Chapter 80
The following afternoon Olivia and Natalia picked up Ava and Rafe's vehicles and took them over to the Spaulding Mansion to await Christmas morning. Phillip had suggested that they leave them there and toss the kids the keys when they picked up Emma on Christmas morning so there was no chance they would find out about them. Olivia also asked Phillip if he could get both her and Natalia's cars there and arrange a ride for them to get there on Christmas. She planned to tell Natalia that her car needed to have some work done on Thursday and borrowing a Beacon car so she could do the trade in.
The ladies left work early to prepare for dinner with Doris and Blake and left Ava and Rafe to run the office for the better part of the afternoon. The kids arrived at the same time as the others and Rafe raced into the house to warn his mother's that Doris and Blake were not alone.
He ran into the back door and quickly removed his jacket. "Hey moms, I wanted to let you know that Doris and Blake are here, but uh, they're not alone."
"Oh." Natalia said. "Whose with them?"
"Doris brought Jamanda."
"Oh, well that's nice, I'd like to get to know her better."
"And Blake brought Frank with her."
"Oh." Natalia said at the same time Olivia shouted. "What?"
"Yeah. That's why I wanted to warn you." Rafe said as he headed towards the front door to open it for his sister and their guest.
Natalia took Olivia into her arms. "I thought you were okay with Frank."
"I am, it's just, sometimes I swear I catch him looking at you like he still thinks he has a chance with you."
"Honey, he's with Blake, and he hasn't tried anything with me since before…the summer." She said looking down, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.
Olivia place a finger under her chin and gently lifted her face to meet her eyes. "Hey, none of that. We've moved on from what happened over the summer. We are about to be married. There is nothing for you to feel bad about. Okay?"
Natalia averted her eyes but nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
Olivia heard their guest enter the kitchen but didn't care at the moment. "Hey, I mean it. Stop that. I love you; you are a week and a half away from becoming my wife, I don't want you to ever feel bad about any of that ever again. Got it?"
Natalia looked into those expressive eyes and saw the honesty in them. Her stomach settled and she understood that Olivia was right. The past was the past, they were about to begin a very bright future together. "Got it." She said with a bright smile before closing the small gap between their lips and kissing her. They pulled apart and rested their foreheads together for a moment before finally turning to their friends. "Hey guys. Come in, sit down, dinner is just about ready."
Blake and Frank took a couple of chairs at the table as well as Jamanda, Natalia turned back to the oven leaving Olivia standing next to the sink. Doris slid up next to her, facing out the window. She leaned close and whispered to Olivia. "Everything okay? That looked a little intense."
"Everything is good. She just had a small reminder of the summer. I don't know that she'll ever quit beating herself up over it."
"Maybe not, but I've very happy to see that you have truly forgiven her. I know that wasn't easy for you."
Choosing not to let this conversation continue. Olivia cleared her throat and addressed the room. "Thank you Frank and Jamanda for joining us this evening."
"Thank you for having us." Jamanda said. "I know you all need to talk wedding plans, but I couldn't pass up dinner with Doris, and I really haven't spent much time with you. I think it'd be nice for us to get to know each other better."
"I agree. And we'll save the wedding talk for after dinner."
Ava and Rafe had been standing in the doorway and Rafe noticed that Frank hadn't taken his eyes off Natalia since he sat down at the table. It angered him and he knew he needed to get out of the vicinity quickly. He glanced at Ava who also seemed to have noticed, or at least noticed that her brother was upset.
"Hey mom, is it okay if Rafe and I make something in his apartment and skip this little dinner? It was a long day at The Beacon." Ava asked.
"Sure sweetheart. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, just a long day." Ava moved towards the basement door and motioned for Rafe to follow.
Rafe started to follow and then had a thought. He walked over and kissed his mother's cheek. "I love you Ma. You okay with us skipping dinner?"
"Yeah baby. You haven't cooked yet in your kitchen. I'm sure you and Ava will make something yummy for yourselves down there." Natalia said with a smile. Cupping her son's cheek in assurance and kissing the other cheek.
"Thanks Ma." He walked over to Olivia and spoke a little louder to her so he knew the room would hear him, Frank in particular. "I love you mom. Have fun with the wedding stuff." He kissed her cheek and glared back at Frank before heading down to his apartment.
