Real Challenge (Atlanta #2) (39 page)

“Marcus, all this isn’t necessary,” Gary Walker said quietly. “I’m not the man I used to be. I’m just glad I have the chance to say I’m sorry. I know I don’t deserve this chance, so I’m not going to waste it fighting.”

Marcus remained hard-faced and tense. Whether or not Gary Walker was a new man made no difference to Marcus. He remained vigilant due to bone-deep mistrust.

“What made you get sober?” Cassie quietly asked, looking at the textured wooden floor of the gazebo. She hadn’t been able to look at him since they first got there. Scott squeezed her hip reassuringly, right over her tattoo. He wanted to remind her of how much she was loved.

“Cassie,” her father’s voice softened. “You look beautiful.”

“That’s not what she asked,” Marcus said harshly.

Gary sighed again in sad frustration. “Right. Sorry. Three years ago I got in a car accident. I was driving drunk. I didn’t hit anyone, but I ran myself onto the sidewalk in the middle of the day. I was inches away from hitting a woman and her child. I pictured another family losing their mother. That was it. It took years of drinking before I got there, but that was my rock-bottom. I served a few months in county lock-up and went straight to my first AA meeting before even going home.”

Cassie looked up at him and saw sincerity there. Sadly, she saw no warmth, no comfort, and no sense of forgiveness she hoped to find. A tear streamed slowly down her face.
 

“Cassie,” her father continued. “I’ve worked through every step. Torturously. Now I’m making amends. This is so hard for me…”

“This is hard for
you
?!” Cassie finally broke out of her frightened shell. “You are still the same selfish bastard you always were! You want to talk about hard? How about watching your dad come home drunk and being terrified every night? How about watching your brother get beaten bloody and not being able to do anything about it? How about being called a slut before even knowing what that word really meant? Make amends all you want, but this one’s over. You can say sorry, and I couldn’t care less if it makes you feel any better. Means nothing.”

Cassie was almost sobbing by the end of her rant and Scott wrapped his arms around her to tuck her protectively into his chest, keeping himself angled between Cassie and her dad. Gary Walker started to reach for her and Marcus coiled, ready to spring. He stepped between them. “Don’t. Touch. Her.” he said menacingly. “I think you need to leave now.”

“Marcus, I’ve watched your fighting career,” Gary tried to continue. “You’ve done so well…”

“FUCKING LEAVE.” Marcus said, pulling Erin further behind him.
 

Frustrated again, Gary backed away from them, watching Marcus imploringly. “I really am sorry,” he said as he left. “For everything.”

Only when Gary was in his car and driving away did Marcus turn to Cassie and Scott. He looked eye-to-eye with Scott and they came to an understanding between them, not spoken in any words. Marcus saw in that moment Cassie’s place in Scott’s life; he saw how sincerely Scott loved and wanted to protect her. He saw Scott offering support to his sister through what was possibly one of the most difficult moments of her life. Suddenly the thought of walking Cassie down the aisle to give her away to Scott didn’t seem so bad.
 

Erin tucked herself against Marcus and spoke to him softly. “Come on, baby. We need to get Cassie back home.”

Marcus nodded and escorted all of them back to Scott’s SUV. Understanding that Cassie needed Scott in that moment rather than himself, Marcus folded tightly in the back seat of Scott’s SUV. Cassie got herself as close to Scott as she could from the passenger seat and rested her head on his shoulder. Scott kissed her lovingly on her hair and drove her the few blocks home.

When they got to the cottage, Marcus walked over to Cassie and gave her a huge hug. “You want me to stay for a while, Bug?”

Cassie shook her head. “No, go home with Erin. I’ll be ok.”

Marcus looked again to Scott and nodded. “I know you will. Love you.”

“You, too. And bye, Erin,” she said as she leaned in for a warm hug.

“I’m proud of you, Cassie,” Erin whispered. “We’ll have lunch this week.”

Again Cassie nodded and Scott waved to both of them. Marcus drove off in Erin’s sedan. When they turned the corner out of view, Scott turned to Cassie and pulled her in for a gentle, loving hug. He held her head strongly to his chest. “I love you,” he whispered. “And I’m so proud of you. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Sunday afternoon remained bright and sunny, while Cassie’s outlook remained dim. Scott watched her eyes remain empty and saw tears escape as she sat and looked at the floor. He sat with her, wishing there was more he could do for her. Then inspiration struck.

