Chapter Thirty-Four
Axton
“I t’s about time.” I answered the phone while I had a few drinks in me. The guys were half tanked and playing pool.
“Oh really?” Faye did not sound amused.
“I called you when I had time. I’ve been on a big case and adjusting to some life changing events. You didn’t call me back until Saturday and I was on a mission. I couldn’t exactly call you back right away.”
“What’s going on, Mike?”
“We have a few things to discuss. Have you changed your mind yet, or are you going through with it?”
She sighed. “I told you what I had to do.”
“Have you talked with your family or Steven?”
“I decided to accept all of it and just do what’s expected. On to you, what’s going on?” She tried to change the subject.
“Please tell me you don’t plan to marry him without telling him you have specific needs.” I really had faith she would finally do it.
“That’s my problem. Please just tell me. Are you ending things with us?”
I took a deep breath to prepare myself. “I got married last week.”
The line was silent.
“It was to help a girl who was raised in a cult, so it wasn’t supposed to be a real marriage, but I love her.”
She laughed. “You have got to be joking.”
“I’m going to propose tomorrow if she forgives me. She didn’t know about you, but read our texts when I was on a mission. I love her, Faye. I love her so damn much and she is everything I’ll ever need and then some.”
“How in the hell?” She sounded angry.
“If it were under normal circumstances I would have liked to date her longer, but we got married, we had the most amazing dates, and I think I was made for her, Faye. She is what I was searching for and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole life. It’s not the kind of relationship where I give and receive nothing in return. She listens, takes care of me, and she’s the most perfect creature God ever created. I feel more alive now than ever.”
“Ouch.” She said.
“It’s nothing against you. You’ve been a great friend, and lover, but you know I could never be happy with what you wanted for us. Plus, I love you as a friend, but neither one of us are in love with each other.”
She sighed. “I guess I need to find a new play toy.”
“You are going to be so miserable, and I had high hopes you would have stood up for yourself by now. Please tell me you’ve slept with him and he’s not boring as hell.” She was making a huge mistake.
“I have.” That’s all she had to say?
“And?”
“And he’s no Mike Axton.” She groaned. “Are you sure Mrs. Axton won’t consider sharing?”
“Mr. Axton isn’t interested even if she was, she’s everything I need.”
“So, what now?” She asked.
“I beg you to reconsider your decision. If not for yourself then for him. It’s not fair to either of you. What happens when your father tells you to have kids? Isn’t that your biggest nightmare?” I was giving it one last shot.
“Infertility would be very easy to fake.”
“Only, your husband will want to be bare inside you and it could happen even if you take birth control. You need to at least tell Steven that much, that you will never have his children. This is unbelievably unfair, Faye.”
“Enough about me. What do you need from me to convince little wifey to forgive you? Does she need to talk to me?” She asked.
“God no, that’s the last thing that needs to happen. This is not a good situation for a lot of reasons. I’m going to fight for her though. I won’t give up until she gives me a second chance and marries me for real, then I will continue to fight for us the rest of my life.”
“That’s a big statement for a woman you haven’t known all that long.” She said.
“I have every reason to believe we were designed to walk through this life together and nobody could convince me otherwise.”
“Mike, have you been drinking?”
“Oh absolutely, but I’m not as bad as the other guys, which is not great either. Creed's Lake has come under attack twice in less than a week. So yeah, we’re all fucked if something happens now. Our number one is on paternity leave, and our number two was shot in the leg, I’m number three and I’m toasted but I also got shot on Saturday, and the only ones not fucked up are Bolton and Jennings.” I chuckled.
“You got what?”
I chuckled. “Shot, but you know me, I keep going no matter what, but I’ll be fine, and I’m worried about you. You know we can’t be friends anymore, right?”
“It’s a decade long friendship. Are you sure she means that much to you?” She asked.
“I’d fucking die for her.”
We talked a little longer then we ended the call and our friendship. I’d miss her friendship, and I wished her the best, but Belle would always come first and there was no reason to stay in contact. I looked behind me and both of the guys were passed out. I sent Steph a text to let her know, then woke the guys up to put them in bed. Then I went to my own bed, and it felt so empty. I grabbed my phone and studied Belle’s face for the hundredth time that night. If she forgave me, I was going to marry her and knock her up. I laughed at myself. Maybe I was joking, but maybe I wasn’t. Belle wasn’t a believer in modern birth control, and I didn’t give a fuck. Maybe if I knocked her up a few times she would change her mind. Damn, I must have been drunk, judging by my thoughts.
