Unstoppable (26 page)

As I walked into the room, I smiled a genuine smile of pleasure. Ripp was lying on the bed on his back, with Candy on his upper abdomen, stroking her stomach. She was stretched out with her front legs extended as far as they could stretch. Her rear legs flopped to her side; she was as relaxed a she could ever be. Quietly and softly, I got onto the bed and snuggled up beside him.

“She really likes you,” I said as I laid my head on his upper chest and raised my leg onto the top of his thigh.

“I like her too,” he whispered.

“I remember when you didn’t,” I whispered.

He smiled and raised his index finger to his lips, “Shhhh. I don’t want her to hear you.”

I smiled.
Changes.
We all go through them at some point in time. My work days had become far less important since we met. Being my own boss allows me to make my own schedule. I realized after I met Michael just how much of a workaholic I had become. Since that realization, I had scheduled far less work for myself, giving me much more free time. Ripp hadn’t really gone through any changes, or changed the way he was, short of Candy. I didn’t want him to change. I liked him just the way he was. To me, he was a dream. I nestled against him on top of the comforter, and relaxed as his body warmed the surface of my skin.

“So,” he whispered.

I rotated my head across his chest to face him and looked into his eyes.

“With ROT this weekend, my parents decided to have family dinner tomorrow. I know it’s the middle of the week and all, but I was thinking,” he paused.

From what Michael had said, his parents have never officially met a girl he was seeing. He came from a very traditional Texas family, and he felt like bringing a girl around his parents was basically making her part of his family through that introduction. He and Shane attended the dinners, but to Michael, Shane
was
family. His family was all Shane had. They had become his family.

I blinked my eyes and smiled.

“I was uhhm. I was thinking. I want you to come. Come and meet the family,” he smiled.

Holy shit.

I work, in a sense, with the worst assholes on the planet. My clients are drug dealers and murderers. I stand, alone, in front of a court of law, and fight for a living. I am in no one’s eyes, a weak woman. I am strong.

At this instant, it was all I could do to fight back tears. To him, this step was beyond huge. This, to him, was the biggest commitment he could make.

“It’s not necessary, Michael,” I said softly, appreciating the gesture.

Oh shit, I just said it out loud.

“Did you just call me Michael?” he asked.

I nodded.

Candy jumped onto floor.

He smiled.

“So. You ready. To meet the family?” he whispered.

“It’s really not necessary,” I sighed softly as I fought back tears.

“Who’s in charge of this fucking relationship, Vivian?” he whispered.

“You are,” I responded.

“Listen carefully,” he said as he rolled onto his side.

I blinked my eyes.

“You’re going with me to my parent’s tomorrow night. That’s that. I’m going to introduce you to them. I’ve told you about the dinners. It’s a cluster fuck, but it’s a big part of who I am. It’s family time, and family is important. So, shorts and Chuck’s is the attire, and we’re taking the Chevelle,” he smiled.

I’m. In. Love. With. This. Man.

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” I smiled, “And thank you.”

“For?” he asked.

“Trusting me not to fuck you over,” I responded.

He smiled and blinked his eyes a few times, “You know, I been thinkin’ about how to describe something, and I can’t get there.”

  “What is it?” I asked through tear filled eyes.

I know going to a family dinner to most women would be nothing. But they wouldn’t appreciate and understand the significance of it the way I did and do. As he twisted his mouth in circles and looked at the ceiling in deep thought, I tried to think of other things to keep from allowing a tear to fall down my cheek. I’ve waited a lifetime for Mike Ripton, and I truly felt that this was where I could spend forever. Right here on top of the comforter with my head on his chest.

“Well, how I feel about you. I don’t know how to tell you what I want to say. You know people feel affection for people. And people fall in love and such, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Well, the way I feel about you. It’s just. Well, it’s weird. It’s so much more than that. To call it love would be kind of cutting it short. I need a word to describe it, and there isn’t one. One doesn’t exist,” he tilted his head to the side and smiled.

Until now, the word
love
had not escaped our mouths. In a sense, he just said it. My eyes began to well up again.

“Well,” that’s all I could say without looking like a fool.

The sex, emotions, exhaustion, and now this conversation.
The word love.
More than this girl could take. Sometimes, girls are just girls.

