Jade ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over her heels which she left in the hallway and opened the door. Her mood dropped when she faced her mother. It was early in the afternoon so her mother knew Mark wasn't around, the woman did a sneak attack and Jade could only stare. Silently applauding the woman for her great plotting skills. She wished she inherited that trait from her mother, it would be easier dealing with Mark and his dark and dangerous world.
"Jade."
Her grip on the doorknob tightened, "Mom."
"It's been a while."
"It has." She agreed, "But that was intentional."
Her mother winced, "I know you've been ignoring my phone calls."
"Have you stopped seeing Sophie and Tessa?" Camilla stepped forward which made Jade step back, "Have you stopped seeing them, yes or no?"
"Jade."
That response said it all.
"Then this conversation is over, bye mom."
She was about to close the door when Camilla stepped forward again and pushed against the door, "I came all this way-"
"I didn't ask you to." Jade reminded her.
"Can you drop the hostility around me? I'm still your mother."
Jade straightened up, her eyes getting colder and colder, "I'll treat you with respect when you deserve it. Right now I'm really upset with your behavior and it annoys me that you can't understand why." Jade hated how her voice picked up because she was upset. She wanted to remain calm and collected, wanted to handle the situation the same way Mark would have, unfortunately she wasn't gifted with patience, "That woman used to date my husband and is still after him. I want her to be in the past and if you keep seeing her you'll be buried in the past with her."
"You're not thinking rationally right now, Jade. You can't pretend she doesn't exists, you move around in the same social circles as her. You'll run into her occasionally. Wouldn't it be better to just get along and move past things?"
"Mom!"
Camilla sighed, looking exhausted which was fine by her. If her mother was tired of having the same conversation over and over again, she might not show up anymore. It was a shame considering the sacrifices she made to make Camilla happy, but at least she could do that much for her mother. In the end she also got something out of it, and she was happy. The sad part was that Camilla wouldn't do the same. She didn't want to make sacrifices to ensure her daughter's happiness. She could say with confidence that her mother was truly a selfish person.
"You're having a baby."
Jade unintentionally placed a hand against her stomach, "Yes, we're having a baby."
"It's my grandbaby, Jade." Camilla whispered, "Let's just try and move past things for them."
"I do want my child to know their grandmother." Jade admitted, "But I'm not going to give into your selfish request. I've already given too much, mom. All you do is take, this time I want you to give in. If you can't, then it's a shame, but you won't be in my child's life."
"Jade..."
"Now, I want you to leave. Call me when you considered things and made a decision."
Jade closed the door and this time Camilla let her. It was painful, but she was glad she could get things off her chest. At least now there wouldn't be anything kept inside, waiting to explode when things got too much for her to handle. She hoped Camilla would make the right decision, for once she hoped her mother wouldn't be selfish.
Jade made her way into the kitchen and started on dinner. Mark would be home soon and she wanted him to come home to a warm home, dinner ready and the house smelling like cookies. It was not much she could do for him, but she knew he'd appreciate it, think the world of her with only a small gesture like that. Betty once mentioned how much Mark would love her if she could cook him an eatable meal. It would be enough. Now she knew it was true.
***
Jade told Mark about Camilla's sneak attack from that afternoon. Her husband only laughed and shook his head. He was amused with the woman's attempts to persuade Jade. He wouldn't be amused when Camilla succeeded, but she knew Mark knew her well. He knew damn well she'd never give in when it involved Tessa.
"You did good."
She sighed, "Why do I feel like a jerk then?"
"Because she is your mom and you've been doing her favors your whole damned life. It doesn't feel right not to give in, but I'm glad you stood up for yourself. She needs to learn, Jade. She needs to learn the world doesn't revolve around her."
"My dad and I have been spoiling her." Jade admitted, "We both knew it, but we never changed things."
"You two just wanted to make her smile. But you never considered that it would never be enough for her. That she'd always want more." Mark sighed, "Some people are like that, Jade. You can't change them, no matter how hard you try."
She swallowed, "Does that mean you won't change either?"
He narrowed his eyes on her, "You think I'm a selfish person?"
"No, but you're part of something dark and twisted. You won't change things even though there is a baby on the way?"
"Jade."
She wasn't letting go though, she knew it was important for them to discuss this before the baby was born. She wanted things to be cleared up so she knew what the future held in store for them.
"I need to know." She told him, "I won't drop this until you tell me the truth."
"I worked hard to get where I am." He reminded her, "I've done things, necessary things which were inhuman and probably caused me to lose a part of me-"
"You're not giving it up." She concluded.
"I can't."
"You can." She told him, "You just don't want to because of the things you sacrificed to get where you are."
They were both silent for a while, letting the words sink in. It was Mark who broke the silence first, causing her heart to ache with his quiet words.
"Do you hate me for it?" He asked her.
She reached for her water, needing it to get rid of the dry feeling in her throat. She gulped it down, placed the glass down on the table and flickered her eyes back up. Locking eyes with the patient Mark. His eyes were gleaming with hope, wanting her to say the words he wanted to hear. He looked afraid though, afraid of her answer. It only made her heart ache more. She could never hate him, no matter what he did. She told herself she accepted who he was a long time ago. She needed to stick with that.
