Burned (27 page)

Nick spoke up. We have it all on video. We are going to show it to you and Ms. Hathaway at the dinner we plan to have before you all leave town.”

Carter shook her head. “You do look good together. Nick, I’m counting on you to hold to your vows. Both of you took a risky leap to get married so fast. Your family knows nothing about us and we know nothing about them. How do they feel about you marrying Lincoln?”

“How they feel doesn’t concern me. I married the woman I love. As long as Lincoln loves me and she knows that I love her, everyone else can go to…”

Lincoln patted him on the arm. “Remember, baby, we’re working on using better language.”

Carter blew out a breath. “I see the holidays are going to be interesting.”

Nick put his arm around Lincoln’s bare shoulder. Her gown was off the shoulder and form-fitting. “Seriously, Carter, my family will have a problem with Lincoln. They most likely won’t acknowledge my kid either. And I’m cool with that. I don’t want my baby or Lincoln subjected to their narrow-minded views.”

“What about your mother, Nick. Mothers always have a soft spot for their sons.”

“If my mother was not under my father’s control, she probably would come around and accept my family into the fold. Until he drops dead, I don’t see it happening.”

Carter hugged him. “You’re welcomed in this family. The Hathaway’s are your family now.”  She patted Lincoln’s stomach. “My niece or nephew will be showered with love and affection by our extended family also.”

Lincoln broke up the happy moment. “We should get inside before we’re missed.”

Nick and Lincoln stayed together when they entered the reception area while Carter went to find her husband and kids to join them for the rest of the evening. Nick squeezed her hand. “If you’re getting too tired we can leave.”

She leaned into him. “I’m fine, baby.”  The music playing was a slow number sung by Brian McKnight. The song bought to memory their first date. She whispered in his ear. “Shall we dance?”

He led her to the dance floor. “You read my mind.”

As Nick pulled her close to his body to dance slowly, Lincoln closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of her new husband’s cologne.
Husband
. That word sounded funny in her head. She never figured Nick Barona would be her husband. That role was supposed to be filled by Anthony.

Lincoln swayed to the music. It was Regan’s day but the euphoric energy seeping from every pore of her body was from her love for Nick. Her hands fanned across his broad shoulders. The material of the tuxedo was soft under her fingers. She turned her head to kiss the side of his neck. “I love you.”

With his face close, she felt the rise from his cheeks against the side of her face as he smiled. “I love you too.”

Lincoln opened her eyes and saw Anthony and Melanie dancing a few steps away from them. He was holding her tight with his hand resting firmly on her shapely butt. Her heart thumbed when she saw the silver band on his finger. He proudly wore his wedding band while she and Nick hid theirs.

She loved the bridal set she and Nick purchased. Her engagement ring was a one-caret diamond set in gold and the wedding band was gold with three small diamonds embedded inside it. His ring matched her wedding band. Some would say the rings were simple but elegant.

Lincoln continued to watch them as they interacted with each other. He was all smiles and dark gazes with his wife. There was also a truth in his eyes; a truth that he loved Melanie far more than ever loved her yet he refused to let her go on with her life. He was determined to make her miserable.

Nick squeezed her gently around the waist. “Hey, you got tense on me. Loosen up.”

“I’m sorry. My view just became unpleasant,” she said closing her arms around his neck.

Nick turned slowly until he saw what she was talking about. “We have managed to avoid them so far, we should be okay for the rest of the night.”

“I just want to tell him we’re married. I want to capture his expression on film.”

Nick chuckled. “That expression will be there when he eventually hears about us. My court date is next week.”

“I plan to be there to support my husband. I’m telling my mother about us tomorrow, Nick. I don’t want to hide it from her. I’m proud to be your wife.”

“Sweetheart, my shift starts at noon tomorrow. I won’t be able to be with you.”

“I know. I don’t want to put it off any longer.”  The song ended and they walked back to the table where Carter and her husband Thomas were seated. “I have to use the restroom.”

Carter jumped up. “I’ll go with you. Thomas, get to know Nick. I think you’ll like him,” she said to her husband.

Lincoln kissed Nick on the cheek. “Be strong, honey,” she said to him.

