Chapter Twenty-Two — Visitors

Joseph was still opposed to Maria’s idea about asking her father for money. After her dream-like return into his life, they had spent the night entangled like teenagers. At least that was how they had woken up this morning.

Maria had made a beeline for the toilet to throw up and one didn’t need to be a genius to know why. The stench throughout the house even made him nauseous. He wished, he could just bite through the pain and open a fucking window, but the slightest movement of his leg had him holding his breath from the burning pain.

“I’m sorry I’m so useless.”

“No, you are temporarily out of order. Let me take care of you now. You did it when I was in heat. It’s what mates do.”

Joseph smiled at that. Admitting his love for her last night had felt so right. Not even during his teenage years had he ever felt this sure about someone. All the lovey-dovey talk about true mates was lost on him, but she made it appear like there might be some truth to that fairytale.

She helped him out of bed, continuously purring to take away at least some of the pain as he made his way first into the bathroom to freshen up, then into the living room and onto the couch. He watched while Maria flew through the house like a whirlwind to throw away the traces of his distress and get everything back in order. One of the first things back in order were her clothes. After he was situated on the couch, she had dipped into the bedroom to find a fresh sweater of his to cozy up in. Only when the floors were clean, the sink empty and the sheets changed, did she allow herself to plop down on the couch next to him and snuggle into his side. Something in her scent was sweeter than usual, different even to her heat scent. He loved it, but it was still new.

“Are you wearing some kind of perfume? You smell delicious.”

“No, I’m just happy to be with you again. After I stayed with Alma for a few days, I tried to contact my mother and sister.” Her brows dipped down into a frown. “I never thought they would be so nasty. Bethany is even pregnant with Chad’s baby.”

“I’m sorry, Maria.”

“I only hope she won’t become like me at some point… his punching bag.”

Silence settled in between them while Maria traced random patterns over Joseph’s good leg.

“You said you found your father.”

She smiled at Joseph with bright eyes and told him everything about being one dollar short, of the waffles in the diner, and her father bringing her up into the wilderness to him.

“Can I call him and invite him to dinner? I really want you to meet him.”

“Sure. As long as I don’t have to stand up, do whatever you like.” He had given up trying to argue against her. She was right about taking her father’s help if he offered. It wasn’t like he planned on making it a regular thing and if it meant that he could keep the house, potentially keep his leg, and make her happy, who was he to deny her?

***

Leonard Baxter was a tall man with kind eyes and an air of authority around him that simply screamed Alpha at him. Joseph did feel a little intimidated being much shorter in his seated position, but Mr. Baxter quickly took a seat himself after shaking hands.

“So, I have done some research on you, young man.”

The kindness disappeared from his eyes as he regarded Joseph with a piercing glare. He must have found the articles surrounding his trial. He should have thought about that before getting his hopes up too high. Who would willingly give their daughter to a dishonored police officer with nothing to his name?

This dinner would most likely end with him being alone again.

“And what have you found?” It was a rhetorical question, really.

“I found that the Seattle Police department let a very capable and innocent police officer go even though he deserved much better. I have read your case files. You acted in self-defense and only an idiot could have missed that poor woman’s false testimony.”

Joseph gaped at him. That was not what he had expected. He glanced at Maria by the stove, smiling warmly at him.

“I am not here to become your enemy or act out some belated protectiveness over my daughter, Mr. Holt. I trust she made a good decision in trusting you and thus I will do so too.”

He reached for his glass and waited for Joseph to do the same before clinking them together. “To family.”

“To family,” Joseph repeated and sipped the mild wine.

Maria brought the roasted chicken over to them and sat down next to Joseph, reaching for his sweaty hand underneath the table for a reassuring squeeze. The dinner was pleasant even though Joseph was hardly talking, afraid he might say something wrong and come across as less suited for Maria after all. As the hours ticked by, Leonard revealed more about himself too. He was a self-made businessman who made his money remodeling houses to fit within the popular “green” theme. He hadn’t remarried after Diane had left him and taken Bethany and Maria, although he liked children a lot.

“Now that you found us, you could divorce her and start fresh,” Maria suggested and leaned her head against Joseph’s shoulder.

