St. James

CHAPTER 50

-NOVEMBER 30TH-

-ATHENS GEORGIA-

"Are you sure you want me to come with you right off the bat? Maybe you should tell them by yourself first..." Brian trailed off as I fixed my hair and makeup in the hotel bathroom mirror. I smiled at Brian's reflection in the mirror before turning around and pulling him towards me. "Brian are you still scared of daddy?" I asked cautiously as I held his hands in mine. "FUCK NO!" he exclaimed indignantly as if I was insulting his manhood "Then stop worrying. No matter what daddy may say to me or you...or to us as a couple I WILL NOT back down. We are going there to tell them I am marrying you and that is that." I kept my eyes locked on Brian's the whole time I spoke to show him my determination and seriousness. Brian sighed heavily before tugging me towards the hotel room door "Come on, let's get this torture over with" he muttered miserably as we left the room.

Fifteen minutes later we arrived in front of momma and daddy's huge antebellum mansion and I could feel the tension in Brian rise considerably. "Holy shit baby! This is impressive" he stated quietly as we climbed from the cab. "Please sit here and wait, we won't be long" I turned to tell the cab driver before turning back and taking Brian's hand. "Meh, it's okay" I stated nonchalantly as we stepped up the wide concrete steps and through the tall pillars supporting the roof over the porch. Using my key I opened the front door and hollered out for my parents at the same time while setting my purse down on the marble table in the front hall. "WE'RE IN HERE HONEY! WYATT GET OFF THE PHONE! OUR DAUGHTER IS HERE!" I heard mom yell out happily as her voice neared us. Brian stiffened quite considerably next to me as mom came into view and stopped short at the sight of the two of us standing side by side. Brian said he wasn't trying to make an impression on my parents after all these years but the fact that he was wearing the nicest pair of dark denim jeans he had, a plain black shirt that hugged his body quite well and his hair straight as a poker told me otherwise. "Well princess you didn't tell me you were bringing a guest" momma stated happily with a cordial smile on her face. "Momma, you remember Brian don't you?" I stated with a slight edge to my voice. Momma stopped in her tracks and stared hard at Brian before recognition dawned on her face and she held her hand to her mouth. "Isn't it great momma? We found each other after all these years" I said with a cocky coyness as I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulled him in close to me and smiled lovingly up at him. "It's nice to see you again Brian...you sure have changed" momma said softly as a change came over her face...a good change, she actually looked happy to see him with me. "Five years and living on the road with the band will do that to ya I suppose" Brian stated cautiously before giving her a small smile "It's nice to see you too Mrs. Griffin" he finished evenly.

"OKAY! WHERE'S MY PRINCESS AT?! VIV I THOUGHT YOU SAID..." I heard daddy exclaimed with a loud jovial voice until he came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks less than ten feet from Brian and I. Brian's whole body tensed next to me as soon as daddy appeared so I took hold of his hand firmly to tell him I wasn't letting go and I wasn't going to be bullied any further. "Callie Ann? Care to introduce me to your...friend?" he finished, his words holding a slight edge to them. "Oh you already know who this is daddy. It's Brian...after all this time we found our way back to each other. Isn't that great?!" I stated with over enthusiastic cheerfulness as we all stood in a sort of lopsided circle facing each other.

I watched many emotions cross daddy's face as I talked about how we found each other and how I was now living in Huntington Beach for good and had a great job that I loved. Daddy's jaw ticked tightly as I talked and I could almost feel his blood pressure rise till he finally exploded. "SO THIS IS WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE AFTER I GIVE YOU THE BEST OF EVERYTHING?! YOU THROW IT ALL AWAY TO WASTE IT IN SOME PARTY TOWN DOING NOTHING THAT WILL GET YOU NOWHERE!! WHERE DID I GO WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY DO YOU INSIST ON THROWING YOUR LIFE AWAY!! ESPECIALLY FOR..." daddy's bellowing finally got to me and I took a protective stance in front of Brian. "How dare you even assume those things!" I yelled back "You tore me away from all that I loved INCLUDING Brian without letting me even explain or defend myself, or us! Then you send me away for two years under the assumption that I would just forget about all that I had back in California...and that what I had back there wasn't good for me! You don't know SHIT about me or what I want! Just what you want! Well I got news for you! Brian is all I EVER wanted and you will never EVER take him away from me again!" I had started off yelling loudly but by the time I finished my rant my voice and died down into a subdued defeat as I stared my father down with tearful eyes. Daddy's face had gone beat red the second he started yelling and stayed beat red the whole time I was yelling. "How dare you talk to me that way young lady! HOW DARE YOU!" he roared again "I have half a mind to write you out of the will!" he stated with an evil, manipulative smile on his face. "Go ahead! I don't give a SHIT about your stupid will anymore or what's in it! I don't want whatever you have to give me anyways if that's how you're going to be...to think you can manipulate me into doing what you want by using the will against me?! Keep it! As long as I have Brian that's all I'll ever want! Oh, by the way...we're getting married!" I finished off with a vindictive smile as I held up my left hand to show off my large engagement ring.