Thank you for your continued interest and support. I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own Grayson's Vow.
SAM
By three o'clock, I was too exhausted to work for another minute, so I returned to the house where the smells of Alice's blueberry scones hung sweetly in the air.
I walked to the kitchen...
"You don't play fair," I said, feigning hostility. "I was going to give you the silent treatment for at least another day and a half. Now give me one of those."
Alice beamed happily at me, placing a warm scone on a plate with a dollop of clotted cream on top and a spoonful of jam on the side.
"Cheater," I mumbled. "Don't think this means I forgive you."
She smiled knowingly at me as I took a big bite of heaven...
"I do apologize. I caused you pain Sammy, and I would never have done such a thing on purpose." She studied me for a moment... "I just..."
"You want Mercedes and I to have a real marriage." I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Alice, but that's not going to happen. I don't have the time or desire for a wife."
Well, as far as the physical aspect... I had tried. Not that Alice needed to know that. It would just give her false hope.
In any case, Mercedes had said no. But we'd see about that. I wasn't going to give up on that front. For now at least, we were husband and wife, so why not reap the benefits for a little while?
She was like a little fire in my blood...beautiful, unpredictable and full of life. And surely two months, perhaps a little less, would be plenty of time to quench that fire.
I'd know the feel of her under me, around me and on top of me... And then it would be over. But I'd be sated. And then I would move on...
"I didn't give you that herbal mixture so you'd act on a physical attraction to her, you know," Alice said, seemingly reading my thoughts. "I hope more for you than that, Sammy. That was just to get the blood flowing, if you know what I mean."
She winked at me and I scowled. It was so wrong and so disgusting that we were discussing this. She had practically raised me. But she continued on before I could stop her.
"Flowing to the body and the heart. And as for Mercedes, she doesn't want a purely physical relationship with you either, you know."
I paused, and not able to help my interest, I asked,
"How do you know that?"
"Because she's a woman. That's how I know that."
I considered Alice's words...
If me and Mercedes enjoyed each other's bodies, would she really want more?
No, she barely seemed to like me half the time. But she did like my touch. That much was clear.
Thinking back now, that constant hum of sexual awareness had been there from the very beginning... It had been present the first time my skin had touched hers.
I just hadn't acknowledged it, because I'd been too busy judging her, resenting her and then being driven to distraction by her ridiculous antics.
But I wasn't denying it anymore...
I didn't think there was any reason we couldn't keep things on a physical level. For my part, I knew I could enjoy her body without falling for her.
I would.
I was finished denying myself when it came to that mostly exasperating, but highly desirable little witch.
Now I'd just have to convince her, too...
The protectiveness I'd felt towards Mercedes when I'd found her sick and feverish in her bed, had worried me for the first couple hours I'd cared for her.
But then, before I'd had time to fully consider it, Alice's herbs had kicked in, and it had just been all I could do to survive my own body, the effort at self-control making me too exhausted to think.
Perhaps in some strange way, it had been a good thing. But considering it now, I concluded it was just a natural male reaction to want to protect your own wife...even a wife that's nothing more than a convenience.
Eventually, I expected, that would go by the wayside. Just like our marriage.
"Speaking of Mercedes," I said. "Where is the little troublemaker?"
"I don't know," Alice said. "She went tearing out of here several hours ago."
I raised a brow, wondering what had been so important. But before I had the time to ask the question aloud, I heard a vehicle in the driveway.
A few moments later, I heard her voice say,
"Hello?"
"In here, dear," Alice answered.
And I looked over my shoulder to see Mercedes walk hurriedly into the kitchen, setting a large box on the floor with holes in the top.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the large container.
"A surprise," she said, grinning.
I groaned...
What on earth had she come up with now?
"But first," she said, sitting down on the stool next to me. "We're officially married. I took the marriage license to Mr. Garner. Our check will be processed today and cut tomorrow. We can pick it up first thing in the morning."
Excitement shot through my body...
"What?" I asked. "Really?"
"Really." She grinned.
I couldn't help myself. I stood and picked her up in a hug, spinning her around even as she laughed.
"We did it!" I said almost unbelievingly, coming to a standstill and setting her on her feet in front of me.
She smiled up at me...a real genuine smile, her eyes shining, and that smile so bright and so beautiful...I earned the almost dimple.
"I know," she breathed, even as I stared down into her eyes.
The need to kiss her was so intense, I had to wonder if it was natural, or if Alice's herbs were still running rampant through my system.
I was interrupted, though, by the soft sound of something scraping from inside the box that was still on the floor behind us.
I knitted my brows and Mercedes' grin increased, her smile so bewitching, as she stepped away from me, moving quickly to whatever was on the floor.
Turning, I asked,
"What have you done?"
She squatted on the floor, opening the box and lifting out what looked to be a large puppy or a small dog.
Whatever it was, soulful dark eyes stared at me warily and bright brown ones regarded me excitedly.
"Oh my," Alice gasped, hurrying over to her. "And who is this?" She lifted the metal tag at the dog's neck and read, "Fifty Ct?"