I had a lot to deal with all day, but I marked one big thing off the list. I learned how Amelia and Merriam treated Creed and the others. I also understood she saw me point a gun at Jeremiah’s head and pull the trigger. She wouldn’t have understood that I did the man a solid by killing him. He shot Magnus, and if it weren’t me, it would have been Granger, or he would have suffered at the hands of one of the most evil gangs in the world.
After meeting with Creed, I came home, dressed in my old fatigues then paid the women a visit. After showing them the evidence I had on Jeremiah and they saw my birthmark, they fell to their knees and begged for forgiveness. I told them about all the men, women, and children we saved, and how we were doing God’s work on Creed’s Lake. Then I told them I was going to marry Belle and help the other followers. Yeah, I was pretty sure by the time I left they were both using the yarn and crochet needles Belle brought them to make me a scarf or two.
Then I had to deal with the West Virginia State Police, after I spoke with Gloria. It seemed it grew beyond a county investigation. I didn’t tell them anything to implicate Will, but if they found out, there wasn’t anything they could do to him that was worse than he was already experiencing. Next on my agenda was going to that mountainside to reign hellfire down on Natalie’s family. Of course, I would marry Belle first if I could convince her to marry me despite not telling her about Faye.
I woke in a panic when my alarm went off on my business phone. I was told to get to the medical center as soon as possible. I didn’t even tie my boots, comb my hair, or brush my teeth as I ran out of that house with Granger and Baros behind me. It was Magnus, he was developing an infection, and we had to get him transferred to Louisville. Through radiology, Zoey felt he had an Anastomotic leak from where the surgeon joined the ends of the intestines together and he would need another surgery. Zoey could have done it with the on-staff surgeon we recruited months ago, but he was out of town for the holidays. I regretted not speaking to Belle before I got on that medical flight with Magnus and Zoey. I begged Creed to tell Belle I would be at that dance and promised we would talk.
Belle
I was devastated to hear about Magnus. I also worried about Michael’s wound. Mine was doing well and I had the stitches out for a few days. The last scans of my head showed I was doing great and released from the Neurologist and could resume regular activities. I hoped he didn’t have to feel as much pain as I did when I was hurt.
Everyone around Creed’s Lake was grieving over the loss of their operatives. Reese was the only one of them I ever met, and I saw for myself that he was a kind man. He always had a smile on his face and was in the mess hall a few times when we ate there, so I was also saddened by his passing. He always stopped to say hello and ask how I was adjusting to life on the lake.
After waking in Addie’s bed with her arms around me, looking like an absolute angel by the way, I went to see my mother. I was shocked to see the difference in her and Merriam. They hadn’t been sleeping, that was evident by all the scarves and hats they crocheted. That’s how I learned it was Jeremy that shot Magnus. They described the look on Michael’s face when he killed Jeremy. Mama said she never saw such little emotion as he pulled that trigger. It seemed my husband spent some time with mama and Merriam, and I regretted not seeing him in his uniform. They both were excited to tell me all about my handsome husband and how yet another one of papas prophecies came true. They thought he was the fake prophet until he showed them some disturbing photos of Jeremy and then he showed them his birthmark. They did request to see mine again just to confirm.
I explained to mama how important a spiritual marriage was to Michael, and my mama said Michael still hoped I would marry him. That gave me some hope, but we still needed to talk. Mama saw a spiritual wedding as the same thing it was back home, but I had to explain the practices Michael grew up with and how I was to wear a white wedding dress and carry flowers. They didn’t really care for that much, and I told them he was Catholic. I wasn’t sure if that was the type of wedding we would have, but just the word Catholic almost threw both women into hysterics.
She also knew we hadn’t done anything together that would result in pregnancy, and that seemed to please mama. We talked about both of them starting over since Michael planned to dismantle the church. I guessed he showed them the written prophecy and they needed time to come to terms with all the changes that were coming. I also asked them to consider staying in Indiana. I would talk to Michael about allowing them to become guests through the DV program. They both had a lot to learn about the outside world and they had a lot to offer Creed’s Lake. They could do anything from cooking to housekeeping while they went through the program to learn how to survive the world without a husband to take care of them. The greatest challenge would be preparing them for Creed’s Lake. Not just the cultural and religious differences, but the behavior and foul language alone would be quite the shock. By the time I left, Merriam was open to the idea of seeing Koty.
