Married to the Bad Boy (9 page)

“You mean when you tried to rape her?” Brandon yelled. I could tell now that he was angry with the way his back stiffened and his other hand balled up in a fist. “I think you should go before I make you leave.”

“Make me,” his father challenged. “I would love to see what my little boy has grown up to be.” The man laughed, and I felt Brandon release me, knowing that at any moment he was going to charge at one of these guys. I’ve seen Brandon fight off one guy, but never two, making me worry about his safety now.

When I looked up and saw him tackle my stepfather into the sand, I turned to see the other man looking at me with a playful smile on his lips, before turning back to the fight at hand. I kept my eye on the man, but I saw a small glimpse of Brandon on top of my stepfather punching him in the face. The other man picked a rock, and I let out a scream, making Brandon turn to face me, but the rock connected to the side of his head.

I watched as his body fell to the ground in a state of unconsciousness. My only thought was to run. The man helped my stepfather up to his feet and they both turned to me with wicked grins dancing on their face.

“Now it’s time to collect what we came here for.”

Fear enveloped my body as I turned and ran back to the wedding with hope that someone would see and help me and get Brandon the medical attention he needed. As I ran, I screamed at the top of my lungs for help, waiting for someone to overhear me above the music. But no one heard me. I was tackled to the ground moments later.

“Shut up, you little bitch,” my stepfather said from above me, and I felt my dress slowly being raised. “I’m going to finish what I started that night, before taking you to the man who wants to see your life drain from your eyes.”

All I could do was cry. Was this what fate brought upon me? I began to see darkness behind my eyes and I barely heard someone screaming, “Get the hell off her!”  

I slowly opened my eyes and took in the beeping sound and the white walls around me. There wasn’t anyone else in the room, making me wonder how I got in the hospital. The last thing I remembered was walking along the beach with Brandon and enjoying the night.

The heart monitor started beeping at a rapid pace as I sat up, looking around the room for any sign of the boy who promised to protect me. He would know why I was here and what happened, but where could he be?

The door busted open and a woman dressed in a nurse uniform was standing there with a look of relief over her face. “Thank God you’re awake. Let me go get the doctor so he can tell your family, Miss Van,” she said before shutting the door behind her. I just sat there wondering why she had called me by my old surname and not my married one. Did something happen to Brandon? Why wasn’t he in the room with me? 

Before I could fully comprehend what the nurse had said, a man wearing a white coat walked in with the same nurse from earlier. As he looked over a clipboard at some papers, the nurse walked over to check the medication. The doctor looked up, giving me a fake smile. “Well, Miss Van, how are you feeling?”

“Confused,” I said, looking around the room again. “Where is my husband?”

“Husband?” he repeated, looking over at the nurse how just pointed to the wall behind me. “Oh, the young man you were bought in with? He’s still sleeping in the room next to you.”

“Sleeping? What do you mean he’s sleeping? What happened? Why are we here? How long have we been here?”

“I’m not sure what happened to both of you, but from what I understand, you and that boy were attacked on the beach last night. You’ve been here about twelve hours.” He looked back down at the clipboard. “Let me go get your father and maybe that will help shed some light on your questions.” Then the nurse took some vitals as I sat there still lost on what was happening before they both walked out.

It felt as though as soon as the door closed, it was slammed open with my father walking in. The feeling of abandonment washed back over to me, making me feel confused as to why he was here. I took in his tux that was now all wrinkled as if he had been sleeping in it all night. “Kami,” he spoke with uncertainty in his voice, as he stepped closer to the bed. “What happened on the beach?”

I looked at this man, dumbfounded. How did he expect me to tell him what happened if I couldn’t remember? “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I remembered was walking on the beach with Brandon and waking up in this room, so how about you tell me why I’m here?”

Looking into the stone-cold blue eyes, I thought back when I was little and how he always had the same look when I spent the weekends with him. He never seemed happy, but always distant, not the loving father a little girl should have. I was too young to notice this before he disappeared, but now that I was able to reflect back, I could tell this man didn’t really love me.

