Page 46 of If You Could Only Believe
I’m pretty sure Mason was about to incinerate her, but I couldn’t let him do it. I had to exercise my own demons. I couldn’t let the Buchanans do it for me.
This was my fight.
I shook Michael off of me and stepped towards my horrible mother and weak sister. “Mother, Phoebe, I understand your shock-”
“Sophia-”
I looked back over my shoulder. “It’s okay, Michael.” I turned back to face my mother and sister again. “I understand your shock at the fact that someone like Michael Buchanan could actually fall in love with me and marry me. Hell, I’m still in shock and can barely believe it, and I was actually there at the wedding.” I could hear one of the men chuckle behind me and I was betting it was Aiden. “But he did. He fell in love with everything you’ve always told me I should change about myself.” God, the words hurt. “All my life you’ve made it clear that Phoebe was your favorite, and I made myself okay with that.” I turned to my sister, and she actually had tears in her eyes. “I don’t fault you for how she raised us, Phoebe. But I do fault you for being okay with preferring to be her daughter instead of my sister.” I turned back to my mother. “I’m indifferent to Dad because, while he never stood up for me, he never went out of his way to be cruel to me, either. So, he’s sort of a nonentity.” I actually smiled for this next part. “But I have a new family now, Mother. I have a family who accepts how strange I am and embrace me, regardless. I have brothers and sisters and I’m going to have a new mother who can’t be any worse than you are.”
Michael’s voice boomed behind me. “And more importantly, Sophia now has a family who will never let anyone, including you, ever hurt her again.”
When his statement was followed by affirmatives all around me, it gave me the balls to tell my mother the one thing I’ve always wanted to, “Now, get the hell out of my house and don’t ever come back.”
Epilogue
Sophia~
We had done it.
Grand Ideas had loved Shane’s presentation and were positive that it was going to take them where they had wanted to go. But, better yet, Shane had presented them with the opportunity at an interest-free loan, if they so choose, during their fight with the previous marketing firm they hired. Tammy Whittled declined, but they came to an agreement that the BI attorneys would take over her case and help her fight her case free of charge.
I wanted to bottle up my sister-in-law and hang her around my neck as a necklace to keep all the evils of the world away.
I didn’t think Mason would go for it though.
Shane, Denise, Justice and I were in Shane’s office privately celebrating that Grand Ideas was going to pull through. Shane had planned a separate celebration for her entire department for later this week, but she was so excited that we helped the little guy, she couldn’t wait.
“God, this feels awesome,” she said, a bottled water in her hand, having announced last week that she was pregnant. “This is the first time someone came to us after being screwed over and I love that we were able to help them.”
Before anyone could comment, her office door burst open and in walked that magnificent sight that is the Buchanan men. Let me tell you, nothing was sexier than a hot-looking man who was proud to sport a wedding ring; knowing they were wanted constantly, but having eyes for no one but their wives?
Awesome!
The guys naturally gravitated towards their wives and butterflies took up residence in my tummy like they always did when Michael wrapped his arm around my waist, pulled me in and kissed the top of my head. “Hey, baby.”
I was about to return the greeting when Gabriel snatched Justice’s glass out of her hand. “What’s in here?”
“Jesus, you’re ridiculous,” she retorted. “It’s a mixed berry drink, you fool.”
“And I thought I had control issues,” Mason muttered, then kissing Shane on her beauty mark.
“What are you guys doing here?” Shane asked. “I mean, not that we’re not happy to see you fine specimens.”
“I don’t know,” Aiden answered, then jerked his head towards Gabriel. “Ask him. He dragged us all over here.” He nuzzled Denise’s neck before mumbling, “Not that I mind, mind you.”
Michael’s arm tightened around my waist and I turned into him until we were hugging. God, this is where I wanted to be every minute of every day, just wrapped up in Michael’s arms.
“We’re pregnant!” Gabriel announced without any work up whatsoever.
Justice just cocked her head at him with a stunned look on her face. No doubt, she had envisioned their announcement differently.
“Oh, my God!” Shane squealed.
“Oh, oh, oh,” Denise exclaimed as she clapped her hands.
I slapped my hands over my gasp, and I could feel tears gathering in my eyes. Michael knew already. That’s what his squeeze meant. He knew what Gabriel was going to blurt out. I watched Mason and Aiden hug and congratulate Gabriel and Justice. The fact that Michael was still holding me was confirmation that he had already known.
“Oh, my God!” I finally found my voice. “Congratulations!”
