by Sierra Rose
“I say we change the fairytale. Snow White lunges across the room and takes out the Wicked Queen in one roundhouse kick.”
“Now, now,” Brandon said. “We’ll take the Wicked Queen out the legal way…by staying madly in love.”
“Is this some kind of game to you?” Lena asked.
“No, Mom,” Brandon said. “It’s more like a twisted fairytale.”
“I hate you two,” she screamed. “You deserve each other!”
“Well, as you can see my lovely bride is alive and kicking. So we’re going to go make love for hours on top of a million rose petals at the fanciest hotel around.”
He dipped Marj in a deep passionate kiss.
“Uhhhhhhh!” Lena muttered.
Brandon put his arm around Marj and they left smiling.
Marj gazed up into his gleaming eyes. “That rose thing you proposed, well, it did sound very romantic.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“At the fanciest hotel around?”
“That’s what I said.”
“And you’ll make love to me for hours?”
“Indeed, I will.”
“I’m in heaven! Boy, I should die more often.”
Chapter 16
A few days later, Marj made pancakes for Brandon.
“How are they?” she asked.
“Delicious.”
She smiled.
“I think we need to fire the cook,” he said.
“Ha, ha.”
He chuckled.
Marj then handed him the newspaper. “Looks like we’re the talk of the town in the celebrity section. And boy, do we look adorable. I’ve always dreamed of kissing my Prince Charming in the rain like that.”
There was a picture of them kissing in the rain and a story about how Brandon Cates learned Marj was dead, then about fainted when his dead wife pulled into the driveway. It was a positive article proving to all those doubters that they were actually in love. They said emotion like that couldn’t be faked. They painted Marj and Brandon as some kind of love story triumphing past all the bad press because love conquers all. A Prince Charming who never gave up on the love of his life.
“I’ll never forget that intense moment,” he said. “It’s etched into my mind forever.”
“Good stuff, huh?” Marj asked.
“I would love to have seen the Wicked Queen’s face when she saw this article.”
“She’d probably shit bricks.”
“She thought she won. Even had the nerve to come over and tell me, rub it in my face, when I was grieving and had been blindsided.”
“I know. That was rotten.”
Marj sipped her juice. “She’s after the money. And she tried telling me it was about revenge.”
“In her own sick, demented way, she did love my dad. But staying rich and having it all is on the top of her list. She treats this like a sick game or something. She’ll do anything to beat me. And she doesn’t even need the money.”
“You are entitled to your dad’s company. It’s like your baby. And I’m not letting her have it. She told me she just wants to destroy it and dismantle it. That would put lots of people out of jobs.”
“Exactly. So we’re not letting that happen.”
Marj opened a thank you letter from the airline. “What’s this?”
“Oh. I gave a huge donation to all the families who were left behind after that terrible tragedy.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “That was so sweet.”
“My thoughts go to all the victims. I want to help all the people affected by the crash. I know I can’t take away their pain, but I hope this can help just a little bit.”
“It’s very generous. You have a giving heart. It’s what I love about you.”
He gazed into her eyes. “If I would’ve lost you…”
She reached over and grabbed his hand. “You didn’t.”
Tears welled up in his eyes. “But I thought I did. I felt their pain firsthand.”
“If I didn’t get off that plane… I can’t think how close I came to death. I was supposed to be on that doomed flight. Coming back to you saved my life. My love for you saved my life.”
“I should’ve stopped you from leaving. If we were on better terms, you would’ve never left.”
“We can’t change what happen. But sometimes…”
“What, hon?”
“I feel guilty that I lived. I’ve been sitting back and taking the time to process all of this. And it’s really been eating me up. Why did I live when others died?”
“This is a common emotional reaction called “survivor guilt.” Rather than focus on the burden of guilt, just remember that you, me, your friends, and your family have been given a gift…”
“…the gift of my survival,” Marj finished.
“Yes. And I’m here to talk to anytime you feel like talking. Don’t hold in the feelings. Just talk to me. Because I’m not only your lover and husband but your best friend. And I love you with all my heart.”
She hugged him, and he embraced her tightly.
Chapter 17
Are you ready?” Brandon asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Close your eyes.”
“I can do that.”
He started to pull her hand. “Wait. Marj, you’re peeking. Do I have to get a blindfold?”
“Only if you’re in the mood for Fifty Shades of Gray sex.”
He laughed. She loved his deep laugh.
“Don’t tempt me,” he said. “Because that’s getting me so turned on.”
“We could always skip dinner.”
“No, I worked hard on this. And I did it all myself. No help. I did all the decorating and cooking.”
“What are we having?”
“Spaghetti. It’s easy to cook.”
“Okay, I promise to behave.”
She had worn a red dress and put her hair up in an elegant bun. Brandon wore a tailored black suit. Marj couldn’t help but notice how it showcased his wide chest and broad shoulders. He was tall and lean, gorgeously sculpted, with the most handsome features. She gazed into his eyes and thought she was the luckiest woman alive. Marrying this handsome stranger in Vegas was the best thing to have ever happened to her. She longed to feel his strong, powerful arms wrap around her, and his lush lips pressed against hers.
