Viper & Naomi - Bonus Content

Photo by Ashley Winkler on Unsplash

CHAPTER 1

NAOMI
Viper was laughing when he left, taking the sedan to the airport because I was scrubbing the skirting boards. They’re gleaming, and I had to give up my compulsive straightening and spot-cleaning campaign to shower and make myself presentable.
       Vicky laughs, swiping the mascara over my lashes and capping the wand.
        “You look amazing, but understated. She’s going to love you.”
      “We don’t want kids,” I blurt out, wincing as Vicky blinks at me in surprise. “We decided we don’t need to get married to be together, and we don’t want kids.”
        “And you think his mother will hate you because of that?”
         “Wouldn’t you?”
         Sighing, Vicky shrugs, packing away her hair and makeup kit.
         “I wouldn’t know. I can’t have kids.”
         Shit. My cheeks flame, and my mouth drops open. “Shit. Sorry. I mean -.”
        “Don’t stress, babe,” she laughs, straightening and picking up her bag. “I’m okay with it. I only mean, surely having her son happy would be enough for her, you know? And Viper sure as shit is happy these days.”
         “You think so?”
         “Babe, I have eyes. I know so.”
        Grinning like a maniac, I wave her off, smiling and continuing to straighten the flowers. I bought a few bunches to brighten the place up. Viper rolled his eyes. After all the flowers he bought me finally died, this place smelled like a florist shop for a week. I think he was getting used to having his house smell normal again, and okay, maybe I went slightly overboard.
        The garage door rattles, and I freeze. After he bought us the car, Viper had an automatic door opener installed, so I don’t have to mess around opening and closing it at night. It was super sweet of him.
        I’m like a deer in the headlights, halfway between the kitchen and the dining room, a dusting rag in my hand as the door to the garage opens. Shit. I drop the dusting rag onto the kitchen countertop, flashing a megawatt smile as Viper steps into the house carrying a suitcase, followed by an immaculately dressed blonde woman in her late fifties. I can see Viper around her eyes.
        Setting the suitcase down next to the table, Viper beams at us.
        “Peaches, this is my mom, April Martin. Mom, this is Naomi.”
        I stretch out my hand, blinking as I’m swept into a tight hug.
      “It’s so nice to meet you finally!” she cries, holding me tightly. “Damon has told me so much.”
      Stepping back, April Martin keeps her hands on my arms, looking me over from head to toe.
        “You’re even more stunning than the picture he sent through.”
       My cheeks flame. Viper sent a picture of me? I hope it was a nice one. Viper gathers the suitcase again, walking it through to the spare bedroom. April looks around, her eyes sweeping the open-plan living space before coming to rest on me again.
        “I’m glad you made the space your own. When I took all my things, I tried to make it only seem like half a bachelor pad. It looks much better now.”
     Sagging with relief, I offer her a smile, remembering the manners Mama taught me.
        “Would you like some sweet tea?”
        “I’d love some.”
         Viper reappears, slinging his arm around his mom’s shoulders.
         “Come on, Mom. We’ll have it out on the back porch.”
         They move through the house as I fetch the sweet tea I made earlier, setting it out on a pretty tray with glasses and some cookies. Picking it up, I take a deep breath, walking through the house and out onto the back porch, where April and Viper are seated on the comfortable patio furniture, looking out over the back garden.
       I’m growing flowers. I used cuttings of some ones Viper bought me the night of Lisa and Palmer’s wedding. The night he told me he loved me.
         “It looks amazing out here!” April beams, reaching for her glass of sweet tea.
         “That’s all Peaches. I hate gardening.” Viper grins, saluting us with his glass. I laugh, rolling my eyes at him.
          “He mows the lawn.”
          “As he should,” April agrees, clinking her drink with mine. Her eyes linger on my bare left hand and the claiming tattoo there, tightening a little, though she doesn’t mention it, talking about her flight instead.
 