“You need to divorce that asshole as well,” Joseph reminded her and pressed his lips against the top of her head.

“I can give you the number of a very good attorney. Your uncle actually.”

“I don’t remember ever having an uncle or other family members.”

“You and your two cousins were inseparable. Twins, Amber and Nicole?”

Maria didn’t recognize the names and Leonard’s smile faded as he remembered things about her childhood she couldn’t anymore.

“If you ever come to visit Maryland, we will hold a massive party for you. I’m sure as soon as you see them, you’ll remember them. You were as thick as thieves,” he said with a chuckle and twisted the almost empty wine glass in his fingers. “But before that can happen, things still need to get fixed here, I’ve heard.”

He looked at Joseph again. “How bad is it? The leg I mean.”

“Very bad,” Joseph replied and took Maria’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “The doctor told me to expect the worst outcome.”

“I see.” The older Alpha nodded, lost in thought before he continued, “I will pay your medical bills, hospital and therapy, without any condition or expectations of getting the money back one day. It’s a gift from me because I want my daughter to be happy and you clearly achieve that by the looks of it.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” Maria said with happy tears in her eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. Baxter.” It was the only thing Joseph could say apart from, “I promise, I will make her the happiest she can be.”

“I’m certain of that.” Leonard stood up. “I am afraid though, I will have to leave you again.”

“What? Why?” Maria asked and stood up too. Maria rounded the table and stopped in front of her father.

Leonard placed his hands gently on her shoulders and stroked her with his thumbs. “Because, unfortunately, I have a business to lead. I will have to go back and delegate a few more things before I am able to come back here. I’m only a phone call away, Maria, and I will not lose you again. I love you so much, remember that.”

He turned toward Joseph and shook his hand. “Call me Leonard. After all, we are family now.”

“Thank you, Leonard. I will not forget what you did for us.”

He laughed and nodded. “You know my only condition. Make my daughter happy and we’re even.”

***

“What did the doctor say?” Maria asked the next day.

Joseph had just hung up from an hour long phone call while Maria had made them a new nest in their bed. He would have loved to help her, but not in his current state. Now he was only glad to hold out his arm and find her snuggling into his side like she needed his warmth to survive. Moose, ever present, jumped up onto the couch on her other side and rested his head on her hip. He let out a satisfied sigh as soon as she laced her fingers through his dense fur.

“They have a free slot tomorrow already.” Nervousness crept into his voice and he needed to swallow against the uneasiness in his stomach. “What if something still goes wrong? Despite your father’s support?”

“What if the world explodes in two minutes?” she replied with a smile.

Everything about her seemed to glow: her eyes, her smile, her skin. How could somebody not fall in love with an Omega like her?

“When do you have to be there?”

“Two hours before the operation and I’m not allowed to eat anything.”

“I’m going to call Dad and see if he can’t somehow extend his visit just another day.”

“Why?”

She shrugged and snuggled even closer. “For the shoulder to lean on while I worry about my future mate, I guess. I would take Moose too, but I don’t think the hospital allows dogs.”

Joseph took Maria’s hand and brought her wrist up to his lips to cover it in tiny kisses. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he still felt guilty for putting her through all the stress. Her husband had done so enough for three life-times.

The tender moment was cut short when Joseph’s phone rang and a picture of Alma and the boys appeared on the screen.

“Hey, Alma,” he started but was quickly cut short.

“Her fucking husband is in front of my fucking apartment. She gave him my fucking address. I want him to get the fuck away from me and my boys! Tell your Omega that she will have some explaining to do when I see her next!”

“Give him my address and send him up here. I think it’s time we talked,” Joseph growled and hung up. Maria, who had heard Alma’s agitation through the phone, sank back a little and held onto Moose as if she could hide behind him.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure you didn’t give him Alma’s address.”

Maria shook her head. “No, it was meant for Bethany, if she ever needed help. I didn’t know she would give it straight to him. I’m really sorry I pulled her into this mess.”

Joseph reached out his hand and caressed her cheek. “I know you didn’t. And Alma will know it too, she’s just worried about her kids. She’ll calm down.”

