It was early Tuesday evening and Damien was at work leaving me with another day to catch up with Mary-Jane, Tyler and May. It had been three days since Luke and James left, I hadn't spoken to James and he hasn't spoken to me since Saturday. I've had time to think about if I am willing to forgive him, he's my dad, apparently, but I want to get to know him.
I want to have a dad, I've wanted one since I was seven years old when my mother died and I had no one left, but he never showed up and I lost my faith in him. He died the day he abandoned me when he had the chance to take me under his wing, now he wants to be in my life, he wants to be my father and I want him to be my father too. But I will always fear that one day, even though I am twenty-six years old, that he will get up and leave again, abandoning me once more.
"How has Damien been over the past few weeks Marley?" Mary-Jane asked as she wiped down the counters. I sipped my tea, holding it in both hands and slowly nodded my head while blowing the tea to cool it down.
"He's good, really good I think." I inform her.
"That's great. Are you together yet, or are you both still being stubborn?" I blush at her question and think back to When I told Damien on his birthday.
"We're together now. I've also been to the name change deed poll."
"Why is that?" She asks, halting her task and focusing on me as she stares at me.
"I changed Rhys's name to Rhys Clark." I smile, she beams at me and Strats to bellow a hearty laugh.
"Oh that's wonderful dear, absolutely wonderful. What made you do that?"
"Well I wanted to surprise Damien with it and I did it early in the morning on his birthday."
"That really is wonderful news darling, I am so proud of how far you have come since everything that happened two years ago."
"Thank you, Mary-Jane." I put my tea down onto the counter and turned to Rhys, who had made a mess on himself with his cut up spaghetti. "Oh my god." I laugh. "What have you done?"
"Mama!" He squeals, banging his plastic cutlery onto his highchair.
"Yes, mama. Let's get you cleaned up." I go to grab some tissue from the side but Mary-Jane waves me off and tells me to get Rhys cleaned. "Thank you, I will help you if you aren't finished by the time I get this little monkey cleaned up." I push my hands underneath Rhys's arms and lift him out of his chair. "Let's take you to the bath." He shrieked in my ear and I grimaced as my ear started to ring. "Hey, hey, hey. Enough of that noise, the bath will be fun. Daddy will be home soon and I want you to be ready for Mary-Jane to look after you when daddy and I go out to see Uncle Luke and Auntie Maddie." He quietened down and I exhaled a sigh of relief when the ringing in my ear finally came to a stop. "Good boy."
I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket, I adjusted Rhys in my arms and pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Hey." I greet Damien as his face pops up on the screen.
"Hello, love. How's my little boy and my girl doing?" He asks with a smile.
"We are doing fine, I'm just about to give the little monkey a bath."
"Has he made a mess again?"
"With spaghetti this time as well. You're lucky it didn't go up your walls in the kitchen."
"Our walls babe, our walls." I rolled my eyes but carried on walking up the stairs towards the bathroom.
"How's work?" I ask when I open the bathroom door and lean my phone against the soap bottle.
"Troubling. I haven't been in for a couple of months and everything has just piled up. There are deals upon deals upon deals. Jones, the guy who sold us his business is now wanting to buy it back but that can't happen. We are architects, the business world doesn't work like that." He sighs as he rips a few pieces of paper.
"Maybe you should offer him a free renovation on a few of his properties as an apology for not being able to give him back his company?"
"I could, but my board will not agree to that."
"You are their boss. They have to listen to you." I turn on the tap in the bath and run both hot and cold at the same time, before pouring some bubble bath.
"They do, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they will. I'm sorry love, you don't want to hear about my stressful day at the office."
"It's okay, I love hearing about your work. I'm not working at the moment so I'm getting my fix from you." He laughs.
"Alright then. I'll let you go, I've got to get back to work. I'll pick you up at six." I look at the time and notice that it's half four.
"That's perfect. What shall I wear?"
"Wear something you feel comfortable in, we aren't going anywhere fancy."
"Okay babe."
"Great, I love you."
"I love you too." I give him a brief smile and end the call. "Right are you ready?" I ask Rhys when I turn off the tap. He giggles and claps his hands together. "Cool."
