Chapter Eight #2
Moving, Julian put his head in her lap, so that he was staring up at his wife, and he realized he’d pushed too hard. He’d not seen it from her perspective.
It never occurred to him that she’d struggled. If anything, his wife had been a soldier and was damn good at carrying on.
“I’m not angry. I’m…”
She waited.
“You’re what?”
He went there.
“I’m getting fixed. I don’t want you to suffer.
If having children is hurting you after the fact, making you suffer, I don’t want that, Victoria.
I love kids, but I never considered how brutal it is for you.
I’m sorry that when you said no, I didn’t take the time to find out why you were not happy about it.
I should have known you had a valid reason. ”
And this was why she loved him.
Her husband had moments of fear and lunacy, but at some point, he figured it out. She didn’t have to worry about that.
Because she didn’t tell them at work about it for sympathy or pity, she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before explaining.
“I love children, Julian. I do. I especially love your children, but I’m tired. I don’t want to do this again. I’m getting fixed.”
He stopped her.
“No. I’ll get fixed. I’ll call the doctor as soon as this is done.
I’ll get a vasectomy and take one for the team.
I know that it’s harder on your body, and you’ll have to go under, whereas I will just need to close my eyes and get numbed up.
I want to put my wife’s needs first. You birthed the babies, and I’ll get the snip. It’s only fair.”
She appreciated that.
“Really?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Absolutely. If it comes down to my wife’s mental health or babies, I don’t want the Wynter situation to happen to you. I don’t want you sneaking around seeing a therapist because I won’t listen to your needs. That’s shitty.”
Well, this worked out nicely.
“Thank you, Jules.”
It was the very least he could do. His wife deserved more than just being given a business. She deserved full partnership in their marriage.
As she played with his hair, he was worried about something else now.
“You don’t feel like killing yourself, do you?” he asked. “Asking for a very tired Littlemoon. I am warning you, I will tie you down in bed, and not for fun things.”
She laughed.
“Damn. This killer is ruining all my fun,” she said, as her husband laughed at that.
When she got quiet, he opened his eyes.
“I can hear the hamster. He’s frenetically hauling ass in that wheel. What’s up, Honey?”
After what she said, it just occurred to her that there was one way to get her to move.
“I will move the businesses.”
What was this?
Was this some hormonal thing?
Because she’d gone from ‘hell, no’, to ‘hell, yeah’, a little too fast for his liking.
“Why?” he asked, giving her the opportunity to explain before he started jumping to conclusions.
Tori was to the point.
“If the Monroes and Ridge leave, we’re following. They’re our family. You can’t let them leave,” she said, breaking down into tears. “We just lost Wynter. We can’t lose them, too!”
And here it came.
The storm was brewing, and he got it. Truthfully, Julian wanted to weep, too.
Losing Wynter…
It hurt.
Immediately, Julian sat up and pulled his wife into his body to comfort her. She’d cried a little earlier, but he knew his wife. The big breakdown was just starting in the privacy of their home.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Let it out. I’m here, Baby. I have you.”
And she mourned.
Tori sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed. Then, she sobbed some more. The whole time, he held on during that storm, being the person she needed since she was ALWAYS the person he needed.
This went on for a little while, but finally, it subsided.
“Sorry,” she said. “Hormonal.”
Well, then, he was too, because he wanted to cry at the idea of them leaving, and losing Wynter.
It had been a shitty day.
“I know Lucian said he’s not leaving,” Tori admitted, “but all of this makes me emotional.”
Yeah, him too.
Granted, Julian knew what Lucian had said, but still…
They had bad luck with certain things. They’d lost family a few times, and he didn’t want to redo that.
“We can follow,” he said. “I promise. They’re Littlemoons too.”
As she was against his body, and perched in his lap, Tori wiped her eyes on his shirt.
“I’m tired, Jules. Like bone-weary tired. If I don’t get some sleep, I’m not sure how I’m going to keep going.”
Well, then, she needed to rest. His wife was carrying two of his children, and that was exhausting on a good day.
On a bad day…
Now, he would rectify that.
“Me too, Tor. Let’s go to bed. Life is a little less colorful without Trey around, and I actually miss him.”
She snorted.
Well, someone had to be exhausted, or downright crazy to admit that out loud.
“If he hears you say that, you’ll never live it down. He’ll be making you ghost necklaces that say best friend and expecting you to wear them.”
He laughed.
If Trey could fix this mess, he’d wear a goddamn T-shirt with his face on it.
