A Very Merry Superhero Wedding (Adventures of Lewis and Clarke)

by Kitty Bucholtz

  When the thief on the ground struggled up as far as his knees, X told the boy he had to get back to work.

  Eventually a patrol car arrived and the thieves were carted off. By then, someone from the church had arrived and, by some miracle, they were allowed to take the truck and deliver the remaining Christmas meals. One of the cops told the driver he’d call him later, see if the precinct could round up some more meals to make up for the missing ones.

  By the time Tick Tock and X were back in their SUV and pulling away, X was feeling particularly good.

  “I’m starving,” he told Mickey after they stopped to pull their masks and headpieces off. “Where do you want to eat? My treat.”

  “Norm’s burritos?”

  “Done.” Joe let out a contented sigh. “I love this job. That kid Jackson was a surprise, wasn’t he?”

  “I’ll never think of bologna the same again.”

  “Too bad Bull wasn’t here. He would’ve loved that kid.”

  “Good thing he wasn’t. He would’ve taken him home with him.”

  Joe figured a lot of people had the Monday Morning Blues right now. They didn’t like their job, wished they could be someplace else. But he wasn’t one of them. He knew Mickey wasn’t either. They couldn’t be happier with the direction their lives were taking.

  “If you go through with this wedding, how are you going to explain to her why you jumped out of bed so fast this morning?” Mickey was back at his new favorite subject.

  Okay, so Mickey could be happier with the direction Joe’s life was taking.

  “Tori knows I work in security,” Joe said patiently. “Some jobs have weird hours. She understands. And when she understands better, I’ll explain everything to her and there won’t be any more secrets.”

  “And you think hiding all your stuff at the clubhouse is a long-term solution?”

  Joe was determined not to take offense at Mickey’s grousing. He knew Mickey didn’t care where Joe’s super suit was, just that Joe could get to it when he needed it. And starting tomorrow, he needed to keep it at the clubhouse. No, Mickey’s problem was with Tori’s family.

  “I won’t need a long-term solution, Mick. I’m going to tell her. In my own time.”

  “So marry her after you tell her. If she thinks you’re mentally unbalanced, you can still call it off.”

  “Why do I bother telling you anything if you’re going to use it against me?” He never should have told Mickey what Tori’s mother had said.

  Mickey braked harder than he needed to at a yellow light turning red. He glared over at Joe. “Because I’m one of your best friends and my job is to protect you.”

  Joe sighed but it came out as more of a frustrated growl. With his elbow resting on the door, he rubbed his chin. How could he explain?

  “You’re afraid she won’t love you if she knows who you are.” Mickey stared at him as the idea dawned on him.

  Joe started to protest. “She loves me, Mick.”

  A horn beeped behind them and Mickey accelerated. He sighed. “Joe, you’ve got a future already mapped out. The team can be without you for a week, but not forever. You gonna quit if she tells you to? What about your plan to work your way through the Paladins Guild and take over for your dad? You’re the heir apparent, man! The Guild needs stability in leadership now more than ever. Are you sure you can offer that?”

  Joe looked over at Mickey and frowned. “That is harsh, man.”

  Mickey shook his head. “Someone has to be harsh with you. You’re not thinking. Guild leaders need to be able to see the big picture as well as all the tiny parts that make it up. They need to know their weaknesses so they can defend against them. This girl is your weakness.”

  “Her name is Tori. Notshe, notthis girl.” Joe’s plan not to get angry with his friend was reaching the breaking point.

  “Maybe you two should hold on a little less tightly to each other and see what happens,” Mickey said as he pulled into the drive-thru lane at Norm’s. “Maybe you’re both stronger than you think.”

  Both men put on their coats to cover their suits. No need for the cashier to guess who they were. Joe was trying to compose a reply when Mickey pulled up and placed their order for breakfast burritos.

  Protect her.

  The words didn’t so much make themselves heard in Joe’s head as they impressed themselves upon his mind. He’d been hearing them on and off since he met Tori, and he was convinced they referred to her.

