Her

Chapter 4

"Get into it?" I raise a brow at him. "I thought you said it was nothing."

He sighs, clearly frustrated at my persistence and observations.

"It's just a few fans are getting a little crazy that's all." He says, wrapping his arm around the small of my back. "You don't have to worry."

"I'm not." I tell him, watching his eyes zero in on me. "What are they doing that is making Diego stay on the job? It has to be pretty big."

"It's more like a preventative measure." He says, gently gnawing on his lip. "They're the same fans from the news a few weeks ago, and they're not happy about my taking a break."

I take a minute to process and he seizes the opportunity to brush his nose on mine and plant a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Marshall." I say, putting my hands on his chest. "I know what you're doing."

"You always do." He laughs, his arms pulling me in to close the distance between us. "Come on Lo's asleep, I've had a long day without you. I wanna spend some time with my girl."

I blush. I let him kiss me one more time before I pull away from him. I begin to walk towards the stairs, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. I'm about to take the first step when I feel strong hands redirect me. He turns me around and backs me up against the wall beside the stairs. I open my mouth to speak but he pushes our lips together to before I get the chance. I lean back against the wall and let him kiss me for a few minutes.

"Marshall." I say, still kissing him between words. "I'm tired."

"Mhm, okay." He smirks against my skin, hands drifting down my back. "Lets go to the bed then."

"I'm serious." I tell him, turning my head to the side.

I hear a small sigh on his part and then his arms wrap around me in a hug, holding me close. I lean my head against his shoulder and close my eyes. His hand comes up and cradles the back of my neck.

"What's wrong, baby?" He whispers to me, giving me a light squeeze.

"I don't know." I let out a big exhale, here we go again.

"Rach, I thought we were passed this." He says quietly.

"It doesn't just go away Marshall." I tell him, gently removing myself from his hold. "You of all people should know that."

"What's 'it'?" He questions. "Baby, what's the problem? I can't help if I don't even know what's wrong."

"It's nothing you can help with." I shake my head. Truth be told I don't know what's wrong with me. I haven't felt like myself in weeks.

"Rachel, look at me." He pleads, placing both hands on either side of my face. "You need to tell me right now-"

"Daddy?"

Both of our heads snap to the top of the stairs. Lola stands there, her eyes still half closed with sleep, looking down at us. Marshall's hands release me and it feels like a stab in the heart. I wish I could tell him, somehow make him understand that it's not him.

"Hey baby." He flashes a smile at her and begins climbing the stairs. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you and mommy fighting." She yawns and I feel my eyes fill with tears.