by Lane Hart
As I sit at my vanity letting the hairdresser and makeup artist apply their finishing touches, my thoughts once again turn back to Abe. I haven’t heard anything from him since I left him out at Sunset Park. That hard-headed mountain of a man is infuriating, and I can barely control my frustration with him! When he lets his guard down around me, he’s more than I could have ever imagined in a partner. But whenever he gets overwhelmed or even hints at expressing a feeling, he retreats to his big, bad biker persona. It’s a sexy as hell persona, but it’s not one he needs to use to defend himself from his feelings. Especially any feelings he may have for me.
The trailer door opens from the outside, and then my brief moment of peace evaporates into thin air when I see the thin woman with big, poofy, red hair step inside the trailer.
“Mom? What the…what are you doing here?” I ask her while trying to pick my jaw up off the ground.
“Ryan asked if I wanted to come, so of course I told him yes,” she replies. “Don’t you need my help to pick the man you’re gonna spend the rest of your life with?”
“That’s…no, mother. I think I can handle this on my own.”
“Oh really?” she asks while the hairdresser and makeup artist continue working on me.
“Yes. You don’t exactly have the best judge of character.”
She huffs and crosses her arms in front of a floral dress that she’s owned since the eighties. “Why would you say that?”
“Joseph.”
I’m barely able to say his name without shivering in disgust.
“Well? What about him? He’s a good Christian man.”
“He was a stalker, mother! A pervy, psycho, creepy stalker.”
“I beg your pardon,” she starts to say, but I cut her off with details.
“He stole my panties, my worn panties, and left me creepy notes. He was watching me from a roof in my neighborhood! And guess what. He followed me to Vegas! Did you tell him where I was?”
My mother just blinks her green eyes, which I inherited, at me.
“There must be some mistake,” she finally says.
“Nope. No mistake. Joseph won’t make it to church for a while. The Vegas PD locked him up when he hosed down my…my bodyguard with pepper spray in the casino.”
“I-I don’t know what to say,” she mutters, which is definitely a first for my mother. “I’m so sorry, Mercy.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, because I don’t want her to blame herself even though it’s most likely her fault that he always knew where I was.
“I probably should’ve told you that I lost that spare key to your cottage that you gave me,” she tells me softly.
“Yeah, you probably should have,” I agree with a roll of my eyes. Guess that explains how he got in without breaking windows. “Let’s just forget it, okay?”
“Okay,” she agrees with a sheepish nod. For once in her life, I think my mother is embarrassed. “So, are you excited about tonight?” she eventually asks, breaking the silence.
“I’m…nervous,” I admit, but I don’t explain why. What I plan to do could void my contract, and then I would have to pay back money that I’ve already spent on rent and my mother’s bills.
“Oh, Mercy, I would be too! Having those three gentlemen calling on you, all determined to be the best for you…well, it’s overwhelming! I’ll…I’ll be happy for you no matter who you decide to pick.”
“You’ll be happy for me no matter what? You promise?” I ask her.
“Yes.”
Grinning at my mother, I tell her, “I’m gonna hold you to that. If you ever start to slip up, whether it’s today or a year from now, I’ll just say Joseph’s name to remind you that I’m a grown woman and I’m capable of trusting my own gut. And my heart.”
“Okay,” she agrees with a nod right before there’s a hard knock on my trailer door.
“Come in!” I call, and then Randy, the producer’s assistant, cracks open the door.
“The bachelors are ready for you, Miss Daniels. Can you be down in five?” Randy asks.
“Of course, I’m ready now. Right, ladies?”
“Oh, honey, you’re more than ready,” Denise, my makeup artist, says while removing the apron she had tied around me to prevent any powder from falling on my dress.
“You look marvelous!” Andrea, the hairstylist, agrees.
Tonight, I’m wearing a long, sleeveless, red sequined gown, cut low in the front and tight at the hip to emphasize what Ryan had called my “queenly glory.”
