His Marriage Demand

I had kept my head down and my mouth shut. Somehow, no one had found out it was just Justin and me and that I was only thirteen. Whenever anyone asked, I was fifteen and Justin was mine. Until I was nineteen, and Justin’s father died; then I realized Justin really was mine, in every way that mattered. The thought of losing him had my blood running cold.

Desperately, I had forgotten all thoughts of continuing school. The monthly payments had been enough to take care of childcare and then some, I managed to save quite a bit. Thinking the amount of money would be enough for several months. Then I had gone apartment hunting and I found out it wouldn’t last for as long as I thought it would. I had managed to find a job quickly, my mother had been harder. Thankfully, she had been tweaked out without any knowledge of Justin’s father dying. With a laugh, she had signed and walked out without even asking about Justin.

I knew I had to move fast, before she figured out what was going on. I had her sign the meaningless document because I was terrified she would try to take Justin back so she could sue the estate for Justin’s part. Justin wouldn’t have been able to take all of that and her. She was a malicious, physically and mentally abusive wreck of a human being. Justin would have been crushed by her within months.

I close the front door with a bang and lean against door. Fear has me a sobbing wreck. It’s how Drake finds me. He’s swearing as he picks me up and takes me upstairs.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart, please don’t cry. It tears me up when you do. Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to take care of her. I promise you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to deal with her. Noman’s guy lost her three days ago but he’s back on her now. She’s not going to get close again without me here. I told you, I love you and no one is going to hurt you. Let me handle her. You trust me, sweetheart?”

I’ve finally get my tears down to a trickle now that I’m safe in his arms. His question stops me altogether. “Of course.”

“Of course, I love hearing you say it as if I’m a moron to even ask it.”

He rocks me for a moment and I’m content to let him handle it. I have no doubt he will. I have no doubt he’ll come out ahead and my mother will disappe

ar again like the bad dream she’s always been.

The next morning it really feels like the day before was a bad dream. Yet, only twenty minutes after I kiss Justin goodbye I hear the doorbell ringing and I catch a breath. Drake pulls me close, “Meredith, show the woman into my study. I’ll be there in a moment. You want to stay here? Okay, then you have to promise, don’t say a word. I handle all of it.”

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. “This is Drake Hawthorne, tell Winston I need him and a notary at my home within the next half hour to sign the documents for the waiver of rights for Justin Short.”

My head comes up in surprise. “When did you do have them prepare the documents?”

“The day I talked to Justin. I knew she’d come, I got the cashier’s check the same day.”

“A cashier’s check? To sign away her rights to Justin, you’re going to pay her?” I’m feeling a little unsteady.

“She doesn’t want Justin, she wants money. I’ll gladly give her what she wants to make you and Justin happy. I’ve known this was coming, if she hadn’t come to me, I would have had to go to her. We couldn’t have adopted Justin and taken him to Boston without her signature. Her coming here gives me the upper hand. She’s on my playing field now, this will end quickly, the way we want it to. Remember, don’t say a word.”

My hand goes into his as I follow him into his study. It feels comforting and I squeeze it the moment we step inside the room. She’s lying back against the leather chair as if she’s the queen of the world and we’re being brought forth for punishment. I want to become violent and I fight the bile rising in my throat.

Drake’s arm goes around me and he waits. He doesn’t say a word, simply stares at her.

The silence grows until she finally gives in. “Well, if it isn’t the Dragon of Chicago. You look even better in person. I never had you down as one for slumming. Then again, with men you can never be sure of their tastes. It’s like I told Ria yesterday, I tried to offer her up for use to several men when she was thirteen, only none of them wanted her. One wouldn’t even fuck her for a fifty, tried to haggle me down to twenty. I bet she’s earning more than that from you now. Friend of mine told me the pearl ring she was wearing was easy fifty large, and her engagement ring a quarter of a million. Bet she’s working all her holes for you for all that pretty sparkly.”

Drake’s arm tightens around me, still he doesn’t say a word. She’s trying to provoke and she’s hesitant when he doesn’t respond to her malicious words.

“Cat got your tongue, Dragon? I mean I heard you were smart, are you just playing dumb?”

“Ms. Short, when you say anything worth responding to, then I will do so. Justin isn’t leaving our care, so say what you came here to say. Ask for how much you want, I’ll tell you to fuck off, and have you removed from our property. You have six outstanding warrants in four states. I can call the police now to have you arrested. The Tribune wouldn’t take a collect call from you. While you’re in jail, child services would see Justin is content and safer with us than in an already full and overwhelmed foster care system. We’ll go to the courts and petition for custody. You’re going to go away for at least ten years with all the charges you have against you. For most people, it would take a year or two, except money talks and I have a shitload of it. We’ll be signing the adoption papers in months.” With every word, his voice gets harder and harder and his face is made of granite.

My mother opens her mouth, for once, nothing comes out of it. I bite my lip to keep from smiling.

“I am making you a one-time offer. For twenty grand, you’ll sign a waiver of your rights here today, along with a gag order that you never speak of this, and you’ll save me time and money. You try to haggle with me over this and each time you do I knock off five grand. By the time we get to zero I call the cops.”

Shock has her opening her mouth, “Jesus Christ! Twenty grand, that’s it?! Your suit costs more than that. That’s all you’re willing to pay for the fucking kid? What a stingy bastard you are.”

“You’re down to fifteen grand and frankly you’re making me nauseous. I’ll give you ten minutes to think about it. Don’t get any ideas about stealing anything, either, look up in the corner, see the camera? It’s recording this conversation and your sticky fingers.” Drake marches us out the door and we head back to the kitchen.

“I love you so much. I’m so sorry you have to even be in the same room as she is.” I exhale as I lean against the island.

Pulling me close, he groans, “I couldn’t stand looking at her for a single second longer. Fuck, I can’t believe I left you here alone where she could get to you yesterday. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Can I say right now how grateful I am that you are so fucking sweet, honest, and amazing; considering you came from that vile woman?”

“Don’t apologize. I know it’s crazy but she wasn’t always so awful. She used to be just selfish and self-centered. When my father left us when I was eight she became vicious. Slowly, she came to resent me, and then she met this guy and got pregnant. He was married and willing to support her and the baby. Except she had a miscarriage four or five months in and it was awful. There was a lot of blood, she was in agony for days.

She changed completely then. The guy ran and never came back. How she landed Justin’s father I’ll never know. After coming so close to having a kid by someone who would take care of her, she kept trying. When Justin was born, she had unresolved issues from her miscarriage causing her to almost bleed to death, and they did a hysterectomy. When she got out of the hospital, she left Justin in the carrier, screaming, for days before she even let me hold him to take care of him. When she saw I was doing it, she said he was my problem and left. Even though she didn’t pack a bag I knew she was never coming back. The fear of what would happen after she walked out was nothing compared to the relief. She’s my problem. I’m sorry for letting you handle the mess I should be cleaning up.”

Chuckling, he shakes his head, “Please stop saying stuff like that, you’re beginning to sound like a saint again and I can’t stand it. I love the way you suck my cock too much to have you enter sainthood. You lost the lottery in parent stakes, that’s all it was. You have handled it with grace and nothing but love and you did it all alone. You aren’t alone anymore, I’m here and I’m taking care of you. Now is when having an arrogant, commanding and know it all husband is going to be your benefit.”