“He’ll come here now, right?” She shifted on the couch, fear and nervousness turning her scent sharper.

“Yes, but neither Moose, nor I will let him get anywhere near you. I promise.”

“What if he brings the police and they take me away from you?”

Joseph cradled her face with both hands and kissed her forehead. “What if the world explodes in two minutes? Everything will be fine, Maria. We have the photos to get him behind bars, I didn’t claim you yet so you’re not biased when you make a testimony, your father knows that you’re here on your own volition. They would have no solid ground for taking you away from me.”

“He has friends everywhere…” A single tear ran down her cheek. He quickly wiped it away. She was too beautiful to cry because of this asshole.

“We have the truth on our side.”

She nodded but remained a fidgety mess until two hours later headlights came up the driveway toward the house. Joseph had taken two heavy painkillers and still cursed under his breath when he heaved himself up from the couch.

“Stay in here,” he commanded and limped toward the door with a growling Moose by his side. It seemed the dog knew they were about to face the enemy.

Joseph had just closed the mudroom door behind him, when said enemy slammed his car door shut.

“Maria! Come here!”

Oh, this was going to be fun, Joseph thought and heard Moose growl threateningly behind him.

Chad cursed under his breath and murmured something about the snow ruining his shoes before he stepped onto the porch and Joseph opened the door.

“Who the fuck are you? Where is my wife?”

“Inside the house. You will speak with me.”

Chad’s eyebrows shot up to his dark hairline. “I see, you must be her affair then. I always knew she was a whore.”

Joseph’s eyes turned dark as he watched this wanna-be James Bond look him up and down. He clenched and unclenched his fists to keep from breaking his nose instantly.

“What do you want, apart from wasting my time?”

“If anyone steals time, it’s my soon-to-be ex-wife. Call her outside. I have something to give her and I will not do that over her little lap dog.”

Moose growled even deeper at his sneer.

“Like I already told you, you will speak to me. Only me. You’ve done enough to her.”

Chad narrowed her eyes. “I’m afraid you are mistaken. Those were her kidnappers.”

“You can stop that shit. I know what happened and I know you are fucking her younger sister. I am sure the police would love to know when your little liaison with her actually started. Wasn’t she fourteen when you married Maria?”

Chad’s arrogant expression froze. “Lies. Whatever you think you know. All lies.”

Yes, at least he was right with that. Every word he said were lies and Joseph grew tired of it quickly. Almost as quickly as the painkillers stopped working. He nodded down to the brown envelope in the douchebag’s hands and tried again.

“What do you want?”

“I want a divorce. And I want her to sign this.” He pulled out a non-disclosure agreement that wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. “I will not allow her, or you for that matter, to spew lies about me and ruin my reputation.”

Joseph couldn’t hold back the chuckle that rose from his chest.

“I am willing to pay for it if I must. How does fifty-thousand sound to you?”

“How about you pay in jail time?” Joseph retorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Maybe there you’ll get a feeling of how it was for me.” Maria stood next to Moose and peeked around her Alpha’s shoulders. “To be afraid when you wake up in the morning, not knowing if you will survive the day with all your bones still intact. The pain when someone pushes you down onto the floor because you said something wrong. The shame when you try to hide your bruises from other people so they won’t ask questions.”

“You have always been so dramatic,” Chad growled and glared at her.

Joseph quickly moved between them. He would not let him intimidate or upset his Omega. “You are talking to me.”

“What’s your name again? I think I didn’t understand through all your redneckness.” He let out a snorted laugh at his own snideness. “I mean, I know your little sister’s name and address. I’m sure finding out yours will be just as easy. You should be smart and take the money.”

Maria reached out her hand past Joseph who was close to simply punching that arrogant smile off of the other Alpha’s face. “We don’t want your money, but I’ll sign the divorce papers under one condition.”

“You are not in position to suggest conditions,” Chad laughed forcefully and looked around the less than optimal state of the house. “But I feel generous. After all, I will be a father soon. Your sister is a much better breeding mare than you were. How about seventy-five thousand?”

Joseph had had enough. He let out a threatening growl and stepped forward, forcing Chad down the steps of the porch as he wanted to keep his distance.

“Just give me the sonogram back.”