“You look beautiful, Mercy,” my mother says when I get to my feet.
“Thanks, Mom. I’m glad you’re here,” I tell her before I go over and give her a hug.
After thanking Denise and Andrea again, I follow Randy out of the trailer and over to the southern garden that’s decorated in a ton of white lights. That’s where we’ll be filming the finale at the ocean overlook. My three suitors are already gathered there in their black tuxes, sipping drinks and chatting amongst themselves. Each of them beams at me as I arrive, coming over to give me a hug, and in Zeke’s case, trying to steal a kiss, which I quickly divert with my cheek before breaking away. I introduce them quickly to my mother before Ryan rushes over and guides me away from the group of men. He leads me to a podium they’ve set up with a heart-shaped pin as big as my palm lying on a square of black velvet.
“All right, Mercy. Thanks again for coming back so quickly so we can get ahead of this with some promos before TMZ or someone else picks up the story. Now, you know what you have to do. You’ll call the first man forward who is not your choice and say a few words to him about the time you spent together. Then, when it’s just the last two, we want you to hesitate a few moments before announcing your choice. We can edit it for a more dramatic pause, so don’t worry about that part too much. Are you ready to make your decision?”
“I am,” I confirm with a smile.
“You going to give me a hint, or are you still insisting on keeping everyone in the dark until the big moment?” he asks with a grin.
“I don’t want you to lose the magic!” I tease him. “You’ll have to wait just a little longer like everyone else.”
“All right, everyone!” Ryan says with a broad smile. “Take your positions. We’re ready to shoot this finale!” The three suitors line up in front of me, and the rest of the crew quickly takes their positions. “Let me get silence on the set, please!” Ryan calls.
Everyone pauses a moment as we all listen to a thunderous rumbling that seems to grow louder before abruptly fading away. Ryan looks around at the crew questioningly; but when he receives only shrugs in reply, he gives an irritated huff and calls, “Action!”
With a nervous smile, I face the three men who made it through all the challenges to stand here before me, hoping to win my heart. Or at least “win” the show, I think cynically. After getting to know each of them, I’m well aware of their motivations. Roman is trying to promote his plastic surgery business; Zeke would love to expand his personal training program; and Vincent, well, Vincent still lives at home with his mother and is just looking for the next female who will take care of him.
With those final thoughts in mind, I take a deep breath before addressing them.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. I want you to know how much I appreciate that you each have given your time and attention to this process while I try to find the King who will win my heart.”
I pause a moment as motion behind the camera crew catches my eye. I smile as I see a commotion going on nearby, and my heart begins to race. I look back down at the suitors gathered before me, these three men with all their false confidence and arrogance. Not one of them has a fraction of what makes Abe so special.
Once I’ve given Ryan his dramatic pause, I continue. “All of you came here with a dream in your hearts. I have narrowed down the bachelors, looking for the one of you who actually dreamed of me and who came here with the intentions of finding love. Only one of the men here has succ
eeded. The rest failed because they came here not to find love, but to find their own fame or pursue their own interests. To most of you, I was only a trophy, your reward for winning a contest.”
I fix each of the men with a cold stare, then address each of them individually. “My heart was never a reward for you to win. My love is a responsibility for you to earn, to cherish and to hold dear every day of your life, not put aside on your mantle and be forgotten when you move on to your next endeavor. This is why there is only one of you who I can truly call my King.”
I glance over to the cameras again and see that Ryan has moved behind the lighting, out to the source of the earlier disturbance. The cameras are still recording, however, and so I take a deep breath to continue just before Abe comes stomping through the garden scene in his jeans, t-shirt and leather cut.
“Mercy!” he yells, drawing the attention of the three men gathered before me.
“What in the world?"
"Who the hell?"
"What’s going on here?”
Everyone begins speaking at once before Abe turns his fearsome glare down on them.
