by Melody Anne
“Thank you.” She started to feel a little bit better.
“Hey it’s our job as your maids of honor to get you down the aisle. We wouldn’t be doing it right if you ran in the other direction,” Amy said with a smile.
“You guys are the best.”
“Don’t you dare ruin your make-up,” Jessica said as she wiped at her own eye.
The three women laughed and then threw their arms around each other. Emily could feel her pulse start to slow down.
There was knocking at the door. “Is everything okay in there?” Joseph asked through the doorway.
“Everything is fine. We are coming out in a moment,” Jessica said.
“Good to hear,” Joseph said and then they heard his footsteps start to retreat.
Jessica stepped out of the doorway, with her two new sisters on either side of her. There was a gasp from the audience as the three beautiful women made their way towards the stage. Not one of them realized the stunning picture they made.
The men standing at the end of the aisle couldn’t take their eyes off the glorious women. The sight of them was enough to stop traffic, or cause a riot.
Mark’s chest puffed out in pride, as he realized in just a few short moments, the beautiful vision walking towards him would be his wife. He wanted to run to her and pull her into his arms. It took everything he had to stand there and wait for her to reach him.
The ceremony went by in a blur and before Emily knew it the preacher was pronouncing them man and wife. Mark took her in his arms and pressed his lips gently to hers. It was slow and sweet and took her breath away.
She felt like she was floating on a cloud as they made their way back down the aisle and then stood there greeting guests. She was on autopilot as they cut the cake and sipped champagne. She wouldn’t be able to repeat a word that was said during the toasts. She had ears and eyes for nothing but her husband.
When it was finally time for the dancing to begin, Emily melted into Mark’s arms and laid her head against his chest. He gently rubbed her back, soothing her nerves completely. He was the most magnificent man she could have ever hoped for.
He sang along to the country tune that was being played by the live band and she glided along the star lit dance floor, like a true princess, being courted by her prince charming. She couldn’t believe a wedding could be so magical or she was Mark’s bride.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” he asked her.
“Only about a hundred times tonight.”
“You’re always gorgeous but seeing you walking down the aisle in that dress has taken all rational thoughts from my head,” he said as he spun her around.
“Seeing you in that tuxedo, looking so striking has made me want to strip it from you piece by piece,” she whispered.
Mark’s whole body tensed at her softly spoken words. He pulled her tightly against his body and even through the layers of silk and lace she could feel how her words had affected him.
“Let’s get out of here,” he pled with her.
“That sounds perfect to me,” she responded and took his hand as he started to lead her off the dance floor.
They both heard a commotion over by the caterer’s station and turned to find out what was going on. They heard one of the security guards on staff tell someone to leave immediately, before there were consequences.
They both walked towards the commotion to find out what was going on. Emily gasped when she discovered who was causing all the turmoil. She spotted them about two seconds before they saw her.
“Do you really think the judge is going to believe this sham of a marriage you little slut?” a middle aged woman spat at Emily.
“What are you doing here?” Emily asked them in complete shock.
“We came to get our grandson. You stole him from us and with your husband barely in the grave, it looks like you found yourself a new man to throw his money at you. You always were a gold digger. We begged our son not to marry you. We even told him the boy wasn’t his. We were shocked when the DNA results came in,” the woman continued to throw insults at Emily.
“You had my son tested without my knowledge,” Emily raged at her. Mark was impressed the only thing she even bothered to comment on was the violation against her son.
“Of course we did. You didn’t think we were going to take the word of some tramp the boy was really our son’s did you?” the woman spit out.
“If you don’t want anything to do with him, then why would you fight for custody?” Emily asked the horrible woman.
“You took our son from us, now we will take yours from you,” the woman said in explanation.
Mark was stunned by the hatred coming from the woman who used to be Emily’s mother-in-law. He didn’t know someone could be that cruel and evil. He’d never been tempted to hit a woman in his life but had to fight like hell not to slap her.
“You won’t come near my son. You never wanted him and you won’t use him as some pawn in a game I don’t want to play,” Emily said, with the full force of a mother’s protectiveness in her voice.
“You stupid little girl, you can’t beat us,” the woman spat.
“You try and take my son and you’ll see how I beat you,” Emily said, deliberately misinterpreting her meaning.
“We’re taking Trevor tonight. Where is he?” the woman said and started moving towards the wedding reception area.
“Over my dead body,” Mark told the woman, stepping in front of her.
She sneered at Mark and then stumbled backwards, as he was flanked on either side by his brothers. The three of them standing there made an intimidating sight.
“Security, escort this couple off my grounds. If they fight you in any way call the sheriff. He’s a personal friend and will be here in minutes,” Mark added as he glared at the hateful woman.
“Fine we will go for now but enjoy your pretend family, because come Monday morning, the boy will be ours,” she said, before turning around and stomping away. Her husband followed meekly behind and the security guards followed behind them both, making sure they really did leave.
