I live in Oklahoma where open carry laws for guns are common. When I lived in Chicago in 2004 to 2009, all gun ownership was forbidden, yet it was still the murder capital of the country. People who want to harm others find a way to get guns. In the South, gun ownership is as sacred as your right to worship freely. Often people who are victims of violence buy their first guns afterward. I'm not a gun owner, but I spent a lot of times around them growing up. Some go to extremes to feel safe. I had an uncle once beat senseless in a home invasion (In Wyoming, a state with low crime and population) and went out and bought a gun afterward, vowing to never being a victim again. Fortunately, he never had to use it. He was ex-military, so he did know how to safely use it and lived alone. I am not anti-gun-control nor a member of the NRA.

Remember, in this story, Jazmin wasn't just raped, but weeks later violently beat by the rapists in her own home. I'm not planning on her doing anything crazy like become a vigilante. The gun is only about her desire to feel stronger and safer. It's about her taking control and not being passive any longer. I hope it doesn't upset or trigger anyone!

Chapter 37: Reconnecting

******Tuesday******

Veronica and Logan drove down to Los Angeles early Tuesday. Logan was going to do some business in Faces' L.A. offices and meet up with the Goldsmiths, the original founders of the company. Veronica was meeting her mom for lunch before dress shopping.

Logan gave Veronica a tour of the L.A. office and introduced her to everyone they met as his fiancée. Veronica smiled fondly at him as he showed her off. When they finally got to the Goldsmiths, the news had gotten around the office that he was there. Harry came out of his office to greet Logan and Veronica.

"Logan, glad you could make it!" Harry Goldsmith said, shaking Logan's hand. "Sally told me you were coming. I have some new thoughts I wanted to run by you, so I'm glad you made it."

"Harry, you remember Veronica," Logan said gesturing to the woman at his side.

"Of course! How could I forget such a lovely lady?" he said, flashing Veronica a warm smile.

"It's good to see you again," Veronica said. His wife, Sally, came in and greeted them.

"Are you ready for your big day?" Sally asked her.

"Not even close. We do have the date and place nailed down. Invitations will be mailed tomorrow. We hope you can make it. It'll be at the Hyatt Regency in Newport New Year's Eve at eight," Veronica said.

"That should be quite lovely. The Hyatt always does things well," Sally said.

"I hope so. We visited it on Sunday and another nice chapel on Saturday, but I really wanted a place that had everything at one location," Logan said.

"Harry and I would love to be there," Sally said, pleased at the invitation.

"Today, I am meeting my mother to look for wedding dresses. I'm hoping to find something I like in my size since I've waited so long to start looking," Veronica said. "We're going to Rodeo Drive."

"With enough money anything is possible! However, you'll probably have better luck in Beverly Hills," Sally advised.

"Really?" Veronica asked.

"Canon Drive has two that I know off the top of my head and Maple Drive. Check those roads. You'll find some nice dress shops on them. Rodeo Drive is not really the best places for wedding dresses," Sally said.

"Thanks! My car has great GPS, so I will definitely check out Beverly Hills," Veronica said.

"Is your mom meeting you here?" Harry asked.

"No. There's a cafe around the corner we are meeting at," Veronica said. "We booked her a room at the hotel we're staying the night in. After breakfast in the morning, she'll head back home. We'll go back to Neptune to help with the invitations."

"Bring her by before you leave. I'd love to meet her," Sally said.

Logan kissed Veronica goodbye. "Have fun, sugarpuss!" he said. He waved and followed the Goldsmiths into an office.

Veronica's mom was sitting in an outside table waiting for her. She waved at her daughter, obviously watching for her. She stood up and hugged Veronica. It was good to see her mom sober and smiling, but it seemed surreal to Veronica. She felt happy but also a bit cautious. If she let her mom get close to her again and she fell off the wagon, the disappointment would be crushing.

"Do you mind if I order something light to eat? I wasn't really hungry when we left the house. It was too early," Veronica said.