  Protect her.

  Joe looked at his watch. It was barely ten in the morning. She couldn’t be in danger. She was at home as far as he knew. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the voice came to him when she needed him.

  He pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket and dialed Tori’s cell.

  “Tori’s phone, Hayley speaking.”

  “Hayley, it’s Joe. Where is Tori? Is she all right?”

  “Hey, Joe. She’s in the shower. Is something wrong?”

  Joe didn’t want to try to explain. He hadn’t told anyone about the voice, afraid what it would sound like. On the other hand, he didn’t want to ignore it either.

  “Would you go check on her, please?”

  “Um, sure, hold on.”

  Joe could hear in Hayley’s voice what she thought of his request. But she was a professional Paladin and didn’t argue.

  She came back on the line a minute later. “She’s fine,” she said.

  Was Hayley’s voice strained? Was she hiding something from him? “Hayley, I’m serious. Is she absolutely okay?”

  He heard Hayley take a deep breath. Then she said, “It’s just pre-wedding jitters, Joe. She had a nightmare last night and it freaked her out. That’s all.”

  Joe rubbed his forehead. She’d needed him last night and he hadn’t been there for her. They weren’t even married yet and he wasn’t taking good enough care of her. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he suspected it was a little over the top. But he didn’t care right now.

  “Would you do me a favor? Would you go tell her I’m on the phone?”

  “Joe, this phone isn’t waterproof,” Hayley half-laughed.

  “Just tell her I called to see how she was doing, and…” He bit back his embarrassment. “Tell her I love her. Tell her, and then let me know if she said anything. I’ll hang on.”

  Hayley laughed. Joe could hear a knock on a door, then Hayley’s muffled voice. A minute later she was back on the line. “I never knew you were such a romantic, Mr. Clarke. I told her what you said, and I think you made her cry. She said to tell you ‘I love you back.’ Satisfied?”

  Joe wanted to drive over and see her, hold her, make sure she really was fine. But he thought of Mickey’s words — try holding on less tightly. He’d give it a shot.

  “Thanks, Hayley. Listen…be careful today, okay?”

  She heard the worry in his voice and got serious. “You got it, boss. We’ll see you tonight.”

  Joe started to say, I’m not your boss, but Hayley had already hung up. He took his burrito from Mickey and ate in silence.

  He wished he knew what it meant, where the danger was, if therewas any danger. Why else would he hear such a message? The first time he heard it was the night he met Tori, just after she was mugged on Halloween. That must mean that he heard it when there was some kind of danger, right?

  “Everything okay?” Mickey asked.

  “Just trying not to hold on so tight,” Joe said, staring out the window at the falling snow.

  His good mood had taken a beating. What if he was wrong and Tori wouldn’t understand? What if the voice in his head meant that he was to protect Tori fromhim, from his life and calling? Or maybe he was to protect her by marrying her and keeping her close and safe. Now he wasn’t sure.

  He and Tori had decided to get married on Christmas Eve, not just because it was coming up quickly and they didn’t want to wait, but because of what Christmas meant to them. It was a celebration of the moment God poured himself into h
uman form to bring life and hope to the world.

  To join their two lives into one on the eve of that celebration would be a symbol of the hope and love they shared as they started a new life together.

  But maybe starting a new life with secrets, no matter the reason, would undermine everything they were trying to build.

  Chapter 9

  TUESDAY morning, Tori felt a little edgy as she drove Bill, her blue Honda, over to Joe’s house. They had decided she would leave her car there, and tomorrow they would drive Joe’s truck to the airport.

  Assuming they got married tomorrow.

  She did some deep breathing exercises as she drove so she wouldn’t get a stress stomachache. One good thing about seeing Dr. Huntington for so many years, she’d learned a lot about staying calm. If she allowed herself to get too upset, her insides got all hot and tense.