Ava caught on to what he was doing and followed suit. She first kissed her mother's cheek and then moved to Natalia. "Love you ma. We'll come up later for hot chocolate by the fire."
"I love you too sweetie. Make sure you two make yourselves a healthy dinner please."
"We will ma." She said again, half looking at Frank as she did. She then kissed Natalia's cheek and escaped to Rafe's apartment, shutting the door behind her.
Natalia was beaming at Ava calling her ma. She had the other day when they were playing in the snow, but she assumed it was more for Emma's benefit, but hearing it now, with Emma gone and their friends in the house just made her want to burst with pride and with joy.
Olivia on the other hand had noticed the glares sent to Frank by both of her children and the rise in their voices when they called them mom and ma. She had a feeling that there was something more going on, but decided to let it be for now, she would ask Ava about it later. For now, she just wrapped her arms around her fiancé and kissed her cheek. "What can I do to help?"
"I'm about to pull out the bread and lasagna, so if you could grab the salad and drinks we'll be ready to eat."
Olivia kissed her neck before stepping away to grab the requested items from the fridge. Once everything was on the table, they all said grace and then tucked into their meal. Olivia swallowed a bite and looked over at Frank. "So, Frankie, how's it been at the station since you took over as chief?'
He swallowed his mouthful and took a sip of lemonade before answering. "Uh good. Nothing really major going on in town lately."
"No murders lately?" She asked semi joking.
"No, for once Springfield is murder free." He chuckled, trying to keep his eyes on her and not on the Latina seated next to her.
Olivia noticed his eyes flicker to Natalia and had to fight her instinct to smack him upside the head. Instead, she merely laid her hand on Natalia's and kissed her cheek. "This is wonderful honey. Thank you for making such a delicious meal."
"I know it's one of your favorites." She replied smiling her dimply smile.
"You two are sickening you know that don't you?" Doris piped out.
"Shut it Wolfe. You're just jealous." Olivia shot back.
"Oh please. She just wanted you full and content so you would be more agreeable while we discuss your upcoming nuptials."
"That's probably true, but I don't really care. I got delicious lasagna."
"Well, it is good."
"Thank you." Natalia said. "And thank you and Blake for all your hard work on our wedding. I don't know what we would have done without you."
Blake clapped her hands excitedly. "Alright. Let's get down to business. We just need to go over everything with you and make sure it's what you two wants. So, we have the Beacon doing the catering. They've got the menu ready to go and Buzz is making the cake. I saw his plans and it's going to be amazing. You were with us for the girls dresses and they are beautiful. Doris is going to pick them up tomorrow now that the final altercations to Ava's are complete and she'll pick up Rafe and Sam's tuxes then too. The flowers have been arranged in the orange and yellow that you picked out. The invitations were sent out weeks ago, Ashley is going to be the photographer, and the DJ has been booked for the reception and given the song list you picked."
"Sounds like it's all worked out, except for the venue. Where is this wedding of ours taking place?" Natalia asked.
"That is a surprise. Oliva will get ready at The Beacon with Ava and Emma and be driven to the sight, and you will get ready here with Blake and also be driven to the surprise venue sight."
"Oh, come on Blake, I think we should know where we are getting married. What if we don't like what you chose?" Olivia tossed out with agitation lacing her words.
"Cool it Spencer." Doris said with a pointed look at her friend. "You trusted me with your wedding, you are just gonna have to have a little faith that the place we chose will be perfect. It's the one thing we haven't cleared with you. Let us have this one little thing."
"Fine." Olivia grumbled.
"So, when is Sam getting in?" Blake asked.
"He'll be here around two on Christmas eve. We haven't told Emma yet so it will be a nice surprise when we go pick her up from Phillip Christmas morning. I'm kind of glad we are doing our wedding so close to Christmas. Emma has been so excited about Santa that we haven't had to deal with nonstop questions about the wedding." Olivia answered.
"Although I'm sure as soon as Christmas is over, we will hear nothing but her chatter about being the best flower girl until the wedding is over." Natalia added.