"Not at all," Leanne replied, just content to be with her daughter. The server came to the table and took their orders. After she left, Leanne said, "I'm so glad you invited me to dress shop with you."

"Well, Mac hates shopping for clothes but did agree to go to Chicago on Saturday to shop for bridesmaids' dresses," Veronica shared. "I'd like to focus on their dresses and Lily's flower girl dress and have mine found already."

"I'm so excited!" Leanne exclaimed. "It's been too long. I've missed so many things. Your senior prom. Your graduation."

"Well, I have pictures of both and a video of the graduation if you want to see them," Veronica offered.

"I do. I'd love to!" she replied in pleasure.

"Mom, I'm glad you're doing so much better," Veronica said a bit hesitantly. "But I'm a bit worried about how bad I'll feel if things fall apart for you again. I don't want to lose you all over again."

Leanne nodded in understanding. "I can't promise I won't slip. I'm an alcoholic. I might," Leanne said honestly. "But I can promise you that I won't give up making things right again if I do slip up. I won't run away again. I'll face it. It'll be easier to know that I have you there rooting for me."

Veronica's eyes filled with tears, and she reached out to take her mom's hand. "Always. I'll be rooting for you always," she promised.

Leanne gave her a tearful smile, wiping her eyes. "No tears. Today is a happy day. Tell me all about the plans you have already for your wedding," Leanne ordered.

So Veronica filled her in. It was great sharing it with her mother. When she first gave Logan a promise ring last Christmas, she never thought there would be a day she'd be planning her wedding with her mother. That was a dream she'd given up on the last time her mom had deserted her and stole from her and her dad. When she was a kid, she used to talk about it with her mom. She used to look at her parents' wedding album. She and Lilly used to argue about the veil. Lilly swore she would never cover her face. "I used to think veils were romantic. Lilly used to spurn them. Why would she cover up her face—Lilly would say," Veronica reminisced. "Now, of course, I agree completely with Lilly!"

Leanne laughed. "I bet Lilly wanted to wear a tiara," she guessed.

"What else?" Veronica said dryly.

"Tiaras do look good with updo's. Have you thought about how you want your hair?" Leanne asked.

"Well, if it was going to be in a chapel, I'd wear it up. But I was thinking that with a beach wedding, wearing it down would make more sense," Veronica said.

"Very true. Then you don't have to worry about any hair piece or veil. Just add some curl to your hair," Leanne said.

Their food arrived. As they ate, Veronica told her mom about their plans so far.

They did go to Rodeo Drive because it had been too long since Leanne had been, and she really wanted to go. Veronica didn't mind. They did a lot of window shopping. The weather was perfect. It was in the upper 60's, so neither got overheated. Both had brought light sweaters in case the wind picked up and it became chilly. Eventually, they went in a shop and found the perfect dress for the mother of the bride. It was a light blue dress with a flowing skirt that showed off her still trim figure and brought out the color her eyes. It had a V-neck.

"Don't you think it's a bit young looking for the mother of the bride?" Leanne asked doubtfully as she looked at herself in the mirror. "I should look matronly."

Veronica smiled at her very attractive mother. "I don't think you could ever look matronly, but we can find a nice bag to wear over your head if you want," she said with a cheeky grin.

Leanne laughed. "I don't think I need to go that far," she said. She looked a bit hesitant but asked, "What's Alicia going to be wearing?"

"I don't know yet, but I can guarantee you it won't look at all matronly. Probably something in red or black. She looks great in those colors.," Veronica told her. Since her mom mentioned Alicia, Veronica ventured to ask, "Are you going to be okay seeing Dad with another woman?"

Leanne nodded. "Yes. We'll be fine. I talked to him and Alicia when I was in Neptune. Your dad and I are good. He's always been a better man than I ever deserved. I'm glad he found someone that makes him happy," Leanne said.

It was clear to Veronica that her mom had real affection for her dad, but she didn't detect a lie in her open reply. "What about the Kanes? We have to invite them since we keep using their plane for stuff. Lily is the flower girl," Veronica said.