“Emily I’m so sorry that happened,” Mark said to her, as he pulled her shaking body into his arms.
“No Mark I’m the one who is sorry. You shouldn’t have to be involved in this,” she said on a sob.
“You didn’t deserve any of the things she said to you. Don’t let her have power over you by affecting you in any way at all,” he said as he clasped her chin in his gentle hands.
Emily looked into his eyes and realized he was right. If she broke down then she was giving a small victory to the woman. She refused to do that.
“Do you want to leave?” he asked her.
“No, you are right; I’m not going to let her ruin my wedding day. If you’ll give me a few minutes to freshen up, I would like to dance some more,” she said to him with a brave smile.
“Anything you want,” he answered her.
Emily walked into the house and began attending her smeared make up. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she was surprised by the look of determination in her own eyes. You’re stronger than you thought, she mumbled to herself. She placed a smile on her face and then walked out to enjoy the rest of her wedding night with the new family she was so lucky to have become a part of.
“I’m sorry your honeymoon is being postponed,” Mark said to her, as they flew down to California in the luxury jet.
“Oh, Mark there’s no way I could enjoy a honeymoon with this stuff hanging over our heads.”
“Well still, it’s not right.”
“I don’t need some fancy honeymoon, or this big diamond on my finger. I just need to know Trevor’s safe and you’re in my bed each night,” she said sincerely.
“Woman, you are a gift from the heavens,” he whispered to her before kissing her with his usual passion. They were interrupted by the perky Lana as she brought them their lunch.
“I know this is petty and mean but I’m not comforted b
y the fact you’ll travel at times without me and be alone with that woman. She’s far too pretty and nice,” Emily said with a slight pout.
Mark threw his head back and laughed out loud. “I have to say I enjoy this jealous side of you,” he teased her.
Emily glared at her new husband. He wasn’t going to enjoy it when she poked him in the eye with her fork, she thought.
“I’m sorry for laughing but Lana is perfectly harmless. She’s very happily married to the pilot in front so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Do you really think Amy and Jessica would allow their husbands to travel the world with a single lady?”
Emily didn’t know why she hadn’t asked the girls if Lana was single. The topic had just never come up in their whirlwind trip.
They reached their destination far more quickly than Emily had expected and were driven to an attorney’s office. They had a scheduled meeting with the Jackson’s before the hearing the next day. Mark said he thought he could get them to drop the case.
She was praying Mark was correct and the whole mess could be left behind them. She wanted nothing more than to have a worry free and normal life. She was a little afraid though, after the danger went away Mark wouldn’t feel the marriage was necessary.
They’d only been married a few days and it would destroy her if he asked her to get an annulment. She was strong though and could make it through anything, as long as she had her son with her.
They walked into the fancy attorney’s office, holding hands, showing a united front. She was shaking on the inside but to anyone looking at them, she looked confident and at ease. She was thankful no one could see the pounding of her heart.
“Just breathe,” Mark whispered to her as they neared the conference room.
“I’m trying.”
They were led into a huge room with a square table surrounded by chairs. There were two extremely well dressed men sitting at one end, otherwise the room was empty.
Mark led her over to the chairs next to the men and sat down. A woman came in bringing coffee and tea. There were several baked goods sitting out as well but there was no way Emily would be able to get anything down her throat. She was barely even able to sip the coffee and did so more to occupy her hands than for any other reason.
“Thank you for arriving early Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. We have the papers all drawn up and the investigators report. I think this meeting will go in your favor and you can put all this behind you and get on with your lives,” the older gentleman said.
Emily was a bit confused, as there hadn’t been much time for Mark to fill her in on everything. He’d told her a private investigator had been hired to look into the Jacksons past and current lives but she didn’t know much beyond that.
Mark glanced through the papers and then sat back with a huge smile on his face. “You’ve done your usual amazing job Dillon, thank you,” Mark said.
Emily looked at him questioningly but at that moment her ex in-laws stepped through the door with their attorney. Mrs. Jackson glared at both Emily and Mark but didn’t say anything as they moved around the table to sit across from them.
“Hello I’m Mr. Abrams and I’m representing Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. I’m glad you wanted to meet before the hearing, as this could speed things up. My clients went through the legal system to secure custody of their poor and neglected grandson. Ms. Jackson, um excuse me, Mrs. Anderson now, thought she was above the law and fled. It’s pretty cut and dry she’s not fit to raise the child. We have agreed to a supervised visitation schedule, which I think is more than generous, considering the circumstances,” the man said as soon as were seated.
Mark smiled at the attorney and at the Jackson’s. So they thought by jumping right in and going for intimidation was their best tactic, well they had never dealt with a man as powerful as him before. He found he was actually enjoying himself.
He glanced over at Emily and saw the fear in her eyes and his enjoyment evaporated. He may have been used to dealing with crooked people but she wasn’t and he needed to remember that. He placed his hand on her leg and gave it a reassuring squeeze, to let her know it would all be okay.