Brandon led her outside to the backyard and Marj gasped. He had strung up twinkling white lights everywhere. There was a cozy table set up with candles, flowers, wine, wine glasses, and a lace table cloth. She glanced up at the sky and saw it was a clear sky boasting millions of glittering stars.
“Cates, this is beyond romantic,” she squealed.
“So you like it?”
“Like it? I love it! You did a fantastic job! I’m impressed, honey.”
“Thanks. I really wanted to make it special.”
She wrapped her arms around him as his lips softly kissed hers.
The place was so romantic. Brandon had done a wonderful job. She couldn’t help but stare at the pretty twinkling lights all around them.
“How is dinner?” he asked.
“Fabulous, honey.”
“Liar!”
They both burst out in laughter.
The spaghetti was a little chewy, and the rolls were a tad overcooked and crunchy, and the salad had only lettuce. But it was delicious because he had worked so hard on it and cooked it.
“I can order out,” he said.
“No, this is wonderful. You did this for me. And I’m loving everything. Being here with you right now, it’s the only place I want to be.”
“You’re so sweet. And I promise next time not to cook the noodles in the coffee maker.”
“Wait. Is that even possible?”
“Sure. Fill up the coffee pot with hot water and throw noodles in. Just leave out the beans. Because the noodles won’t fare so well.”
She held back a laugh. “And that’s, um, how you cooked this?”
&nb
sp; He laughed. “Gotcha!”
She grinned.
“I cooked it in a big pot,” he said. “Maria actually got the pot out for me. She’s a great cook and I was almost tempted to let her help, but I refrained. I promised you I’d do this all myself.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. I’m just happy I didn’t burn the house down.”
“You are definitely investing time into this marriage.”
“I even bought the groceries myself. See the lengths I’ll go through for you.”
“And I love you so much. Thank you, honey.”
He poured some Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir into her glass. “You’re welcome, babe.”
The wine was elegant and tasted like candied cherry and raspberry. It was lush and round on the palate.”
He swirled the liquid in his glass. “This would pair well with quinoa, quail egg salad, and herbed roast chicken. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to make any of that.”
She chuckled. “I’ve never had quail egg salad.”
“It’s delicious. We’ll have it tomorrow night.”
“I take it, that means we’re going out.”
He smirked. “Yes, definitely.”
“Then it’s a date.”
He grinned as she smiled.
They drank a few glasses of wine and talked for nearly an hour. They talked about everything and Marj felt Brandon was really opening up to her. Nothing felt better to break down those walls he had always put up. But she never pried. She knew he’d eventually want to talk, so she stayed patient and never pushed.
“I’m so sorry for the way I treated you when we first got married,” he said.
“Honey, it’s okay. I was a stranger that you were suddenly committed to.”
“But I almost lost the best thing in my life.”
She squeezed his hand. “But we made it. And that’s the important thing. We’ve gotten to know each other so much better since that first day we met.”
“We’ve never talked candidly about the subject. But I don’t want us to have walls. I want us to talk about everything.”
“No stone left unturned? No secrets.”
“I don’t want any secrets in our marriage.”
He took a sip of wine. “When we first got married, I still wanted to play the field. Of course, not until after we divorced. But what I mean is, back then, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with one woman.”
“So you planned to have a wonderful year with me, then let me go.”
“Yes. I thought once I committed to anyone, I would lose the chance to date other women. I wanted to try and stay single for as long as I could, especially when I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. And there were other things that demanded more attention than my love life, like my job. I wanted to be able to zoom out of the country to take care of business without having to explain to a girlfriend why I had to leave for two weeks. Some women were so jealous and thought I was going to meet another lover.”
“Little did they know your secret lover is your job,” Marj joked.
Brandon laughed. “Exactly. I didn’t want to deal with that. In the past, I was with women who were insecure and jealous of every move I made. If I left to get a beer with the guys, I was cheating. No thank you. I need a woman who trusts me.”
“So you never took the time to invest energy into a relationship?”
“Not until now. But the old me was too selfish. I wanted to do only what I wanted to do. Or maybe it was because I was scared of losing myself. I was scared of losing my neat, well controlled little world.”
“I understand all that, but I think there was more. Were you scared to take the plunge? Or were you scared of getting hurt?”
“Committing involves risk. And I didn’t want to fail like my father did. I didn’t want to be a horrible husband and dad. So I was scared to give it a try.”
“But then you were forced to give it a try.”
“Yes. My dad knew I would never get married. He didn’t want me to follow in his playboy, lady killer ways. You see, I guess Lena was the woman to finally settle him down. He hated all the women I dated. So I know this was his attempt to force me to get married. Oh, I wasn’t going to let my father win. I tried to figure out all kinds of ways around the will. I was not going to let my father rope me into something I didn’t want. Then I almost ran out the clock. And my dad got his wish when I married you. And I kind of resented it at first. I hated being backed into a corner like that. I can’t tell you how mad I was at my dad.”