I had lunch with the girls before we went to the salon. It was hard to concentrate and answer questions the hairdresser asked. I was worried about Magnus and Michael. I truly enjoyed being in the company of Magnus. Morgan explained how in a few weeks they would resume their Thursday night gatherings. Magnus talked Creed into putting them on pause so that Morgan wouldn’t insist on cooking for everyone. She needed her rest after school every day while she was pregnant.
I was in the chair getting my makeup done when Melissa decided to go into story telling time.
“And that’s how Scott ended up with a mud pie in his face.” Melissa was filing her nails.
“Why exactly did we need to hear this story?” Morgan asked as she sat in a chair breastfeeding Colton.
“There’s always a moral to the story, Morgan. There’s no need to live on the edge when your lover says their tummy hurts. Don’t insist on eating their pussy, because all it takes is one sneeze to change your life forever. I’m not sure Scott will ever go down on me again.”
There was nothing but blank stares and blinking eyes looking at Melissa.
Steph spoke up. “Moving on to a less traumatizing topic, did you all hear a new hottie is joining Creed’s Lake as an operative?”
“Who?” Heidi asked.
Morgan answered. “Caleb, otherwise known as Sniper. The president of the Devil’s Rejects.”
“That’s no surprise after what he did up north.” Melissa was still filing her nails.
“What did he do up north?” Kayla asked.
“Taking that bullet for Axton. They said the guy had a clear headshot on him until Sniper distracted him then jumped in front of the bullet.” Melissa answered.
“He did what?” My voice shrieked.
“Axton didn’t tell you?” Melissa asked.
“Not yet.” I answered. Kayla and I kept what was going on with Michael to ourselves. He wanted privacy when it came to his life outside Creed’s Lake, so we respected that for him. That meant my friends didn’t know I was dying on the inside. They might not have understood that I was fighting an internal battle between my heart and my mind. I couldn’t stay married to a man who would eventually need more than I could give him. But learning how close I came to losing him, it made my chest hurt and the only thing I wanted was to be in his arms. I wanted to listen to all of his breaths and heartbeats. I shut my eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks.
We all went back to Morgan’s to get dressed. Morgan was excited for the evening, although Creed was having a tantrum because he wanted her to get some rest. Her parents were staying with all four kids, and she was ready for a night out.
I didn’t care what Morgan said, she looked absolutely gorgeous in her maternity gown. It had spaghetti straps, a sparkly silver wrap bodice and the bottom flowed with sheer black fabric. She looked far from a woman who gave birth a week ago.
My dress was a baby blue and sparkly silver A-line spaghetti strapped dress, with sequence and white snowflakes throughout the sheer and flowy material that laid over liquid satin. My hair was up with loose curls, and my makeup was way heavier than I ever had it before. I was wearing fake lashes and pink lipstick, and I loved the waviness of my hair before it turned into a braided bun at the nape of my neck. Morgan’s jewelry matched my skin tone perfectly, and I felt like a princess.
All the girls looked absolutely stunning, but I was trying to hide my sadness. I was still heartbroken and my date for the evening wasn’t my husband, but my sister in law instead. Creed teased about escorting all three of us into the ballroom and being the luckiest man alive. But I could have cried because I would have done almost anything to be on Michael’s arm. I wished I knew if we could fix things. I understood why Michael wasn’t able to see me that morning. I wanted him to be with Magnus, and hated the idea of Michael not being there when he woke up.
Creed proudly escorted us inside the ballroom where my eyes didn’t know where to look first. There were flowers everywhere, granted they were fake and ordered months ago, but they were still beautiful. Candles were lit on every table and there were also balloons. There was even a corner that was setup to take pictures with a New Years theme on the backdrop. I giggled when I saw the prospects in tuxedos walking around with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. I saw things very similar in some movies I watched. I graciously took a glass of champagne then stood with Kayla as we talked with various people in attendance. A look around was a reminder of how handsome and beautiful the men and women that made up Creed’s Lake were.
Then I saw my brother, who didn’t have a tuxedo but wore a shirt and tie with a pair of slacks. He was standing off to the side with several women trying to get his attention, so I rolled my eyes and looked away. My eyes kept scanning the room for any sign of Michael, but he wasn’t there yet. It was okay, he was with Josh Magnus, and he needed to be there for him. I could wait another day, and I knew he wasn’t with me for good reason because Josh needed him.