"You are probably right my love. She is very excited that we are getting married and going to be a real family. Oh, don't let me forget when we pick her up we need to finalize our departure time for Iowa with Phillip so he can tell the pilot."
"Yes, we can't forget to do that. I want to be legally married to you." Natalia agreed with a quick peck to Olivia's lips.
"Alright, before you two get all mushy and make me sick, I'm going to take my gal and head home, it's supposed to snow more tonight and I want to beat the storm." Doris said standing and taking Jamanda's hand.
"Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful." Jamanda said.
"You are so welcome. When things calm down around here we'll have to have you and Doris over again."
"I would love that."
"Yes Natalia, thank you for a wonderful meal. I will see you guys on Friday?" Doris added.
"Yes. Dinner's at five. Will Ashley be joining us?"
"Yes, her flight gets in tomorrow morning. She would have been here last week but she took on a campus job and had to stay over. She also has to go back on the third which is four days earlier than we originally thought she would."
"Oh, I'm sorry Doris. I know it must be hard to be away from her."
"It is, but I know she's enjoying school and that's what really matters."
"Well, I'm glad she's liking it."
"Me too. Well, we'll see you love birds Friday." Doris kissed Olivia's cheek and told her to call so they could talk about what happened when they arrived. Olivia nodded and Doris and Jamanda headed out into the cold.
Hearing the door shut, Rafe peaked out his window to see if Frank had left. He and Ava had just finished eating and cleaning up. To his disappointment, only Doris and Jamanda left. "Ava, did you see what I saw when we came in?" He asked, joining her on the sofa.
"I'm not sure. What is it you think you saw?"
"Well mom and ma were kind of having a moment, I think I heard this past summer get mentioned which always makes ma emotional, anyways, Frank was just kind of staring at them and then when they separated, his eyes never left ma. He was totally gawking at her ass."
"First, ewe. Second, I didn't really see it, but then again I was watching mom, I wanted to make sure everything was okay, which, by the way, her face said it was. I did catch you mean mugging Frank though, so I figured you saw something that wasn't right. When you left, I stayed behind to hug Natalia, I made sure to raise my voice and call her ma."
"Hey uh, speaking of that. Are you okay with me calling Olivia mom? I won't if you don't want me to or if it's weird or something. I just, last month when she almost died, I realized how much she means to me. I think if I lost her it would be like losing ma. I couldn't handle it. The word mom just flew outta my mouth and I guess I liked the way it sounded so I kept calling her that, but I can stop."
"No, no Rafe. I'm glad you think of mom as your mom too. And I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to call he that. I know it makes her really happy."
"It does?"
"Yeah. Have you not noticed her face every time you say it? She just lights up. Besides, she has said you were her son for a very long time."
"Yeah, I guess she has."
"Does it bother you that I don't call Natalia ma like Emma?"
"No, I figure like me with mom, you will, when you feel comfortable, or maybe you won't. Either way, I know you love her, and that's what matters. Not what you call her."
"I'm glad you understand. I mean, I do love her, and I guess she's like another parent, but we're only ten years apart in age, it's kind of weird ya know."
"I can see that. Like we said, the important thing is that you love her and she loves you."
"Yup. And we're all family. That's what really matters."
"For sure. Now, back to Frank. I think he still likes Ma, and the look in his eyes, I think he might be up to something."
"But he's with Blake, and they seem happy. Why would he be going after Natalia?"
"I don't know, but I just have a bad feeling."
"Yeah, me too I think. Something just didn't feel right up there."
"We'll just have to keep an eye on him I guess. I don't want anything to get in the way of mom and ma."
"Me either. They've had to fight so hard to get where they are." Ava could see the fear in her brother's eyes. She patted his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry, we won't let anyone get in the way of our family."
Upstairs, Blake, Frank, Natalia, and Olivia sat at the table conversing about this and that. Blake and Natalia carrying most of the conversation.
"I am so excited; I can't believe in just nine more days I am getting married. I never thought I would want this again, but I want it so much more now than I ever have." Natalia said. Squeezing Olivia's thigh where her hand was resting.
Olivia smiled and raised a hand to Natalia's cheek, running two fingers down it lovingly. "Me too."
