Renewed (The Fractured Series Book 3) (11 page)

Chapter Seventeen

“What if we hired caterers and had the reception in your yard?” I asked, licking the spatula with the leftover cookie dough.

“Whatever you want,” Rob said. He sat at the breakfast nook and watched me put the cookie tray into his oven.

“Well, I just didn’t know if you wanted all of those people at your house.”

“It will be your house too, you know. I want whatever you want.”

“We could have tents set up in the yard. There’s so much room back there. They can put them near the woods.”

Rob got up from the stool and walked around the counter that separated us. Removing the spatula from my hand, he placed it in the bowl and pulled me close to him. “Whatever you want,” he said, then kissed me, and kissed me again. Then kissed me again. He continued the entire twenty-two minutes the cookies were in the oven. Then the timer went off to announce the cookies were ready.

***

Mom asked Bryan’s new mother-in-law, a.k.a. my father’s slut, Mrs. Sutton, for the name and number of the company that catered his wedding. She immersed herself in all of the details after finding out what Rob and I wanted. Because it was a wedding, Mrs. Handly said, “The guests should travel around the house, rather than through the worn down path, don’t you think dear?” looking at Mr. Handly, who was already nodding his approval.

Dad “worked” more and more hours.
Yeah, right
. I didn’t care. I knew he would get caught eventually. Then he was on his own.

My dress was ready six days before the wedding. I brought it home and hung it on the front of my closet door. I looked at it every chance I had. Rob wasn’t allowed to come up to my room, but helped me bring my stuff over to his house after it was packed. Bryan helped, too. I didn’t have as much as I thought.

Every time I brought a box down, Mom would run to the bathroom for a tissue.

Rob moved his own things from the closet and drawers in his old room
, into the master bedroom. He only used a third of the closet, leaving me more than half the space for my things. I didn’t even need much for what I had. I sat on the side of the bed, where I’d be sleeping as Mrs. Cooper.

Rob watched me as I let the thought seep into my brain. From my pocket, I pulled out the seashell he had given me when we were at the beach. I rested it on the top of the side table.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s the seashell you gave me. I like it to be one of the first things I see in the morning. It reminds me of how wonderful you are.”

He bent over and kissed me. Then he backed away and looked in the closet. Let’s go get the rest of your things.”

“That’s it. That’s everything.”

“It is? But the closet is practically empty. I’ll have to make sure you fill it up.” I could see the joy on his face thinking of all of the gifts he wanted to lavish me with.

I was more economical and realistic about purchases than he was. “We’ll see.”

“What if I insist that all of your purchases come from a store with pink striped bags?”

“Well
, those I won’t argue with you about.”

The music cued my entry. I walked down the dirt path to the creek. My Grecian style gown flowed around my bare feet as I stepped on twigs and stones. I ran up to the moss covered rocks and looked around. I was alone.
Where was everyone? Didn’t they want to see me get married? Where was Rob? Didn’t he want to spend forever with me?

“
It’s just me,” his cold voice said. He leaned against a tall oak tree. His blond stringy hair hung in his evil green eyes. Pushing his body off the tree, he strutted toward me, confident and sinister.

Disbelief washed over me.

“Everyone knows you belong with me, Mandy. Even Rob.” He cackled.

Before I could run away, he grabbed my hands and pulled me to him. I struggled to break from his hold, but he was too strong. He threw me on the ground and tore at my dress.

“No!”

Mom ran into the room. “What’s the matter?” She was half-asleep.

I looked around my room. It was empty of my things, which were almost all at Rob’s with the exception of the first drawing I had done of him
– it was still pinned to my bulletin board – and my wedding dress. “Sorry. I had a bad dream.”

Mom walked over and kissed the top of my head. “Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay. Try to go back to sleep.”

I nodded and she left. I stared at my ceiling the rest of the night, afraid to close my eyes.

***

Two nights before my wedding, Bryan and Eric informed me they were taking Rob out for his bachelor party. I warned Bryan I’d make sure his baby would be his
only
offspring if he let Rob do anything he shouldn’t. I threw the pillows from the couch at him until Bryan promised not to do anything that would make me angry.

