Chapter Three-Hundred and Forty-Eight
Justin adjusted his tie, as he waited for the ceremony to start. The last three weeks had been insane, between Claire losing her mind about the wedding needing to be perfect and John running off to mysterious places every morning, combined with the quads teething, and Steve going insane about every new tech idea in his head, his head was about ready to explode. "Where's Clarissa?" He asked, taking a flask from his breast pocket and tipping it to his lips.
Thomas wiped his bandanna over his brow, attempting to calm his nerves as he tried to avoid the thought of what John and Claire would be partaking in that night. "I think she's helping Claire get ready."
John lifted his chin as he tied the tie around his neck, swallowing as he tightened it all the way to his throat. He tugged at his cufflinks, pushing the long hair of his bangs back before he opened a tin of pomade and slicked it back. He'd cut his hair the day before, and even gotten a close barbershop shave that morning. "Just about ready-" He sighed as the door opened, stopping as Jessica's hand clamped over his mouth.
"Marry me John." She breathed against his neck, pulling at the tie and unbuttoning the collar of his tux.
Claire wrung her hands as she paced around her dressing room, her mouth dry as she thought about how she and John were taking the biggest step of their lives. She thought of all John's flaws, his explosive temper, his restlessness, the many ways he scared the living shit out of her. But she also thought of his good traits, the way he did everything in his power to be a real man, to respect her, to treat her like a queen.
She heaved a breath, pinning her hair back as someone knocked on her door. "Just a minute." She called, screaming when someone pushed her against the mirror.
"You're mine now." A voice growled in her ear, and she felt a man's hand lift her dress.
"No!" She cried as Timothy forced her to her knees.
He unzipped his fly, whipping his penis out and forcing two fingers into Claire's mouth. "Suck it." He ordered, a devil-like grin playing over his lips. "Or little Johnny won't live to your honeymoon."
Claire gagged as he forced his fingers deeper, fighting back tears as he played with himself until he was hard.
John pushed Jessica away from him, his hand landing on the little bottle of pepper spray Clarissa had given him a few months ago. "Back off." He ordered, jumping as Jade burst through his door.
"Get away from him you bitch!" She screamed, grabbing her cousin's hair and shoving her outside. "If I ever see you again, I will put you behind bars just like our dads." She slammed the door, turning to John and helping him fix his hair and clothes. "She's such a bitch." She growled, smoothing a hand over her own homemade wedding dress. "Thanks again for letting us double up on our weddings."
He nodded, pinning a stitch on her dress together before he sewed it back up. "Thank you for kicking her ass." He smirked, noticing that she had something in her hand. "Who're the socks for?"
She handed them to him, laughing as his brow furrowed. "In case you get cold feet."
"Please, the only way I'll get cold feet is if I stand in ice for a month." He thought for a moment, a small smiled gracing his lips. "I can't wait for my princess to be my queen."
Timothy sneered as he gripped a lock of Claire's red hair, drawing her closer to himself. He wrapped a hand around her throat as she fought, ripping her dress and bending down to force a kiss on her.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Dominic barked, grabbing Timothy's shoulders and shoving him into the wall. "You're lucky I don't cut your dick of and shove it down your throat." He landed a hard punch on the boy's jaw. "You've got five seconds to get your ass out of here before I change my mind." He picked up a pair of scissors. "One… two…" He grinned as Timothy bolted for the exit, in too much of a hurry to zip himself up.
Claire stood, swaying slightly until Dominic caught her. "Thank you…" She gasped, closing her eyes when she saw the rip in her dress.
Dominic nodded, letting her sit in a chair as he pulled out a sewing kit and a strip of silk. "I'll fix it for you." He handed her a tissue, letting her fix her makeup as he stitched the dress back together. "Hey, you're okay. This doesn't affect your wedding, it doesn't affect your trip to Italy, and it doesn't affect your lives." He gave her a brotherly kiss on the cheek, standing and picking up her eyeliner.
She closed her eyes, sighing in relief as he did her makeup and fixed her hair. "You're right. We have to leave the past behind us."
He chuckled, fixing the tiara and veil on her hair. "Exactly." He smiled, placing the locket around her neck and opening it to show her the knew pictures he'd put in it. "Always look ahead, and only glace behind."
She bit her lip as she ran her fingers over the pictures, looking at the photo of her parents at their wedding and the paper that said 'Bender-Standish here' on it. "I love it."