"I can't hate you, no matter how hard I try."
He placed his hand on hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I promise you, Jade, no harm will ever come to you or our child. I'll protect you both with everything I have."
Her gaze softened, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, "Thank you." She whispered to him.
He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, looking content with things, "I love you." He opened his eyes again and framed her face with his hands, titling her head back so he could kiss her the way he wanted, pressing his lips firmly against hers as he let her feel it too, "You're the world to me." He told her flat out, "You and this baby." He kissed her once more and pulled away, his eyes darkening, "Let me love you, Jade." He whispered.
Her stomach tightened with the dark promise. She wanted it, knowing Mark would deliver. He chuckled, reading her like an open book.
"Okay." She told him anyway.
Mark got up, grabbed her hand and walked with her to their bedroom. Showing her how much he loved her, treating her like she was made out of glass. She loved every second of it, actually feeling how much he cared about her. Mark was the one favor she did for her mother she didn't regret at all.
***
It took Camilla three months before she decided to give Jade a call. Jade was nearing her due date, but she was glad her mother changed her mind. Camilla chose her, but in the back of her mind she knew Mark had something to do with it. Tessa suddenly got a job offer in Europe, fucking Europe of all places and suddenly up and left. They didn't hear from her ever since. Sophie stayed in the states, but she was reaching out to Camilla less and less. Jade knew this was because Sophie had no use for her mother anymore. It was the harsh truth. Camilla reached out to Jade because she had no one else anymore. Jade didn't mind though. She wouldn't treat her mother like dirt even though Camilla treated her that way. She'd try and keep things friendly because she wanted only the best for her baby.
"Scott proposed."
Jade nearly choked in her hot chocolate when Mark suddenly told her that. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at her husband.
"Excuse me?"
Mark ignored her high pitched screech, "I forgot to mention it earlier. He proposed to your loud friend."
She wasn't exactly close friends with Nia, but they were friendly. The woman took over from her when she left the shop. She heard Nia did a great job too. She had no regrets picking her as her replacement. She never imagined Scott getting married to that woman. They were the complete opposites.
"He didn't mention it to me."
Mark shrugged, placed his feet upon the table in front of him and reached for the remote control. He didn't think it was a big deal at all. He was a such a guy when it came to things like this. He just didn't care, didn't make a fuss about anything. She however was shocked.
"Maybe he thought your friend would tell you."
"Maybe." She whispered, "I don't get it though, we had dinner together yesterday."
"Like I said maybe he thought your friend would tell you." Mark repeated.
She gave her husband a smack on the shoulder, causing him to glare at her, "You could take this a bit more seriously, Mark. Scott is getting married. It sounds like a big deal to me. I mean, he is your friend and all, but he was clear about stabbing you in the back if he had the opportunity."
"I made Scott an offer he couldn't refuse."
She narrowed her eyes on him, "You're not going to elaborate on that?"
"I can't."
She smacked his shoulder once again which made him glare at her and place his hand against his aching shoulder, "You piss me off." He told her, his eyes serious and filled with annoyance towards her.
"Could you stop fucking hitting me every two seconds?" He muttered, "It hurts when you keep smacking me on the same spot over and over again."
"Good!"
He chuckled, "What am I going to do with you, firecracker?" He placed the remote control down next to him and reached for her.
She pulled back though, not wanting to give into him. Getting to her feet quickly she walked around the couch, creating a bit of distance between them, "Don't you dare!" She warned him.
"Don't what?" He asked her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Don't dare to pacify me with sex."
He laughed at her, "Come here, Jade."
She shook her head, "No, I'm serious right now."
"So am I." He held his hand out to her, "Come here."
She hesitated before she took his hand and walked around the couch again, taking a seat beside her amused look husband. He pulled her close to him, pressing her against his side while he pressed his lips against her hair.
"Scott and Nia are getting married." He told her.
She grabbed onto his shirt, "Yeah."
"We're having a baby soon." He continued.
She snuggled into him and smiled, her smile hidden because she buried her face in his chest, "Yeah."
"Things worked out well for us." He whispered.
Her smiled widened. He was right, things could have gone horribly wrong between them. But they didn't. They made things work, fell in love and were actually building their future together. She couldn't wish for more. Since things were so great between them she could even deal with people like her mother. She was happy and it was good hearing that Mark was happy too. That was all she wanted.
"You're right." She whispered back.
His hold on her tightened at her hearing her admit that, "Let me love you, Jade."
She wrapped both her arms around his waist and held on tight, "Okay."
Watching a movie together on the couch on a Friday night while wearing comfy clothes and holding onto each other was pretty mundane and maybe boring to some, but she wouldn't have it any other way. It made her realize just how grateful she was to her mother. Camilla was selfish, only knew how to take and push her beliefs upon others, but in the end Jade couldn't hate her. Because of her she was Jade Bennet, happily married and content with her life. Mundane when you looked at it from a distance, but pretty dark and exciting when you looked a little closer.