“Mr. Abrams, I don’t want this to turn into a power match, so we’re going to get right to the point. We have documentation here showing the harassment your clients have done to Mrs. Anderson. We also have witness statements from personal friends of the Jacksons, showing they’ve shown no interest in the child, ever. Here’s the video from the wedding showing Mrs. Jackson’s true intentions for taking custody of the child,” their attorney began.
“This is all hearsay and you know it,” Mr. Abrams said, seemingly unconcerned.
“We also hired a private investigator, who has managed to find some interesting information on how Mr. Jackson runs his business,” the attorney said and passed copies of all the evidence. Emily watched as both Mr. and Mrs. Jackson turned white as they glanced down at the papers before them.
Their attorney, who had seemed so confident and smug only moments before, now looked confused as he bent his head to speak privately with his clients. Mark sat back and watched them try and regroup. Their own attorney said nothing else as they waited for the full realization of the situation to set it.
“This has nothing to do with the custody case,” Mr. Abrams sputtered, trying to recover from the shock.
“You’re very correct that it doesn’t have anything to do with the custody case but Trevor has nothing to do with the case either. The Jackson’s are trying to take custody for some sort of position within their community, or for revenge but not out of concern for the child. My client’s a loving mother and isn’t going to relinquish custody. If your clients want to pursue this matter further, then we will bring all of this evidence to court. If they would like to go ahead and sign these papers here, giving up this battle, we’ll leave them alone,” their attorney said, with a deadly calm.
Emily realized why Mark had chosen this particular law firm. The men were really good at their job. She was actually starting to have some real hope.
“We will return in a moment. I need some time to talk privately with my clients,” Mr. Abrams said, as he stepped out of the room with her ex in-laws.
Mark turned to smile at her. “We have them on the run. This will all be over in a matter of minutes,” he reassured her.
“Are you sure?”
“They’ve never wanted Trevor. They just wanted to play some power game with you and they’ve lost. They’re going to have no choice but to admit defeat,” he reassured her.
Emily wouldn’t celebrate until the paper was signed. If and when it was, then she’d jump up and down for joy. She warily eyed the Jacksons and their attorney as they walked back into the room. They seemed older to her somehow, as they stepped through those doors.
There was no glaring this time around. No one even made eye contact as they made their way back to the table and sat down.
“My clients have agreed to sign the documents, so long as you sign a paper saying you’ll never pursue this other matter,” Mr. Abrams quietly said.
Their attorneys looked over at them and Mark shook his head yes. “Done,” the attorneys said. It was all over within a few minutes and Emily found herself sitting alone with Mark.
“It really is done?” she asked him.
“Yes, they can’t come after you again. They’ve relinquished all rights to Trevor,” he reassured her.
“Thank you so much Mark. I don’t know how I can possibly repay you,” she gasped. She threw her arms around him and held on tight, as the tears of relief washed down her face. He rubbed her back, as she let the joy and sorrow wash through her.
“Now that all of this mess is over, how about we start our honeymoon?” he asked her.
Emily looked into her strong husband’s eyes and was in total conflict. She wanted to be rushed off to a romantic location, where they could lay by the beach for hours, making love all night but the mother in her needed to hold her son and be reassured they rea
lly were going to be together, with no chance of him being taken away.
Mark saw the turmoil in her face and was one step ahead of her. He’d known she would want to be with her son. He knew Emily more than she realized.
“Why don’t we start with a nice lunch? You’ve barely eaten the last couple of days,” he said.
Emily realized she was starving. The stress of the upcoming court battle had taken all appetite away and now, with it over she could clear out an entire buffet table.
“That sounds great. I could really use some Mexican food,” she said hopefully.
“Great, then I know the perfect spot to take you,” he told her and hailed a cab once they got outside.
He brought her to a great little Mexican cantina and Emily gobbled down almost the entire bowl of chips and salsa. She laughed a little sheepishly and shrugged at him.
They sat there, right on the beach with the wind blowing over the patio and had a few margaritas, eating far too much food and Emily felt pretty good. She was anxious to get to her son though.
“Can we head back tonight?” she asked Mark.
“I want to show you something first,” he said to her.
“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly.
He paid the bill and then headed out to the street to call another cab. It pulled up in front of a fancy hotel and Emily had to fight her disappointment. She did love Mark and spending time with him was always amazing but she wanted to reassure herself her son was safe. She needed to hold him in her arms.
She followed Mark inside and resigned herself to seeing her son the next day. Mark was tired and didn’t want to make the return flight home. She could understand that.
Mark stepped through the lobby and around the back of the hotel, through a double set of doors. They were standing at a huge pool with slides, diving boards and fountains. There was even a little bar floating in the middle of it all.
“Wow Mark, that’s the coolest pool I’ve ever seen,” she said.
“I thought you may like that,” he said with a wink.