Unfortunately, there was no money, to her knowledge, which made this bullying from his enemies worse. Bunny had thought the opposite would happen once they found out there was no cash. The vultures would leave them alone, and they would be able to live with some dignity and semblance of their sanity, but alas, here she was, almost shipwrecked with a man who basically forced her to marry him. His mother's voice pierced through Bunny's thoughts.
"I-I think we've made it out of the worst of it." Mrs. Langston tried to reassure Bunny.
Mrs. Langston let go of the banister and gave Bunny's shoulder a gentle squeeze. The gesture made Bunny jump.
"I-I'm sorry." Bunny apologized.
"No need." His mother turned her attention to her husband. "How's it looking up there, Captain?" Her mother-in-law asked.
Never taking his eyes off the Sea, he answered in a calm voice that soothed Bunny's Current anxious disposition. "We have gotten out of the storm. We will make land in less than 30 minutes."
No one moved from their places for a few minutes, allowing the yacht to settle after the arduous ordeal it had been through.
Letting go of the chair, Rome nearly leaped to both women's aides. He extended both hands and assisted both ladies up from the ground. Bunny tried to let go of Rome's hand when she was standing, but he wouldn't let her. His mother noticed the small non-verbal exchange. She looked up at her son with a kind and loving expression.
Something Bunny had wished her own mother would have used from time to time in her childhood.
Rome spoke, "Mother, I'm so glad you and Bunny are all right."
She smiled at her son and patted his left cheek with motherly affection.
"I am fine. Bunny will be fine. Let me take her to the infirmary. She needs to be checked out. Stay with your father." She commanded him. She spoke again, "The one time your little brother misses a trip things go haywire. He will be so upset that he missed this." She smiled.
"Mom, are you sure you're all right?" He asked, worry lining his handsome, chiseled features.
"Yes. I am, but your wife is not, honey. Come with me, Bunny."
Bunny had a bewildered look on her face. She looked at Rome, then back at his mother. Mrs. Langston outstretched her hand. Bunny tried to go with her, but Rome would not let her go.
"Darling, let go of your wife." She chided.
He obeyed and released Bunny. Bunny put her hand in her mother in laws and was led out of the room by her, down the winding staircase, to the bottom of the ship, where the infirmary was. Mrs. Langston guided her to a cushioned bench. She sat on it, then watched her mother-in-law open a cabinet and retrieve a first aid kit. Mrs. Langston put on latex gloves. With the first aid kit in her hand, she walked back over to her. She placed the kit directly beside her. Bunny got an eyeful.
It was a fully stocked first aid kit.
Her mother-in-law poured rubbing alcohol on a small stack of gauze squares. Then she picked a few up. "This may sting. And for that, I am sorry. " Mrs. Langston told her.
Bunny said nothing. Not really knowing what to say. Mrs. Langston had not lied. It stung like hell, but she endured it. When she was done cleaning the wound. She put a bandage over the deep gash.
"I think this will swell, and may be very tender for the next few days." Bunny unconsciously touched the bandage covering a section of her hairline and forehead. It stung.
"I'm sorry." Mrs. Langston apologized, as she watched her discomfort.
She took a seat beside her. Bunny was confused. What was she apologizing for? "It's fine. Thank you for doing this." Bunny said.
"No, I was talking about my son." She clarified.
For some reason it felt like Bunny was perked up at the mention of him. She said nothing.
His mother continued, "He is still living in the past. I hope one day, you can forgive him for how he is treating you."
So his mother was aware of his behavior. She couldn't trust this conversation, so she pretended to play dumb. She had experienced Rome's temper and didn't think, at the moment, she could handle another one of his outbursts.
"Your son has been very kind to me." She watched as his mother outright laughed at her lie.
"Bunny, this isn't a test. I'm not going to tell my son what we discussed." She informed her.
Bunny searched her face. She appeared to be telling the truth.
"Why are you doing this?" Bunny asked out of curiosity.
"Because I've always wanted a daughter in law. As you can see, I'm surrounded by nothing but crazy men."
That statement made Bunny smile which in turn made her new mother-in-law smile.
"There. I finally got a genuine smile out of you." She jibed.
Bunny was surprised at her comments. She didn't think her mother-in-law would be paying such close attention to her that she would notice if her smiles had been disingenuine. Bunny felt a little silly. What exactly had his mother seen? She had tried to mask her disdain for Rome and this weird arrangement to the best of her ability.
She hoped it had worked. Hearing Mrs. Langston's words, Bunny wasn't so sure about it now.
"I am sorry," she began apologizing. She was interrupted.
"No need. Please, stop apologizing. My son tricked you and married you under some false pretense. I am almost certain of it."
Bunny's eyes bulged at his mother's words. How did she know? She had been given specific instructions about keeping her mouth closed and denying it at all costs. Even though every fiber in her being knew his mother knew, she had to say otherwise.
"Mrs. Langston, that is not true. I am with your son because he loves me and asked me to marry him. I am here of my own free will. We should probably get back."
Just as she spoke the words, the door to the infirmary burst open, and in walked her son. Bunny wondered how much of the conversation he had heard. Was this his poker face? Maybe he didn't hear anything, she thought. He was frowning at her.
"I think I should be going." Mrs. Langston announced. She quickly realized the couple was paying her no attention.
She slipped out of the infirmary with Bunny's denial about her son's immoral intentions fresh on her mind. She loved her eldest son, but he had to stop thinking about revenge and move on with his life and find love. She climbed the small flight of stairs back to where her husband stood at the helm, manning the ship. She took her eyes off the sea and saw that it was his lovely wife re-entering. He had been terrified for the last 30 minutes of this trip.
The most terrifying feeling for him was the thought that he would never see that face again.
"John Paul, take over." Mr. Langston commanded. His captain immediately took the wheel. He walked over to his wife and embraced her tightly. "Are you all right, my love?" He asked her.
She nodded her head 'Yes' as she looked up at her husband. They had been married for over 40 years, and it still felt like they had just met. She was still madly in love with him, and he adored her. He was worth billions that seemed worthless when compared to the 40-year marriage he had with her.
"Are you all right, my darling?" She asked him, as he still held her and his embrace.
"I am fine. I was more worried for your safety. Are you sure you're fine? You got bounced around a bit."
She saw he was still worried about her. She placed a hand on his cheek. "My darling, I told you I'm fine." She reassured him once more.
"How is our daughter?" He asked, referring to Bunny.
"A little shook. I cleaned her wounds. She will have a bump on her head, but she will live."
"Good," he said and kissed the top of her head.
"I also questioned her about their marriage." She admitted to him.
"I told you to stay out of our son's plans. I also told you those plans in strict confidence. You weren't supposed to say anything. You are not supposed to even know, let alone tell our new daughter-in-law."
"Don't worry so much. That girl is a horrible liar. I have to admire her survival instincts. She would not rat out our son." She told him. Mr. Langston digested the information. His wife continued, "You know, when I first heard this plan and met her a few days after, I was not convinced. But after spending some time with our son, he may just pull it off..."