Marius

Hard for a man to get upset about anything when he’d gotten the fuck of his life that morning.

But this?

This sucked.

Varius and I met Tidus outside Renegades just as the bartender tapped the sign over the door.

Closed.

A crowd had gathered, the good men of Butterpond paying their respects with hands over their hearts and empty glasses of beer.

“I don’t get it.” I watched as Al pulled his liquor license out of the window. “What the hell is happening in this town?”

Tidus nearly crashed onto the sidewalk to weep. Varius patted his shoulder.

“We’ll get through it, big guy,” Varius said. “This town pulls together in the worst of times.”

Tidus swore from his knees, fists clenched to the sky. “How can it get any worse? They voted to make the county dry.”

“It’s that Mayor Desmond.” Al shook his head. The lifelong bartender and purveyor of beer, advice, and a sanctuary from the wholesomeness of Butterpond patted his bar with a sad clap of his hand. “Told me to my face he wasn’t gonna vote in favor of the initiative.”

Raymond Adamski sucked in a harsh breath, mourning the loss of the establishment that kicked his ass every night. “Lying bastard.”

Desmond and I still had some unsettled business regarding Gretchen. “That prick governs with his ego.”

“Still hasn’t done anything about the bears.” Dave Horsden joined Raymond on the sidewalk. “Two sightings this week.”

I smirked at Varius. “At least people will be seeing less pink elephants around here.”

Tidus grumbled. “Laugh it up, jackass. I was chasing my green fairy every damn night. Now what the hell am I going to do?”

Varius shrugged. “Get your life together? Help Quint at the garage? Act like an adult?”

“Let me rephrase—” Tidus sneered. “What am I going to drink?”

Raymond lowered his picket sign. Spelled Butterpond right, but County had an O…unless he’d planned for the insult against the Preservation Committee.

“Ain’t right,” he said. “Letting Desmond get away with this bullshit year in, year out.”

“What do you expect?” I asked. “Desmond’s a prick. Has no respect for the people who voted him into the office, just runs around starting pissing contests with residents. Too busy bending over to any corporate entity that wants to build houses or develop our own goddamned land.”

Dave nodded. “…Yeah. You’re right, Marius.”

Of course I was. “Saw it before. CO gets too cocky. Thinks his rank is more important than the squad he serves.”

“Honest military experience.” Raymond pointed at me. “Desmond ain’t got that. Never served a day in his life.”

“Hell no. Only teamwork he knows—hell, only hard work he knows—is chasing a flock of goddamned peacocks around his backyard.”

Tidus shook his head. “Poor birds. Better run while they can.”

He didn’t need to mime the hump. Did it anyway. Varius smacked him.

“What about all those goddamned animals?” Raymond asked. “The birds are out of control. Counted one hundred crows outside Becky Scarsdale’s house. Got more rats and feral cats than the street can handle. What are we supposed to do?”

I laughed. “I know an animal control officer looking for a job. She’d figure take care of that zoo.”

Dave pointed at me. “See. We need a man like Marius in this town. He’s already got a plan.”

Tidus snorted. “He’s sleeping with the plan.”

Varius shook his head. “Still doesn’t sound like they’re sleeping much.”

I shrugged. “Look, Gretchen knows animals. Has experience with this stuff. Makes no sense why Desmond wouldn’t give her the job back. He’d rather put his pride over the town, plain and simple.”

“Yeah,” Al said. “Like Butterpond is supposed to stand aside and just let that bastard vote against our interests, invite developers into the community, and ignore our problems.”

“So, don’t let him get away with that shit,” I said. “Find someone who’ll stand up to him. Someone who will actually get shit done around here.”

Varius slapped my shoulder. “Think we just found him.”

I froze. The others cheered, egging on the few other men congregating outside of Renegades.

“Marius—” Raymond pointed at me. “Ever consider running for office?”

Jesus Christ. I’d considered running away. Did that count? “Hell no.”