“So
, what will you do while I’m out with your brother and Eric?” Rob asked.

I shrugged. “I guess I’ll give myself a manicure or something.”

“Nonsense,” Jennifer said from my kitchen. “The girls and I will be taking you out. We have to show all of those guys what is being taken off the market.” She winked at Rob.

As the boys left from my house, I reminded my brother
: “Bryan, don’t forget.”

Bryan threw his hands up in the air as he got into the driver’s side of his Mustang. Rob rode shotgun
, and Eric sat in the back. There was an empty seat behind Bryan, and I thought of Jimmy.

With the boys out of the house, Jennifer pulled me into the kitchen. Mom sat at the table
, and Jennifer stood next to several boxes wrapped in pink striped paper.

“I got you a few gifts for your bridal shower.”

“But I already had a bridal shower. You gave us three of our china place settings.”

“I know, but this is your
real gift.” She could hardly contain the excitement on her face.

I opened each box to find several very sheer, practically non-existent pieces of lingerie. “Jennifer!”

“Mandy, I’m just trying to keep the honeymoon going once you come back.”

“I don’t think I
’ll have a problem in that department,” I said, trying not to look at Mom. I held up one or two pieces. I noticed the price tags had been removed.

“Okay, let’s go,” Jennifer said. “We’re picking up the girls in ten minutes.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Courtney and Tanya were waiting at Liz’s house. We all squeezed into Jennifer’s car as the girls promised me a “good time.” Forty minutes later, we were at a club with an all-male revue.

“I can’t go in there.”

“Lighten up, Mandy. You’ll have a good time,” Courtney said.

“I brought plenty of one
-dollar bills,” Tanya added.

“Don’t you think the boys are doing the same thing?” Liz asked.

“I hope not,” I said.

I insisted on a corner table, out of view from the dance floor. The waiter came and took our orders. Because none of us w
ere of legal drinking age, and Jennifer was pregnant, we all ordered virgin drinks. Several minutes went by, and I started to ease up about where I was, that is, until the lights went out and the first round of dancers showed up.

In the darkness, music sounded from the speakers over the dance floor. With the first sung word
, a light flashed on a single dancer. By the chorus, a line of very handsome men were gyrating to the beat, slowly removing articles of clothing.

Howls and screams came from the other women in the club. Some were waving money in the air. The men broke up their
formation. They weaved in and out of the tables, collecting the paper money in their tiny G-strings. Once they were down to practically nothing, the music stopped, and so did they. They bowed and walked off the stage.

Tanya and Liz were fanning themselves with their money. “Did you see the package on that one?” Tanya asked.

“I liked the short, blond one,” Liz commented.

Another song started. An imitation police officer took the stage. He danced around the same way his comrades had. When he took off his hat, I froze. His blond stringy hair fell into his bright green eyes. I had to look twice to make sure it wasn’t Jimmy.

Hoots and hollers from the crowd encouraged him to remove his clothing little-by-little. A small gold badge hung from a tiny, navy G-string. He bumped and grinded toward our table. It made me uncomfortable how he looked so much like Jimmy and was so close to being naked. He came up to me and put his foot on my chair, between my legs. I tried to stand so I could get away, but he wouldn’t let me up out of the chair. He gyrated his hips near me.

Sweat ran down the side of my face and my back. The muscles in my chest tightened. My lungs fought for air. A tear roll
ed down my cheek. Jennifer pulled his arm and pointed to one of the other girls. He changed his focus, and began to grind with someone new.

When he moved, I ran to the ladies room. Jennifer followed me. I locked myself in a stall and sat on the seat. Tears streamed down my face as I heaved for breath.

“Mandy, are you alright?” Jennifer asked from the other side of the stall door.

“He looked… like Jimmy. He was… close and…”

“I know. I’m sorry. We’ll leave if you want to.”

I waited until my breathing evened out before I opened the stall door. Jennifer stood in front of me. I leaned my head on her shoulder and was comforted by her hug with baby Stewart between us.

