after the second round of margaritas and they started talking about their men.
"Tell me ladies how did you get your men to agree to the bachelor party?"
"I promised Allen a special massage when we get home. Hell, we almost didn't make it out the house. He doesn't have a lot of patience, so he'll probably be good for three hours before he comes to collect me."
"Well I told Mike that I just knew you would have some sexy party favors to play with later."
"Indeed I do. All of the prizes are sexy party favors. I no longer own The Purple Feather, but I still get a patron's discount."
Joanie sipped her margarita, "I heard a rumor about the buyer for The Purple Feather; you know me, I don't like to spread idle gossip."
Kimberly had a fantastic time. Her mother has always been so open about sex and relationships. At first, she didn't know if she wanted to come to a bridal shower with a group of women so much older than herself. "Come on Connie spill the beans who's the new owner of the store."
"Joanie, it's someone you know quite well or should I say you know her mother quite well."
When everyone looked at her expectedly, she just blurted it out. "Kimmie Creswell."
"Kimmie Creswell! She and I attended the same high school; she was always so shy, practically a wallflower."
Joanie couldn't stop laughing, "No wonder I haven't seen Rachel lately, she probably hiding in her house. I'll have to call her next week to check on her."
"I'll have you ladies know that Kimmie is an enterprising young woman, and I have a feeling she will double the net sales at the store."
Mabel was pulling out the contents of her party bag when Linda arrived with Mack in tow. Mack's eyeballs got three sizes big when he saw the cock ring and anal beads. "Linda come on in and grab a margarita. Mack, is there anything in particular you want me to add to Linda's party favor bag?"
Mack could feel the heat of embarrassment in his face. He pointed to Mabel, "I like what she has in her bag, some lube would be nice too. Linda I'll pick you up in a couple of hours, I'm going to see what the guys are doing. I bet that Thomas won't be passing around sex toys." Mack made a quick exit as the women started booing him.
Beth approached Connie in the kitchen, "well Connie I'm getting ready to leave."
"Are you sure? You didn't really eat anything, are you feeling alright?" Connie had a feeling that not all was perfect in Beth's world. Ever since the kidnapping, she had become quiet and reserve. "Beth do you want to talk about what's troubling you?"
Beth gave Connie the brightest smile she could muster. "Connie I'm just going through some personal stuff, and I just need time to work it out."
Connie gave Beth a comforting hug. "You're having trouble dealing with the aftermath of the kidnapping aren't you?"
Beth felt so stupid even bring this up on the day before Connie's wedding. "I don't feel safe anymore. I don't sleep at night."
Samantha came in search of Connie, only to find Connie and Beth huddled up in a serious conversation. "Hey you two what's going on in here?"
Beth wiped the tears from her face. "Nothing, I'm just being silly."
"Connie would you leave Beth and me alone for a minute, you're needed in the living room. Your Aunt Mabel is getting out of control." Connie hesitated at first, but she thought better of it and left them alone. "Now Beth you just don't seem like the silly type. I was in your position not too long ago, kidnapped from my own home. When I made it back home with my fiancé, things didn't automatically fall into place."
Beth nodded her head in agreement, "Chad has been terrific. He's so understanding and thoughtful. There are times when I actually blame him for the kidnapping."
"Beth I don't know you that well, but I think you could benefit from seeing a professional."
"A shrink! There's nothing wrong with me that time can't cure."
"Oh Beth I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to upset you. Just think about it that all I'm saying if you need a place to stay one of the condominiums on our floor is vacant. Connie stayed there a while back when she and Thomas had problems. Just answer one question for me and I promise not to bother you again. Are you afraid to come out at night? Do you rush home before it gets dark and refuse to leave?"
"That's two questions Samantha. To answer to your questions is yes. I'm afraid to be alone in my own apartment, and I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it because they don't understand."
"We don't have to try and figure it all out tonight. I've been in your shoes, and I wanted to help." She grabbed a couple of paper towels and blotted the tears on Beth's face. "The offer of the condominium is available whenever you want. Let's go back in there and help our bride bring two horny old women back in line."
Beth laughed and followed Samantha back into the living room. This is the best she's felt since being kidnapped more than a month ago.
***
Thomas heard the doorbell ring, but chose to ignore it, this was the best hand he had all night. Whoever was outside would just have to wait. Allen played Poker as if he were some kind of machine; he won the last five games without cracking a smile or blinking. "Allen I think you gamble for a living, you're taking this friendly game of poker way too serious."
"Poker is just like running a business, I scoped out the competition, and they are severely lacking. Mike is more interested in the chicken wings on his plate than his hand. Your best friend Aaron is doing everything in his power to help you lose. Chad's head hasn't been in the game since the first round. You're a grouchy groom who's pissed because you're entertaining when you want to spend time with your bride."
"Crap!" Thomas threw is losing cards on the table and conceded once again to Allen. "Okay I'm through playing Poker; it's time to play Blackjack." He got up from the table, answered the door, and wasn't surprised to see Mike's partner Mack. "Shit! Just what I needed, another practical joker."