Leanne's smile faltered a bit. "Well, I'll manage. I can't say that will be easy. Celeste is always vicious even on her good days. But it's not like she doesn't have a right to be angry. Jake wasn't always subtle with his feelings toward me," Leanne said.

"Do you still love him? Jake, I mean," Veronica asked, needing to know, wanting to understand.

Leanne turned and faced her daughter and thought about how she could answer the question. "Jake and I fell in love in high school," she shared.

"Yeah, I saw a yearbook," Veronica confessed.

"I loved him almost from the first time I met him back in middle school," Leanne shared, a smile on her face as she remembered. "He was a lot like Duncan. Sweet and kind. Not like so many other guys his age. The school was surprised when he asked me out my freshmen year. I wasn't an 09er, but he never wavered in his devotion to me. I thought we'd be together forever."

As she listened to her mom share something she'd never before discussed with her, Veronica realized that things were never as black and white as she wanted them to be.

"What happened?" Veronica asked.

"College. He was a year older and met Celeste. She said she was pregnant. I was devastated. Jake did the right thing even when it turned out to be a lie," Leanne said, a note of bitterness in her voice. "Three months after they were married, I ran into him, and he admitted she wasn't pregnant. It was so good to see him again. I had missed him so much. We ended up in bed together. Afterward, I asked him if he was going to stay with her. He said his parents would never forgive him if he divorced her so soon. He wanted to continue to see me. I was so angry and hurt that he wanted to make me his mistress. I slapped him and never spoke to him again for over a decade. Not until your friendship with Lilly forced him back into my life. I met your dad a few days after my last time with him. Keith fell in love with me almost at first sight. I was so hurt and devastated over Jake that your dad's love and attention brought me so much comfort. I clung to it. We got married after just a month."

"You got pregnant with me right away, didn't you?" Veronica asked.

Leanne nodded. "And your dad was so overjoyed. I knew I could make him a good wife and for the longest time I did," she said.

Veronica finally asked her the question she'd been wanting an answer to for so long. "If you suspected that Jake was my father, how could you have let me date Duncan? That would've been incest. Do you know how disgusted I was when I found out there was a chance?" Veronica said.

Leanne flinched at the question. "You are so much like your father. I honestly never believed you were anyone's but his. Not to mention you would've had to have been a month early. It was possible, but I kept telling myself it was too unlikely. You were so happy with Duncan. I didn't want to destroy you or your father if it was true. And I really believed you'd tell me before you decided to become sexually active," Leanne said.

"I might've if I'd had a choice in it," Veronica said bitterly. Then she finally revealed to her mom the horrors of the night she lost her virginity. When her mom had briefly come back into her life, she had never discussed it because her mom's state had been too fragile.

Leanne sat down in a nearby chair, a look of horror on her face. "Oh, my God, Veronica! I had no idea!" she exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears.

"I didn't share that to make you feel bad. But imagine how I felt thinking that the guy I lost my virginity to had been my brother," Veronica said with a grimace. "And you seemed more concern about getting the money the Kanes owed me."

Leanne put her face in her hands and wept as self-loathing filled her. Veronica got up and got her a tissue. Then she placed it in her mother's hand. "Don't cry. It's in the past. I've moved on. The DNA test proved that Duncan most definitely is not my brother," Veronica shared.

"I was out of my mind," Leanne said. "We lost everything after Lilly was murdered. When I got those pictures of you, I just knew Celeste was behind it. My drunken brain latched on to the idea that they needed to pay, and if you were Jake's, they would."

"Is that why you were with Jake in the hotel after you left us?" Veronica asked.

Leanne nodded. "Celeste burst in like she was going to catch Jake in bed with me, but I was never unfaithful to your father. At least not physically. I was staying there and begged him to come. I needed money and I showed him the pictures," Leanne said.