  They planned to meet Bull and Hayley at the mall for last minute Christmas shopping, but they would have a few minutes on the drive to talk in private. She still wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him about her supposed mental health problems, especially since she’d never felt better, but she needed to have the courage to at least have a conversation about secrets. After all, he’d sort of started a discussion on that topic at dinner Friday.

  At Joe’s, she saw his truck parked on the street as expected. She pulled into the recently shoveled driveway, up to the garage door. There would just barely be enough room for both vehicles when they lived there together.

  Joe opened the front door before Tori could knock. He pulled her inside, kissing her before the door closed.

  Tori felt the heat rise between them as he leaned her against the wall. Their lips and tongues and hands joined in a dance of exquisite torment. Shedid want to marry him. How could she not?

  He pressed against her and whispered in her ear, “I missed you.”

  She giggled breathlessly. “You just saw me last night.” He kissed her deeply again, requiring a better answer. “I missed you, too,” she admitted.

  “Are you sure we have to go shopping?” he asked a minute later.

  “It was your idea,” she said with a laugh. “You’re the one who asked Hayley and Bull to meet us at the mall.”

  Joe groaned and made a funny face. She’d begun to realize not long after they met that he did it on purpose so she would laugh.

  “Besides,” she teased, “you promised my grandma I’d be a virgin bride. We just have to make it one more day.”

  He kissed her one more time, this one gentle and loving rather than hot and lusty. “Then let’s get outside in the cold.”

  Tori laughed. A meow sounded from above her head. Snickers sat curled up on top of the coat rack, blinking down at her. Tori reached up and stroked his head. He arched his neck and back and purred.

  “We’ll be back, Snicks,” Joe said and gave the cat a good scratch. Then he opened the door for Tori and locked it behind them.

  As she sat in the truck with the engine running, Joe brushing off a dusting of snow, she tried to order her thoughts. The Bible said not to let the sun go down on your anger, but she couldn’t think of any advice about keeping secrets from your spouse. She wondered where secrets fell on the heavenly list of suggestions for better living.

  Joe climbed in and off they went. The truck had better traction than her smaller car, but it slid a little on a patch of ice as Joe pulled into the street.

  “Can I ask you something?” she began a few moments later. “I was thinking…everyone has things they don’t want other people to know. Some of them aren’t important, just embarrassing, like a boy who wet the bed until he was seven. No one needs to know that. It doesn’t help to know that about someone, and it certainly doesn’t hurt anything to keep it to yourself, right?”

  Joe nodded. “Agreed.”

  “So how do we know as a married couple, what is a ‘bad’ secret”—she made air quotes with her gloved fingers—“and what is just private?”

  Joe made that grunting noise he always made when he was thinking. Tori thought it was rather adorable. See? She did know things about him.

  “Funny,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about that, too.”

  Tori looked over at him in surprise. “Really? Thoughts?”

  “I don’t know. Lately, I’ve been wondering…”

  “Yeah?” Tori hoped they would find themselves in agreement on this topic. Then she would have nothing to feel guilty about.

  “Some people think we’re being selfish by, you know…”

  “Getting married so quickly. Yeah, that’s a word that came up in a conversation with me recently, too.”

  Joe reached over and squeezed her hand, then put both hands back on the wheel. Tori knew the roads were still slippery in spots, especially since the sun hadn’t yet warmed the icier areas shaded by trees.

  “So I’m wondering…” Tori knew she had to continue or she wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy their wedding. “For instance, do you think I have to tell you that in the second grade I got mad at a boy and gave him a bloody nose?”

  Joe snorted a laugh. “Did you really?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to tell you if I thought it could change your opinion of me, so you answer first.” She smiled when she said it, but she had thought half the night about what example she would use to test the waters.

  “Honey, kids do that sort of stuff. It’s part of being a kid.”

  “What if I told you that afterward I was told I had an anger management problem, and went to counseling?”