“Hey, Cass. I’m going to skip work tomorrow, so let’s— “

“You can’t skip work, Scott,” she said quietly.

“Why not? What are they going to do, fire me?” he smiled. “And I know you don’t have to work in the morning, so let’s go to the barn. We’ll take a mini-vacation there and relax. You can bring your study books if you need to, and I’ll start on my work for Georgia Tech. They gave me their manuals to go over, and asked for my input in reviewing class descriptions for next semester.”

Cassie looked up finally and smiled at Scott with sweet sadness. “I like that idea. Thank you. I’ll pack clothes. Will you get some snacks together?”

Scott pulled her off the couch and into a warm hug. “Of course.”

A little over an hour later the two were relaxing together in the hayloft, and Scott wanted Cassie to talk about her dad. She needed closure, and he wanted to help get her there. He pulled her over to him and removed both of their shirts. And just like he had those months ago, Scott pulled her back to rest against his chest and let his hands roam slowly along her flat tummy and perfect breasts. Her glossy hair cascaded cool and smooth on his chest as she relaxed back into his arms.

“Cass, are you doing ok after seeing your dad? I know that hit you hard.”

“I guess so. I had no idea what to expect, but I think I understand something now that I didn’t before.”

“What’s that?”

“I didn’t need his apology,” she said almost bitterly. “I needed to yell at him. Before today I never had a chance to tell him just how awful he was.”

“And that helped?” Scott asked.

“Seeing him sober didn’t make the difference I thought it would. But I’m still glad I went through with seeing him. He heard what I needed to say, and he said what he wanted to. Now it’s done. For Marcus, too, I bet. I think it was good for Marc to have one last chance to prove he’s in control. He needs that after being so broken for so long. He handled himself so well.”

“Baby, I’m so proud of you,” Scott whispered. “Marcus, too. And look at you. You walked away stronger and will have even more joy than before because you closed that ugly chapter. You’re stronger than your dad, you know.”

She pulled his arms around her tighter. “It meant so much that you were there. I felt safe and loved.”

“Good. Because you are both of those things.”

“And now I have a request,” she said, hesitantly. “Your parents are coming next weekend, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Let’s get married. Then. That way your family will be there and we can do something simple. Something outside with just Erin, Jenna, Marcus, and your parents. We get a minister and say our vows. I don’t want the big dress and the fancy tuxes. I just want you, sooner rather than later.”

“Are you sure? Because I already talked to my parents. I told them you didn’t have a family to throw you a big wedding, and they jumped at the chance to do it for us. They said, and I’m quoting my mom here, ‘If you love her then we love her. We’ll give her the wedding every girl deserves.’ And she meant it. You don’t have to have less.”

Cassie twisted around to look Scott in the eyes. “That means more to me than you could know.” She teared up thinking of the loving gesture, knowing she was already fully accepted by his family. Unconditional love is a beautiful thing. “But I never seem to want what’s traditional. I don’t need all that. Just you.”

He leaned down and kissed her deeply. “I love you,” he whispered. “Then we get married next weekend.”

“Thank you,” she whispered with her eyes closed.

“Holy crap. I’m getting married next weekend,” he said to himself.

Cassie giggled. “Ball and chain, blondie.”

They held each other smiling for a long, quiet time in the loft, with Scott still exploring her body so sweetly. He gently traced her jaw with the back of his hand and touched the tip of her nose with the tip of his finger. He squeezed softly along her shoulders and gently cupped her breasts. Cassie sighed in complete contentment.

“I know where we should get married,” she said softly while he rubbed along her smooth belly, pausing only to trace a circle around the peridot gem at her navel.
 

“Where?”

“The gazebo. I’ve always loved it. It’s in a beautiful park by a pond that reminds me of swimming with you in that lake. I’m not letting my dad kill the beauty there. I will erase him from the place entirely and replace his ugly presence with complete happiness.”

“I love that idea. It’s kind of both of us, right? The pond and the joy. Both are ours now.”

