Is It Revenge Or Love?

Marry Me

My phone rings for the fifth time, making me roll my eyes. At this point, I just want to be miserable and try to figure out how to get my life back on track. I don't bother to check the caller ID because I know what it will say—the same name it has said the last four times.

Amber sighs next to me. We made a pallet on the floor with blankets and pillows. We've been talking and snacking, having both decided that work wasn’t an option in light of everything. “I swear she's only going to keep calling. You should just answer and get it over with.” I know Amber is right; my mother will just keep calling until she talks to me. I just don't want to deal with it right now. I sigh and pick up my phone.

“What?!”

“That's no way to talk to your mother.” I hear her muttering in the background, and there's shuffling.

“Jaylene.” Well, sh.it! I guess she's super serious about whatever she's calling about because she put my dad on the phone. We rarely speak, especially not over the phone.

“Father.”

“Come home.”

“Excuse me?” I must be hearing things right now. Amber looks at me with questions in her eyes. I put the phone on speaker and set it between us. I put a finger to my mouth, and Amber nods her understanding.

“I said it's time to come home. This nonsense has lasted long enough. No one is interested in playing this game with you anymore. Come home so we can move forward.” I shake my head at his audacity, but I can't say that I'm really surprised.

“The fact that you think I've been playing a game is laughable at best. I haven't been playing anything; I've been living my life. I'm not going anywhere near there. For one, that isn't my home and hasn't been for a while now. Also, I just know that if I go there, I'd be met with a minister and a marriage license, right?” I can say for a fact that if I go to that house, it would be an elaborate setup to force me into a marriage with Deon. If anyone had asked me before if my family was capable of something like that, I'd laugh at how crazy it sounds. Now, though, it sounds entirely possible.

“Jaylene, I wasn't asking you. I'm telling you to get your ass home, NOW! Get here by 5pm or-”

“Or?! Or what father?! Let me remind you and mother that you have nothing on me. I don't live there and haven't in years. You don't have money over me because I make my own. There's nothing you can do to me.” I pause for a second to level my breathing. “Is this okay with you, mother? You figured that father would scare me into complying?” He lets out a dry chuckle.

“Your mother and I are on the same page as always.” There’s no sound other than his voice, so I'm sure she is siding with him. “You think there's nothing I can do to you? If you truly believe that, then you are as naive as I've always thought, and that's even more reason to make sure you end up with right man by your side. I will fu.cking destroy you! I will make sure you lose your precious job. I will make it to where you can never work with kids again. You will have no choice but to come home and deal with your family. Don't tempt me girl! Get your ass home by-” The call is disconnected, and a hand wipes at my face.

Amber moves next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulder. I let my head fall on her shoulder and just cry. Why did I never know how cruel my family could be? How did I miss that all of these years? I knew they could be overbearing and unreasonable; that's a big reason why I broke away from them in the first place. This, though, this is next-level evilness, and I'm at a loss. “What am I going to do, Amber?” The tears flow, and I'm stuck with hiccups racking my body. “How am I supposed to live?”

“You'll marry me.” Amber and I gasp and turn toward the voice to find Monroe standing in the doorway. “Marry me and they won't have a choice but to leave you alone.”

~Monroe~

Everyone has been stunned into silence, even Dixon, standing behind me. I had decided to come to the house to check on the girls. After what happened this morning and the note left on my desk, I was feeling unsettled. I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it.

When we walked through the door, I found them sitting in my living room on a mountain of blankets. They had a phone between them, and I heard enough to know that Jaylene had found herself in a pretty messed up situation. I can't say she deserves all this after what she did to me. I'd love to say that, but I can't. I guess I'd rather the lick back come from me and not the universe. Call me crazy, I don't know.

I hadn't planned on going this far. I was going to have them stay here until they came up with a safer option. I was going to continue my plan for revenge and then walk away. Something tugged at me, listening to her being threatened.

If I'm being honest, I'm surprised at the words that left my mouth. It makes no sense that I'd offer marriage, but I did, and here we are. All eyes are on me, and I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. “Wh… what do you mean? Marry you?! How is that supposed to help anything?” Yeah, Monroe. How the hell is making her your wife supposed to help anything at all?

“We should talk. Follow me to my office.”