You murder my heart!

Crossing a line

I'd stayed at the Label for a little longer and then packed my dog and drove home. I can't deny that it was weird being there again and spending time with the guys, especially with Marshall but it also felt so right. I'd missed this, him and more and more I was content with my decision to fix us.

The following days I'd spend with Bo and really stayed at home without feeling the need to run away. Sometimes Royce came over to visit me or I went to his place but nothing really exciting until Saturday the 13th of September. I'd just came back from my usual walk with Bo, had changed my clothes in sweatpants and a shirt when I heard my doorbell ringing. I trotted into the foyer with Bo jumping happily beside me because we got visitors and pushed the button on the intercom to ask who was at the gate.
"Tina?" I almost chocked on my own spit when I heard Alaina's voice and quickly pushed the button to open. The girls and I had stayed in contact after Marshall had left me but slowly it had died down and by now I hadn't seen them for 2 months. I'd opened the front door and whistled for Bo because he ran outside to see who was getting out of the car that had just parked in front of the garage and a wide smile appeared on my face when I saw not only Laney but also Hailie jumping out and walking towards me.
"What a wonderful surprise!" I stated and the first to hug me was Hailie.

Gosh how I've missed them....

I also hugged Alaina and then ushered them, together with Bo, into the house.
"You look great!" Hailie complimented while we went into the kitchen and the stupid smile on my face continued.
"So do you two. Come on, sit down and tell me how are you and what I've missed." They both sat down on the barstools at the kitchen isle and after I'd offered them something to drink, handed them both a coffee, I made myself one and sat down on the corner of the isle and waited for them to start talking.
"First of all we're really sorry for not showing up earlier or calling you..." Alaina started with a lightly embarrassed expression and I smiled and shook my head.
"There's no excuse for leaving you aside, no matter if you're with Dad or not. We promised we would stay in contact and still we didn't." Hailie went on and I shook my head repeatedly.
"There's no need to be sorry, okay?! I wasn't here most of the time anyway, so you couldn't come over to see me and now you're here so everything's fine." Both girls smiled at me and nodded and then Hailie asked with a smirk.
"What's going on between you and Dad?" I chuckled and after I'd taken a sip from my coffee, I started to tell them what had happened and how I intended to go on.

"So, you gonna get back together?!" Laney asked after I'd finished and I shrugged with a small smile to myself.
"I hope so. For sure it'll take some time, the last months weren't easy for me but we're taking baby steps and probably, hopefully, we'll get back together."
"You're an astonishing woman.....wow...." Hailie went on and I shrugged awkwardly, I didn't really know what to say every time I got compliments like this. "After everything that happened you still hold on to him and want him back. You know that I love him more than anything, he's my Dad, but I don't know how you can forgive him like that. I certainly know I couldn't if a guy would leave me in front of the altar." I tilted my head aside and looked at both of them to find and explanation, then smiled and answered.
"Love, unconditional and all consuming love! That's what makes me forgive him." They both stared at me in awe and then Alaina breathed out and Hailie's cellphone started ringing.
"You're unbelievable!" Laney stated while Hai answered the phone and pressed it to her ear.
"Hey Dad!" She greeted and Laney chuckled.
"Speaking of the devil.." she mumbled and I silently laughed and slapped her shoulder.
"Yeah.....no we're at Tina's.....yup....." Hailie said and turned her head to me, rolled her eyes and smirked. "Yeah, okay......yup, will do! See you in a few. Bye!" She ended the call, placed her phone on the counter and looked at me. "I should greet you and ask if you maybe wanna come over with us to eat?!" Honestly that caught me off guard. Surely Marshall and I had talked or texted since I'd been at the Label but hadn't seen each other and now going over to his place, my home, I didn't know what to do. "We'll be there too...." Hai tried to convince me when she'd caught up on my stalling, "and we promise we won't leave you alone..."
"At least if you don't want us to..." Laney chimed in and I smiled and nodded.
"Alright, then I gonna get ready and then we can leave, okay?"
"Don't be stupid..." Hailie scolded me jokingly. "There's no need to get ready. You could wear a trash bag and Dad would still swear you're the most beautiful woman ever. Stay like this we ain't wearing anything different." I chuckled from her statement and stood up while Laney already whistled for Bo and walked with him out in the foyer to put him his collar on.