A Merry Vested Wedding - Melanie Moreland Page 0,43

“No. Absolutely not.”

Richard shook his hand, the diamonds catching the light. “Explain this!”

Jaxson sighed and dropped his hand. There was nowhere to hide anymore. “We’re not having an affair, Richard. We’re married.”

For a moment, only the sound of Gracie’s sobs filled the air.

From behind us, one of the Callaghan boys muttered, “Well, holy…night. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Then it happened. Richard’s fist shot out so fast, none of us had time to react. I heard the sound of bone meeting bone, and Jaxson stumbled backward, the ring once again hitting the floor. It rolled under the sofa.

My dad sprinted over, wrapping his arms around Richard to hold him back. He was yelling and cursing, trying to get to Jaxson. Oddly enough, Gracie stood, blocking his way as Jaxson straightened up, holding his jaw. Katy stood mute and confused across the room, watching the scene unfold in front of her. My mom stood beside her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders in comfort as Katy covered her mouth.

“Talk about decking the halls,” another voice spoke up.

“I told you this wouldn’t stay secret,” I stated to Addi.

Richard’s wild gaze turned on me. “You knew?” he yelled. “You knew about this?” He struggled harder against my dad’s grip. Dad looked startled then lifted his eyebrows, indicating the door, telling me silently to get out. Others began to file from the room. It was like the proverbial sinking ship. The rats were getting out.

Holy shit.

Another Christmas I was going to have to run for it. At least this time I had my shoes. I grabbed Addi’s hand. “Time to go.”

I tugged her unwillingly behind me. I heard my dad tell Jaxson to get out, and he followed close behind me. We headed to his rental, and I took the keys from his hands. He looked as if he was in shock, and I wasn’t sure he should be driving.

I headed to our house in his SUV, the normally short drive seemingly taking forever. The windows were so covered in snow and ice, visibility was almost nonexistent, and I didn’t stop to scrape them. I pulled up and turned off the engine, grateful to have arrived.

“I should just go,” he muttered.

“You can’t drive in this, Jaxson. It would be suicide.”

We led him inside, and he sat down heavily on the sofa. Addi went and got the ice pack, pressing it to his rapidly swelling cheek.

“Gracie,” he breathed. “I need to go back.”

“No,” I insisted. “You need to stay right here and let Gracie figure this out with her family. You’ll be involved soon enough.”

“What just happened?” he asked in a daze.

I clapped him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family, Jaxson. Brace yourself. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

I sat down, pulling Addi to my lap. “Enjoying your honeymoon?” I quipped, trying to lighten the air. “What’s a family holiday without a secret being leaked and fistfights happening? I mean, usually, it’s the triplets and eggnog is involved, but at least this one was different.”

“This is awful,” she whispered.

“Christmas took an unexpected detour,” I agreed. I hugged her close. “It’s going to be okay, Addi. Somehow, it will be.”

“What are we going to do?”

I looked over at Jaxson. I thought about Gracie’s tears. Richard’s fury. The chaos that had no doubt continued after we’d made our escape. I indicated Jaxson, sitting with his shoulders hunched over on our sofa. I kept my voice low.

“They need to figure it out, Addi. It’s their story to tell. Their future to decide.”

She rested her head on my shoulder. “Will we ever know what happened?”

I had to admit, I hoped so.

It was a tale I wanted to hear.

The Father Circle of Truth

BENTLEY

I stared inside the large, elegant room, watching Addi move around, her dress floating like a cloud around her tiny frame. She looked so much like Emmy did when I married her. Young, beautiful—with her whole life ahead of her.

Where the hell did the time go?

It seemed like only yesterday I was holding her in my arms, cradling her safely. Protecting her from the world. I was the one to slay the monsters under her bed. I held her when she had a nightmare. Kissed away the tears when she scraped her knee. She always looked at me as if I were a hero who could do no wrong. As if I were the center of her universe.

And now, I had been replaced.

I took a long draw on the scotch in my glass, ignoring the cold that surrounded me.

I