and I wanted to rip you off that stage. You are my wife, my wife…”
My words warn her in exactly five seconds I will come undone.
It rips through me brutally and with so much force, my legs begin to shake, struggling to keep my balance and gripping onto the wall for support.
Around me, she clenches while whimpering. My entire body jerks forward, sensitive to the slightest touch. We stand for a moment, catching our breaths until Charlotte admits she knows about the Viagra.
“Charlotte, I can guarantee even without it, I would have fucked you into oblivion. Oh, and have I already told you that you look beautiful tonight?”
“Yes, but only like a hundred times. I may need to hear it again to be sure.”
“Hmm… I married such a smart mouth. Charlotte Edwards, you look beautiful.”
“That’s better, and you, my husband, look like sex on a stick. I’m sorry, you know you look handsome, but this tux is making me insanely horny. There, I said it. Inappropriate for wedding speak, but hey, that’s me.”
“I think our lack of consideration for the sacred wedding celebration was displayed minutes ago, and I’m more than happy to remind you again, should you need it.”
“Now, that’s the Viagra talking.” She giggles.
We head back, and as we resume activities, Rocky is quick to pull me aside. He sniffs my collar like some fucking weirdo.
“Dude, I said ten minutes. What took you so long to blow?” Rocky complains, narrowing his eyes. “I had to do a rendition of Chicago and Barry Manilow.”
“And the crowds are still here?”
“Dude, you smell like pussy.”
I’m ready to smack him in the face when Charlotte drags her mother over to meet me. She clears her throat, and Maria waits patiently for my full attention.
“I know you’ve met before under different circumstances, but Mom, I want to introduce you to my husband, Lex Edwards, and before you start sending him bad karma or shit like that, remember he is the father of our baby as well. So there,” she says matter-of-factly.
To be polite, I lean over to kiss her hello, but exactly like the first time we met, she places her hand over my cheek. I’m trying my best to be respectful, but the resentment toward her is hard to ignore for she is the one who spun her lies about Charlotte moving on. If it weren’t for that, who knows what might have been? Maybe I wouldn’t have wasted eight years wandering the earth like a nomad.
Certain she senses my bitterness toward her, she pulls her hand away immediately. Her face looks disheartened, and she must know she fucked with the universe big time by feeding lies to Adriana and me.
Charlotte is called by Kate.
Before leaving, she whispers, “Let it go.”
How can I let it go? This woman fucking angers me.
“Cometemos errores cuando estamos tratando de proteger a la persona que amamos. We make mistakes when we are trying to protect the person we love.”
“We do make mistakes when we are trying to protect the ones we love. I should know that since I spent eight years trying to fix mine,” I answer bitterly.
“Then, you must understand how I feel.”
“I’m trying. That’s the best I can do.”
“I see things, Alex…”
“Lex,” I correct her.
“You are still Alex in her eyes. You may think you have this new persona, but Charlotte still sees you as Alex. The one she fell in love with. This ‘Lex’ you speak of, he is only capable of hurting her. He became a man lost in a world of deceit and self-destruction. Perhaps you need to look at yourself, find who you really are,” she warns.
“You think I would hurt Charlotte again?”
Who the fuck does this woman think she is! I don’t give one goddamn fuck she is Charlotte’s mother.
“I don’t think, I know,” she tells me.
“Well, you’re wrong, okay?”
“This gift has been passed down from my great aunt. Its force is strong and unbeknown to me at times. The vision is there, blinding me and warning me to inform those in its path.”
“I don’t believe your mumbo jumbo, Maria. I don’t care that you’re Charlotte’s mother. Sounds to me like you’re jealous of your daughter because she found something you haven’t. Don’t poison her mind. Leave her alone and let her make her own decisions.”
Staring blankly into my eyes, her gaze wanders to where Charlotte is standing with Kate. Charlotte is laughing, happy, and content. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever change that again.