In the lounge section of the bathroom, she fixed her dress in front of a large mirror. She was barely pregnant, but the dress felt tight around her middle. None of her habits had changed. She wasn’t eating more, but she had switched to a healthier diet. Maybe that was causing her to bloat.

The door swung open that separated the bathroom from the lounge area. She looked at the two women talking and laughing. As their eyes met, Lincoln’s skin crawled. It was Gwen and Melanie. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why either of them attended her sister’s wedding. It would have been acceptable if she and Anthony had parted on friendly terms but for these women to be here was tacky.

 Gwen stepped over to her. “Lincoln, you look gorgeous in that gown. The whole wedding party was beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she replied dryly.

Gwen fixed a fake smile on her pretty face. “This is very awkward and I debated if I should even attend the wedding. Regan and Orlando have been supportive to the causes I chair and I felt I owed it to them to be here. I didn’t do it to cause you anguish.”

“Gwen, this is Regan’s wedding and not mine. I didn’t have a say on who she invited. But to bring her was tacky and disrespectful to me,” she said pointing to Melanie.

Gwen folded her arms across her chest. “Anthony is a part of the wedding party and Melanie is his wife. She has a right to be here.”

“Right, she is Anthony’s wife and the mother of his child. I’m sure you couldn’t wait to let Anthony know about that kid either. You plotted and got your wish, Gwen. The happy couple is together.  However, you didn’t win by splitting us up; you actually did me a favor and made me see the light.  Anthony was not the man for me.  Maybe he will succeed in getting the pants away from Melanie this time, to be the man in their relationship.”

Gwen sighed. “You are wrong about me. I didn’t plot anything and I have nothing against you. Anthony voiced some concern about you two. He said he was unhappy about some things and I suggested he talk to you about it.”

Lincoln stepped away from the mirror. “When was this, Gwen?”

“Early last year, maybe. I never once suggested he leave you. It was his decision to be with Melanie and his child.” Gwen touched Lincoln lightly on the shoulder. “Move on with your life and stop blaming me for breaking up something he didn’t want any longer. I don’t think you noticed how unhappy he was or just didn’t want to accept that the relationship was falling apart.”

Lincoln moved her shoulder as if a flash of fire had been touched to it. “I have moved on and happy to say with a man I can trust. Your brother is a liar and a cheater. I don’t condone either one of those things in a man.”

“Yes, I heard you were with Nick Barona. You’re saying I’m tacky for being at this wedding, but you don’t feel it is tacky to be with Anthony’s best friend?”

“That’s right,” Melanie said, standing behind Gwen.

Lincoln fumed as she saw the smirk on Melanie’s face. She was agreeing with Gwen. “Bitch, don’t get me started on you.” Her voice upped an octave getting the attention of the other women in the lounge. She turned back to Gwen to finish her off. “In what world are you living that you think they are friends? What friend has another friend arrested! And you know what?  I wish Nick would have done more than break Anthony’s damn nose when he hit him. He should have downright kicked his worthless ass.”

Gwen clicked her teeth. “Those familiar words spoken by a scorned woman.”

“Believe me I am not scorned. I’m pissed how Anthony did his dirt, but happy I found out how deceitful he is before I got trapped in a marriage with him.”

Carter emerged from the restroom area and came to stand next to Lincoln. “What is going on?  Lincoln, who are these people?”

Lincoln squared her shoulders. “They are nobody to me, Carter. I’m wasting my breath on people not worthy of my energy.”

“All right, then let's break this up and everyone move on to what they were doing. I’m not having any fights at this wedding.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Fights?  I don’t participate in that type of ghetto activity. I was merely asking Lincoln to stop blaming me. I will protect my brother because he is my family, and I will not be bad-mouthed by her any longer. I want her to stop this instant.”

Carter stated coolly. “Lincoln is my family and I will protect her. Need I remind you, you are in a place filled with her family also?  So, it really is not a good idea to start any mess with her here.”

The door opened and an excited guest called to them. “Ladies, come on, the bride is tossing the bouquet.”