Frank sat across from them, groaning inwardly, and trying to keep the look of disgust off his face. He had tried to be happy for them, to let the past die, but he just couldn't. Olivia had hurt both himself and his father in the past. He just couldn't let that go. He knew eventually Olivia would hurt Natalia and he couldn't let that happen. He had tried to be happy with Blake, but it wasn't right. Blake was not who he had been searching for. Natalia was the one for him, he just knew it. He had to find a way to make her see, to understand that they were meant to be, that Olivia Spencer could not love and would only hurt her in the end. He had to save her and give her the life and family she deserved. He didn't know exactly how, but he would find a way. Before the wedding in nine days, he was certain he would find a way to break whatever spell Olivia had over her.
"Natalia, could I speak with you for a minute?" He asked, doing his best to sound friendly.
"Sure Frank, what's up?"
"In private." He ground out as cordially as he could muster.
"Um, okay," She leaned into Olivia and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back."
Olivia watched them leave with a perplexed expression. She was unsure why, but there was something unsettling about the way Frank had been looking at Natalia throughout their meal, and the way he spoke just now. "Any clue what that's about?" She asked Blake.
"None whatsoever. He's been acting a little strange lately, I'm not sure what's going on with him but he's been distant."
"Hmm." Olivia was even more concerned about Frank talking to Natalia now, but there wasn't much she could do but wait and see what Natalia said later.
Frank and Natalia donned their coats and stepped outside, Frank opting to walk to the side of the house, not wanting to chance anyone walking out in the middle of their conversation. He rubbed the back of his neck and then raised his gaze to the brunette standing a few feet away from him. "Uh, Natalia, I just…I wanted…"
"What is it Frank? Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She asked concerned.
"No, no nothing. I just wanted to talk to you about all of this."
"All of what Frank?"
"This." He gestured to the house and its surroundings. "All of this, you and Olivia. The wedding. I just don't know that you realize exactly what you are getting yourself into."
"What are you saying Frank? I love Olivia, I can't wait to marry her. And I'm not getting into anything. I'm already IN the best relationship, the best family I have ever had. Becoming Olivia's wife is the only thing that can make me happier then I already am." She stated a bit irritated.
"What about the church Natalia? Have you thought of that? Having feelings for another woman is one thing, but acting on them, marrying her. What of your faith?"
Her irritation became anger in the blink of an eye. "My faith is stronger than ever! I have faith that God brought Olivia and I together. She is who I am supposed to be with. She is the love of my life. As for the church, I have changed churches as you know, because I have realized that as much as I love the catholic church, there are somethings that I just don't agree with them on."
"See, that's my point Natalia. You have given up a huge part of who you are because of Olivia."
"I have given up nothing Frank. And Olivia didn't want me to leave the church, she knows how much it means to me, except, it doesn't. The church itself is not what is important. God is what's important. The church I go to now understands that and accepts my family, accepts love in all its forms because love is a gift from god meant to be cherished not denied."
"Natalia, come on. You have been with the catholic church your entire life. You can't honestly be saying that you truly don't believe in its teachings."
"I don't. Not all of them. While I was on retreat a very wise priest told me something that made total and complete sense. Made me fully and completely realize that I was right to accept the love I have for Olivia, and ACTTING on it. He said that the world changes and sometimes it takes the church a little longer to catch up."
Frank realized that the church route wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he switched gears. "Okay, but what about Rafe? He and Olivia have never really seen eye to eye, I mean come on, you can't expect him to live with someone he can barely stand to be around."
"Frank, have you been in a hole the last few months. Rafe loves Olivia. Did you miss him calling her mom? She asked his permission before she proposed again. He said yes, he can't wait for the wedding, he's walking me down the aisle, to Olivia. What is the meaning of all of this Frank? I thought you were happy for us."
"I tried, but I just can't sit back and watch you throw your life away. This isn't you Natalia and you have to realize that even if you do love Olivia, she doesn't love you. That woman cannot love. She doesn't know how." He spat with venom, growing angry that the woman he knew was meant for him refused to see reason.
"I think it's time for you to leave Frank." She started to turn and walk away but Frank grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him.
"No. You need to listen to me. Olivia Spencer is not whoever you think she is. That woman only knows how to hurt people. She lures you in and just when you feel safe, she strikes. She will ruin you Natalia. I can't let you do this."