“We heard screaming coming from outside and when we ran out, we saw some guys attacking you and that trouble boy you were with.”

“Did you catch the guys who attacked us?” I asked, trying hard to think about what happened on the beach during our walk, but I only remembered feeling at peace. “What happened to Brandon?

“That boy was found unconscious and they are monitoring him in the next room. It looked as if one of the guys hit him in the head with a rock, causing a small concussion, which was what happened to you as well,” he answered as he sat down in a chair against the wall. “The guys ran off before we could get to you though, so they’re still running around free. Unless you remember who they were we can have the police find them.”

“I don’t remember any of this,” I answered, looking around the room not wanting to be in here anymore. I swung my legs off the bed and pulled the heart monitor off, making the machine go haywire.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked, getting to his feet. “Lie back down and rest. The doctor didn’t give you the permission to get out of bed.”

“How about you not tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I’m eighteen years old, an adult now, so you have no say over my life anymore,” I angrily replied, grabbing the IV bag off the hook. “I’m going to find my husband, so how about you leave me alone?”

“Husband!” he yelled. “Kami, I will not have you married to a guy like that. That guy is nothing but a trouble child, who’s probably on a fast track to prison.”

“I don’t care what you think about Brandon. He’s my husband and there’s nothing you can do about it,” I yelled back. “Now please move. I want to find my husband.”

“No,” was all he was able to say before the nurse walked back in the room and saw me standing up, having a face off with my father. When he noticed her, he gave her a smirk, showing that he was about to win the battle. “Will you please tell her to get back in that damn bed?”

“No! I want to see my husband!” I repeated, stomping my foot in frustration. “I don’t give a damn what you want me to do. I need to make sure Brandon’s all right.”

When the nurse turned off the machine, I became aware of her laugher, confusing me about what was so funny about the situation at hand.

Then I heard his voice out in the hall. “I don’t give a damn about your protocols. Where’s my wife?”

A smile washed over my face, realizing he was feeling the same way I was at the moment. It warmed my heart to know that he really did care about me and that he was willing to cause more trouble for the nurse and doctor just to see me.

“As you can see, we’re handling the same problem in the other room. He woke up about the same time you did and wouldn’t talk to the doctor till he made sure you’re all right.” The nurse laughed again as she walked to the door and opened it. “Mr. Mitchell, please let go of Shane’s collar. She’s in here.”

I laughed, thinking how he probably had that defenseless nurse pushed up against the wall, screaming in his face, about to punch him if he didn’t give him what he wanted. He looked relieved when he saw me and took big steps till he was in front of me. When I was pulled into the embrace of my safe haven, I knew this was where I belonged.

“Thank God you’re okay. Are you hurt anywhere?” I heard him whisper in my ear, pulling me closer to him.

“Just a minor headache, but nothing I can’t handle,” I answered as I wrapped my arms around his waist and lay my head against his chest. In his arms, I felt the safety and protection I have longed to feel. I couldn’t remember the last time I was totally cared for, even by my father who was still standing there. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I know you’re okay,” he said as he let me go and gave me a warm smile. “Waking up in that hospital bed and not seeing you scared me. Then when that dumbass of a doctor acted like he didn’t understand I wanted to see my wife, it only pissed me off.”

I was so happy to hear how worried he became over me in just a short amount of time and it was pleasant knowing he was keeping his vow to keep me safe.  

“They did the same thing to me,” I told him as I looked into his eyes. “They said you were just some boy I was found with. Didn’t your parents at least tell them that we were married?” I asked, looking over at my father who was giving us both a deathly glare. “Unless you had something to do with this?”

It was only then that Brandon noticed my father in the room. “You! What the hell are you doing in my wife’s room? Get the hell out!” he yelled, stepping away from me as though ready to pounce at my father. “I frankly don’t like you for the shit you’ve done to Kami, so I think its best that you disappear and not show up again.”

