Chapter 26
"AWWW! I can't believe it's official! You're making me proud, young man," Raven laughed and pulled him into a quick hug. She'd been his biggest cheerleader before and during their court ordeal and was bright eyes over his retelling of Nina asking him to move with them.
He returned it with a grin, "You know I'm older than you, right?"
"Of course, of course," she said happily. "Could you imagine being here a year ago?"
Charles glanced around the wedding expo they were attending with a slight frown, "Yes, of course."
Raven rolled her eyes and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, "I mean as a client, not as a vendor."
"Oh! No, I couldn't," he said thoughtfully once he caught her meaning.
She gave him a sly look out of the corner of her eye. "We should keep an eye out on things you like too. You know, just in case there's a wedding in your near future."
Charles hid a grin at the thought of declaring his love for Erik in front of their family and friends. "I would never steal your thunder," he demurred rather than address her valid point.
She huffed an irritated breath and grabbed an extra notebook for him from one of the event administrators, "Just fill this out with your stuff while I fill mine out. I'm sure we'll like different things, so don't worry about 'stealing my thunder'. You've earned some thunder of your own." She said gently.
Charles linked their arms together and led the way through the crowded convention center, taking careful notes and conversing with vendors who caught his eye. Mostly to help Raven, but also keeping his eye open for himself.
They were just agreeing on the importance of having a wedding or event planner for any event the size they were planning for Raven. They'd settled on fifty guests total and were thumbing through an events portfolio on an eager young woman's iPad.
"I love this," Raven murmured under her breath, quietly enough that the young lady couldn't over hear their conversation. "Would it be crazy to book her now?"
"Why not? You like her work. You've already set a date. Go for it, she's got great style and an eye for color," he encouraged her.
"So what do you guys think?" Ms. Lee, the owner of Jubilation Events asked nervously.
"I love your work, I'd love to book you for my wedding, Miss Lee," Raven smiled.
"Wonderful! Let's set a date and time for an introductory meeting, and please, call me Jubilee."
"Jubilee, then."
"It's so great to meet such a nice couple attending this event together," she chattered happily as she added them to her calendar.
"Oh, we're not a couple, I'm just the man of honor," Charles cut in with his most charming smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" she blushed an embarrassed red.
"No worries, Charles is distractingly handsome," Raven winked at him before turning back to Jubilee to exchange details.
Charles wandered off to another booth where they preserved flower arrangements after the wedding. He smiled at a photo of a little girl holding a small bouquet. She reminded him of Nina with her bright, gap toothed smile.
"I trusted you, you bastard," a tearful woman hissed just behind him.
He turned, expecting to see an argument taking place between a couple in the teeming crowd. Instead he saw Anya Eisenhardt and his blood ran cold. She looked just like the photo she'd sent him but her steely gray hair was cut short and she had a few more wrinkles around her mouth and eyes.
If he didn't know her, he'd think she was an ordinary woman at the expo. The thought was chilling.
She was staring at him with open hatred lighting her bright eyes. Nina's eyes, he frowned at the sight, surprised by the surge of rage that filled him at the sight of her.
He knew better than to engage with her, though his first instinct was to yell at her for what she'd done to Erik and Nina. He wanted to demand to know how she could betray the memory of her daughter this way. Instead he pursed his lips and tried to step around her. She moved to block his exit.
"Excuse me," he said shortly, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He turned the camera to record and held it slightly in front of him in his hand.
She took a deep breath, narrowing her eyes and stepping into his space, "I opened my heart to you, my private pain and you used it against me. Against us. The loving family of the little girl you claim to care so much about," she hissed angrily, eyes filling with tears.
"Now is not the time or the place," he said quietly, not wanting to draw any attention to their small confrontation.
She sniffled and wiped her nose on a tissue she pulled from her purse, "That's just it, isn't it? You've left me no other choice. Erik has blocked all access to my precious baby girl. They tell me I'll never see her again, well I can't live like that. What mother could?" she implored him shakily.
His blood ran cold at the certainty in her eyes, "You mean granddaughter?" he corrected automatically.
She gave him a baffled look, "Nina is my beloved child. God sent her to me knowing he'd take my Magda before her time. She's mine just as sure as if I birthed her myself," she explained through her tears. "But Erik in all his selfish cruelty can't see that. He can't even share her! Oh but she gets to see his parents, his sister, all the time. You tell me how that's fair. Even you! Trying to replace me in Nina's life and Erik allows it!" she said dramatically only pausing to wipe her freely flowing tears. "You seemed like such a kind young man, but you were there from the start, keeping Nina away from her loving parents. Her true parents. The ones GOD intended her to have," she cut off his protestations before he could voice them.