“What?” Chad laughed. “It was soaked through from the snow along with the money you stole during your great escape. Oh, I mean of course, your tragic kidnapping. I threw it away like the trash it was.”

Maria swallowed thickly, her scent turning from anxious to heartbroken. Joseph snatched the envelope from him and handed it to her without taking his eyes off his opponent. “Now get the fuck off my property before I decide the world is a better place without you.”

“I will wait until she signs it. Spares the postal fee.”

“No, you will leave now.” Joseph’s patience wore thin. His knee began to ache again and this Cheshire-Cat-grinning piece of shit still thought he had the upper hand.

Chad stepped right in front of him and huffed a laugh. “Make me.”

“He’s not worth it,” Maria said, knowing full well that Joseph would ‘make’ him. But she was right. He had to concentrate on his surgery and Maria, not this waste of oxygen and hair gel.

Joseph turned around and returned to Maria’s side. She scanned through the divorce papers and shook her head over and over again. “I will not sign this. You’ll leave me with nothing, not even the clothes in my closet.”

“Why do you care about them? When you ran, you didn’t need them either. I paid for everything you have, why should I give you any of that? You don’t deserve anything.”

Maria’s hand grabbed Joseph’s to hold him back from storming toward Chad to give him what he deserved.

“I’m sure he has something for backup. A dash cam or his phone is recording this whole exchange. If you flip, he’ll be back with the police and we don’t have time for that,” she whispered and exchanged a meaningful look with him.

“If you want money out of the divorce, play along. Stay silent, sign the papers, and live happily ever after with this mutt.”

Maria waited for Joseph to say something, but apart from the underlying growl, he was quiet. “We don’t need the money.”

“Clearly, you do,” Chad sneered while looking up and down at her comfy and slightly messy outfit.

“You can’t force me to sign the agreement.”

“You’d be surprised what I can do. This far you have still been on my good side.”

“Broken ribs and death threats are not ‘good’, you asshole,” Maria hissed, glaring at him and finally losing her cool.

“What did you just call me?”

Chad stormed ahead, seeing red like so many times before. Out of reflex, Maria stumbled backwards, but there was no need. When Joseph had told her Moose and him would protect her, those hadn’t been empty words.

Before the other Alpha had even made it up the steps to the porch, Moose had already targeted his leg, tearing the fine wool of his suit and below it the skin on his shin. Chad let out a high pitched scream and tried to hit Moose. Joseph stepped in front of him and punched him straight in the nose. Only when he lay bleeding and gasping in the wet snow, the blood from his broken nose streaming down his face, did Moose let go. He returned to Maria’s side like an innocent puppy while licking Chad’s blood from his snout.

“Get off my property or there will be no divorce. I will make her a widow, should I ever see you trying to touch her again!”

“You will pay for this!” He scrambled up on his feet, his face contorted into a pained grimace with snow stuck to his hair and blood ruining his white shirt and camel-colored wool coat.

Joseph pushed Maria gently to the side before he reached into the mudroom and retrieved his rifle. The sight alone was enough to make Chad run for his Land Rover and speed away with a howling engine.

The second he was out of sight, Joseph lowered the unloaded rifle and used it as a walking stick. The adrenaline from the punch had dampened the pain, but it returned quickly and stronger than before.

Maria helped him into their bedroom and made sure the door was locked before she joined him. Moose lay across the foot of the bed and wagged his tail. Maria knelt down in front of him and gave him a well-deserved belly rub.

“My hero,” she said with a wide smile before she looked up to Joseph. “My two heroes.”

“I promised, he wouldn’t get near you and I intend on keeping my promises.” He patted the spot next to him. As soon as she was situated by his side and he had his arms wrapped around her, he added, “I promise, I will always try my best to make you the happiest Omega there ever was.”

“I promise to be by your side, through sickness and through health,” she replied and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“Through richer and poorer.”

“To love you ‘till death do us part.”

His heart pounded so heavy, she had to be able to hear it. Joseph had never thought he would ever speak those words and here he was. The evening before the most important surgery of his life and holding the woman he loved with all his heart.

No matter what tomorrow would bring, nobody could take this away from him.