A knock on the door startled us back to this moment. I looked at Nikki desperately. "Swear to me you won't say anything." I begged safely, tucking the letter back into its envelope in my handbag.
She gave me a tight hug. "Of course, this is between us. I promise I've got your back; we're family after all. "I'm not sure if she meant it the way she had said it, considering the whole Nate being my cousin thing, but I could not hold back the full belly laugh that escaped as I responded, 'It definitely seems that way, Mrs. Westman,' and continued laughing while her face turned stoic.
I got up to check the door; I was expecting Nate to show up. After all, he and Nikki still had a lot to sort out. What I did not expect was Nate, Matt, and two other guys; I knew who they were, of course, having just stalked their social media with Nikki, but they had no clue who I was. This place felt way too small for this kind of reception.
Nate quickly introduced the other two to Nikki. "Nikki, I want you to meet my two brothers, Mav and Justin. This is my wife... Nikki, or am I supposed to say your new sister-in-law, Nikki? I'm not sure; it's all rather confusing with how it's supposed to be done."
By the obvious expressions of utter and complete shock mirrored on their faces, there had not been any forewarning; the proverbial bomb had dropped, and their brains were struggling to wrap around what had just been announced. They looked between Nikki and Nate as if waiting for the end of the joke that would never come. Nate took the marriage certificate from the table in front of us and waved it in front of them. "It's official like and everything. See?" he flashed it in their direction.
"You're serious?... You're dead, you realize that, right? And not the 'peaceful death in his sleep' type of death but 'he suffered for years and only on the day of his death found peace' type of death." Mav was the first to come out of the shock. I smiled as he referenced a short poem my mom had written; I doubt he would ever know he was related to the author. "You made sure to sign a prenup, right? You know Dad will flip if you don't get one done, or a postnup either will do."
"I don't intend on getting divorced, so no prenup and no postnup needed." Nate casually said. "Nikki is my wife, and it's till death do us part. I remember we both said that, right, Nikki?" He looked toward his poor, hyperventilating bride, who at this point in time looked like a deer in the headlights. She nodded slowly.
"I think I'm having a panic attack, or I'm in shock. Is there a difference between the two?" Justin murmured. "You know Gran had plans on who you should marry; if she finds out... she has had Cathrine lined up, ready to step in for you since childhood! Gran is going to flip! "He really sounded like this was the end of the world and like he was trying to process this, taking it very hard.
"Then she is going to force Cathrine on one of us!" He indicated to Maverick, "I'm already in a serious relationship; it can't be me! The problem, though, is everyone knows about Mav's reputation; Cathrine is going to push back and demand I step in. Gran will push for it as a matter of family dignity or honor or whatever wording she uses. Then she will make sure Jen vanishes. SHIT! I need to get hold of Jen! Now!" He stood up abruptly, a new sense of urgency about him, and walked out the door with his phone in his hand, frantically dialing. He had said each sentence as if each statement would mean the end for him and Jen. He believed what he said and took it as a prediction of what was to come with an outcome he could not live with. The only way to alter that outcome was to act now before everything came out.
"Okay so how does Matt fit into the family dynamics?" I couldn't help but ask; I needed to make sure I had not been drooling over a family member I had yet to meet that had not been added to a Wiki update. After all, the only family photos I had from Mom's family were more than 21 years old, and I never intended on looking them up. I knew the internet was not always reliable.
At this point Mav moved in closer to me, looking at me strangely, as if only noticing me now, trying to figure me out. He held his hand out in greeting to me. "I've met you somewhere before, right?"
Matt stood beside me and put his hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I stood just under his arm with his hand resting on my waist. He answered for me, "This is Kenna, my wife!" I stared up at Matt mouth open and about to correct him when Maverick spoke
"You are all so screwed!" Maverick looked between us and shook his head. "When Chelsea finds out and tells Grams ... you know there will be all kinds of hell to pay and the stink they are going to kick up. " That cousin of mine is a nasty piece of work, and you're putting Kenna right in the line of fire. Chelsea takes after Aunt Sophia and Gran completely; you're going to have a target on your back, Kenna."