“You know me, you dipshits! Now shut the hell up. I don’t want to hear another word from any of you. I only want to hear her,” Abe says, pointing a thick finger that trembles slightly up to me at the podium. I nearly laugh out loud when I glance over and see the expression on my mother’s face. She’s holding her hand to her chest, most likely from Abe’s dramatic entrance or his dirty mouth. Probably both.
“Abe, I…” I start to tell him that I heard and saw him coming, and what I was planning to do.
“Mercy, wait,” he interrupts me. “Don’t say anything yet. Please, I’m begging you…pick me. I know I’ve been a coward and I don’t deserve you. That’s why I’ve never been able to find the guts to tell you that I want you to be mine, not just now, but forever. I love you, Red, and I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my life. I know I’m not a part of this,” he says, waving a hand around the scenery. “But you are a part of me. You’re the best part of me, a part I didn’t know I was missing. And now that I found you, I never want to let go. Please…” he continues as he strides forward, then falls down on both of his knees before me. “I love you, Mercy Daniels. Please choose me.”
Clutching the red pin in my fist, I take a step forward and fasten it to the “Beard Rides 10 Cents” shirt that Abe’s wearing, rather than put a hole in his beloved leather. “It was always you, Abram Cross. There was never any competition here, and no one else ever had a chance. I love you, Abe, and I only want to be your queen.”
Abe gets to his feet and sweeps me off the ground, cradling me to his chest in his thick, muscular arms. I grab his beard gently and guide his lips to mine for a kiss. We stand there together, only interrupted when Ryan suddenly yells, “Cut! That was awesome, everyone! What a finale! No one will be able to see this ending coming. That’s a wrap, ladies and gentlemen!”
Abe and I break our kiss long enough to see the three suitors sulking away, looking shell-shocked and demanding explanations from the crew as to what the hell just happened to their finale. As Abe sets me back down on my feet but still embraces me, Ryan and my mother both rush over.
“Abe, right? Nice to meet you,” Ryan says in a rush. “Mercy, that was brilliant. Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning? I’m going to make some calls tonight and pitch this immediately. They just told me we have some rough scenes of the big guy trying his hands at a few of the competitions too.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” my mother demands. “Mercy, you’re not seriously…”
“Joseph, Mother. Joseph,” I repeat while glaring at her not to run her mouth. “Meet Abe. Abe, this is my mother, Loretta Daniels.”
“It’s, um, a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Daniels,” Abe says when he reaches out and takes her hand to shake it.
My mother eyes him up and down, jaw gaping for several long moments. I brace myself for impact when she finally decides to speak again.
“Well, you’re a big one, aren’t you?” she says.
“Yes, ma’am. The better to keep your daughter safe.”
“And…do you go to church?” she asks.
“I would go with Mercy,” Abe answers.
“You don’t have to go to church with me,” I tell him.
“Don’t you know I’d do anything for you?” he reminds me with a grin.
“This is just perfect!” Ryan interrupts. “I’m telling you, with just a little bit of rework on that contract extension, My Big, Bad, Biker Boyfriend could be the biggest smash of the fall!”
“What do you think, Abe?” I ask teasingly, guiding his head down for another kiss. “Now that you’re my King, are you up for being my big, bad biker boyfriend too?”
“I’m up for anything as long as it involves you, Red. I finally understand what I’ve been feeling, and this love is something I will never let go.”
“Then let’s get out of here. There will be plenty of time for you to get interrogated by my mother, and we can deal with the contracts later. Tonight, your queen just wants to take a ride with you.”
Epilogue
Abe
Several months later…
“What did you decide to do, wear your ugly Christmas tie?” I ask my brother Gabriel when he meets me outside of the church in a suit with snowmen on his bright red tie.
Dark eyes just like mine look me up and down, taking in my black button-down shirt with black jeans and boots, and then he snorts derisively. “You’re supposed to wear a suit to church, man, especially on Christmas. I know Mercy has explained this to you at some point.”