As the women gathered to catch the bouquet, Lincoln didn’t want to be in the group, but she had to play along. She scanned the women standing on either side of her. Some of them were married but attempting to catch the bouquet made up of red, purple, white, and black roses that Regan had specially designed for the toss.

Regan stood front and center. “Okay, ladies. I’m not going to fuss about the married women in the group, and I know who you are, I just ask that you don’t run over the single women,” she joked. “Okay, ladies on the count of three or as my husband would say, uno…dos…tres!”  She tossed the flowers over her shoulder.

Lincoln saw out of the corner of her eye, Melanie rush to the side of her as Regan tossed the flowers purposely in her direction. Melanie crossed in front of her to catch them. With malice on her mind, Lincoln shoved her causing her to fall to the hardwood floor. The flowers landed on Melanie’s back as she lay sprawled on her stomach.

Lincoln plucked the flowers off her body and with a rascally grin, said, “Oops, my bad.”  She knew her voice dripped with sarcasm, and she gloated at Melanie’s embarrassment as she scrambled to get off the floor.

At the table, Carter and Nick cringed when they saw Melanie fall to the floor. Carter leaned over to him. “Get her and go home now. Lincoln has revenge on her mind and that woman was the first victim and she won’t stop until she has Anthony pinned by the neck.”

Chapter Twenty Nine

Nick stood in the doorway of the bedroom sipping his coffee and observing Lincoln sleeping on her back with her hand resting across her stomach. The diamonds of her rings sparkled on her slender finger. No sooner than they entered the door of the apartment last night, she got the jewelry box and had him slide the rings back on her finger.

He used his thumb to manipulate the ring on his finger. The precious metal felt heavy, the symbolism it held made him lightheaded. He didn’t wear a wedding ring during his first marriage.

Damn
. He’d made a vow for better or worse. He promised to dedicate himself to her and only her. The concept of marriage was settling in after three weeks, and it scared him. Would he be a good father and provider for Lincoln?  What if he got hurt again?  And this injury could be worse than the last one he received?  Lincoln would be saddled with a baby and him to care for.

He should have had those thoughts when he married Dana. At the time he met her, he was looking for love in all the wrong places. He was twenty-years old when they married. She was twenty-three with a child. To him it was the perfect instant family. That mode of thinking proved to be the worst three years of his life.

His prickling nerves made him feel cold. He drank more of the coffee to warm up and calm down. He was overthinking. He loved Lincoln and wouldn’t trade this for anything. His own upbringing was creeping into his memory. He knew going in to ignore the patterns of his father. He had to fight the demons reminding him of the nights he and his siblings were huddled under beds or in closets. As they listened to Franco beat the living crap out of their mother when he came home drunk after his shifts at the firehouse, they knew they were next. Firefighters were labeled heroes. Franco Barona was no hero in his eyes. The only useful tool he learned from him was how to be a firefighter.

He scrubbed his hands down his face. It was impossible to keep the news of his marriage away from his parents. However, that didn’t mean they would ever lay eyes on Lincoln or their child. Nope, those people would never get a chance to humiliate his family.

He walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. The picture they took at the B&B was on the table. He picked it up. Lincoln was happy and so was he. The Hathaway clan welcomed him warmly, but he knew they had their reservations about him. Orlando knew him back in the day when he was a total asshole. He had a standard to keep. He would have to stay focused and not lapse when he was stressed, or felt overwhelmed or when Lincoln was having a bad day. He had to remember what the judge told the both of them…
Talk about the issues instead of holding them in and make time for one another
.

His cell phone rang. He swiped it open and immediately frowned. “Mom? What’s up?”  Isadora never called out of the blue. He expected her to call on his birthday and not before then.

“Nicky, I’m at the Greyhound bus station. Can you come get me?”

He sat forward. “What? Why are you in Cleveland?”

“I left him, Nicky. I left your father. I had nowhere else to go. You sisters and brothers have families. I couldn’t impose on them.”

His blood ran hot. He had a wife she couldn’t impose on. “Just stay there, Mom. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He got up to put his coffee cup in the kitchen. Lincoln was coming from the bedroom at the same time. He smiled. “Hey, what are you doing up so early?”