Nancy looked Paul in the eyes and said, "Fine. If we cannot come to a compromise, I will go. I will mind my own business, and you will never see me again."

When Paul heard what Nancy said, he was confused. Clark had always been her weakness. "Do you think that you can treat my house as a hotel?" he asked. "You come and go as you please. Obviously, you don't want to leave."

Nancy: "You don't really believe that. Do you? Need I remind you that we are divorced?"

Paul was speechless, and the room fell into an awkward silence. Finally, Crystal turned to Eric and said, "Eric, we need to talk. Is there somewhere we can go?" She was anxious to explain what Nathan had done to her. If he heard it from her first, she was confident that he would not blow it out of proportion.

Eric stood up. He did not want to listen to Paul and Nancy quarrel, so he was happy to have an excuse to leave the room. "This way," he said, and he led her to the porch in the backyard. There was a wooden bench swing, and they sat down together.

Not wanting to beat around the bush, Crystal said, "Nathan is on the island."

Eric: "If you want to help Nancy with Clark, you know what you have to do. And you have to come to me willingly. Are you willing?"

"I am," Crystal replied. "Nathan and I had sex, though. He forced me.."

Eric pulled her into his arms and said, "If you sleep with me, then I will forgive you."

Crystal pushed him away and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. She knew that she had to marry him, and she was not rejecting him. What she was doing was trying to increase his arousal by putting up some resistance. Much to her surprise, though, he did not push her into having sex with him. "We don't need to do this now," he said. "There will be plenty of time when we are married."

Crystal: "What about Nathan? Surely, he will not let me go without a fight."

Eric smiled and said, "You let me worry about him. Everything will work out. You will see. In fact, he will be a guest at our wedding, and he will be on his best behavior. He won't even make a peep!"

The news pierced Crystal's heart like a knife, but Eric seemed not to notice that her expression had changed, which was probably for the best.

Eric tilted his head and smiled wickedly. He knew that the road he was on was not an easy one to travel, but it was one that he had committed to taking. He pulled her into his arms, and she was startled, but she did not resist, and when he ran his hand through her hair, she rested her head on his shoulder.

Eric turned his head so that he could kiss Crystal on the forehead. "I am willing to fight your battles for you," he said. "And I can even forgive your past, but I need you to promise me your future. Can you do that?" Eric was extremely cautious with his words. Crystal was like a frightened doe, and if she became suddenly startled, he knew that her walls would go up immediately, taller and thicker than ever.

It seems that he was saying and doing all the right things, though, and he could tell that his words had moved Crystal. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand and said, "I will give you a grand wedding. You will like it. You will see."

"Can Nancy be my bridesmaid?" Crystal asked.

"It's up to you," Eric replied. "This is your big day."

****

As Nancy argued with Paul, she felt an inner strength that had never been there before. She did not know where it came from, but she was glad it was there. It gave her the confidence and stamina to stand up to her ex-husband for the first time. In retrospect, she would think - That is a power that God reserves for Momma bears for when their cubs have been threatened.

"Paul," she growled. "You don't deserve to be Clark's father."

Paul: "I don't deserve him, eh? Then who does? You? That's a joke!"

historical

"Anyone is better than you!" Nancy shouted. "Forget you." She rushed upstairs to find Clark to make sure that he was okay.

When Crystal and Eric returned, they saw that Nancy was not there, so Crystal went upstairs to check on her. She checked the bathroom, but no one was there. It was the same with the next room. It was not until she reached the last room that she found what she was looking for.

Clark had fallen asleep while playing with a puzzle. Nancy was sitting beside him. She ran her fingers through her hair, and tears of joy and relief flowed down her face. "Mommy is here," she whispered. "Mommy loves you. You are safe..."

Clark opened his eyes, and when he saw that Nancy was crying, he said, "What's wrong, Mommy. Why are you crying? Can I kiss your booboo?"

Nancy laughed and said, "Mommy is crying because she's happy."

Clark looked confused, and they could see that he did not understand why someone that was happy would cry. Nancy kissed his cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Clark frowned and said, "No one plays with Clark. I can only play with myself."

Crystal came in behind Nancy and said, "Eric said that he could take us all away after we get married."

Nancy nodded. God knew that she did not want to stay there for a moment longer than she had to. "Thank God," she said. "Is there anything that I can do to thank you?"

Crystal: "Can you be my bridesmaid?"

Nancy: "Is it appropriate? I am divorced, and I have a child..."

Crystal: "Why not? You are one of my best friends. You are like a sister to me. Please, don't refuse me."

Nancy: "Okay... But who will be the groomsman?"

"You will find out tomorrow when we try on the wedding dresses and take the wedding photos."

The wedding was less than a week away, and although Eric had said that she only needed to be responsible for being a beautiful bride, she still needed to try on gowns and stand for photos. She did not look forward to the wedding, but she did not feel like their marriage would be legitimate without it, so she was willing to do what was needed to make it memorable.

****

The next day was chaotic, but there was an undeniable air of festivity wherever the bridal party went. The wedding dress was handmade by a famous French designer, and the headdress weighed several kilograms. Even the flower bouquet was unique. It had been imported from Mexico for the occasion, and Nancy volunteered to help Crystal with it.

They were taking photos by the lake, and Nancy held the bouquet carefully. She was so focused on the flowers, though, that she did not see the wet spot on the grass. She slipped, and she would have fallen on her ass if not for the gentleman that caught her.

Who? She wondered. And when she looked up, she could not believe her eyes.. "Why are you here?" she asked.