Mack walked into the house with his arms raised. "Hey I come in peace, I just dropped Linda off at Connie's house. When I came in, they were drinking margaritas and passing around sexy party favors. The only thing you duds have going for you is food." Mack marched into the kitchen to fix a plate and snag a beer.
Allen read the text from Sam and gave a speaking look towards Chad. "How's things going between you and Beth?"
Chad stopped pretending to study his cards he just threw them on the table. "Women are damn hard to understand and I'm sick of trying. Beth was all over me before the kidnapping, now she can barely stand the sight of me."
Mack came back to the table and made a place between Thomas and Chad. "Mike filled me in on the particulars, being a kidnapping victim isn't something you can get over quickly."
Chad ran his fingers through his hair; it was times like this that he missed his grandfather. "At work she seems fine, even cordial most of the time. For the past month, I've tried to get our relationship back to where it was before the kidnapping and she just blocks me out. She won't come out after dark, and we don't talk anymore."
"How old are you son?"
"I just turned twenty-one a few months back."
Mack shook his head making eye contact with the rest of the men at the table. "Is Beth special to you or just another woman you're bur
ning through?"
"Hey I'm not like that..."
"Easy son, I wasn't trying to insult you. When I was twenty-one, I was a major stud on campus. The last thing I was thinking about was settling for just one woman. I didn't marry Linda until I was twenty-seven. Mike was over thirty when he married Jenna. Allen is pushing forty. It took them a long time to find "the one". I'm just warning you that Beth may be dealing with posttraumatic stress. You might want to cool the relationship for now until she finds her way."
"I'm the most patience man in the world; it took me a while to decide to be in a relationship with Beth. We're good together, I tried to talk to her about the kidnapping and she bit my head off."
"Something happened. I just received a text from Sam. She invited Beth to stay at one of the condominiums on our floor. Evidently she's too scared to stay at home."
"Why didn't she say something to me?" Chad was exasperated, he had half a mind to go over to Connie's house and talk to Beth right now.
Mike polished off his potato salad before weighing in on the discussion. He saw Chad's expression skyrocket to hope, anger, and then despair. "Chad I know what you're thinking, and running over Connie's house to have a come-to-Jesus talk with Beth is a waste of time. Those women will be all of you like stink on shit. Trust me, the fact that you're Connie's brother won't save you."
Chad watched the other men shake their heads in agreement. "So what am I supposed to do?"
Thomas shuffled the cards and started dealing. "Give her some space. I'm sure that our women will help Beth with this situation."
Allen looked at his hand and smiled like a tiger assessing his prey. "Thomas is right, give Beth some time to deal with the trauma of being kidnapped. Samantha went through a similar situation: crying jags, fear, and nightmares. She made contact with a therapist, and she was able to put the kidnapping episode behind her. Blackjack!" Allen laughed at the incredulous look on Thomas's face.
"You cheating son of a bitch!"
"I don't have to cheat I have real skills. On that note, it's time for me to pick up my wife."
Mike stood up and prepared to leave. "I need to get my family home too; we have a wedding to celebrate tomorrow. I'll see you guys at the church tomorrow."
Aaron was kind of put out, he would have given everything he owned to be at a strip club right now. "Are they serious, they've been here less than three hours?"
Thomas was dealing the second hand as Allen and Mike departed. "Well Allen is still in the honeymoon stage, and Mike just became a new father. If I had my druthers, I would be going to bed with my woman. She has it in her head that it's rotten luck for the groom to see the bride the night before the wedding. So are you going to play or are you going to whine for the rest of the night."
"I tell you one thing; I'm never going to fall in love."
"Love has a way of sneaking up on the best of us. Read them and weep. Blackjack!"
Aaron swallowed hard, he thought about Johana and the way she made him feel. Is it possibly to fall in love with someone after knowing her only one day. "Like I said, I'm never going to fall in love. I refused to become so whipped that I would leave a perfectly good bachelor party to run after some woman." He didn't like the way that Thomas was deliberately baiting him. "Shut up and deal!"
***
Chapter 22
Connie woke up on her wedding day to her ringing cell phone. She was thinking she should have selected the civil ceremony. "Hello"
"Good morning baby. I take it that you and the ladies didn't get out of hand last night."
"Good morning husband, your mother and Aunt Mabel got a little carried away, but we weathered the storm. I did manage to surprise them with a bag of goodies."
"Please tell me that you did not give my mother a bag of sex toys as prizes."
Connie laughed, Thomas was such a manly man, but the last thing he wanted to know about was his mother's sex life. "Okay so I won't tell you."
"Well I played cards with the guys last night, and all they did was give me grieve about being away from their wives. Please, that was only one night; I haven't been in your bed all week. I love your Aunt Mabel, but there was absolutely no reason for us to sleep apart."
With her Aunt Mabel visiting, she felt weird having Thomas spend the night. It may seem old fashioned, but nothing dried up the mood for sex faster than having an elderly aunt just down the hall. Thomas was trying to be understanding, but he didn't like it at all. "Baby I promise to make it up to you tonight." They were honeymooning at Thomas's cabin in northeastern Nebraska about twenty miles from the old Santee Sioux reservation.