"It's really Fifty Cent, like the rapper, but I just shortened Cent to Ct," Mercedes said proudly.
"Oh, yes," Alice said, as if she even knew what a rapper was.
"Maybe I should've gone with a traditional name," Mercedes said, her eyes shifting upwards as if in thought.
I shook my head, turning my attention back to the thing in her arms.
"What is Fifty Cent?" I asked. "And what's wrong with its face?"
It looked as if the entire bottom half of the dog's face, the nose and jaw, had been mangled in some way.
Mercedes pulled the thing, what I could now tell was an older puppy or some kind of mutt, into her chest and covered its ear with her other hand.
"Shh," she said. "She can hear you, you know." She gave me a contemptuous frown. "And Fifty is a she." She smiled down at the puppy who looked up at her with what looked like barely contained hope. "Aren't you, baby girl? Aren't you, my sweet honey pie? Yes you are, you're a girl, a good girl. Such a good girl. A sweet, sweet good girl."
I grimaced at the sound of the high-pitched baby talk. But apparently the puppy didn't mind it one little bit.
The dog, trembling in an obvious attempt to hold back her rapture at her attentions, licked her face with that strangely deformed mouth.
Mercedes laughed and then covered the puppy's ear again...
"I rescued her. Her first owner muzzled her when she was barely weaned. And then he didn't take it off as her face grew. When she was found, she was almost dead and had to have the contraption surgically removed."
She took her hand off the dog's ear... And Alice, who was clicking and cooing like a grandma meeting her grandbaby for the first time, scratched the puppy's ears.
"Oh, the poor little dear. You don't worry about a thing, little Fifty. You're going to fit in just fine around here."
In her obvious excitement, the puppy let out a small squeak and then lowered her head as if expecting dire consequences as a result of the small, escaped noise.
She looked at us, her eyes raised dismally, her head still lowered... That's when Alice's words registered...
"Whoa! Whoa! around here?" I asked. "No. The last thing I need is an animal running around getting in my way. I don't have the time for a pet."
Mercedes frowned and then thrust the dog at me forcing me to take it from her.
"I rescued her for you. She's yours. Consider her...um...my wedding gift. And a thank you for your kindness this weekend."
She grinned...
I was momentarily stunned, staring down at the warm weight in my arms, those large, dark eyes trained on me with a mix between fear and hope.
And I felt a strange stirring in the region of my heart.
Oh, Jesus! Mercedes has gone and gotten me a puppy after the story I'd told her about my father.
Irritating little witch.
Sweet, compassionate, irritating little witch.
I sighed...
It had been a kind thought and I was glad she wasn't upset about how we'd left off on the patio after our date.
Still...
"Mercedes, I can't have a dog this small. That's incredibly girly. And I don't know if you're aware of it, but the dog is a girl... And Fifty Cent is a guy."
"Oh," she put one finger up on her lips. "Well, that's what I named her and she seems to be attached to it. Her full name is Fifty Cent Honey Pie Love. Fifty for short."
She was holding back a barely suppressed smile. This amused the little witch...
I considered the animal again...
She was wretchedly ugly...
Pitifully unattractive...
And damaged.
But despite her deformity and her unacceptable name, I couldn't bring myself to send her away now that she was in my arms, looking at me with such raw hope.
I did have a large property... She could run around and I'd probably never even see her.
Although at the very least, she'd need to be trained not to eat the grapes, as they could be dangerous to dogs.
I set her on the ground and she stood stock still, staring at me.
"She's still a puppy and you just got her today. She can learn a new name." I backed up... "Come here, Scout."
The little dog tilted that ugly head and sat down squarely on her butt.
Mercedes moved back, too...
"Come here, Fifty," she called. And the dog scampered over to her immediately, its overly large paws clicking on the floor.
She scooped her up and started babbling to her in that same highly irritating baby voice.
"Come here, Fifty," I called experimentally. Mercedes put her down on the ground and the puppy scampered over to me, squeaking again and then lowering her head in that scared, bashful way.
I scooped her up and looked her in her eyes...
"First off, you're allowed to talk...er...bark around here," I said, and she regarded me with those expressive eyes as if she understood what I was saying.
Then she licked my cheek tentatively. And my eyes snapped to Mercedes and Alice who were both grinning broadly.
"Fine, she can stay," I said, clenching my jaw and turning around with my new puppy and heading for the door.
My new puppy named Fifty Cent Honey Pie Love.
What the hell was happening to my life?
"I'm going to show her the house and get her used to a new name," I said as I finally left the kitchen.
Behind me, happy feminine laughter followed me up the stairs, a sound I suddenly realized I'd never heard so often in this house...before Mercedes came along.
The next morning bright and early, Mercedes and I headed downtown to pick up the check that had been the catalyst and reason for our whole marriage.
Mr. Garner gleefully handed it over and wished us happiness and good luck.
And, not ten minutes after we'd entered the building, we were back out on the street, staring at each other as if in shock.
I was so giddy with excitement and happiness...and everything, I grinned at Mercedes and said,
"It's done. Let's go open a bank account."
Seemingly at a loss for words, she smiled back and nodded.