“Well, I don’t know. I guess what I want to say is this. I love you, Vivian. I want you to know that. I love you. But that ain’t enough. It just ain’t. I can’t use a word that every other shit-head uses to describe how he feels about a woman. It wouldn’t be fair to you, because you make me feel so much more than that. More than love. I need my own word,” he smiled.

I’m going to lose it. He’s adorable.

“Pizz,” he said as he nodded his head.

“What?” I choked on my words, as I almost began to cry.

“Pizz. That’s it. Understand I love you, Vee. But I pizz you,” he chuckled as he looked down at me.

“Pizz?”

“Yep. I just made it up. It’s like love, only stronger. It’s more,” he said as he pressed his chin to his chest and kissed my forehead.

“Pizz, I like it,” I said as a tear escaped my eyes and ran down my cheek.

When people tell us things like this, a good part of us always wonders just how much of it is true, and how much is bullshit. I believe that subconsciously, all of us wonder. As the tear ran down my cheek and dripped off my chin and onto his chest, he reached over and wiped my cheek with his finger.

“Vivian Simon, I love you. But always know this,” he paused.

“I pizz you. And no one else on this earth has that, baby,” he whispered.

And a tear ran down his cheek.

And at that moment, I knew.

I pizzed him too.

EPILOGUE

“Pass the potatoes, Michael,” his father said politely.

“Pop, sooner or later, she’s gonna know. You’re puttin’ on a fuckin’ show. Taters, you call ‘em taters,” Michael said as he handed his father the potatoes.

“The food’s wonderful, Mrs. Ripton,” I said over my left shoulder.

“Jesus, stop it, Vee. You sound like Shane,” Michael said as he winked at Shane.

“Thank you, Vivian. Michael, no nick-names at the table,” his mother said.

“I’ll call ‘em whatever I want to call ‘em, god damn it,” his father said.

“That’s better, cuss a little, Pop,” Michael said, “Sorry mom. I’ll call her Vivian. I got it.”

Michael was right. Family dinner at his house was nothing short of a circus. Everyone sat around a big table eating, laughing, and joking. I missed having a family. Eating with my mother and father was enjoyable, but seeing this made me miss it. I looked around the table grateful for Michael, the food, and the family that he’d introduced me to. As I looked across the table at Kace, she smiled and proceeded to take a bite of her corn on the cob.

“We’re gonna go to this rally, Pop. I’ll get you pictures of all the bikes,” Michael said to his father.

“I wish I was going,” Michael’s sister Manda said.

“You ain’t driving my car out there with all those heathens are ya?” his father growled.

“It’s a fuckin’ bike rally, Pop. I ain’t takin’ the Chevelle. And it ain’t your car no more, old man,” he laughed.

“It’ll always be my car,” his father said as he dropped his corn cob onto the plate.

“Are you going, Vivian?” Manda asked.

“Yes, I am,” I smiled.

“Sittin’ on the back of that piece of shit he rides will break your back,” his father said.

“I got a new seat, Pop. It’s soft as a baby’s ass,” Michael responded.

“Probably cost your ass out at the Harley shop,” his father laughed.

“Nope. I couldn’t give that much for a seat. I ordered it from Tucker Rockies,” he responded.

“What did it cost?” his father asked.

“Two-forty,” he responded.

I looked across the table at Michael’s sisters. One, the younger of the two, was visibly crying. As she attempted to wipe the tears from her face without anyone noticing, she began to blubber and stood from the table. As soon as she stood, she ran out of the dining room.

“Well, what the hell happened to Bug?” his father asked as he started to stand.

“I’ll see, Pop. She lost her job, she’s upset. Let me see what’s wrong,” Michael said as he pushed his chair from the table.

“Excuse me,” Michael said as he turned and patted me on the shoulder.

I nodded and smiled as he walked from the room.

“What the hell’s been wrong with that girl, Manda? Ever since she lost that job, she’s been an emotional wreck,” his father asked.

“I don’t know, Dad,” she responded.

“Sorry for the mess, Vivian. Be glad you got a good job, they’re gettin’ hard to come by,” he smiled.