I watched as my father gave Brandon an annoying little smirk. “I’m her father, so I’ll be sticking around for a while. I’ve heard about what kind of trouble you like to get into, and how you treat young women like play toys, so this marriage doesn’t sit well with me. I think I’ll be getting a hold of my lawyers to see what’s needed to annul this marriage.” Then he walked out before either one of us could say anything.

I turned to Brandon. As though he read my mind, he pulled me back into his embrace and said, “We’re of age, so don’t worry. He can’t do anything to separate us. I promise to keep you safe till graduation and that’s what I plan on doing. At this point I don’t care if it’s for the rest of my life.”

I withdrew from his embrace to look in his eyes. “Brandon, what do you mean?” I asked, wondering what was going through his head at this point. He knew this arrangement was just till school ended so I could get my inheritance then we would go our separate ways.

“Kami, what do you remember from the beach?” he questioned with a worried look in his eyes. “Do you remember who attacked us?”

“No, do you?” I answered back, scared to know what it was I couldn’t remember.

Brandon shook his head. “No, but it’s not good that we both can’t remember. I know the doctor said someone had hit me in the head and gave me a concussion, but I couldn’t recall who it was.”

Something told me he was lying, by the way he kept shifting his eyes back and forth and not looking me in the eye.

“Maybe you should go back to your room and lie down,” I suggested as I stepped back from him to sit back down on my bed. “They told me I had hit my head, which was probably why I couldn’t remember what happened.” I looked down at the ground, trying to think who could have caused this, but came up blank.

“Kami, are you okay? You look a little pale.” There was concern in Brandon’s voice as he knelt in front of me. “What is it?”

“Just trying to remember what happened to us. I think I’m going to rest for a moment, maybe you should do the same,” I answered as the room started to spin a little. I lied down, placing the IV bag on my chest and looking up at the ceiling. Brandon picked up the bag and hooked it back up in the pole.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Doing what I vowed I would do: keeping you safe,” he simply said and walked to the other side of the bed. “Move over so I can lie down beside you.”

“Brandon, are you crazy? They won’t allow that,” I told him and I sat up and looked at him.

“I don’t care if they won’t allow this. I’m not leaving your side.” He picked me up as he moved onto the hospital bed before placing me down next to him. “Just lay your head on my chest and close your eyes and there will be plenty of room for us.”

Not really in the mood to fight with him anymore, I did as he instructed, feeling his arm wrap around me and pull me to him. I haven’t fallen asleep in Brandon’s arms since that first night when I had that nightmare, but being in them, I felt that nothing could touch me.     

It was no surprise that when the nurses came in a little later and saw me and Brandon wrapped in each other’s arms, they weren’t happy. They went about how they were against lovemaking in a hospital bed, only for Brandon and I to laugh, thinking about how many people had been caught doing such a thing. As they spoke, Brandon just layed there holding me closer to him, telling them that whatever room I was in he was also going to be in.

When they told us about not following hospital policy, we weren’t pleased. But I didn’t want to take the chance of seeing my father back in the room and causing more problems for us. It seemed he had been the reason why the hospital didn’t know we were married, till Brandon’s parents informed the hospital that we had been married the previous week without my father being aware.  

We were finally released from the hospital. Walking into the house, Brandon’s parents let out a deep sigh. “I guess we’ll go start dinner to give you two some alone time,” his mother said as I looked at Brandon, who seemed uneasy about something.  

When they walked down the hall, we stood there before Brandon pulled me into the living room, letting out a deep breath. “Kami, we need to talk.”

“What is it?” I asked, starting to feel frightened about what it was to make him act so odd.

He gripped my hand before sitting down on the couch and pulling me down with him. He looked so serious it was making me nervous. Then he said, slowly, “I think we should try to make this marriage work. I don’t know how to explain it, but waking up in that hospital, all I could think about was where you were. There’s something inside me that wants to make sure you’re safe and sound and I don’t think I can do that if we separate at the end of the school year.”