Natalia tried to push away from him, but his grip only tightened. "Let me go Frank!" She shouted.
"Not until you understand that this is wrong, it will only hurt you and Rafe. You and I are meant to be. I'm the one that can take care of you and protect you. Why can't you see that?"
Natalia screamed again louder. "Get off me! Let me go!"
Just as Frank was pulling her closer, he found himself tackled to the ground, his head hitting with a thud. "What the hell?" Before he could utter another word, he was struck across the face, hard.
Olivia, Blake, and Ava came bounding around the side of the house just as Rafe's fist impacted Frank's jaw a second time. Olivia ran to her son, trying to pull him off. "Rafe, Rafe! Stop! You have to stop!" She yanked on his arm and he finally stopped hitting Frank, burying his face in Olivia's chest as tears fell from his eyes.
Frank lay on the ground with a hand on his jaw. Blood coming from both his mouth and nose that was most certainly broken by the third blow. "What the fuck Rafe?"
Rafe stepped back from Olivia. "What the hell were you doing man?"
"What are you talking about?"
By now Natalia had made her way to Olivia's arms, gripping her like she was her lifeline and rubbing her arm where he had been gripping her. Olivia held her close and kissed her temple. "Are you okay honey? What the hell was going on out here?" Natalia only sniffled, unable to speak just yet. "Shh, it's okay baby, I'm here."
"What were you doing to my mother? Why wouldn't you let her go?" Rafe screamed at Frank.
"I wasn't doing anything; we were just talking."
"That's not what Rafe and I saw." Ava spat at him. "Why did you have your hands on ma?"
"Wait a god damn minute!" Olivia shouted, letting go of Natalia and stepping closer to Frank who Blake was standing next to, trying to access the damage Rafe had caused. "You had your hands on her? What the fuck Frank?"
"I was just trying to talk some sense into her." He shouted back, wincing in pain as he did.
Olivia lunged forward until she was nose-to-nose with the man. "Talking does not involve your hands on my fiancé." She growled. Her eyes turning dark with anger.
Blake looked at Frank. "Talk some sense into her about what?" she asked.
Frank said nothing, just stayed dead locked with Olivia, neither of them backing down even with Blake pulling on Frank's arm and Natalia on Olivia's.
"Frank, what were you talking to Natalia about?" Blake tried again.
"He was trying to talk me out of marrying Olivia. Telling me I was supposed to be with him." Natalia stated as calmly as she could. She pulled harder on Olivia's arm. "Olivia, Olivia! You can't do this, your heart."
Olivia turned her head just enough to catch Natalia' eyes. Seeing the pleading in them, Olivia quickly softened slightly, then brought her right knee up to make solid contact with Frank's man hood, effectively dropping him to his knees. She stepped back away from him and focused her attention to her love. "What exactly happened out here Natalia?"
Natalia glanced around feeling four sets of eyes on her. Rafe and Ava had come to stand beside their mother looking at their ma for an explanation and Blake was kneeled down next to Frank looking up at her. She took a deep breath and did her best to explain what happened. Starting with the things Frank said to try and get her to leave Olivia and ending with him refusing to let her go and telling her she belonged with him. As she finished she was crying again, Olivia's arms wrapping around her with Rafe and Ava at their side, both placing comforting hands on her back.
Olivia looked at Blake over Natalia's head who had stood back up as well as Frank. "Get him off my property before a broken nose and bruised balls is the least of his problems." Blake nodded and gave an apologetic smile as she guided Frank to his car.
The four watched until they could no longer see the taillights before walking back into the farmhouse. Olivia helped Natalia out of her coat getting her situated on the couch before removing her own jacket and sitting down beside her distraught lover. Ava and Rafe sat on the floor in front of them, both worried about their ma and the silence that had taken over her.
Olivia coaxed Natalia to look at her. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Natalia sniffed and met Olivia's heavy gaze. "I'm okay, I just, I thought this was over with him. I thought that he was happy for us and had moved on with Blake. The things he was saying about you Olivia, they were just cruel, and then he grabbed me and he kept tightening his hold, I couldn't get away. He really scared me Olivia."