“Let’s get the other girls. We’ll go for ice cream.”

We stopped at a small diner not far from the strip club and were seated at one of the tables in the dining room. The waitress was quick to bring our ice cream sundaes shortly after we ordered them. I started to feel better as the girls talked about other things so I wouldn’t freak out again.

“I’ll be right back. I have to use the bathroom,” Jennifer said. “This kid makes me pee all the time.”

Courtney sat across the table from me. “So, Eric and I… you know, we did it.”

“You did?” Liz asked.

“Yeah
, I was right; he’s great in bed.”

“I don’t think we ever asked,” Liz said.

The other girls giggled. After Courtney shared her details, I knew I’d never look at Eric in the same way again. Jennifer came back to the table. Her eyes were wide, and heavy with tears that hadn’t fallen yet.

“Jennifer,” I stood. The mood at the table got serious. “What’s the matter?”
“My mother…” She looked at me.

“Your mother, what?” I asked.

She pointed to me. “Your dad…”

My heart sunk to my toes.
Oh my God! I bet they’re here
. I couldn’t let on that I knew. “What, Jennifer?”

She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a booth where the two of them sat. They were snuggled up on one side, my father’s arm around Mrs. Sutton’s shoulder. A vanilla shake with two straws sat in front of them. Their lips were joined in a very passionate kiss. Jennifer and I stared at them; neither one of us had words. It took a few minutes before they looked up and saw us. They didn’t say anything either.

Dad removed his arm as soon as he realized Jennifer and I were standing in front of them. Mrs. Sutton scooted to the far end of the booth. But it was too late. They were caught.

Jennifer sobbed so hard I thought she’d go into labor, and she was only five months pregnant. I grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the table.

“We’re going.” I threw a handful of money on the table and we went out to the car. The other girls followed with twisted looks of curiosity on their faces. “Give me your keys,” I commanded. Jennifer held out her hand and I took the keys. We all got into the car. I made sure Jennifer’s seatbelt was fastened before I secured my own. I dropped the other girls off where we picked them up and then drove to my house.

“Oh my. What happened?” Mom asked putting her arm around Jennifer, who stared out into space,
sort of like Dillon does. She was in shock. Mom led her to the kitchen table and helped her sit down. Then she filled the teapot with water and put it over a flame on the stove. It was then I had to tell my mother about my father’s secret.

Chapter Eighteen

As Mom and Jennifer cried at the kitchen table, I ran around the house, checking all of the usual and unusual places Mom used to hide alcohol – just in case.

When Bryan walked in the door, he didn’t know what had happened.

“Hey,
Mand, I got your message. Sorry I couldn’t hear the cellphone. It was noisy in the club. I dropped your groom off at home. He didn’t do anything he wasn’t supposed—” He realized something serious had happened. “What happened?” He looked at Jennifer sitting at the table, fidgeting with a tissue.

I had to relay the whole story again. This time it was easier th
an when I told Mom. Bryan looked at me with disbelief.

“Why would he…” Bryan scratched his head.

“I don’t know, Bryan. Take your wife home. Make sure she eats and gets some sleep.”

He nodded.

When they left, I took Mom up to her room. She lay down on the bed, with her back toward the door.

“Mom?” She didn’t answer. Panic filled me as I thought of her falling off the wagon. I walked around the bed and sat on the floor in front of her. “Mom?”

Her pillow was drenched with tears. I stroked her hair.

“I had a feeling,” she said. “When I wouldn’t… I figured he’d find someone else. I knew it wasn’t my perfume he smelled of when he came home late. And he had always been meticulous about the books from the garage, so his excuses to stay late held a different meaning for me. I thought it was just to be out of the house. I told myself if I pretended he was faithful, he would be.” She wiped her cheeks with her hand.

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Mandy.”

“I’m here for you, Mom.”

“I know. You’ve always been there for me.” She smiled. I kissed the top of her head.

I left a pillow and blanket on the couch. I heard him walk in, but he must have understood where he’d be sleeping. He didn’t dare come up the stairs.