Venus rising boxset, p.111
Venus Rising Boxset, page 111
“That I lost so much time with him is one of my greatest regrets, but I can see the people who were a part of his life during that time have also become his family, and I am so grateful to you all for taking care of him when I didn’t.”
The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks and Chris’ as well. He wanted to get up and hug her or to reassure her he understood, but he was frozen in place.
“I am looking forward to getting to know you all, and I hope I can become a true part of this family Chris has made for himself.”
That was about all Jessica could take, apparently. She jumped up and pulled Chris’ mom in a massive hug, which caused both of them to burst into tears. Chris was moving before he could think about it, so he could wrap his arms around them both. A moment later, he felt Justin there as well, completing the group hug.
With all his family and friends around him, giving him all their love and support, Chris wasn’t sure it was possible to feel any happier. Maybe he’d find out tomorrow.
Steve
Pulling up in front of the Georgetown house, Steve wished he could turn back the clock a few hours. The rehearsal dinner had been fun, despite the fact he was getting really tired of crying this week, and he’d cried yet again.
Hopefully, tonight wouldn’t lead to more tears.
“Should we wait for Chris?” his mom fretted, fussing with her purse in her lap.
During the afternoon, Chris had managed to convince both of them to come and stay at his house while he, Justin, and Jessica were on their honeymoon.
“You’ll be doing us a favor since we never arranged for a house sitter,” he’d said. Which hadn’t fooled any of them—Steve was sure if they’d wanted a house sitter, someone would have stayed there. But it was a fiction that allowed their mom to accept and gave them time to figure out where they were going to go next.
Especially since it was free, and Steve was unlikely to have a job with the senator after this weekend.
They’d decided the best thing to do was surprise the senator. Show up, grab what they wanted, and get out. Neither he nor his mom wanted much, but they’d need help, so Chris and Justin had asked some of their friends to come along.
Jessica was spending the night with Hilary. Apparently, she didn’t want Justin and Chris to see her tomorrow morning until she was walking down the aisle. Steve thought it was pretty cute that she was following a lot of the little wedding traditions for her very untraditional wedding.
“Do you think it will be easier with or without him?” Steve asked, looking up at the house. He didn’t see any lights, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. The senator’s home office was at the back of the house, so it wouldn’t be visible from the street.
Of course, Steve didn’t know if he was actually here or out fucking his campaign manager again. For the first time, he hoped for the latter.
Mom chewed on her lower lip for a long moment. “I honestly don’t know,” she said finally. “You were right. Jessica seems like a nice girl. Very normal.”
The abrupt change in conversation didn’t throw Steve. It was something his mom often did when she was uncomfortable—like mother, like son. The senator and Chris were the confrontational ones. Except Chris used his powers for good, while the senator used his to mow down people in his path.
“She is. That was a nice speech you made.” He wondered if she meant all of it, but he didn’t ask. Hmm… there was that nonconfrontational thing again. Maybe he should work on that. “Did you mean all of it?”
“Yes.” She sighed. “It’s... odd, but it’s not my life. I just want my children to be happy. If this is what makes Chris happy, I’ll get used to it.”
“What about you?” he asked, emboldened by the fact she’d answered his first question. “Don’t you want to be happy?”
This time she paused before answering. “I just don’t want to be miserable.” The unspoken ‘anymore’ at the end of that confession made him want to storm into the house and punch the senator in the face.
He made himself a promise—he was going to make it his mission to make sure his mom found some happiness for herself. Come hell or high water.
A mission that became much more complicated thirty seconds later when the senator came barreling out of the house at the exact moment Chris and Justin came walking up the street, having parked a little further down. Quickly, Steve opened the door and got out, anticipating the upcoming explosion and determined to shield his mom from it.
Chris
“Where the hell have you been?”
The question wasn’t yelled, it was hissed, quietly. The senator was all about appearances. He looked the same as Chris remembered, maybe a little more disheveled because he’d taken off his tie, and his face had some stubble because it was so late at night. Actually, Chris was surprised he had come outside to confront Mom and Steve since that meant risking the neighbors overhearing.
The senator’s next statement answered that question.
“Why the hell have you just been sitting out here in the car? Get inside now!”
They must have been sitting in the car until the senator saw them and came out. He pointed at the house, and for a moment, Chris thought his mom was going to fold. Instead, she just stared mutely at her husband, lips pressed together, white faced, frozen in place. Steve looked just as pale although he stepped forward to do battle.
But Chris couldn’t let him do that. The two of them had been on the front line with the senator for long enough. It was his turn now.
“Yes, Mom, Steve. Go on into the house and start gathering your things. Our friends will be here in a minute to help you.”
For the first time in his life, Chris got to see someone actually sputter.
The senator jumped at the voice of someone else, realizing he wasn’t as alone on the street as he’d thought, then he jerked with shock when he realized who was speaking, confusion and rage taking over.
“You… gathering… don’t… What?”
“I’m leaving you, Thomas,” Mom said, still pale, but her words were succinct and clear. “The boys are here to help me gather my things.”
