It Happens

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  Pete scrubbed his face.

  “And he moved into her attic,” he said, sounding sick again.

  I could concur with his feelings. I hadn’t gotten rid of the stomach ache since I’d started listening to his explanations.

  “What about the murders?” Pete asked quietly.

  “Confessed to all of those, too.” Castiel stepped out of the interrogation room, closing the door hard as he moved past the doorway. “The first one, the governor’s kid? Saw Crest coming out of Jubilee’s house. Plus, he hadn’t really liked him because of the way he treated her. That was his first murder. The next four were spur of the moment, he said. People he saw on his way out of town that had pissed her off or hurt her in some way.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose.

  “That bastard.”

  I looked over to find Jubilee standing there, looking so mutinous that I would’ve feared for Crest’s safety had he not been in a locked room.

  “Come here, baby,” I ordered, holding out my hand.

  She came, zero hesitation, and buried her face into my pecs.

  “I hate him,” she murmured. “Why would he do this?”

  “Because he’s a sick motherfucker,” I said, no answer other than that. “I don’t know why. Hell, we might never know why. He’s just not wired right.”

  “Which’ll give him a good insanity game,” Castiel murmured. “If this doesn’t end in that, I’ll be surprised.”

  ***

  “Do you think that he’ll get let off?” she asked worriedly.

  “He won’t be let off,” I told her. “But he’ll probably spend the rest of his years in a very cushy prison that’s disguised as a psychiatric hospital. He has the money.”

  She sighed and buried her face into my chest.

  My hand came up automatically and started to shift through her hair. Which caused her to snuggle in deeper.

  “Do you think that we could go for a ride tomorrow?” she whispered. “I know we just got back…but I want to get away.” She paused. “And I want to move. I can’t live there anymore. I’ll have to go look for another rental.”

  I shook my head. “You’re moving in here.”

  She sighed. “I wasn’t looking for a handout.”

  “It’s not a handout,” I informed her. “It’s a ‘you’re staying here because I fucking want you here’ thing.”

  She snickered. “Whatever.”

  Chapter 23

  You need to brush your hair.

  -things Zee thought he’d never have to say to his woman

  Zee

  6 months later

  Castiel was right.

  The insanity plea was the first thing out of the lawyer’s mouth the moment that we got to trial six months later.

  All in all, we were prepared for this. We knew that it was coming.

  The lawyers all around hadn’t been secretive in how they were going to play this.

  In fact, they’d tried to settle it out of court, but Crest DeLoe had refused any and all plea bargains and deals because he ‘needed it to go to court.’

  My guess was that he just wanted to see Jubilee again, which pissed me off.

  But unfortunately, since she was a large part of the case, she didn’t have the option of not being there. She was subpoenaed and everything.

  Even if we wanted to bury our heads in the sand, we couldn’t. Not that she would have, though I might’ve wanted her to.

  “If all evidence has been presented, we shall let the jury go to deliberation.” The judge picked up his gavel and slammed it down hard.

  The sound was so final that I flinched.

  Jubilee’s hand came to mine, and I looked over at the woman that had become such a big part of my heart.

  “You okay?” she asked, concern filling her face.

  I winced. “I was thinking that I should be asking you the same thing.”

  Her grin was small, but it was there.

  “I’m ready for it all to be over.” She paused. “And I’m thinking that I need to take a nap when this is all over. A long, drawn out, sleep-way-too-late nap.”

  I pulled her into my chest, my chin going to the top of her head.

  My beard mingled with her long hairs, and she snorted as she batted it away.

  I rubbed it more, causing her to break away with a giggle.

  “Stop!” she whispered harshly. “You’re messing up my hair.”

  I inspected said messed up hair, and rolled my eyes.

  “Your hair is a mess anyway, darlin’. How would you ever know?” I teased.

  She pinched me, glaring at me with a death stare as she did.

  I flinched away from her, laughing now.

  “I’m going to punch you in the junk,” she threatened.

  “You wouldn’t dare. You like it too much,” I countered.

  And she did. She loved it, in fact.

  Over the last six months, there were many times for me to find out just how much she liked it.

  “I’d miss it while it was gone…”

  “Children.”

  We both looked over our shoulders at our parents that were sitting in the row behind us.

  “What?” we both asked at the same time.

  “Is there ever a time that y’all are going to behave and act like decent human beings?” my mother asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “At our funerals.”

  My mom rolled her eyes.

  “When are y’all going to get married?” my dad asked.

  I glared at him. “When I ask her.”

  “Which he’s never going to do,” Jubilee said. “He likes that we’re living in sin.”

  I snorted and looked away, a movement catching my eye.

  I narrowed my eyes at the man that was staring at us with an intense expression on his face.

  I bared my teeth when he didn’t look away.

  “Stop,” Jubilee whispered.

  I growled and looked away, hating the fact that that man was going to get a light sentence due to his mental state.

