Page 4 of Karma
Chapter Two
Griffin’s Beach
Marnie
Running a hand down her white sundress, Marnie sighs and looks in the mirror. The wedding came together rather quickly, and even though Venom wanted her to take her time to have everything she wanted, Marnie just wanted to marry him. Be his wife. That’s all she really wants.
“Having second thoughts?” Lex asks from the doorway of Venom’s apartment in the clubhouse.
Looking up, she locks eyes with the curly blonde and sighs. “No, just wishing things were a little different.”
“Different how?”
“When I’d think about my wedding, I always thought my dad would be walking me down the aisle. Or, you know,behere.”
The disdain for her father in the Griffin’s Beach clubhouse isn’t a secret to Marnie, and Lex’s expression reminds her of that fact. “Not to talk badly about your dad—”
“Go ahead.”
She smirks and nods. “Your dad’s an asshat. He’s so far up his own ass that he has to see the light whenever he brushes his teeth at this point. Dude needs to learn to keep his big, fat yapper shut.”
“I love William, and I know he’s worth more than my father is, especially after how he’s been acting the past couple of years. But not even showing up to my wedding? I never thought I’d be this disappointed in my dad. He’s trying to be hurtful.”
Until Venom’s mother showed up in the clubhouse unannounced, whooping and hollering his real name, not many people knew Venom was really William Maddox. He’d kept it close and only shared it with people he trusted. A group Marnie felt privileged to be included in.
“I understand,” Lex says. “Fathers have a special way of disappointing their daughters. Trust me, if anyone knows what you’re going through, it’s me.”
“Thank you, Lex. And thank you for standing up at the altar with me. I know you’d be better fit for best man duty, but I don’t really know too many women around here well enough to ask them. And I’d like to think of us as friends.”
Winking, she smirks. “We’re just lucky I’m walking down with Colt instead of Undertaker. He’d probably rip off Colt’s head for walking with Jamie. That man is a bit… possessive.”
Something in the way Lex says it tells Marnie that they both know more than the rest. When Jamie Pittman was certain her relationship with Undertaker was over, she stayed with Marnie. And while drunk one night, Jamie told Marnie about the rules Undertaker has for her. Rules that would not fly with Marnie.
As much as she loves Venom, there’s no way Marnie could deal with giving up basically all control of her own life and handing it over to him. But if it works for the two of them, who is she to judge?
Even though Marnie and Jamie commiserated their failed relationships together, Marnie knows she owes Lex. The blonde wanted to beat her ass in Summerville because of her treatment of Venom, but she was instrumental in Venom coming around and accepting Marnie’s apology. If Lex had told Venom to turn and run the other way, she’s not certain they’d be here right now.
“Baby?” Everlee asks as she walks into the room. “Oh, you look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“And you’re not pregnant, right?”
“Mom…”
Holding her hands up, she shakes her dark hair. “No judgement. I know how much you love him, and I’m looking forward to grandbabies—”
“I’m not pregnant!” she exclaims. “I just didn’t want to wait to be his wife. There’s already been so much time wasted between us because I was worried about what Dad would think. I don’t want to waste any more time not being married to him.”
“I’d like to say your father will come around, but he’s one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met in my life.”
“Tell me about it,” Lex mutters and smiles. “Coming to get her to walk down to her prince charming?”
Marnie frowns. “You’re walking me?”
“I’m not letting you walk to the love of your life alone. Your father may be the world’s biggest idiot, but I am not. And I can see the good in that man. More than that, I see how much he loves you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. And great sex,” she adds. “Based on your glowing skin and hair, I’d say he’s doing a great job of that.”
Lex snorts, and Marnie groans. “Mom… really?”