  Joe raised his eyebrows and looked over at her. “I’d say that this is probably the kind of thing you were asking about — something that would be embarrassing for you to tell me, and not at all important to our relationship.”

  Tori released a deep sigh in her head. Relief rushed through her and she felt her shoulders relax.Thank you, God. Thank you, thank you. I don’t want to do the wrong thing, but even Joe doesn’t think we need to tell each other every awful detail of our lives before we met. Since I’ve been asking you for advice, I’m taking this as a sign.

  The street opened into more of a business area with fewer trees. The sun and traffic had melted most of the snow on the street so the asphalt was only wet, not icy. Joe took her hand again.

  “What about other things,” Joe asked, “things that aren’t embarrassing childhood incidents? What do you think we need to tell each other before tomorrow?”

  “The way everyone has been pushing us,” Tori said, letting some of her frustration through, “it seems likethey think we should tell each other everything. But I know a girl who went speed dating once, and she didn’t like it. She said she learned more than she’d ever want to know on a first date. But later, she said, she realized some of that stuff wouldn’t have bothered her if she was already into the guy.”

  Tori let Joe digest that before continuing.

  “I can see that,” he said, nodding.

  “I’ve been best friends with Hayley since we were in second grade. We knowa lot of each other’s secrets, but we learned them over time, as the need came up to share, or as we trusted each other more. I’m sure we still don’t know everything about each other.”

  Though that was something Tori really wanted to have the courage to change. Hayley often seemed shut off from the world, perpetually lonely even when she was laughing with girlfriends. Tori wanted to help her relax and enjoy life more. She just didn’t know how.

  “Part of me,” Joe said slowly, “wants to tell everyone who has a problem with us that it’s none of their business.”

  Tori nodded. Boy, did she feel the same way.

  “But then I think about Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, and his many advisors. He felt so strongly about it, he wrote several proverbs suggesting we all seek the advice of others. I don’t want to be hard-headed and make things more difficult than they need to be.”

  “Yeah,” Tori sighed. “That’s crossed my mind, too.”

  Joe pulled into
the mall parking lot and drove toward the entrance near Target where they were to meet Hayley and Bull.

  Because of the way the snowplows cleaned the parking lot earlier, there were bigger spaces farther back from the doors.

  “Mind walking a bit?” Joe asked. “My truck needs a bigger space.”

  “I don’t mind. It’s gorgeous out.”

  Joe pulled into a spot and killed the engine. Like Tori, he sat staring out the windshield.

  “I don’t want to be selfish—” they both said at the same time.

  Then they laughed and unclipped their seat belts. Tori scooted over and Joe pulled her closer. That fabulous and overwhelming feeling of safety and strength encompassed Tori. They could get through anything together, she knew it.

  “I love you—” they said together.

  They both laughed again and Joe pulled her into a tight hug. “I don’t want to do anything to hurt you,” he said, the tone of his voice betraying the depth of his feelings.

  “Ditto,” Tori said, her throat too tight with emotion to say more.

  They sat like that for a moment. Tori hoped these feelings lasted longer than the honeymoon phase like some people predicted. But it was more than infatuation or lust. It felt like friendship, partnership, the kind of thing that lasts.

  Joe’s cell phone went off. He saw it was Bull and answered it on speaker. “Yeah?”

  “Get a room!” yelled Bull and Hayley. Laughter filtered through the phone.

  “We saw you pull into a parking space two minutes ago,” Bull said. “There’ll be plenty of time for hanky-panky in Disney World. Get in here.”

  Tori felt her face heat as she laughed. Being part of a couple was new and wonderful, but being part of a group of couples was more fun than she would’ve thought.

  Joe hung up, then kissed her nose. “Finish this conversation later?”

  “Sounds good,” Tori agreed.

  Joe pulled her out his side of the truck and held her dangling above the snow. Tori wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling at the strange feeling of hanging in the air. She still couldn’t believe how strong he was. He kissed her soundly once more before he set her down and took her hand.