Heading to a different bank down the street, we walked past the bank where Mercedes had first seen me.
She might have good memories of that particular bank, but I couldn't stomach opening an account at the place that had rejected my loan request...whether their rejection had been justified or not.
Still, I thought about the last time I'd been here, how hopeless and low I'd felt. And I grabbed Mercedes' hand and gave it a squeeze.
She grinned over at me so prettily and a lock of her silky hair fell in front of one eye. And yet again, I just couldn't help myself...
I stopped and walked her backward towards a building and pressed her against the wall, giving her a quick, hard kiss, then grinning at her surprised expression.
"Get a room!" someone walking by mumbled.
Meanwhile, Mercedes looked briefly shocked, and I gave her my best devilish grin, raising my eyebrows.
"No," she said resolutely, slipping out from under me, but she glanced back and a teasing smile was on her pretty face.
And my heart flipped in some unfamiliar way...
Good God! Again I ask... What the hell was happening to my life?
However, I laughed and walked quickly to catch up.
An hour later, Mercedes and I had separate accounts, each containing three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. But as we drove back to the vineyard, something inside me made me suddenly felt ashamed, as if I was stealing money from her.
As if I had little right to what I'd just taken.
"I'm going to pay you back. You know that, right?" I asked, looking over at her.
She nodded, studying my face.
"If you want," she said.
"I do."
She was quiet for a minute and then her voice came out softly...
"I need to go see my father today."
I looked over at her, her expression a mixture between sadness and something that looked like dejection. And I was taken aback...
Her eyes were normally so filled with vibrancy. Now, it was as if the idea of seeing her father had sucked the radiance right from her body.
I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn't know what. So I closed it again and, after a minute, mumbled simply,
"Okay."
She looked at me as if she wanted to ask me something, but instead she just nodded. Then she got out of my truck when we pulled up in front of the house and, calling behind her, she said,
"I'll see you in a couple days."
It should've made me happy... I'd have some peace around here for forty-eight hours.
And I wouldn't have to worry about an annoying witch romping all over my property, causing trouble and mayhem, making my blood churn with need.
I should probably go into town and find a willing woman to sink into. God knew how sexually frustrated I was.
Mercedes wouldn't know, or care by the sound of things.
Just be discreet.
I could do discreet.
So why was my mind dwelling on the vague feeling of melancholy caused by her leaving town, instead of my own sexual need and what I could do to satisfy it?
I shook off my thoughts and went to my office. I had things to do, like put in the orders for supplies and equipment I'd had bookmarked for weeks now.
At that notion, a thrill of satisfaction shot through my gut. Everything was falling into place.
The dog padded into my office and laid down at my feet as I worked at the computer.
Forty-five minutes later when I'd placed all the orders, I stood up and called the ugly mutt from where she still lay under my desk.
"Here, Buddy."
Nothing...
She didn't even lift her head.
I considered her for a moment... She was a girl, so perhaps she just wanted a name more fitting for a female.
"Here, Bailey."
Not even a muscle twinge...
I gritted my teeth...
"Here, Fifty," I said under my breath. And the dog's ears perked up. Then she let out an excited squeak and stood quickly, taking the few steps to where I stood.
I pressed my lips together and gave her a bitter glare... She panted up at me, and I swore that deformed mouth was smiling.
"All you women are enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked, turning towards the kitchen, the dog trotting after me.
Alice met me in the hall...
"Mercedes is putting her suitcase in her car," she said. "You're not going with her?"
At that, I glanced towards the door.
"Why would I go with her?"
She shrugged...
"I just thought it would make more sense for both of you to show up to tell her father you're married. Wouldn't that make it more convincing?"
Obviously, Mercedes had told Alice where she was going and why.
I frowned...
"If she wanted me to go with her, she would've asked." I turned my attention to the dog. "Come here, Maggie." She sat looking at me. I sighed... "Come on, Fifty."
At that, the insufferable mongrel stood up to trot after me as we walked towards the kitchen.
Alice laughed...
"I'm sure this is very amusing for you," I said, glaring at her.
She smiled, beginning to take items out of the refrigerator.
"I'm making Mercedes a sandwich to take on the road. Would you like one?"
"Sure," I said, sitting on a bar stool.
"As for this sweet girl," she said, smiling down at the dog who wagged her tail gleefully. "I imagine the first time Mercedes called her Fifty, she said it with such adoring love, this dog couldn't easily let it go now. I suspect it was the very first time she had heard a loving tone attached to herself in her short, sad life. That's a very powerful thing, you know."
I met Alice's wise eyes, considering her words, thinking about the fact that my wife had brought this dog home for me to try to heal something that had happened a long time ago.
And by the look of dread and sadness that had been in her eyes earlier, maybe she needed something from long ago healed as well.
Perhaps we are husband and wife on paper only, but she has shown me undeserved kindness. No ulterior motive, simply because she could.
Maybe she deserved the same.
"Wrap both the sandwiches, Alice," I said. "I'm going with her."
Alice said nothing, only smiled a knowing smile.
Stay safe!