Dave grinned. “Perfect! Last thing this town needs is some bullshitting asshole running around, making this place worse for us.”

Tidus snickered from the sidewalk. “Why don’t you tell the good folks what you think of Butterpond, Marius? I’m sure they’d love to hear it.”

Yeah, right. Insult the men on the first night they were sober in fifty years? “I don’t know. Butterpond just is…Butterpond. It’s…small. It’s boring. It’s got the same ten families intermarrying with the other ten families. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, even the shit you don’t want anyone to learn. And people refuse to change. It’s not 1955 anymore, but you wouldn’t know it walking around the center of town.”

Dave clapped.

Raymond joined.

And Al offered to shake my hand.

“You understand Butterpond, Marius,” he said. “You know what it would take to keep this town the way it is. Free of assholes like Desmond, spineless jerks who’d sell their morals as easy as their vote.”

“I…”

Al pushed me forward into the group of men. “Marius is a war veteran. Served our country with honor. He left to protect us, and what does he come home to? A town ravaged by bears. Torn apart by legislation. Losing its very identity to big commercial interests!”

Shit, shit, shit.

I tried to shrug him away, but my brothers were no help. They hooted, laughing it up.

“We need a person like Marius to restore Butterpond to its roots,” Al said. “Someone who knows the town. Has family here. Understands what it means to live in this city—”

A furious honking interrupted the speech.

Gretchen’s car squealed into the parking lot. Her Jeep came to a halt.

Sideways. Parked across two spaces.

Dead center in a handicapped spot.

How the tables had turned.

This was going to be fucking fun.

“Excuse me, gentlemen…” I left Varius to handle my apparent campaign. “I’ve got to serve a citizen’s arrest.”

Raymond freaked, hollering to anyone who would listen. “He’s gonna fix the handicapped spaces! Lord, oh mighty! Order is restored to Butterpond!”

I hurried to the Jeep just as Gretchen tumbled into the lot.

Revenge was sweet.

“Oh no.” I pointed her back to the car. “You gotta move.”

She launched at me. “Marius!”

I refused the hug—only possible due to the fucking of a lifetime she’d given me this morning. Gave me a little restraint.

“These handicapped spots are sacrosanct,” I said. “Hop that sweet ass in the car and move along, little girl.”

“Marius, I just—”

“No way.” I tapped my prosthetic. “Gotta save these spots for the assholes who need it.”

“Would you—”

“Never know who might need to park here—”

“—Listen to me—”

“Where’s your placard?” I grinned. “Or the bra on your rearview mirror?”

“Marius, I’m pregnant!”

Holy Christ.

Tidus and Varius caught me before my good leg gave out. Gretchen took over for them, rushing into my arms and hopping up-and-down so quick she’d slide the kid right out of her.

Shit. I was about to go down. The world spun. My stomach heaved.

I’d lost my leg in war, but I couldn’t handle this.

The greatest fucking news of a lifetime.

I stared at her. “You’re…”

“Yes!”

“But…how?”

“Just took the test!”

“When?”

“Now!”

“Are you sure?”

She pulled the positive test from her purse.

It was the grossest, most beautiful stick in the world.

“I was so used to seeing it negative, I had no idea what it’d look like when it was positive!” Tears formed in her eyes. “We’re pregnant!”

And I was apparently running for mayor.

At least the first baby I’d kiss would be my own.

Now the men really had a reason to cheer. Great. In ten minutes time, the entire fucking town would know about the baby…and my family value’s campaign.

And I didn’t care in the least.

I pulled Gretchen close, tasting her tears in our kiss.

“Happy?” I whispered.

“Like it was fate.”

“Never thought you’d end up with a man like me.”

Gretchen giggled before losing herself in my kiss once more.

“You’re better than the man of my dreams…” She placed my hand over her tummy. Over our baby. “I couldn’t have imagined a life better than this.”

And now that we had a baby on the way?

I pulled her close. “It’s only gonna get sweeter from here.”

The End