Can't Fight Fate

Chapter ten

Raegan

I was dreading today. Mom, Hannah and Riley went through so much to plan this engagement party and it was the last thing I wanted to do. Having Summer here makes it more bearable. I completely forgot that I was supposed to pick her up from the airport the other day. Thank goodness Dylan picked up my phone and got her, otherwise I think she might have murdered me. It scared me though, those two spending time with each other. Summer is a beautiful woman, tall, athletic build, a guy’s wet dream really. I was scared that if they spent time with each other they would fall for one another. There would be nothing I could do about it though, because of Levi.

Levi. Thinking about him makes me feel guilty, but it was too late to back out of this, for the both of us. Mom called me the day after I got drunk and told me that Dylan yelled at Levi because he wouldn’t come over and take care of me when I was drunk. She said something about him being too occupied with something else to come over which left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. I tried to reassure them that he is very busy and if he couldn’t come over there was a good reason for it. They didn’t believe me, telling me that nothing was more important than taking care of me when I needed him the most. No sense in arguing with them, so I let it go.

Summer has been great the past couple days. She woke me up the next morning and we spent the entire day catching up and nursing my wicked hangover while Dylan was out doing god knows what with god knows who. The thought of him being with someone else put a knot in my throat. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but it was none of my business. He has been acting weird the past few days but I tried to shrug it off. Maybe being home was affecting me more than I thought.

Now, what am I doing? I’m standing here in my mom’s room as she dug through her closet for something, listening to her curse and groan as she went through and destroy everything in her path.

“Mom, do you need some help?” I asked, walking over to the closet door.

“Nope. I think I found it.” She came stumbling out. “I have been holding on to this for this specific occasion. My mother gave this to me when I got engaged to Eli and I wanted to give this to you. As long as you and Levi love each other, I know you two will be good together. There is history with this. It was given to each generation of women and is meant to bring good luck to her as long as she is with her true love. Every one of us wore this on our wedding day and our marriages lasted a lifetime. It’s rumored to open the doors and let fate take over.”

“Yeah…love…lifetime…fate.” I whispered to myself.

“What was that?”

I shook my head, “Sorry, nothing. What is it?”

“Open it.” She smiled as she took me to the end of her bed. I listened to the people outside, laughing, chattering and having a good time. I wanted to smile but I couldn’t help but frown, so I did want anyone in my situation would do. I plastered a fake smile and pretended I was happy, the same thing I’ve been doing every day since that one day. I needed to stay strong. I didn’t need to show everyone how I really felt. I took the box and opened it and it was a beautiful white gold diamond bracelet. Mom only wore this on special occasions and she was giving it to me because I was engaged to Levi, whom I love. Forever.

Engaged to Levi.

“Mom…” the tears started to form in my eyes as I just looked at the bracelet. “It’s absolutely beautiful. Are you sure you want to give this to me?”

“Baby girl, my mom gave this to me and now, it’s yours. It was known to give us good luck when we got married and I would like to believe that it gave your father and I the luck we needed because, lord knows, being married to him was no walk in the park.” She laughed, hoping I would laugh too, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the bracelet.

“Mom, I can’t take this.” I closed the box and shoved it back in her hands. She gasped and looked at me surprised.

“Why not? What’s going on?”

“I just…can’t.”

“Baby girl, you can and you will. No one said you had to wear it today, but I do want you to wear it on your wedding day. It’s yours no matter what.”

I nodded my head, “Can you hold onto it for me until then? You know I might end up losing it and that is a whole other problem I don’t want to deal with.” She nodded her head and put it on her dresser and as she turned to face me, I was already on my way out the door, “Sorry mom, I need to see Levi.”

I ran out of that room as fast as I could, not wanting my mom to see me cry. She was giving the bracelet to me for all the wrong reasons but she doesn’t know that and now, I had to wear it when we got married. I hope it sears a painful mark on my body for everything we’ve done, because I deserve it at this point. I deserve the pain, the heartache, everything that is about to come to me because I couldn’t do this anymore. I owe it to myself to be true and Levi owes it to himself to be who he is with no judgement. As I was wiping away my tears looking for Levi, I ran into a wall. Well, I thought it was a wall until warm hands grabbed my shoulder, steadying me.

“Ray? Why are you crying? What happened?”

“I need to find Levi.” I pushed Dylan away, not wanting him to see me like this. I mean, I know it was too late but I just needed to find Levi. The sooner he and I talk and get all the details sorted out the better. He needed this and I promised him this. The one benefit I got out of it was nothing compared to Levi’s.

“What did he do? I’ll kick his ass; I swear to fuckin' god if he did anything to cause those tears…”

I stopped him, “No, I caused these tears, no one but me. I need to find him.”

I walked outside pulling myself away from his grip, composing myself the best I could to face everyone that was there. Levi’s mom and dad came up to me and hugged me, congratulating me on getting their son to settle down. I wiped away any trace of sadness and put on my famous fake smile.

“You have no idea how relieved we are.” His dad said and that statement just made me want to punch him, instantly making me remember why I was doing this. I have hated this man since the first day we met and his wife was no better. “He truly got himself a beautiful woman. I knew the first time we met you, it was meant to be.”