She was shaking so hard that Charles was afraid she might collapse, he instinctively reached for her, but didn't touch, remembering Erik's lessons in situational awareness since they'd gotten word that the Eisenhardt's had somehow made bail.
Apparently it had been set very high and Erik was pleased at the thought that they might run out of money for their legal fight if they kept this up. Charles could only hope that was the case.
"Charles," Raven said from behind Anya, voice falsely bright and loud. "Ready to go?" she gripped her keys tightly in one hand and if he wasn't mistaken was holding a tiny canister of bear mace in the other. Cleary she'd assessed the situation and was ready to rumble if it came down to it.
He felt himself sag in relief at the sight of her; Anya stepped aside to look behind her in confusion, self consciously wiping her face.
"Sure am," he hurried to Raven's side, holding his phone carefully to keep the mad woman in sight.
"Then let's," she hissed, grasping his arm and slipping through into the crowd. "What the hell was that? Another 'fan'?" she glanced over her shoulder as they pressed through the crowd to the exit.
"Something like that," he said, feeling shaky now that it was all over."That was Nina's grandmother."
Raven's eyes widened at his words and she turned back to look in the direction they'd come from. "That bitch, I wish I'd maced her," she growled. Before hustling him along at a faster pace.
"I'm glad you didn't, I really don't need the bad publicity."
"Oh, Charles, don't you know there's no such thing?" she linked their arms again and held him close, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. He smiled and slipped his phone back into his pocket, more grateful than ever to have her on his side.
~~
Erik watched the video for the fifth time, lips pursed in irritation. This had to stop. Anya had completely lost the plot and was now fixated on Charles. He had no idea where his former father in law, Ronald was, but he was sure to back her fully on this.
"Are you sure you're alright? She didn't touch you? No open threats?"
"We're fine, Erik. Even though it's clear she's following me," Charles said softly.
Nina was in the next room playing something that involved giggling and ponies with Raven so they had a chance to talk freely.
"I'll get this to Ororo straight away. And I think it's time you talk to your landlord about leaving your lease early. I'll pay it out if you need me to," he said with a frown.
"No. I can afford it, but we should start looking at those neighborhoods Judge Howlett suggested, see if we like any houses they have available. I don't like this, I feel too exposed here. It's clear they haven't given up."
Erik sighed, "You're right, we can't live like this any longer. Is it wrong that I can't wait to take them to trial? I'll finally have my say and be done with them for good."
"I'm looking forwards to it myself," Charles sighed and rested his chin on one hand before giving Erik a look out of the corner of his eye. "I may take a day and come watch you in action."
"Well, you don't have to wait for court for that," he grinned, leaning in to steal a quick kiss, heart rate finally coming back down from where it had skyrocketed when Charles showed up on his doorstep with the infamous Raven looking tense and angry in turn.
~~
"I tried to call you," Charles had explained after rushed introductions.
"I thought you'd be gone all day planning the w-e-d-d-i-n-g", Erik had spelled, trying not to get Nina over invested in an event he hadn't yet decided they were attending.
Charles stifled a laugh at the sight of Nina frowning, trying to put the letters together in her head. "That was the plan, but we ran into a mutual acquaintance and decided to head out early," Charles said meaningfully.
Erik's frown could have stopped rush hour traffic. So here they were, dealing with the aftermath of the confrontation as best they could.
~~
"Mace, huh? Maybe we can hire Raven as your bodyguard," he laughed as Charles recounted their dramatic exit.
Charles rolled his eyes, "I told you you'd like her."
"I do, and clearly Nina does," Erik smiled at the sound of the feminine laughter echoing through the house.
"So I guess the day isn't a total loss," Charles said tiredly.
Erik took his hand a placed a kiss on his palm, "It's not a loss at all. We know what headspace they're in. We got some more evidence for the case and Raven and I finally got to meet," he said sweetly."I'm just sorry these psychos ruined your outing."
"Oh, it wasn't so ruined. Raven booked a wedding planner and we got a lot of great ideas and vendors information."
"We?" Erik quirked an eyebrow at his words.
Charles blushed and glanced away, "Well, there's no harm in looking is there?" he asked softly.
Erik grinned, relieved that this mess hadn't pushed Charles away. He tugged him into another kiss, "None at all."