“I am, and yes, sir they are,” I responded as I picked my chicken breast from the plate.

“You like it on the back of the bike?” Manda asked.

“I like it a lot, yes,” I responded.

“She’s a natural, Shane says,” Kace smiled.

“Riding’s easy,” Manda said.

“You better not be on the back of a bike without a god damned helmet,” his father hollered.

“Dad…” she whined.

“I ain’t lyin’. Don’t let me find you on the back of a bike without a helmet,” he complained.

The garage door slammed and I heard the Chevelle start. A Horrendous roar followed by screeching tires, another roar, and screeching tires that faded into nothing. The entire process took thirty seconds.

“What the fuck is goin’ on?” His father screamed as he stood from the table.

“Excuse me ma’am,” Shane said as he stood up. Slowly, he walked to the garage, and then returned.

“He’s gone,” Shane said as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

I felt sick. I had no idea of what was going on, but to think that Michael needed to leave that fast, and without so much as a goodbye to anyone had me extremely worried. Something happened, something with his sister. I sat silently, hoping and praying that everything was okay.

“He’s not answering,” Shane said.

“Excuse me,” I said as I stood and went to my purse for my phone.

No calls or test messages.

Shit.

Fuck.

Michael’s father remained gone with Bug for some time. Eventually, we all fumbled with our food, and excused our nervous selves from the table. Repeated checks of my phone produced nothing. As we all sat in the living room and wondered, Michael’s father continued to comfort Bug in the other room.

I jumped as my phone rang. A quick look at the screen confirmed it was Michael. I nodded my head and stood up as I answered it. My heart racing, and my throat dry, I waited for him to speak.

“It’s over. I fucked this deal up babe,” his voice was soft and steady.

“What happened?” I asked.

“It’s over. It’s settled,” his voice was flat and emotionless.

“Michael?” I said softly.

I walked out of the room and paced the hallway as I waited for him to continue.

“He’s dead. I think I broke his neck, babe,” his voice cracked a she spoke.

“Michael. Oh my God. Who’s dead?” I whispered as my heart began to race.

“Tucker.” he responded.

“I fucked up, Vee.”

“Babe? Explain what’s going on,” I said into the phone softly.

“Katie’s boyfriend. My sister, we call her
Bug
. It was her boyfriend, Vee. Tucker, he raped her, Vee. Tucker fucking raped her. She was a virgin and he fucking raped her. He admitted it to me. Cock sucker smiled and pulled out a gun on me. He smiled, Vee. He pulled a gun and fucking smiled,” his voice had no emotion whatsoever.

As I struggled with how to respond, I continued to pace the floor and think.

“Was it his gun or yours, Michael,” I asked quietly.

“His,” he responded.

Thank God.

“I fucked up, Vee. He’s dead.”

“Michael, listen. You’re going to need to call the cops. Call 911, do
not
mention a gun. Not now. Tell them you think someone’s dead, and to send patrol and an ambulance. Don’t talk to anyone. Exercise your right to silence. Tell them you won’t speak without your attorney present. Where are you?” I asked.

“His porch. Sitting. I fucked up, Vee.”

“Michael, listen. You won’t spend a night in jail. When I hang up, I’ll call the senior judge, and get an immediate cash bond set. The amount doesn’t matter, I’ll pay it. Worst they’ll charge you with in this state, at this point in time, is manslaughter. I’ll post a cash bond. Do you understand?” I asked, attempting to maintain my composure.

“Call 911. Tell them what I told you,” I begged.

“I fucked up, Vee.”

I can do this. We can make it through whatever this is. This is nothing, Vivian. This is what you do. Talk him through this. This is nothing more than a walk in the park.

I paced the hallway in tears. I needed to say something to get him to understand we could get through this. Defending cases like this is what I do, and I am god damned good at it.

“Michael, listen. The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be. I’ll get you out of this, do you understand me? I’ll get you out of it, and you won’t so much as spend a night in jail. We’ll be at that ROT rally come hell or high fucking water. Do you hear me?” I said sternly.

“I fucked up, Vee. He’s dead.” He mutered.

He’s in shock.

“You think you can get me out of this babe? I ain’t lookin’ to go to prison,” he said flatly.