Listening to what her mother-in-law had in mind, Bunny wasn't opposed to it, and I thought I could escort you."
Baxter was using his sloppy charm that never worked on her before, but for the sake of paying her bills, she pretended it did. It had taken everything in her not to laugh at how idiotic he looked when he realized his moves weren't working.
"Thank you, Baxter, but no. I will go alone. Please, tell my mother-in-law I will be there shortly." She wasted no time in closing the door.
Baxter was not someone she wished to see. He had helped in further ruin her life. Essentially, he was the reason she was married to Rome. Her life before meeting him hadn't been the fanciest, but it had been honest as well as her own.
Bunny quickly dressed, chosing to wear a black one-piece bathing suit with jean shorts, tweed sandals, gold wire-rimmed sunglasses, and a big floppy straw hat. She made sure to put on sunscreen before applying her makeup. When she completed her look, she exited the room and in search of the beach. This was a private Island she had never heard of. A fact she was intimidated by.
She decided to go to the north side of the island. It didn't take long for her to heard the far off sound of laughter. she followed the sound, and it led her to the party. Her mother-in-law was quite the showman. She had decorated the beach area with classic, bright white lounge chairs.
A volleyball net was set up a few yards in front of them. A giant black and white chess set sat 20 feet away from the Volley ball area. It was all very posh to Bunny, who wished she could enjoy it, but she was still on edge. There was no going back now. She had to find a way to get away from him.
"Bunny! You made it!" Mrs. Langston's voice snapped her out of her mopey train of thought. Bunny found her smile and showed it Mrs. Langston stood in front of her. Bunny could tell she was assessing her. "You look much better." She told her. "Last night was very unpredictable. I want to apologize." She offered.
Bunny was confused. His mother had not offended her. She wondered about her implication. "For what, Mrs. Langston?"
"I made you uncomfortable while we were in the infirmary. We were discussing you adjusting to your new redeemed status in life." She admitted. Bunny could feel how genuine she was when discussing this topic with her.
"Oh, I forgot all about that, and trust me, there is nothing to apologize for." But there is I was to forward.
She wasted no time telling her, "My son loves you, and I know you have some affection for him, but he didn't know what to say." His mother continued. "Rome has been very selective in choosing a wife. We did have hopes for another match."
Bunny was intrigued. Rome had options, and he still chose her. This man loved revenge. He was calculated, that was for sure. "Oh, I didn't know about any of that. I mean, Rome never mentioned-"
"Of course he didn't and why would he? It was someone his father and I chose for him. He was not happy about it. Now I can see why he has been sneaking around with you."
Bunny had no choice but to agree. Even though she knew this was a lie. "I'm saying all of this to you, Bunny, to let you know that you're welcome in my family. I never want you to feel like an outsider. I know It hasn't been easy for you. I could only imagine if I were put in your shoes. I don't think I would be able to handle it with the grace and dignity that you have shown."
Bunny was surprised by her kind words. They were a stark contrast to the truth, and to what people in her society had said about her. Bunny hadn't been living with dignity or class. She felt sadness creeping in and quickly shook off the feeling of being an imposter.
"This weekend let's have as much fun as possible with or without our husbands'. Deal?" Mrs. Langston said while extending her hand.
Bunny smiled, and shook her mother-in-laws hand. Bunny agreed. They walked toward the beach where everything was set up for them. They found Baxter and Rome's father playing chess with the giant chess pieces.
Both men appeared to be in fierce competition with the other. Neither looked in their direction when they walked by them. Mrs. Langston and Bunny sat on a large beach towel. The gentle, warm breeze mixed with the bright blue sky felt picturesque.
If Bunny had held some affection for her new husband, she would have thought this was a romantic honeymoon. Instead, she just felt lucky to be a part of such a luxurious experience and not trapped in a hotel room with a sleazy John. Rome had other options. She didn't know why that bothered her. She shook it off.
Before she knew it, she was smiling and having fun in the sun with her new family. She had to admit to herself, that it had been a while since she felt this carefree. They were playing flag football now. It was decided ladies versus men. So far, the women have managed two touchdowns, while the men only had one under their belts.
Mrs. Langston had the football. She nodded at Bunny, giving her the signal to be ready when she threw it to her. Like a Professional NFL player, Mrs. Langston yelled, "3-2-1! Hut! Hut!"
Bunny took off in the opposite direction. Baxter lightly tackled her. They rolled into the sand. Bunny let out a small groan mixed with a laugh.
"Hey! What the hell is going on? What do you think you're doing!" Rome Barked.
Bunny heard his loud, angry voice before she saw him, and she instantly tensed up. Rome was here. She had been having too much fun to notice his arrival. Now that she had, she could feel the happy mood changing. Even with the sun shining brightly in the sky, he still somehow managed to make the day feel gray with his surly mood.
She looked at him and could see him moving towards her and Baxter like a freight train. Within seconds, he shoved Baxter hard, causing him to lose his balance and stumble into the sand a few feet away from her. With great care, he helped her up, and then he turned his scowl toward his parents.
"Why would you play this with her? It's far too rough!" He chastised.
Bunny felt Rome was overreacting. She wasn't hurt. It was touch football, after all. It was also all in good fun. He had made it seem as if they were playing professional football or rugby.
She knew it was best not to say anything, but was elated when her mother-in-law spoke up for her. "Darling, Bunny is alright. We were just amusing ourselves. Pease, son, calm down." Mrs. Langston's voice never raised a decibel. She was calm, cool, and collected.
Bunny looked on as her new husband looked at his mother. His features went from angry to a look of defeat. He looked back at Bunny and said, "Apologies, everyone." Without hesitation, he turned to Baxter and extended his hand.
Baxter didn't know how to interpret the gesture, but he shook it nonetheless. Bunny was surprised at how things had escalated and then dialed back so quickly. Rome was a hard man to understand, but she wondered if she ever would understand him and his motives.
Mrs. Langston once again spoke up. "Now that there are five of us, we should bowl." his mother suggested.
"No. You three, bowl. I have a surprise for my wife." Rome announced.
Bunny was secretly shocked at his announcement.
"We will see you all at dinner tonight." Rome grabbed Bunny by her wrist and led them in the opposite direction of the island...
When they were no longer in earshot, Bunny spoke." Let my wrist go, please." She tried to slide it out of his grip. It didn't budge.
He had a tight grip on her. They kept walking. She thought maybe she didn't speak loud enough until he spoke, still holding on to her wrist, "Can I trust you not to run back to my mother and your boyfriend."
He was jealous of Baxter, Bunny concluded. Bunny couldn't stand Baxter, but it didn't seem to matter to Rome. Everyone knew her as his Mistress, especially her husband.
"I'm married to you, not Baxter." Bunny told him. Her comment made him stop walking, which in turn made her bump into his back.
He was standing so close to her that their lips almost touched. "That's right. I'm your husband, not Baxter. I've already warned you both. I can't promise to keep my hands to myself and not throttle him." His eyes were cold when he said the words.
"You shouldn't. There's nothing going on between him and me." She tried to reassure him once more.
"There used to be though, didn't it?" He asked, already knowing the answer and only asking to humiliate her.
She was too embarrassed to answer.
"It wasn't so long ago, was it?" He asked her.
She still said nothing.
"Stay away from him. You won't like what comes next." He warned, and somehow, she knew he meant every word.