“You… Leaving? You can’t!” More sputtering, then the senator seemed to get a grip on himself. “You aren’t going anywhere!”
“Yes, she is,” Steve said firmly, drawing himself up. “And so am I.”
“You can’t leave me. You’ll have nothing.” Suddenly red-faced, the senator shook his fist at Mom, advancing toward her, which had Steve moving quickly in front of her and Chris jumping forward. As if realizing what he was doing, the senator jerked to a halt. “You won’t see a dime from me!”
“She won’t need it,” Chris said coldly, moving to stand side-by-side with Steve, facing off with his father.
“Your wife is leaving you, and your first thought is to try to hold her hostage with money,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Not to profess your love, not to ask her why, not to try to keep her, no, you want to blackmail her and make her destitute if she doesn’t do what you say. Nice family values, Dad.”
Looking like he was about to blow his top, the senator jabbed his finger at Steve. “A good Christian wife doesn’t desert her husband!”
“A good Christian husband doesn’t commit adultery with his campaign manager,” Steve snapped back.
The senator’s red face turned white, and he actually stumbled back a step. “I… You… You have no proof of that!”
“Wanna bet?” Steve snarled back, stepping forward. Chris and his mom both reached out, putting placating hands on his shoulders, keeping him near them. “Trust me, Dad, you are not discreet. Half the office knows, they just don’t care about your hypocrisy.”
“You’re fired!” The senator yelled, pointing his finger.
Steve just laughed. “Like I was coming back to work, anyway. You’re an idiot, Senator.”
“You are not my son!”
“Then this seems like a great time to tell you that I’m gay,” Steve said it matter-of-factly—he didn’t have anything left to lose.
The senator made a sound like a dying rhino, his upset so complete, he’d apparently lost the capacity for words. He actually clutched at his chest.
Stumbling back, he shook his head. “You can’t... I won’t... Get out! Go away!”
“We just need to get our things, then yes, we’re gone,” Mom said, stepping forward with her chin in the air. Chris and Steve let her move, although they flanked her on either side, ready to defend her if the senator made the wrong move.
“Hell, no, you want to leave me? You’ll get nothing but the clothes you’re wearing,” the senator snapped.
“Actually, she’ll get quite a bit more than that.” Freddy’s voice cut through the night air, full of amusement.
The senator looked like he was about to keel over when he saw the group of men watching. Justin stood at the front of them, silently videotaping the scene with his phone. Next to him, Freddy was resplendent in the pink suit with white shirt, tie, and shoes he’d been wearing for the rehearsal. The senator’s eyes locked on him in horror and couldn’t seem to look away.
“I should tell you, I’m from Addison, O’Shane, and Smith, and we’ll be representing Mrs. O’Neal in legal matters.”
The senator gaped, although Chris wasn’t sure if he was freaking out about Freddy’s outfit or his announcement. Jennifer Addison was well known as being a particularly brutal divorce lawyer with a special love for ensuring non-working partners received their full benefits from their ex-spouse.
Freddy smiled beautifully, gesturing to the man standing next to him.
“And this is Detective Kincaid Cavill of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, who is here to ensure Mrs. O’Neal is able to gather her things without incident.”
Turning a pasty white, the senator stumbled back. Drawing himself up, he opened his mouth, shut it, then turned around and marched inside. Chris wondered if he’d try to lock the door behind him, but he didn’t. Probably thought it would make too much noise.
After that, everything moved quickly.
Kincaid parked himself outside of the senator’s office to make sure he didn’t come back out. They could all hear him shouting through the door as they walked by, and Chris was pretty sure he heard something being thrown against the wall. As long as he kept it to his office, none of them were going to intervene. If he tried to come back out… well, that’s why Kincaid was there.
Since all of Chris and Justin’s friends had shown up, with the empty trunks of their cars available, it didn’t take long for them to pack up everything his mom and Steve wanted to take with them. They even managed to get the antique furniture from his mom’s side of the family into the back of Andrew’s truck, so she didn’t have to leave it behind.
That was when she finally broke down and cried again, this time out of relief. Chris hugged her, and Freddy reassured her she could take anything she wanted. He was pretty sure Freddy would have called every Dom and sub in Stronghold to bring their cars if she’d needed more room.
Before leaving, Chris knocked on the senator’s office door.
“What?” The man snarled the word from inside, but he didn’t open the door.
Truthfully, Chris hadn’t expected him to.
“I just want you to know we caught everything from earlier on video,” Chris said calmly but tightly. He wasn’t even sad about the lack of reconciliation with his father. When it came down to it, the senator hadn’t really been much of a dad. He didn’t feel the same kind of pain being estranged from him as he had from his mom and brother. “We don’t care about you, other than making sure mom gets a fair shake from having put up with you all these years. But if you try to smear her publicly, if you do anything to try to make her or us look bad, I will send that video to every news station in the country. Got it?”
“Get out!”
The outrage in the senator’s voice made it clear—he got it.
Feeling oddly lighter, Chris left the Georgetown house for the last time.