Veronica felt something inside her finally unclench at her mother's tale. Knowing she hadn't been carrying on an affair made it much easier to let go of things. "I'm sorry for dragging this up," Veronica said.

"No, I'm glad you did. It's past time we talked about these things. You're older now. You've been in love. You can understand more," Leanne said. "I never completely let go of the idea of Jake. Some loves get a hold of you and never completely fade. If I'd been stronger, I'd have let go of him and focused all my heart on your dad. He deserved it, but I didn't."

"Well, don't let Celeste give you any crap at my wedding," Veronica said. Now that she knew Celeste wasn't the victim of an affair, Veronica felt very protective of her mother. Although her mom had slept with Jake after he was married, it was more like Celeste had been the other woman. Somehow, that made her feel better about the sordid mess.

"I'm sure I can avoid her," Leanne said. She stood up and glanced once more at her image in the mirror. "I guess I'll take the dress."

Veronica smiled as she went back to the dressing room to change. She felt much lighter after her mom's revelation. It made it easier to finally forgive her. Veronica realized that believing her mom had been unfaithful to her dad had kept some part of her angry at her mom. Her dad was the greatest man she'd ever known, and the thought of her mom stepping out on him had been a bitter blow. Even after her dad had met and fallen for Alicia, he'd broken it off to try and make things work when Leanne had come back. Veronica knew he'd done that more for her than for himself, and she'd loved him even more for it. That's why her mom's disappearance and theft had been so much worse.

Later that night, she lay in bed with Logan at a hotel they had made reservations to stay in instead of driving back home. She shared what she'd found out with Logan, who listened without interrupting.

"Wow! Jake and your mom could've been us. If you'd gone to Stanford like you wanted, we may not have gotten back together. You'd have always been the one that got away," Logan said.

"So in this scenario, you'd be my mom?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"Absolutely! I'd be trying to forget you in a bottle. Drowning my sorrows. Of course, if I ran into you, I'd do my best to get you back in my bed," he said, giving her a lecherous grin.

Veronica smiled. "Well, I'm glad I didn't go to Stanford. Maybe for grad school," she said as she leaned in to kiss him.

"You do realize your mom never exactly answered your question. Does she still love Jake?" Logan wondered.

"Hmm. That's true. I never did get a clear answer," Veronica said, frowning thoughtfully. "I will have to ask Mac and Dick to keep an eye on things at the wedding. I hope there's no fireworks."

"It's our wedding! Of course, they'll be fireworks!" Logan said, grinning. Then he realized something. "Oh, that's a good idea! We totally need to have fireworks go off as we kiss! It'll be night. Won't that be cool?"

Veronica laughed at his enthusiasm. "It's better than doves. However, we'd need to push it back to nine, so that it's dark enough. But if that's what you want, I'm fine with it," Veronica said. "How about you? How did your day go?"

"Good. Harry wants us to run some numbers and see if it's a good idea to open another branch for Faces," Logan shared.

"Really? Where? New York?" Veronica asked.

"I don't know. That's too far. Maybe Vegas or Phoenix. Or even northern California," Logan said.

"Well, Trina will tell you New York would be the most logical," Veronica said.

"I don't want to think about expanding until you and I are good and hitched. It's the only thing my mind can really focus on anyway!" Logan exclaimed.

"Well, it's just a formality. We're already committed," Veronica said.

Logan shook his head. "It's not just a formality. It's a promise. A wedding represents security and permanence. It tells the world that you are mine, and I am yours," Logan said.

"You really don't feel that way already?" Veronica asked curiously.

"I feel that way, yes. But a part of me won't feel like it's real until the vows are spoken before God and everyone we love," Logan said. "Knowing that our marriage won't be the sham my parents' marriage was makes it even better. I'm going to have it all. We're going to have it all!"

His passionate certainty touched her. In that moment, she refused to think of anything that could go wrong but wanted to hold onto his faith like a promise. "I'm a lucky girl," she said with a contented sigh. She laid her head down on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. She couldn't help the fanciful thought that came to her mind. It beats for me. Logan loved her so much. His love wrapped around her like a blanket and made her feel so incredible. She didn't think she'd survive it if she ever lost him.