VIPER
Mom is dancing around the subject, and I wish she’d get to the fucking point. Finally, she looks pointedly at Naomi’s hand, at the viper head laying on her left ring finger, and sighs.
         “You aren’t thinking of getting married?”
          And there it is. Naomi opens her mouth, but I beat her to it.
          “No. We’re not.”
          Silence reigns as Mom’s lips tighten. “I see. May I ask why not?”
          Snorting, I roll my eyes at her. “Because marriage doesn’t mean shit to me.”
          Mom looks scandalized, pressing her hand to her chest.
       “Damon! How can you say that? I apologize for my son,” she says to Naomi, who looks mortified.
       “You don’t have to apologize for me. Peaches knows the score.”
      “That you’re stringing her along without hope of a ring?” Mom’s voice is rising in volume and pitch, a sure sign she’s getting agitated.
       “I’m not stringing shit. Peaches knows I’m all in. Forever. We don’t need a fancy party, a piece of paper, or a priest to make this more real.”
       “You don’t need it, no. But every woman wants it.”
       Naomi’s eyes widen, and she stands abruptly, knocking over an empty sweet tea glass in her haste. Blushing, she quickly picks it up, loading everything on the tray and hightailing it back inside, mumbling something about not wanting to get involved. Fuck that. She is involved. The person who isn’t is my fucking mother.
       Turning to the woman, I shoot her a venomous glare. “I’ll thank you for not getting involved in my relationship.”
       “What kind of relationship do you expect it to be without a hope of a wedding? Why are you so against it, anyway? Naomi seems like a lovely woman.”
       What does that have to do with anything? “Naomi is lovely. That’s why she’s mine. That’s why this is forever.”
       “So, marry her?”
       “No.”
       “Why not?”
       “Why would we? So we could be as happy as you and Dad?”
       Mom shrinks like a balloon I just burst, pressing her lips together and blinking rapidly, trying not to cry. Fucking hell. I shouldn’t have let her get to me.
       “Things between your father and I were… complicated.”
       Bullshit. “Complicated? Mom, he cheated on you at your wedding reception, kept cheating, and left after three years. That’s not complicated. That’s fucked up.”
       “That’s life.”
       “Not my life. Not with Peaches.”
       Mom sighs, shaking her head and running her hand over her eyes. “Damon, you are not your father.”
       “No? I was a legacy prospect to the Hawks. I patched in, same as him.”
       “And you’ve risen higher than he ever did. He died in jail, Damon. He was miserable so much of the time.”
       “Oh, great. Something else for me to look forward to.”
       “Are you expecting to die in jail?”
       What? The snort escapes me before I can stop it. “No.”
       “Are you planning to cheat on Naomi?”
       Fuck that. “God, no.”
       Mom shrugs, settling back in her chair and fixing me with a hard stare. “See. Nothing like your father.”
       Yeah, I already knew that. I have no desire to be like that man. I like to think I modeled myself after Archer. The old secretary was a good man, loved his wife, was loyal to the club, and kept his nose clean. He was also more of a father figure to me than my dad ever was. I shrug.
       Exasperated, Mom sighs again. “So, there’s no reason not to marry that girl.”
       “We are happy not getting married. She’s mine. I’m hers. That’s all we need.”
       “And when kids come along? Are you going to have those fashionable hyphened surnames?”
       Ah, fuck. I was hoping to have these conversations separately. I shift in my seat as Mom narrows her eyes at me.
       “We don’t want kids.”
       “Naomi is a young woman. You can’t know that for sure.”
       “She seems certain.”
       “Oh? As certain as she is about not getting married?”
       Yeah, as certain. Peaches is fine not having either of those things. We’ve talked about this. There were fucking rose petals involved.
       “Yeah. She’s certain.”
       “Because she sure took off in a hurry instead of staying to defend your position.”
       “Maybe because she just met you and wants to impress you, and you don’t seem happy with our life choices?”
       Mom harrumphs, turning to look at Peaches’ flower gardens again while I stew in silence. She’s sure… right?

CHAPTER 2

NAOMI
Hugging my knees to my chest, I stare at the bedroom door, willing it to open. The house is quiet. Dinner was weird. Everything felt awkward after that scene on the back porch, and Viper has been distant and moody.
       I have no idea what is going on. Maybe his mother not liking our choices has him second-guessing being with me or something? I hope not. That would kill me.
       The door creaks open, and my eyes lock on Viper as he slides into the room, dropping his sweats and crawling into bed, looking up at me as my eyes find his.
       “You okay, Peaches? I’m sorry about my mom.”
       “I’m okay,” I whisper back, my heart clenching as his fingers stroke my bare arm. “Are you okay?”
       In an instant, he is sitting up in bed, drawing me against his chest, his face buried in my hair.
       “Do you want to get married, Peaches?”
       I… what? Drawing my head back, I stare at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.
       “Was that supposed to be a proposal?”
       He shifts awkwardly, sighing and releasing me to scrub his face. “I don’t know. Mom’s all up in my head. I need to know if you’re only saying you’re happy with not getting married because you think that’s what I want to hear. I don’t believe in marriage, but I’d get married for you. If that’s what you wanted.”
       The sincerity is bleeding through his tone, and my heart cracks for him. Kneeling on the bed, I wrap my arms around his neck, sighing with relief when he wraps his around me too.
       “I don’t want to change a single thing in our life. Marriage made none of our parents happier. We’re happy. Having rings and a party isn’t going to change that or make us happier.”
       Viper sighs, resting his cheek on my shoulder as his arms tighten around my waist.
       “And kids?”
       “You know I have no intention of having them. I change diapers all day. I sure as hell don’t want to come home and change them.”
       He snickers. “There are other aspects of having kids that people like.”
       “They smile at me and hug me all day too. I get the nice aspects. I also get to sleep until I wake up in the mornings.”
       Viper’s lips press against my neck, and I smile into the dimly lit room. That’s a sure signal this conversation is almost over.
       “No marriage, no kids?”
       “No marriage, no kids. Just us, forever.”
       “Forever,” Viper whispers, his hands sliding up my back, taking my silky pajama top with them.
       “Now, stop worrying about what your mom thinks, and kiss me already, Damon.”
       ​“I aim to please, Peaches,” he breathes, his lips clamping down on mine as he tips me backward, covering me with his body and pressing me into the mattress. I can live with this forever. I’m looking forward to it.
 
THE END 

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