I looked at him in disbelief, thinking that whoever hit him across the head had caused some serious brain damage. This wasn’t the same guy from a few days ago who gave me the cold shoulder whenever we were in the privacy of his home. “Brandon, I don’t know. That’s a huge commitment that I’m sure neither of us is ready for.”

“I know that Kami, but after you fell asleep in my arms in the hospital, I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax until I was able to see for myself that you’re safe. Ever since that night I found out the truth, I knew I couldn’t walk away from you and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to, even after graduation. Just think about it please,” he tried to explain, making me question if we could make this marriage work like it did for his parents.

I looked into his warm brown eyes and realized he had been trying to change his ways since we had been together. He hadn’t been with any girls since then and had kept his word on being faithful to me. However, I was still unsure about staying married to him. “Brandon, are you saying this just so you can take me to bed?” I found myself asking.

This made him laugh and shake his head. “Yes, Kami,” he answered, but when he saw how my eyes popped out, he quickly added, “But not in the way you’re thinking. I want to be able to lie down at night with you in my arms and not worry about you freaking out because we are touching. When you had laid down on my chest and I wrapped my arms around you at the hospital, that was the first time you didn’t flinch but felt more relaxed. I want to feel that every night from now on.”

I shook my head at him. “Brandon, yes, I admit I’ve gotten used to being in your embrace in the short time of knowing you, but I don’t think that’s enough to make this marriage work. And what happens when you find the girl that you truly want to be with but you’re still married to me? Then what?”

“Kami, have you not noticed? I haven’t even looked at another girl since we’ve been married. Even with Jasmine, who was trying to throw herself at me, I simply pushed her away. You’re the girl I want to get to know and I want to make this marriage work.” He gave me a small smile, peeking over at the hall before looking at me.  “I also want to show my parents that I’m not going to turn into my father and that I can do something good with my life and not just be in trouble all the time.”

I furrowed my forehead in confusion. “Wait. You want to do this to prove something to your parents? Brandon, that’s no reason to stay married to someone. If you want to prove you’re a better person, then do it. That doesn’t mean you need to be tied down to me.”

“That’s not it,” he insisted in frustration as he stood up. “Did you ever stop to think why I watched you all this time? Has it ever crossed your mind that I might just like you and wanted to talk to you, but was too scared to see how you would react?” I looked up at him, thinking that he had just confessed his feelings for me. “I know you have second guessed this whole marriage thing from the beginning, but I haven’t. This was the best idea I’ve ever done.”

“Brandon, calm down, please,” I said, not liking a bit how his temper was starting to rise. “Yes, I do second guess this marriage because I thought you felt I was holding you back. I didn’t know you had real feelings for me.”

“Now you know. I don’t think this marriage is a mistake and that I do have feelings for you, and that’s besides wanting to keep you safe,” he admitted, sitting back down next to me. “Just think about it, please. I’m not going to push you into something you’re not ready for. All I want is a chance to show you I do care and want to try to make this true.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” I answered, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “Thanks.”

He just gave me a smile before getting up and turning on a movie as we sat down into one another’s arms, waiting for dinner to be finished. 

Halfway through the movie, we were still locked in one another’s embrace when we were called in for dinner. Walking into the dining room, I saw someone I wasn’t in the mood to deal with: my father, along with his new bride. Even though she hadn’t done anything to hurt me, I still blamed her for my father disappearing from my life. 

“What is he doing here?” I asked, as we took our seats across from them. “Shouldn’t you be off on your honeymoon?”

“Yes, but we decided to wait to make sure you’re okay before we leave,” his wife answered, smiling at me. “We’ve been worried about you ever since we found you both unconscious on the beach. I’m so sorry we didn’t get to you both sooner.”

As she spoke, I felt Brandon grip my hand from under the table, as if he was trying to help me forget my anger I was feeling at the moment. 

I couldn’t help saying coldly to them, “Well, as you can see we’re just fine. No need to worry.  Now you can disappear once again and not worry about my whereabouts.” I kept my eyes on my father, who was also giving me a cold stare.