"I can't wait to get you alone."
Before Connie could respond her door banged open, there stood Samantha and Jenna with determined looks on their faces. "Love you Thomas I have to go, the wedding Nazi and her sidekick just entered my bedroom.
"See you at the church in about three hours."
"Three hours! Oh shit!" The last thing she heard was Thomas's laugh before she hung up the phone.
Samantha was frowning, standing there in a robe with her hands on her hips. "Now, which one am I, the Nazi or the sidekick?"
Jenna brought a can of Seven Up and crackers setting them down on Connie's bedside table. "I think you make a better Nazi Sam. Hurry up Connie you need to get into the shower, all the girls are here and most of us our dressed. Johana, Aunt Mabel, and Tati are finishing breakfast. The hair stylist is here with her crew, and so is the makeup artist. We don't want to be late to the church like we were at the courthouse because of Sam's hold-ups. Not get your ass out of the bed!"
Connie and Samantha watched Jenna leave the bedroom in a huff. "I apologize Sam, Jenna is definitely the Nazi."
"Yeah, people tell me that I'm bossy. Eat the crackers; they will settle your stomach. I'm so excited for you Connie." Samantha gave her a quick hug before leaving the bedroom.
Connie got out of bed, grabbed the satin and lace bra and panty set that Thomas gave her before heading towards the bathroom to take her shower. Her dress and veil was hanging outside the closet door in a protective covering. She didn't dare dally, or she would get an ear full from her aunt.
She let the warm water rain down on her as she thought about the last few weeks. Thomas wasn't kidding about marrying within a month; he took care of most of the arrangements to ensure the timeline. She didn't stop to think about how crazy for marrying him so quickly. Would the circumstances change if she waited six months or a year, probably not? She waited a lifetime to find a man like Thomas, and she was ready to be his wife right now.
She thought about her friends and their place in the wedding. It was a given that Jenna, Samantha, Johana, Beth, and Thomas's younger sister Kimberly would be bridesmaids. His other sister Charlene was on a fellowship in London and didn't know if she would be able to make the wedding. Tatiana, of course, would hold the coveted position of flower girl.
Connie was coming out of the shower when her cell phone rang. She wondered who was calling her on her wedding day. "Hello."
"Miss Jacobs this is Agent Constantine, I'm sorry it took so long to follow up with you. As you know, two bodies were recovered from the house where Mr. Roberts and Miss Marling were being held. We have finally made a positive identification of the bodies. Are you familiar with Joseph and Larry Jessup?"
"No I don't recognize either of those names."
"They were cousins of the other suspect we found fleeing the scene with a gunshot to his leg. Your mother was not in the house, so we have issued a federal warrant out for her arrest. I know this is highly unlikely Miss Jacobs, but has Crystalline Jacobs made any contact with you."
It had been almost a month since the kidnapping, Connie held her breath while Agent Constantine talked, hoping beyond hope that Crystalline didn't die in the fire. "No Agent Constantine, I haven't had any contact with my mother. If I hear or receive anything from Crystalline I'll call your office right away."
"Thanks Miss Jacobs have a nice day."
&n
bsp; "You too Agent Constantine." Connie sat on the bed wishing that the situation between her and her mother could have ended differently.
"Gal what are you doing sitting there half naked, your hair is a mess, and we still have to get you into your dress."
Connie watched her aunt enter her bedroom full of sass, ready to read her the riot act. She was dressed to the nines in a floral green and white dress with a matching hat and shoes. "I just received a call from the FBI; Crystalline's body was not amongst the remains in the house where Chad and Beth were being held captive. A federal warrant has been issued for her arrest."
Mabel came and sat on the bed next to Connie. She put her arm around Connie's shoulders, giving her a warm hug. "I'm glad that your mother didn't die in that fire. It has always been my hope that one day both of you will be free from your painful past. Baby girl you don't have to be guilty of loving your mother, you could never be disloyal to Lettie because you long for a connection with Crystalline. We as humans have a great capacity to love, which means we never have to be ashamed or sorry about our feelings. This is your day, a day that won't be mired in loss and past regrets. You're marrying a man that loves you which is more than any woman can ask."
"Thanks Aunt Mabel you always get to the heart of the matter."
Mabel stood and kissed Connie on the cheek. "We have less than two hours to make it to the church on time; I don't like being late. So shake your tail feathers and put on a robe I'll send in the stylist and the makeup artist. Of course, I don't know why you need all these people to help you get ready, you get dressed every day by yourself and today is no different."
"Yes Ma'am!"
***
Forty minutes later Connie's hair was a crown full of curls and the makeup artist was just finishing up when Jenna and Samantha came back to help her get dressed. The black bridesmaid dresses were classy and suited all of her bridesmaids. "Both of you look beautiful. Are you beginning to feel a weird sense of déjà vu?"
No Ordinary Romance Page 22