“Um, yeah, sure.” I said, “Where is he?”

“Oh, he was with Miles.” Summer came up to me, hugging me from behind, trying to save me from my ‘future in-laws’.

“I don’t like that Miles character.” Levi’s father groaned out, making me snap my head, “He is a terrible influence on our son and can you please get off her like that? She’s engaged and that’s inappropriate behavior. Levi would be floored to see you both like that.”

“And how is he a terrible influence? And she doesn’t have to move if she doesn’t want to. She’s my best friend and you have no say in what she does or what I do.” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. This brought the attention of everyone at the party. I was a bit loud but I didn’t care. No one told me what I could and couldn’t do, no one. Okay, that’s a lie, mom and dad have an influence on me, but that’s it. Well, that’s a lie too. They just don’t have the right.

“His lifestyle just isn’t right.” His mother added to the conversation, “It’s just not natural. And Timothy is right, this just isn’t right either, so please, young lady, let her go.”

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and felt his strong presence and his scent instantly filled my nose. It was calming and it was exactly what I needed. I knew it was Dylan, but I wasn’t expecting my mom and dad, as well as Austin and Hannah, Riley and Tristian to be there as well. I felt intimidated but comfortable at the same time. It was a strange feeling. I never really liked his parents for more than one reason, but this is the number one reason why I can’t stand them. My parents didn’t really know them at all. They kind of stayed to themselves. They should have stayed like that. I wish they never showed up.

“What about Miles' lifestyle isn’t right? And Summer hugging Ray from behind is inappropriate? Care to explain that to all of us?” Dylan asked, “I mean, I don’t know him that well, just the few times we’ve met up, but he seems like a well-put-together guy and those two have been in each other’s lives for a long time. They can do what they please.”

“Well put together? And the sight in front of us right now is despicable.” Levi’s father scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah. He has a career that he established on his own and he’s doing good for himself. He’s happy too. I would say he’s well put together.” He crossed his arms over his chest. I smiled up at him, loving the fact that he was defending someone he doesn’t even know. “And you are refusing to elaborate on the girls, so tell me Tim, what is your problem?”

“And you would know this how? And I don’t have to explain s**t about those two, just look at them.” Tim stood tall coming up to Dylan but nowhere matching his height. He tried to be intimidating but the glare he was receiving from all three men in front of him made him back down a bit.

“He is the contractor who is building my house. We talk. It’s called human decency. And I see nothing wrong with two girls who are best friends holding hands or hugging. People do it all the time.”

“The lifestyle we are talking about is…” Levi’s mother looked around before she bent forward and whispered, “His s****l orientation.”

“So?” Austin asked. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You better step off my daughter before I knock your teeth in. Say one more s**t about her and your done.” Dad yelled angrily at Tim.

“It’s wrong. It’s all wrong! It’s against human nature.”

Dad and Austin were about to step in and say something when Dylan gave them a signal letting them know he would take care of it. “With all due respect, actually, I change that, no respect due at all, get the f**k out.” Dylan snapped, “Just because you do not agree with someone’s lifestyle doesn’t mean you get to go around bashing them when they are not even here to defend themselves for one. And for two, it has nothing to do with you. He isn’t harming you in any way and it’s not affecting your lives, so why the hell would you care? And three, what Raegan and Summer do is not of any of your concern. The fact that you would talk to your future daughter-in-law in such a way to put her down because her best friend is comforting her when she needs her by showing her affection is deplorable, so I speak for everyone, get the f**k out and you are no longer welcome anywhere near this family.”

“Excuse me!” she yelled, “I have never been talked to like this before. So disrespectful. You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

“Even if I were, I wouldn’t give two shits what your opinion of me is because my boyfriend and I wouldn’t want some closed-minded assholes around us who wouldn’t accept that love is love, so once again, get the f**k out of this yard before I forcefully remove you.” I looked up at Dylan with nothing but admiration in my eyes. This was a side of him I had never seen before. I looked back at Levi’s parents' retreating backs and took off.

“Mom. Dad.” Both smiled at me as I looked at them with tears in my eyes.

“I think we have figured it out now, we figured it all out.” Mom said to me with a smile. I looked at dad, who was holding her hand and took it to her lips. Austin and Hannah were looking at me, not with pain or heartbreak, but with admiration. This one blow out made everything clear to them, well, at least that portion. I turned to Dylan, who was still fuming at the encounter.

“Fuckin assholes. How dare they treat people like that? I don’t give a f**k if Miles is gay, that is no reason to ruin Raegan and Levi’s engagement party.” He groaned. He still didn’t understand what was going on, but I didn’t have time to talk to him, although, I do love that he stood up for Miles and Levi. I was hoping he would see the bigger picture but I guess he didn’t. I turned and started to run towards the woods.

“Where are you going?” Mom yelled.

“To find Levi.” I think I knew where he was at that point because I had seen Miles walking into the woods earlier. I needed to find him and tell him what happened and fix the mess we had put ourselves in.