“Exactly,” she said with a soft smile. “Be with me, Scott. I need you right now.”

Scott laid her down gently on the quilt and kissed her slowly. They made love softly, bringing a peaceful and happy end to a stressful day.
 

The following morning they woke up rested and happy, albeit a little stiff from another night in the barn. Neither one cared. They spent all morning snuggling and working on their studies. Scott called his office and told them he was taking the rest of his vacation days rather than getting them paid out.
 

“I’m not going back except to get my stuff…wearing shorts and a t-shirt,” he told Cassie with a wide smile. “We started new yesterday, I think. I’m not going back. We only look forward.”

While Cassie was shopping with Jenna and Erin for the perfect wedding dress…by Cassie-style-thrifting-standards, Scott called his parents with the news.

“We can’t wait to meet Cassie,” his mom said warmly.

“She’s excited, too,” Scott said. Then he chuckled like he had a secret. “And nervous.”

“Why is she nervous?”

“Well, because we’re planning to get married while you’re here…”

He was met with shocked silence from the other end of the line. Libby Merchant finally broke through her surprise. Quietly and as tactfully as she could, she asked, “Is she pregnant? I was teasing about the grandkids…”

“No, Mom, Cassie is not pregnant. This is just how she wants to do this. It’s a good thing, I promise. She loved your offer of a big wedding, but she wants simple. Just us in a park with family and her two best friends.”

“But how can you plan a wedding in a week? What about the dress? What about the big reception?”

“She doesn’t want any of that, Mom,” Scott said almost proudly. “She’s buying her wedding dress right now. At a flea market or some thrift shop.”

Scott could almost hear his traditional, society Mom shaking her head in disbelief that a girl could want a thrift-shop wedding without all the trimmings.

“Scott, is this ok with you? I mean is that what you want?”

“It honestly doesn’t make a difference for me,” he said with a smile. “Cassie does her own thing all the time. This is just one in a long list.”

They discussed Cassie’s unique style for a while and then Scott’s mom offered one wedding tradition she figured they wouldn’t refuse.

“Scott, since we can’t do a big wedding for you, can we send you on a honeymoon? You shouldn’t be spending a lot of money now with your new job, but every new couple deserves a good honeymoon.”

Scott smiled and had the perfect idea immediately. His mom thought he was insane, but went along with his surprise honeymoon plan anyway.
 

“I really can’t wait to meet this girl,” she said. “She sounds like quite a character. But your father’s going to want a big reception for you. He has all those political contacts to impress. Can we talk you into a big party in a few months, here in Bethesda? We’d love to celebrate it with you, plus your dad can shamelessly work his contacts while he’s at it.”

“Sure,” he laughed. “I’ll tell Cass.”

“I can’t believe my little boy’s getting married,” she choked up.

“Makes two of us, Mom,” he laughed.
 

The sun was shining brightly on Saturday and Cassie looked up at Marcus. Her dress was vintage lace in a beautiful swimming-pool blue and her smile outshone the sun two-fold. Marcus leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.
 

“I could still kick his ass for you, you know,” Marcus whispered with a smile.
 

“Tame yourself, meathead,” she said with a loving eye-roll. “Just give me away already.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he smiled. They both looked ahead to see Scott standing in the gazebo in a crisp white button-down with the sleeves rolled up and khaki dress pants. Erin and Jenna smiled so happily as Marcus walked Cassie toward Scott and the minister beside him. Scott’s parents stood opposite Erin and Jenna, beaming as just as happily.

Marcus walked Cassie across the grass and straight up three steps. He shook Scott’s hand before guiding his sister toward her husband-to-be. He kissed her on the cheek one last time and moved to stand behind Erin, resting his hands on her waist and his chin on her head.
 

The minister started the simple service as Scott took Cassie’s hands and smiled at her sincerely. They both slipped simple platinum bands on each other’s fingers as they promised each other their love forever. Just before the “I do’s,” the minister asked if anyone protested the union. All eyes looked to Marcus and he laughed.
 

“No, we’re good,” he said as everyone chuckled.
 

Cassie smiled even wider, promised to love Scott forever, and fell into his arms for their first kiss as husband and wife.