Page 10 of Whiskey

“It’s fine, Hennessy. We need to tell Ezra the news,” Vivi said, patting Ezra’s back.

“Is Whiskey going to keep us safe from Grandfather and Uncle Paul?”

“Let’s sit down for a second.” Her back was hurting, and her feet were killing her. She’d rather have this conversation sitting down. She sat down on the couch. Ezra sat beside her, snuggling close, and Whiskey sat on the other side of Ezra.

“I am going to keep you safe, and the best way to do that is to marry your mom.”

Ezra’s eyes lit at the thought of Whiskey as his dad. She would never have imagined the change in her son in a week. Ezra had blossomed being around Whiskey’s family. Each brother or cousin they’d met had made an effort to make them feel a part of the family.

Between teaching Ezra line dancing or playing video games with him, they’d met almost all of Whiskey’s family. Each man, although different, exuded a vibe which put Vivi at ease.

Whiskey’s offer of marriage was an answer to her late-night prayers. She prayed but had never expected anything she prayed for to happen. She’d wished for a hero to protect her and her children.

“You’re marrying Mom so my Uncle Paul can’t make her marry him, right? Uncle Paul isn’t nice, and he makes a weird face when he looks at Mom.”

“Yes, we’re going to get married, so I can keep you all safe. We’ll stay married until the threat is gone and then decide from there.”

Whiskey talking about ending their marriage bothered her. She knew it was a marriage of convenience. Why him talking about the end turned her stomach, she wasn’t sure.

“So a pretend marriage. Can you be my pretend dad? Can I call you Dad?”

Ezra’s words ripped into her heart. The hopeful tone in his words that Whiskey could be a man he would depend on made her realize they needed Whiskey more than she’d dreamed.

“Of course you can call me Dad. The only drawback is I come with a big family. You’ll have to put up with all of them, especially Hennessy. Are you okay with that?”

Her son’s grin at Whiskey’s words had her holding back tears. Hormones were hard enough without seeing her son idolizing the man she was marrying. Little Tot took that time to kick into her side, hard.

“Oh.”

Whiskey turned at her grunt and reached for her, sliding his arm around her waist and taking hold of her hand.

“Oh, that’s just Little Tot jumping around. Here, feel, Whiskey.” Ezra grabbed Whiskey’s hand from hers and put his hand against her taunt stomach. Little Tot rolled and kicked right under Whiskey’s hand. He jumped a little at the contact, then the hugest smile she’d ever seen spread across his face, his teeth white and framed by his beard.

“Little Tot’s strong.” His hand moved a little on her belly. “Does it hurt?”

She shook her head. “Only if it’s on top of my bladder.”

Whiskey’s wonder at feeling Little Tot cemented her decision. He and his family protected her and Ezra. No matter what happened, her children would be more than okay with Whiskey. She only hoped she survived to be with them, too.

She knew how evil her father-in-law and Paul were. They wouldn’t stop until they were in control again. She didn’t want any of Whiskey’s family hurt, but she had to take the chance. Ezra and Little Tot deserved a future without the Charles family.

Chapter Seven

Vivi gazed at herself in the mirror. The dress for the wedding was from Stella. The cream dress had an empire waist, which accommodated the size of her belly. She’d never believed she could feel beautiful, but the shirred bodice with a v-neckline and fluttery cap sleeves made her feel like a princess. A pregnant princess, but still, it was such a different day than her wedding to Ezra’s dad. She had brown cowboy boots borrowed from Beth for today. They were a size bigger than she normally wore, but they fit her swollen feet perfectly.

Stella’s daughters had come with her along with Beth and helped Vivi with her hair and makeup. Even though she was wearing cowboy boots, Beth had painted her toenails, which was a gift since not only could Vivi not see her toenails, she couldn’t reach them either. The giggling and laughter while they helped her get ready brought tears to her eyes multiple times. This must be what the books she read had meant when they described a friend group.

She would have been happy with just saying the words before a judge, but Whiskey had other plans. The downstairs bar had been transformed with a wooden arch one of the cousins had built. Whiskey had invited his friends from the Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC. She smiled, thinking how things had worked out. Justice, the tattooed biker had been sending her to Bluff Creek, but the deer had changed her plans. When she’d wrecked, she hadn’t been thinking about Justice at all, just keeping her family safe. Luckily, Beth had known and notified her sister and Justice about their change in plans. Who knew she’d be grateful for a car crash? She’d tried to listen when Beth was explaining who all was attending, but with Beth’s four sisters and all the other people, Vivi had given up.

Ezra walked in and paused. “Mom, you’re beautiful. You should smile like that all the time.”

She felt tears pooling in her eyes.

“Uh-uh, the mascara is waterproof, but your foundation isn’t. Ezra, give your mom a quick kiss and then you can head down to let them know we’re ready,” Stella’s no-nonsense tone had Ezra hurrying over and bussing her cheek. She smoothed his cowlick and smiled at him. She vowed that from this day forward, Ezra would see her smile every day. She hadn’t had much to smile about before, and she’d been scared for them, but now was different.

“So, we’re all wondering and we’re going to need you to find out for us,” Beth grinned.

“Find out what?”

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