"So tell me about your dress. What did you find?" Logan asked as he ran his fingers lightly through her hair. It had grown long again.

She raised her head as her eyes lit up, but she moaned. "I couldn't decide! I found two different ones that I loved. I had Mom snap some pictures of me in them so I can show the girls," Veronica said.

"Buy them both and decide later," Logan said with a shrug.

"That would be entirely too wasteful!" Veronica said, shaking her head. "I got both dresses on a 48-hour hold. I will definitely go with one or the other, so I don't have to worry about looking for myself anymore. I left my credit card information, so I won't have to go back. They'll ship it to me. Mom found a dress, too."

Logan put his arm around her and pulled her back against him. "So it was a good day?" he asked.

"It was a great day," she admitted.

"So I guess it's my job to make it a fabulous day!" he said, giving her a lustful look.

"If you're up for it," Veronica said airily.

"Oh, I'm up for it!" he said, rubbing the lower half of his body against her to prove it. He bent down to kiss her neck, moving his mouth down to her chest. "You are overdressed!" He removed her long sleeping shirt and wasted no time putting his mouth to her breast.

She sighed in pleasure as he began making love to her. "Do you think we'll ever get tired of this?" she asked as he played with his favorite two things.

He paused and gave her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? The day I get sick of making love to you is the day I've been taken over by aliens!" he exclaimed, reminding her of Dick with his dramatics.

"Well, I don't think old people have sex," she said, laughter in her voice. "We'll get old eventually."

"That's what those little blue pills are for! You'll just have to lay there and let me have my way with you!" he said with a smirk. He silenced her crazy talk with his lips slanting over hers. His kisses grew hotter as her hands began to roam. He groaned in ecstasy as her hands went inside his boxers and closed around him, squeezing him. He rose up and quickly removed them. His lips slid down her body until he was kissing her private area through her silk panties.

In no time at all, Veronica forgot all about wondering if a time would come when she wouldn't melt at his touch. He set her on fire as his hands removed her panties and his mouth began to make her scream.

******Saturday********

Logan waited at a Starbucks in San Diego Saturday morning. It was the spot Charlie had suggested since he knew San Diego better than Neptune. Veronica had left yesterday for her weekend shopping trip. She had told him not to invite his brother unless he felt like he really wanted his brother at their wedding. Logan was hoping he and his brother would find some common ground, something to connect them besides shared DNA.

"Logan?" a voice said. Logan looked and saw an attractive man at least five years older than him. Logan stood to his feet. "Yes, I'm Logan. You must be Charlie," Logan said, holding out his hand.

Charlie shook his hand and sat down in the chair across from Logan. They both stared at each other in silence, taking stock. Logan realized the man had their father's eyes, but there was a marked difference. His eyes were kind and held no hint of cruelty. "You have Aaron's eyes," Logan remarked.

Charlie nodded. "My mom always said that," he remarked. "Does it bother you?" He had read some of the stories about Aaron, but he wasn't sure what was true.

"It's disconcerting. I hated the man more than anything," Logan admitted.

"Really? He was your father," Charlie said. He had vague memories of their father. He'd come and visit when he was younger, giving Charlie expensive gifts and leaving shortly afterward.

"He was a monster," Logan said with a touch of bitterness. "I'd rather not talk about him—at least not on a first visit. The man killed my girlfriend and tried to kill another and drove my mother to suicide. He treated me like his favorite whipping boy, and I have the scars to prove it."

Charlie nodded; his eyes filled with compassion. "My experience with him was very different, but we can save it for another day," Charlie said.

"Our sister Trina has nothing but perfect, wonderful memories of him. I know she'd love to have someone to reminisce with," Logan said. "She was supposed to join me today, but she chickened out."

"I'm that scary?" Charlie said with a rueful smile.