“Disappear?” his wife asked, looking puzzled. “What are you talking about, sweetie?”

I let out a little laugh at how she didn’t know the truth about my relationship with my father. “You don’t know that he just vanished and left me after my grandmother died, to be raised into a life of hell?” I asked her. “Oh and don’t call me sweetie. I’m not your child.”

That must have infuriated my father, because he stood up in anger, causing his chair fall behind him. “No, but you are mine. I won’t sit here and let you talk to us this way.”

I was seeing a different side of the father I knew when I was young. This one was cold hearted and I wanted nothing to do with him. “Really? Well, you should have thought about that before you walked out on me.”

His wife looked up at him and held his arm. “Honey, let it go. You’re losing the fight with her and it’s obvious you forgot to tell me that you abandoned her,” she said, sounding upset about this little bit of information.

I sighed and looked down at my plate, then at Brandon, who was smiling at me. I knew I should have felt ashamed for acting the way I did, but I wasn’t going to let this man walk back into my life and try to control me again.

When my father calmed down and picked his chair back up, the rest of the dinner was quiet besides Mrs. Mitchell and my father’s new wife talking. The latter was saying how they were planning to move back here and all I could think was, ‘Great! I have to deal with seeing my father more now.’ All I wanted at the moment was a quiet and simple life till graduation, but it seemed that my life was far from simple. 

After dinner, Brandon and I excused ourselves and went to our room. When Brandon closed the door behind us, he started laughing. “That was great. That's the person you need to be all the time. Forget what everyone else thinks.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, wrapping my arms across my chest.

“The way you told your father off.” He laughed some more as he walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to him. “Just think of that when someone starts picking on you and just let it go. Tell them what you really think, because right now everyone thinks you’re just the shy quiet girl. I want them to know that my girl is a badass just like her husband.”

“Your girl?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow at him and wondering when he started thinking that way. I’ve heard him call me his wife, but never his girl.

“Yes,
my
girl. I decided that I’m going to show you my true feelings, even if you want to keep yours locked away. I know that the more I show you about myself, the more you might open up to me,” he answered while looking down at me. “I know it’s going to be hard, but I like a little challenge in my life and when I put my mind to something, I never lose. Just wait. You’ll be falling for me sooner or later.”

“Ok, Mr. Bad Boy, but I’m not the type to easily give in, if you haven’t noticed.” I laughed and pushed away from him.

 He looked hurt that I moved out of his hold, but he had a dangerous look in his eye at the same time. Before I could ask what he was thinking, I was tackled to the bed with him leaning over me.

“I have noticed,” was all he said before he kissed me softly on the lips. His lips were soft against mine as they moved in sync. He started to nibble against my bottom lip. I opened my mouth so our tongues could dance together. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling slightly and making him grunt, but only to deepen the kiss.

 I moved out of the kiss after a while, needing air, only to have him go kissing along my neck. I didn’t understand what he was making me feel at the moment, but I knew I couldn’t get enough and I wanted more. But I could tell he wasn’t pushing it since his hands stayed in my hair. I started to rub my hands down his back and up again, which made him moan into the kiss he was placing along my collarbone.

A few seconds later, he stopped and looked down at me. “Not the type to easily give in, huh?” he laughed. “But I think we need to stop or we’re going to end up doing something that I know you’re not ready for.” That was when I became aware of his manhood pressing up against my inner thigh. I just nodded my head in understanding as he rolled off me.

I got off the bed and walked over to where I normally sleep, pulled the covers back and got into bed. As I was snuggling into my soft bed, I felt Brandon pull me to him. “Night, Kami. Please think about what I said about making this marriage work.”

I didn’t say anything as I snuggled up closer to him. I was thinking how I would let everything that happened in my past go so that maybe I could have a better future with Brandon. That just because my father had abandoned me, didn’t mean Brandon was going to when he was there for me in my darkest hours of need. Before closing my eyes, I knew I couldn’t let what my father did to me, affect my happiness in the end.