“I think he wanted to show you how wonderful marriage could be.”
“I think so too. Right before he died, I was dating this girl he really liked. She had long black hair and bright green eyes. She was elegant, smart, and very sociable. Everyone loved her. She grew up in the lap of luxury and my father thought she was perfect. He wanted me to marry her and begged me to have a wedding before he passed away. But I didn’t love her. He was so confident and cocky that after the will was read, I would run straight into her arms and get on one knee with a diamond ring and ask her to marry me. But all I really did was run as far away from her as I possibly could. His plan backfired.”
“Why didn’t you ask her?”
“She wasn’t what I was looking for.”
“How come?”
“Well…she wasn’t you.”
“Oh, Brandon.”
“You’re everything I’ve ever looked for. You’re my best friend, and you make me laugh.”
“And I gave you some great drunken memories!”
“And crazy, wild sex!”
She grinned. “Ah, so it’s the sex, huh?”
“We don’t just have good sex. We have fucking great sex…
“Like sex straight out of a racy romance novel?”
He winked. “Yeah, babe. But on a more serious note. It’s more than just sex. We’re friends and lovers. We talk. We talk about how we feel. We talk about what you want. About what I want. We talk about everything. We keep the lines of discussion open and honest, and I love that. Our marriage is a tale of friendship, deep love, and scorching passion. We’ve connected on a deeper level than just sex. I’ve fallen deeply and madly in love with you. And I’m so glad my father forced his hand. I can’t believe how much I fought him, but he was right. I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
“I agree. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Hello,” a voice called out. “Who is ready to get ‘all shook up’ and put on their ‘blue suede shoes’?”
Marj turned, and Elvis approached in all his white glory and rhinestones. He had Elvis Presley’s voice down to perfection.
Marj smiled. “You so didn’t!”
“I so did, Mrs. Cates,” Brandon said. “I flew the King out here.”
And it was then that she noticed it was the exact same Elvis that had married them. It was so sweet for Brandon to go out of his way like this for her. It truly touched her heart. After she greeted the impersonator, he reached for his guitar and started playing, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”
“Would you care to dance, Mrs. Cates?” Brandon sweetly asked as he held out his hand.
Grinning, she reached for his hand. “Yes, I’d love too.”
As the song played, she stared lovingly into his eyes. They moved slow and smooth, dancing expertly to the swooning love song. Marj knew she was smitten by completely in love. She knew she could spend the rest of her life with him and be happy. And she could see the same thing in his eyes. This man standing before her truly loved her with everything he had, pouring his heart and soul into the emotional kiss.
And his kiss…it said it all. She was his forever.
Epilogue
A year later
Brandon and Marj sat in two leather chairs holding hands on the left side while the Wicked Queen sat on the right hand side. Behind the desk was the lawyer giving us the final verdict.
“Brandon, you followed the terms of your father
’s wishes. It’s officially all yours.”
The Wicked Queen scowled. “No, they weren’t really a couple! Sources tell me they hatched this up in a bar only hours before the deadline. Marj was paid to be Brandon’s pretend bride. The whole thing is a sham. They’re pulling the wool over your eyes.”
The lawyer looked at her. “Fake? Really? Because Marj is six months pregnant.”
“What? She doesn’t even look it!”
Marj smiled widely as she lightly patted her stomach. “Well, I am.” She reached into her purse and held up the sonogram. “Wanna see?”
“She’s probably screwing other men. Did anyone ever think about that?”
The lawyer peered at her. “We had an amniocentesis done. The DNA confirms it’s Brandon’s baby. It doesn’t matter how they met. It doesn’t matter if they got married by Elvis in Vegas. Brandon got married by the date his father requested. They stayed married, and they shared marital relations. That’s what was what was required. There is nothing you can do to challenge this will. I don’t care how many lawyers you hire. It’s over. You lost. Now move onto to something else to take up your time.”
She let out a loud huff.
“Have a great life, Mom,” Brandon said.
“You always were a rotten son,” she responded. “I hope your son is just as rotten as you are.”
“That won’t happen,” Marj said, touching her stomach. “We’re having a girl. Her name is Emma Caroline.”
Rolling her eyes, the Wicked Queen rushed out as the lawyer laughed.
“And the Wicked Queen was banished from her kingdom forever,” Marj said.
Brandon squeezed her hand. “And they lived happily ever after.”
Marj grinned.
The lawyer shook his head. “Well, this isn’t a traditional fairy tale. The prince met the princess in Vegas and hooked up to scam the system, but Cupid struck his arrow, and they accidentally fell in love.”
How did he know? Neither one of us had said a word. But he had somehow figured it out.
“I hope the Wicked Queen stays out of my fairy tale,” Marj said. “This king and queen would like to raise their princess far away from evil and darkness.”