Chapter 15
Jessica
Her wedding day started out with a major gossip session because, of course, Jessica had missed all the drama last night when she’d gone off with Hilary. She was kind of mad Justin and Chris hadn’t told her what was going down until afterward. She would have been there with them otherwise. Of course, that was exactly why they hadn’t told her.
Olivia was incensed she’d been left out of the ‘fun.’ She and Luke had left right after the dinner to go walk his dog, Molly, so she and Jessica bitched together about the guys going off without them.
All the while, everyone rotated through the hair and makeup stations—two of each—and the table where brunch was spread out. Unlike the ladies at the nail salon the day before, the stylists were all reacting to the conversation as well as adding their own thoughts.
Thankfully, everyone who knew Chris’ dad was a Senator was smart enough not to drop that tidbit in front of strangers. The stylists obviously just all thought he was a rich douchebag.
They weren’t wrong.
“Okay, everyone,” said Myra, Jessica’s wedding planner, glancing at her watch. In her forties, she was blonde, petite, and generously curved, and one of the most scarily organized people Jessica had ever met. She’d been recommended by Sharon and hadn’t batted an eye at the idea of a triad ceremony. She could also rival Olivia for sheer bossy power. “Jessica’s parents are on their way up, and Justin and Chris will be on site in five minutes to start the before-ceremony pictures.” She gave Jessica a pointed look. “That means no wandering around for you.”
Even though Jessica hadn’t left the “bride” room since she’d arrived, and didn’t intend to, she still just nodded, gulping. Knowing Justin and Chris were almost there made her feel completely giddy. “Yes, ma’am.”
Myra gave her a sunny smile.
“I guess that’s my cue,” Olivia said, standing up. Her red hair was pulled back in an elegant knot with just a few tendrils wisping around her face, highlighting her grey eyes. Since she was a groomswoman, she’d chosen to wear a grey tux like the rest of the groomsmen. They all had navy blue ties to match the bridesmaid dresses and pink boutonnieres to match the bouquet. She grinned, sauntering over in her heels to bend down slightly in front of Jessica and cup her cheeks, resting her forehead against Jessica’s, so their faces were only a few inches apart.
“See you at the end of the aisle, sweetie. I’m going to go taunt Justin and Chris with the fact I know what you look like right now.”
She winked and straightened, making Jessica laugh. That would definitely drive them crazy. Olivia blew kisses to everyone and headed out the door to join the guys. Jessica was actually a little jealous of her.
It had been her decision not to see them today until she was walking down the aisle, but that was still hours away, and she missed them. Not because they’d been apart for that long, but because this was the biggest event of her life so far, and it was focused around all three of them, yet they were currently separated.
That they got to hang out together all day didn’t interfere with her envy.
“How am I supposed to drink my mimosa now?” Kate asked, looking slightly perplexed and drawing Jessica out of her thoughts. Hair and makeup done, she’d put on her dress, then apparently realized her blunder.
“Like this,” Lexie said, leaning forward in an exaggerated manner, pursing her lips to reach the glass as she held it way out in front of her, her free hand pulling the long skirt back.
She looked ridiculous, but there was no chance of spilling her drink on her dress.
“Or just take off your dress,” Angel pointed out practically. She had her hair and makeup done, too, but she wasn’t getting in her dress until the last minute. There was too great a chance of baby Melody spitting up or drooling on it otherwise.
“Get naked, get naked!” Sharon chanted from her makeup chair, cracking up her stylist while the others joined in on the chant, and Kate started gyrating her hips while unzipping the back of her dress.
Goddamn, she loved her friends.
Justin
“You’re getting married today.”
Chris grinned at him. “No, you’re getting married today.”
“No, you’re getting married today.” Justin felt like his face might crack open, he was smiling so hard.
“You’re both idiots who are getting married today,” Steve said, sounding exasperated. “Would you stop that? It was old after the first time.”
Maybe to Steve, but he and Chris found it hilarious.
It was hard not to feel on top of the world. He was getting married to the woman of his dreams, with the best partner he could ask for by his side. The only thing that would make today better was if the minutes could move a little faster to the time Jessica was actually walking down the aisle toward them.
Then it could slow right the hell down.
Feminine laughter made both Justin and Chris snap their heads around.
“It’s your moms, not the bridal party,” Olivia said, looking amused.
The grooms and their party had been stuffed in a windowless room near the lobby, so the bridal party could move freely for their pre-ceremony pictures. Jessica’s bossy wedding planner had threatened death and destruction on any groom caught leaving the room. Since there was an attached bathroom, they had no good excuse to try to get out.
Which was probably good. Justin wouldn’t have tried to sneak a peek at Jessica, but Chris might have. There was just something about being told not to do something that turned his partner into a little kid again.
Although he felt a bit like a little kid again, too when his mom walked in and looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. She looked incredible in a maroon gown that was all lace on the top and some kind of softer looking material down the skirt. Her hair had been pulled half back and waved down to her shoulders, and she was practically glowing with happiness.