He carried on without prompting. "You also know Gramps is going to get involved. He was hoping for a business merger between your aunt's husband and them when you two tied the knot; they have been trying for years to get back there. Great Grandpa, however, he will cheer you on. He still hates what Grandma did to Aunt Carol and never forgave her for causing Aunt Carol to run. Then again, you know Dad hasn't spoken to Grandma in years after he found out. His back is also up with Aunt Sophia; it's the reason he refuses to let us near her and only ever allows Alexis over to our place."
I swallowed hard after hearing that, feeling the knot in my throat become tighter. The more snapshots I got about Mom's family, the less I liked them, except maybe Great-Grandpa, Uncle Derik, and Nate are growing on me. "You're sure we haven't met somewhere? I never forget a face, and you're a dead ringer for someone I just can't figure out." He pondered further.
"We're not married." I said directly to Matt to correct the situation and to change the topic. I realized Maverick was perceptive and saw a lot of Mom in me.
"Yet..." Matt added on when Maverick looked between us. "I'm not getting near that psycho cousin of yours, not after the crap she pulled in the past and definitely not after the crap she pulled last night. I have never felt anything for her, and you can't force what's not there. My heart's set on Kenna; I'm falling for her, and I'm all in. It's her or no one. I put up with Chelsea for so long and still can't imagine being able to get it up in her presence. My dick goes into hiding just thinking about her, and I would rather be happy in life than tortured and miserable with her.” The disgust on his face was blatant for anyone to see.
I cringed at that. There were some things I really did not need to know, but I guess that's Matt's way of saying they haven't had sex. At least that was one less thing to worry about; hearing the history between them made things more bearable. I really did not want to get together with someone my cousin had been in a relationship with. I felt angry on Matt's part; the way he had been manipulated and forced reminded me a lot of what Mom had been through and how that ended.
Maverick covered his ears with Matt's confession, "There is such a thing as TMI, especially when it comes to Chelsea. I never want to hear about Chelsea and sex in the same sentence ever again; I had enough of it through high school!" He commented seriously. "When are you two heading to the Chapel of Love and making it official then? I mean, you slept here last night, right, Matt? Are you going to make an honest woman out of poor Kenna?" He curiously asked.
"Not happening," I said. At the same moment, Matt replied, "As soon as she says yes. "I gave him the evil eye for a moment.
"I actually have to agree to this, you know that, right? Right now this is sounding like a whole lot more drama. I'm turning 21; I'm not exactly over the hill pushing for marriage, kids, and white picket fences. These are not old maid times, and being married right out of high school or college is only done once in a blue moon." Out of everything that I said, there was one thing Matt zoned into.
"When's your birthday?" He asked, tilting his head. Acting all sweet like that was the only thing that mattered.
"Tomorrow, that was the whole point of the celebration week. Birthday! Not wedding bells, Nikki." I looked over to Nikki, realizing she and Nate had been trying to talk, not getting very far with how small the sitting area was and how many bodies filled the room.
"Do you and Nate want to talk alone and figure a few things out? Or do you want us here for moral support?" I continued looking in Nikki's direction as she pondered the answer.
"I think for now it's just me and Nate that need to work through this and decide what to do. Go have some fun for now, and I will call when we can tell you what we decided." She looked determined; she already had a plan, knowing her, and was about to go into processing mode.
"I will caution you, Nate; her dad's the local sheriff where we're from, and her mom is one of the state Supreme Court judges. She also has a rather large and well-loved family, and I, if anything happens to Nikki... God help the person stupid enough to try. Then again maybe keep that as an ace for now; mention her dad, it may give them a bit of a wake-up call and keep her safe. Nikki is no one's pawn, and her family will stand by her." Maverick looked over at his brother and whispered, "Completely screwed!"