Don Vidal

9 - Wow

Marnie

“Let. Her. Go!”

I swallow hard. Fuc.k it all to hell! I’m not sure if I’m scared that Draven is here or if I’m happy that he is.

I turn my eyes to him. Two huge men are standing right behind him. Men, who should Draven click his fingers, would kill any man in their way; that I know just by looking at them.

Paul squints his eyes in the dim, dark light, trying to focus on the men walking towards us. “This is nothing to do with you, man. This is between my wife and me.”

“I guess I’m not making myself clear.” I see the smirk on Draven’s face before he’s even under the streetlight. “I said, let her go. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Paul looks at me, his eyes burning anger into me, but he lets go and takes a step back.

With his men’s eyes on Paul, Draven stands in front of me. He cups my face in his hand, and it’s too familiar. It makes my body shudder with desire. “Are you okay?”

I nod, unable to speak.

I close my eyes when he gently, so gently places his hand on my stomach, feeling our baby inside of me. He looks me in the eye, silently asking me if the baby is okay. It makes me smile, and I nod.

I may not have wanted to speak to him earlier, but I am so grateful that he stuck around. I know what would have happened if he hadn’t. Paul had that look in his eye. I would have ended up in the hospital. I can’t bear to think about what would have happened to my baby.

Draven kisses my forehead, and everything inside me is hopeful again. I’m probably overthinking that kiss, and I don’t even know what I want from Draven other than a father for my child. But if he can protect our baby and me from Paul, then I am more than willing to let him.

Draven turns away from me to face Paul. I’m shaking, not so much in fear, but because I think I’m a little in shock. Of all the things to happen, my husband and my baby’s father squaring up to each other.

“Do you know who I am?” Draven asks.

“Sure,” Paul shrugs. “Everyone knows who you are.”

I fuckin.g didn’t.

Am I really so dumb?

“No offense, but my wife and I were having a private conversation.”

I watch Draven take his hands from his suit pants pocket and scratch his clean-shaven chin with his thumbnail. “Is that so.” It wasn’t a question. “Marnie is no longer your wife. If I’m not mistaken, she asked you for a divorce.” Paul looks at me. He’s confused and angry. “Marnie is now mine.”

“What the fuc.k?”

My thoughts exactly!

“She’s carrying my child, or hadn't you noticed?”

Ohmigod. Ohmigod!

“You let this fuckin’ dago get you pregnant?!”

I wanted to answer him. I wanted to say something smart to make him look stupid. Tell him how this dago as he referred to Draven as fucke.d me in ways that Paul never could. That this dago is the hottest man I have ever laid eyes on.

However, I can’t say anything; all I can do is stare as Draven beats the hell out of Paul like he’s a professional boxer. The two men who arrived with Draven are standing to the side, just watching their boss beat the shi.t out of my ex-husband like it’s nothing to them, and I honestly don’t think I have ever seen a man as strong as Draven Vidal.

What am I supposed to do?

I can’t just stand here and watch Draven kill Paul. The racist piece of shi.t deserves a beating for what he just said to Draven, but... Dammit!

“Draven, stop!” I yell, but it seems to fall on deaf ears.

Draven punches Paul in the face again and again. Paul is no longer trying to fight back, and his head swings with force to the side with each punch.

“You’ve hurt her for the last time! Come near her again, and you are a fuckin’ dead man. Give her the divorce she asked for, or so help me...”

I scream and grab Draven’s arm before he can punch Paul again. I can’t stand the man, but I can’t stand seeing this much blood and violence, either.

I can’t even believe he would beat someone while wearing what could be the most expensive suit I have ever seen in my life before.

Oh, yeah, because that’s the first thing you think about, Marnie?

“Please don’t do this, Draven. I know he deserves it, but he’s not worth it!”

“You think I’m going to stand back and watch while this racist cunt beats my kid out of you?!”

“Don’t yell at me!” I don’t give a damn who he is and how much power he may have; he will not speak to me that way! “You were adamant it wasn’t even your kid a couple of weeks ago. What the hell changed all of a sudden?”

His eyes widen as he drops Paul to the floor with a thud. A thud that makes me jump, yet I can’t tear my eyes away from Draven’s intense brown ones. He grabs my forearms and pushes me against the wall behind me, making me gasp.

Am I supposed to be turned on by this?

Of all the damn situations to get turned on by, it just had to be this one?

God, I must be insane.

“I’ve been a busy man of late. I’ve also done a lot of thinking. Why would you tell me the baby is mine if it isn’t? You had no reason to lie to me.” I narrow my eyes a little, my lower lip between my teeth. “Then it hit me. You wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” I whisper.

“You're a strong woman, Marnie. You wouldn’t need to use your unborn baby to get away from that cunt.” I swallow past the dry lump in my throat. “There would be no reason for you to come to me unless this baby really is mine.”

“There has been no one else, Draven. This baby is yours. I swear.”

“I know that. I’m sorry for what I said. It was wrong of me to speak to you that way, but you stood up to me. Not many would do that. It shows how strong you are, and I love that about you.” I bite my lip to hide my smile. “I want to be a father to my child, Marnie.”

“That’s why I told you. This baby deserves to know its father.”

I giggle to myself. I like feeling him stroking my stomach, knowing he’s touching our baby somehow. This is all I want from him, to be a father to our child. I want him to be involved in all aspects of this pregnancy. I want him to experience it all with me. It’s Draven’s right as the father, but that is all I want from him.

“This baby is mine,” He looks into my eyes. “And so are you.”

“Wait. What?”

Draven doesn’t answer me. He turns to his men and orders them to take Paul somewhere. I’m baffled.

What the hell is going on?

I’m trying to find words to tell him I don’t want to be anything to him besides his friend. However, I'm mute as he leads me past my car and towards his own. I can’t find any words at all.

What the fuc.k?