That smile was so much like his dad's that Logan was startled. Charlie noticed Logan's reaction. "What's wrong?" he asked Logan.

Logan shook his head. "Nothing. I just have to get used to the resemblance," Logan said. "So tell me about yourself? You're a teacher?"

"Yes. High school English," Charlie said.

"I'm majoring in English at Hearst. I was thinking of psychology, but I had to pick one this year and went with English," Logan shared.

"Psychology is better to get a masters in. You can't do much with just a bachelors in it," Charlie remarked.

"My fiancée has definite plans for graduate school, so I probably will, too," Logan said.

"You're still with the girl you took a bullet for?" Charlie asked.

"You heard about that?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Well, it was all over the news. My wife thought it was the most romantic thing ever. I felt judged for not taking a bullet for her," Charlie said, grinning.

"You're married?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Yes, four years now. Our daughter is two," Charlie said. He pulled out his cell and showed Logan a picture.

"She's adorable. We have a goddaughter, and Trina had a son a few months ago. They live with us. Richie has red hair like Trina," Logan said, showing Charlie the picture of Richie and Trina that he kept on his phone.

Charlie smiled. "How about you? Do you want kids?" Charlie asked.

Logan's smile slipped as he nodded. "Yeah. Veronica miscarried not too long ago. It was pretty awful. We were very excited about starting a family," Logan said.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said with sympathy.

"Yeah, me, too. But it's okay. We're young. Lots of time to have a baby. We're getting married New Year's Eve," Logan said.

"Congratulations," Charlie said. "That's a good date. You won't forget your anniversary."

"I wouldn't anyway. I'm the girl in our relationship when it comes to those things," Logan admitted with a sheepish grin.

Charlie laughed. "My wife will love you," he said.

"So do you mind if I ask how old you are? I'm twenty-one. Trina is twenty-six," Logan said.

"I'm twenty-eight," Charlie said.

"Do you have any other siblings?" Logan asked, curious.

"No. My mom remarried when I was a teenager to a man that had some, so I have some stepsiblings. We're not overly close," Charlie admitted.

"My friends are like my family. We've been through a lot together," Logan said.

"So I've read," Charlie said with a smile.

"Don't believe everything you've read," Logan said.

"So you didn't take a bullet for your girlfriend?" Charlie asked.

"Well, that one was true. Veronica tends to attract trouble. She got hit by a car when she was pregnant by a guy she helped get locked up. She's a P.I. Luckily, she's decided to stop the investigating for a bit. She's going to be a profiler for the FBI."

"Ambitious. Think she'll make it?" he asked.

He sighed. "Unfortunately for me, yes, I do. She's tenacious, brilliant, and brave," Logan said, his admiration obvious.

"Sounds like your life will never be dull," Charlie said.

"No, it won't," Logan said with a grin. It felt easy talking to this man who was his brother by blood. He didn't know if it was a blood bond or just his desire to connect with family.

A silence fell between them. Finally, Logan said, "I'm really sorry about the problems I caused when I outed you as my brother. That reporter posing as you did a number on me. Veronica has this amazing relationship with her dad. It's like they speak a language only they know. I've always envied her. Trina and I were never close. It's only been recently that we've managed to connect. I was so excited at the thought of having a brother that I didn't even question the reporter's claim to be you. I felt like such an idiot when I found out he wasn't. I had trusted him and shared things about my dad I hadn't ever told anyone—not even Veronica."

Charlie looked at him somberly, understanding what the younger man was leaving unsaid. "It's okay. My principal and fellow teachers didn't like it, but it upped my cool factor with my students," Charlie said, smiling.

Logan laughed, liking him for saying that. "So do you surf?" Logan asked. When Charlie's eyes lit up, Logan finally relaxed. Maybe, he would finally have the older brother he'd always wanted.

******Chapter End******

Please, forgive me if I violated some vague Charlie Stone fact. He was mentioned in like one episode, so I figure it's not that big of deal what I make up.