  I didn’t have to be in that chamber where the jury was deliberating. I knew what was going to happen.

  And I had my suspicions confirmed moments later when they came out and handed the judge the verdict.

  “We find the defendant guilty.” She paused. “But we also find him mentally unstable enough that we feel that he would be better off in a mental facility.”

  Though the mental facility was ‘for life’ it still felt like a loss.

  “That sucks,” Jubilee muttered as we got up to leave the courtroom five minutes later.

  We were just passing the first row that would lead us out of this fucked up place when a voice stopped us both in our tracks.

  “I lied about something else.”

  I turned and looked at Crest, feeling my hand tighten into a fist.

  “What?” Jubilee said, sounding tired.

  “You’re not really infertile. I just told you that because you were kind of wild.”

  With that he walked away, leaving both Jubilee and me stunned silent.

  “That’s a bitch thing to do,” she finally said. “But…I think he was right.”

  I looked down at her.

  “Why?”

  “Because we haven’t gotten pregnant in six months of unprotected sex,” she answered. “Not to mention my periods have been wonky since it happened.”

  “Then we’ll go get tested.”

  Chapter 24

  Quick grammar lesson:

  Doesn’t = does not

  They’re = they are

  You’re = you are

  My fire = the one desire

  Believe = when I say

  I want it = that way

  -Text from Jubilee to Turner

  Jubilee

  6 weeks later

  “Jubilee.” Zee ran up and lifted me up off my feet. “Sorry I’m late. I got s
topped by a wreck.”

  I patted his head and said, “It’s okay. I just got here myself.”

  “Good.” He looked at the innocuous brick building. “I’m nervous.”

  “Me, too,” I said as I stared at the building right along with him. “What if they say that I’m infertile and I’m never having kids?”

  “What if they say you’re not?” he countered.

  I pursed my lips.

  “I guess it’s not really going to change how we live our lives,” I admitted. “I’m just sick to my stomach, worried that this is going to be the confirmation that it really is as bad as I think it is.”

  I drew in a deep breath and let it out, but he stopped me before I could take a step toward the front door.

  “Baby, wait,” he said.

  I took another deep breath and turned back to him, blinking rapidly when he wasn’t on his feet at my side, but on his knee with a black box in his hand.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  His grin was devilish.

  “What does it look like I’m doing, sweet cheeks?” he asked.

  “It looks like you’re finally growing a pair and asking me to marry you,” I teased.

  His grin was bright and magical—at least to me.

  “Then you’d be right,” he countered. “I was going to ask you yesterday, but then I got that call that took me back out before I’d even gotten home. Then you were gone this morning to work on that dead guy, and I never got my chance to do it. I wanted you to know that, no matter what that doctor says in there, that my choice is you. Kids or no kids.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  “Okay, you’ll marry me, or okay, that’s okay?”

  I snatched up the ring box and practically ripped the ring from the velvet pouch.

  Seconds later, the ring was on my finger where it belonged for always, and I was throwing myself into his arms.

  “You sure do know how to make a girl happy,” I whispered fiercely into his ear.

  We walked into the doctor’s office hand in hand with smiles on our faces.

  Three hours later, we walked out frowning.

  “I don’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad,” I admitted. “I was right about my ability to conceive naturally.”

  “True,” Zee said, squeezing my hand lightly. “But you also found out that invitro-fertilization was possible. That you could successfully carry a child to term. That’s better than never at all.”

  I frowned down at the white sheet in my hand. “It’s expensive.”

  “It is,” he agreed. “But I think it’ll be worth it.”

  He was not wrong about that.

  “I want to marry first,” I told him. “I want to do this,” I shook the paper at him. “But I want to get married. I want to make sure he or she is legitimate before we go any further with this.”

  He winked at me. “I know a judge.”

  I shook my head.

  “You’re not getting off the hook that easily,” I informed him. “I want a big wedding. I want a hall that holds three hundred. I want a five-tiered wedding cake and goddamn doves.”

  He looked at me like I’d said something he couldn’t comprehend.

  “Doves?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I want it all. I want the big wedding. I want to spend twenty grand. I want to have my daddy walk me down the aisle. I want my mother to help pick out my wedding dress.”

  He frowned.

  “Why?” he asked. “That’s not you…at least I didn’t think it was you.”

  I reached Zee’s bike and turned on my heels, leaning my butt against the seat but not straddling it.

  “It’s not necessarily my idea of a good time,” I explained. “But…Annmarie wanted that. Annmarie was going to give that to my mom and dad…and I want to do that. I want them to have the memories.”

  “This wedding is about you, not them.” He sounded like he was getting pissed now.

  The smile that lit my lips was warm. “I know. I also know that I want it. I may not have wanted it then, but I want it now.”

  I didn’t know how to explain it, either. Only that this was what I wanted, and hopefully it would be what I’d get.