"I know baby, I know." She soothed, guiding Natalia's head to lay on her chest while she stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I think we might need to take some action here. Maybe a restraining order."
Natalia raised her head. "Do you really think that's necessary?"
Olivia gently took her arm and raised the sleeve to show the hand print sized bruises. "Yes honey, I do. He was bad before, but he never did this. Baby, look at this. These bruises are pretty bad and they are going to be worse tomorrow."
"Yeah ma, we have to make sure nothing like this ever happens again." Ava quietly said. She now understood what Rafe had said about being so scared when Olivia's heart had stopped a month ago. This may not be the same, or as life threatening, but none the less, when she watched Frank grab hold of Natalia through Rafe's window fear took over and the realization that Natalia was her ma just like Olivia was her mom hit her full force. She no longer saw their small age difference as a reason not to acknowledge what Natalia was to her.
Rafe was silently staring at the bruises on his ma's arm, rage bubbling inside him. Olivia noticed the eerie look in her son's eyes and felt the fury radiating off of him in waves as his body shook before her. She gently eased Natalia into Ava's arms and took her son by the arm, leading him into the kitchen.
"Rafe, what are you thinking? Where's your head at right now?"
"I'm thinking I want to go kill him mom. He hurt her, he really hurt her. I want to make him pay for it."
Olivia took him in her arms, rubbing his back. "I know baby. I know you do, me too, but it's not going to help anything, it will only make things worse. We have to handle this the right way. You already busted his face up pretty good. We'll make him pay the legal way. Okay?"
Rafe nodded against her shoulder, gripping her body almost painfully as he fought to calm himself. "You promise mom? We're gonna make sure he pays for this?"
"I promise." She stated clearly, pulling back to looking directly into his eyes. "Do you think you're okay enough to go sit with your Ma and sister while I call Doris?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Okay." She kissed his cheek. "Go on, remember to be strong for them. Don't let them see how upset you are, it will only make it worse for your ma." Rafe nodded and walked back to the living room.
Olivia pulled out her phone and hit the speed dial for Doris, pacing the kitchen floor while she awaited an answer. After what seemed like forever, the mayor finally answered.
"This had better be good Spencer, I was in the middle of a very good…."
"Doris, I need your help."
Doris heard the tremor coming from Olivia's voice and became serious instantly. "What happened?"
"Frank."
"Huh? What happened with Frank? We were all just out there."
"He hurt Natalia."
"WHAT!" She hollered. "What the hell did that ass hat do?"
"After you left, he asked to talk to Natalia, the two went outside and he again tried to convince her that she shouldn't be with me, that I'm going to hurt her. He told her she should be with him. When she tried to walk away he grabbed her arm. Every time she tried to move away he would tighten his grip. Doris, the bruises are pretty bad. I mean you can see exactly where his hand was. It was through her sweater AND that damn puffy winter coat D."
"I'm on my way."
Olivia hung up the phone and placed her hands on the sink, kicking the cabinets below. She hung her head and pulled against the counter, trying to contain her outrage. She knew she couldn't get worked up like this, it was bad for her heart and it would frighten her children, not to mention Natalia, but it was taking all she had to keep herself under control. She kicked the cabinet one more time and then went to comfort her lover while they waited for Doris.
She entered the living room and found a beautifully saddening sight. Ava was on one side of the couch with Natalia leaned against her almost asleep from mental exhaustion. Ava rubbing her back with her head rested against her ma's. Rafe was sitting on the floor with his head in Natalia's lap, his hands wrapped securely around her waist.
Olivia padded over to her family and took the spot on the other side of Natalia. Laying her head on her shoulder with her face in the crook of her neck. Rafe shifted so he had one arm around Olivia and Ava moved her hand from Natalia's back to her mom's shoulder. Olivia turned her head and placed a kiss to the soft skin of Natalia's neck. This kiss was tender and sweet. Olivia held back tears as she placed kiss after kiss to Natalia's neck. Everyone saying the same thing. I'm sorry. It's all Olivia could think. I'm sorry I didn't protect you. She laid kiss after kiss, unable to stop herself as she silently apologized repeatedly with every soft landing of lips to skin.