“I don’t own a suit. Hell, she bought me this shirt. The first time I met her and her mom here for the service I wore one of my t-shirts. Apparently, some of these old birds were scandalized,” I say with a grin as I clap my brother on his arm, then join the line of people slowly making their way into the chapel.
“Mercy and her mom already inside?” Gabe asks.
“Yeah, they’re in there with the camera crew, getting some shots of the holiday service for the show,” I tell him. “Thanks for agreeing to come with me and be a part of this. I still get a little nervous about the cameras, you know?”
“You afraid you’re gonna forget they’re watching and try to adjust your junk on film?” Gabe says with a laugh. “I still can’t believe Torin agreed to this. He really must be in a better mood lately.”
“Yeah, he was cool as long as there were no cameras in any of the club’s private areas and no club business got discussed around the crews,” I agree. “He knew it was a personal favor to me too. I want Mercy to be successful; and if that means going along with this for a few months, I can deal with it.”
“Put your game face on,” Gabe says in mock seriousness as he holds the door to the chapel open for me. “Your adoring fans are waiting.”
Mercy and her mother are just inside with the camera crew, who instantly focus on my brother and I as we enter. With a huge grin, I stomp over and gather Mercy into a hug, giving her a brief kiss.
“She okay, Red?” I whisper to Mercy.
“My mother will be fine. She’s gotten used to you, so meeting Gabe should be easy,” Mercy mumbles in reply before breaking our embrace. “Gabe, thank you so much for coming tonight!” Mercy gushes as she gives my brother a hug.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Gabe tells her. “I love seeing my brother with you and feeling like a part of your family.”
“Well, isn’t he a polite one,” Mercy’s mom says from behind her.
“Gabriel, this is my mother Loretta,” Mercy introduces them, using his fancy biblical name before stepping aside to snuggle up to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Gabe says sincerely, holding out his hand to Loretta. “Your daughter is a treasure, and I can see where she gets her looks!”
“Oh, thank you, Gabriel. What a beautiful name for a beautiful face,” Loretta says with a smile as she pulls Gabe in for
a hug. “I have to tell you it’s good to see more of your kind joining us here at worship.”
Mercy pokes me in the side, and I realize I’m scowling at the mention of your kind, but Gabe doesn’t seem the least bit flustered. Mercy steps away and takes her mother’s arm, turning her towards the rows of pews.
“Shall we go find a place to sit?” Mercy asks, guiding her away under the camera’s watchful eye.
Gabe watches them walk away before turning to me and giving me a half-hearted shrug.
“Your kind,” I snort as I watch Mercy and her mother walk away.
“Abe, it’s fine…” my brother tells me quietly.
“I know,” I snort. “I just don’t like her lumping you in automatically as a biker because you’re with me. Hell, you look good in that suit; and if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were a lawyer or something.”
Gabe just stares at me silently for a long moment before shaking his head and laughing. “Come on, bro, let’s get down there with the ladies before they pick up any more super fans like that dude, Joseph. What happened to him anyway? He still in jail?”
“Oh, yeah. Once he got extradited back to North Carolina, he took a plea to three years, which Mercy was happy about. She didn’t want to have to go to court and see that little bastard anymore. He won’t be a problem for her again. I’m pretty sure I knocked all the love and affection right out of that…”
“Language, please!” Loretta interrupts as we stop beside the pew where she and Mercy are sitting.
“Sorry, Mrs. Daniels,” I grumble as I scoot past her to sit with Mercy.
“Sit here, dear,” Loretta tells Gabe, patting the bench just beside her. As my brother sits down and adjusts his suit jacket with a smile, I put my arm around Mercy and lean in close to take a deep breath of her mango scent.
“They seem to be getting along well,” I whisper.
“I know. Isn’t that awesome?” Mercy gushes. “It may just be because we’re in church. Mom is always on her best behavior here,” she tells me in a low, soft voice.