  ***

  5 months later

  It was exactly like I’d envisioned it, down to the five-tiered cake, and the huge poofy wedding dress.

  The train could seriously rival Princess Kate’s.

  “This is utterly ridiculous,” my father grumbled as he held me tight.

  I kind of agreed.

  Somewhat.

  What he said was true. The train of my gown really was long, heavy, and awkward. Also known as ‘utterly ridiculous.’

  My thighs were literally burning due to all the weight I was having to pull with me in my spiked four-inch heels.

  “Do I look bad?” I asked nervously as the door started to swing open.

  “Don’t be dumb,” my father said. “You’re goddamn beautiful.”

  My heart throbbed in my chest as I looked up at my father, who was looking down at me with such adoration in his eyes that it was almost hard to look back at him.

  “I love you, Daddy.”

  He winked. “Love you, too, baby girl. Now, go knock him dead.”

  I snickered and turned to see that the doors were now all the way open, and Ezekiel was standing at the end of the aisle, dressed up in a goddamn tux that was made for him.

  I waved at him, causing him to chuckle.

  “I think he likes my dress,” I told my dad.

  And then we started walking.

  I made it about three feet before I realized that there was just no way that I was going to be able to make it without some sort of help.

  I looked over at the first man I saw, Liner, and said, “Do you think you can pick my train up and help me walk?”

  Liner, who was dressed in a dark pair of blue jeans, a button-down black shirt, and a ball cap, stood up and immediately grabbed my train.

  The moment that the weight was lifted, I picked up speed.

  And when I finally made it to my husband, it was to see him smiling so wide I could see almost every single tooth on the top row.

  “You’re trying not to laugh at me, aren’t you?” I accused, mock glaring at him.

  He shook his head, the smile dimming down to a more manageable level.

  “No,” he said. “I’m just glad that you finally made it.”

  ***

  6 months later

  “That’s it?” I asked carefully.

  The doctor smiled. “That’s it. Now we have to wait and see if the procedure took.”

  I.e., if I was actually pregnant.

  I looked over at Zee, who was busy reading a stack of reports.

  There’d been a slew of murders that the sheriff’s department, Bear Bottom Police Department, and a few other law enforcement agencies had been working on that had almost kept him from coming today.

  Though, Zee would never allow me to go through anything on my own. Not if he could help it.

  He looked up right then from his report and smiled.

  I may not have had his full attention throughout the entire thing, but I had enough that I could tell he was excited.

  I was, too.

  I just hoped it worked.

  If there was one thing on this earth that I wanted more than my husband, it was to carry his babies.

  Epilogue

  If repeating the same sentence twelve times and having your husband say ‘you never said that’ sounds like fun, then marriage is for you.

  -Text from Jubilee to Turner

  Jubilee

  5 years later

  “Mom, can you open this,” my daughter, Aggie, asked.

  Aggie wasn’t her real name. Her real name was Agnes after Zee’s grandmother. However, a little over a month ago she’d requested to be called Agg
ie, and not seeing the harm in it for just our role-playing game where she forced me to drink fake tea, I’d messed up.

  Because now, she was still going by Aggie or she wasn’t answering at all, and I was forced to do her bidding, or she’d refuse to do what I asked.

  “Your father is literally in his chair doing nothing. Take it to him,” I said as I folded a towel that was still warm from the laundry.

  Aggie looked at her father, who was indeed sitting in his chair doing nothing, then gave me a pointed look that clearly said, “Daddy isn’t good enough to open this juice box.”

  I sighed and held out my hand. She placed her juice box into it, and I ripped off the straw and jabbed it into the foil-covered hole.

  “There,” I said, handing it back.

  She took it and started to leave, but Zee’s deep voice stopped her.

  “What do you say?” he rumbled menacingly.

  “Thank you?” Aggie asked it like it was a question.

  My lips twitched in laughter.

  “Yes,” Zee grumbled.

  I turned back to the laundry, and Zee, who’d gotten out of his chair to fetch a beer, went back out to the living room where I could no longer see him.

  I heard the chair squeak as he sat, though. Then the clunk-clunk of the ottoman being pulled closer so he could get comfortable once again.

  Aggie cleared her throat and I glanced down at her.

  “Do you have anything you’d like to say?” she pushed.

  I folded the next towel before I answered her.

  “You’re welcome?” I guessed.

  “Yes.” She turned up her nose and walked back into the kitchen, drinking the stupid juice box before she’d even gotten four steps in.

  Honestly, I was confused as to why Zee had bought her the thing since she had zero chance of making those things last for longer than three seconds flat, but whatever.

  That was also why he was the favorite.

  He got them whatever they wanted and didn’t care how much it cost in the process.

  Or whether it caused diabetes.

  Ultimately, Zee had been a really good father.

  So good, in fact, that the kids preferred him way more than they loved me.