Yeah, he was that damn desperate.
Unfortunately.
* * * L I T T L E M O O N * * *
The Monroe’s Home
Across Town
When Lucian pulled into the garage, he made room for Maura’s Hummer right beside him, so they could be tucked away. The last thing he wanted was for the media to get any information on their guests and then to exploit it in some sick news story.
Because it was coming.
He’d bet on it.
At this time of the night, the street leading up to their home should be silent, and it was anything but.
Ridge’s house was a media nightmare.
The media was camped out in front of the Hunterhurst gate, just waiting for some juicy story to exploit.
That was the last thing they needed. As for the two Marines, he was pretty sure Elizabeth would cover her bases. The two people were likely wiped.
And with good reason.
As they got out, Lucian made sure to help Ridge out. The man was a mess, and he looked about ready to break. If fragility had a form, it would be his.
“Come on, Ridge, I’ve got you,” he said to the man.
Glancing over, he focused on his wife.
“I’m going to take him in so he can rest.”
What was she to say about that?
This was a difficult place to be in. She was stuck between a rock and a really hard place. Her husband was hiding things, but she loved Ridge a great deal, and he was family.
Did she get upset?
Did she cry?
Did she get bitchy?
It all hung in the balance, and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle this. She was in uncharted territory.
Because of that confusion, Bishop said nothing, and she knew her husband didn’t miss it. There was no doubt the shit was about to hit the fan, but the outcome?
That was anyone’s game.
“I’ll be back, Baby,” he said.
Now, Lucian was getting twitchy. His wife had been quiet the entire ride there, looking out into the passing scenery as she made it a point to say NOTHING.
He kept talking, mostly because he needed to handle things, but also because he was scared shitless. It was easy to ramble when your whole world hung in the balance.
“I’ll get Jagger and Maura settled,” he offered.
That was fine with her. The two people were just getting out of the Hummer and heard what he said, so they joined the conversation.
“We don’t need anything fancy, Lucian. Truthfully, we’re going to take a quick nap to get refreshed,” Jagger admitted. “Then, we’re going out to wander around Salem. Can we borrow a car to be a little less obvious?” he asked. “The Hummer gets noticed more than even one of your fancy SUVs would.”
That was an easy ask. The last thing they needed was the two Marines garnering attention. He knew for a fact that they’d ‘died’ and were ghosts.
It appeared it was fitting for them to be in Salem.
Without a word, Lucian tossed them a fob that was hanging by the door.
“Take the black one,” he said. “Where are you going?” he asked.
That was a good question.
Up to ten minutes ago, they hadn’t had plans. In the time it took for them to get to Lucian’s home, Oracle had given them their marching orders.
In the most Oracle way possible.
Maura had scribbled down some addresses that Oracle had found in the static. Her hope was that one of the people there might end up his target.
It wasn’t that they wanted people to die, but they needed a lead, and chasing Wynter Hunterhurst’s murderer wasn’t going to be their cup of tea.
Marines liked the dark for a reason.
Maura clued him in.
“We have the list of houses where Avalon believes might be potential psychics in danger. She’s just doing what she used to do.”
He got it.
She’d listen in the static, and try to find any soul begging for help.
“We’re going to go check them out, and see if there’s any movement at any of them. We work more at night, so we like to sleep in during the day. With the size of this town, it’s best we don’t hunt when people are out and about.”
Lucian was curious.
As they walked into his home, helping Ridge along, he kept talking, and he knew it was pretty much stalling from the inevitable.
D Day.
As in divorce day.
“You really are happy with your new lives in New Orleans?”
Without hesitation, both of them nodded.
“Absolutely,” Maura stated.
Her husband held her hand, and he shared.
“It’s been an adventure, for sure. We created lives in NOLA and made family that we can’t lose. We don’t want to leave that, and won’t,” Jagger said again. “While we miss you and Bish, this is a life we can’t assimilate into,” he said, meaning theirs.
Their friend was in a big house in a busy town, and the center of attention.
Case in point, the death next door.
That was the kind of thing that horrified Marines and brought attention to them. It was also why they lived in a secret bunker, funded by the US government.
“We found our niche, or should I say it found us?” Jagger asked, leaving it at that.
Yeah, and there were days it sucked, but that was life. Jagger didn’t discuss that they were vital there, or that he played mob man. To these two, they were just plain old Marines.
And it was for the best.
Hearing that, Lucian was honest.
“I’m happy for both of you.”
Maura went there.