****
I brush down my dress and flatten it against my legs. "You look beautiful, Marley." May compliments. I smile at her in the mirror and inhale a sharp breath as I notice a long scar on my back. "You look lovely, Marley. It's just a scar."
"Maybe I should wear something that covers it up."
"Why would you cover up?" I hear a deep voice from the door.
"Holy crap! You scared the living shit out of me." I heaved as I hold my hand against my chest. Damien walks further into the room and I hear May leave the room, closing the door behind her leaving Damien and I alone.
"So, why would you need to cover up?" He repeated, his arms were crossed over his chest and walking closer towards me.
"Well I have a huge scar on my back from Curtis and his friends." I shiver in disgust as I remember everything that happened with Curtis. "I'm just going to change." I drag my hand behind my back, brushing against the long white scar that protruded from my skin due to it being so deep when it was cut into me. His large, warm hand cupped mine and paused my attempt to pull my zipper down.
"Don't change. You look beautiful in this dress, you shouldn't have to cover up because of something that bastard did. These scars aren't an imperfection, they are a story of your strength. They are proof of you surviving everything you have endured, they add to your beauty and I love every single mark." I kisses the scar that started on my shoulder and down to the back of my ribs. "If you want to cover up you can, I won't stop you. But this dress is perfect for you and I love every single mark on your body just as much as I love you." He pulls away from me and moves over to the door. "I'll give you another twenty minutes, then we have to leave."
I look away from him and wait until I hear the door close. "I could just wear a cardigan, it is November after all." I say to myself. I have twenty minutes to find a cardigan that goes with this dress. It was black, lacy knee-high dress that was paired with my black heels. Now if I wear too much black it looks like I'm going to a funeral, but I don't have any other cardigan that will go with this dress apart from my plain black one. I glance at my scar again in the mirror and glare at it, "Damn you Curtis."
"Are you ready yet, Marley?" I hear Damien ask from the other side of the door. I flicker my gaze from my back to the closet and back again for a few times.
"Screw it." I mutter. "I'm just coming!" I answer. I take my phone off charge and hold it in my hand, I glance at my back one more time and force myself to leave the room without a cardigan. For the annual ball I had Luke cover it up and I had Damiens coat most of the time, but I can't cover it up myself. This dress had off-the-shoulder sleeves and it had a plunging back line, so half of the scar showed.
"You didn't change." Damien pointed out as I linked my arm with his.
"I didn't." He smiled and kissed my forehead, making me blush and smile with content.
"I'm happy you decided not to. Now let's go and see that brother of yours."
"God it's so weird to hear you say that."
****
The restaurant was a small Italian restaurant, we were stood outside waiting for Luke and his fiancé to turn up. It's a good thing I am wearing this dress because it is quite fancy, despite Damien saying it wasn't. "You told me it wasn't fancy." I say with raised eyebrows.
"It's not fancy."
"Not fancy! This is the poshest restaurant I have ever been in, do I need to talk with an incredibly posh accent?" He laughs.
"You already have an incredibly posh accent."
"I know, but I'm talking about your mother posh." He snorts at me bringing up Julia's stereotypical British accent.
"My mother is not that posh." He defends.
"Yes she is, she is the stereotypical British person." I argue.
"Who's a stereotypical British person?" I turn around as I hear the familiar voice of my brother. Brother. It really does sound weird. The wind whips my face and I shiver as the cold air hits my bare skin. "Maddie this is my sister Marley. Marley this is my fiancé Maddie."
"It's so lovely to meet you, I have heard so much about you." I hold my hand out for her to shake but she pulls me in for a hug.
"All bad things I hope." She jokes.
"Of course." I tease, I pull back and Damien pulls me into him slowly warming up my chilled body.
"Hello again Maddie."
"Damien, you look more handsome every time I see you." She smiles.
"And you look more beautiful every time I see you too Maddie, but be careful your man is there and he doesn't look too happy." He teases Luke.
"Stop flirting with my girl Damien. I'm sure Marley doesn't like it either." Luke warns.
"I'm fine with it Luke, she's a gorgeous woman." I admit honestly. "If I was a guy or a lesbian, she would be first on my list."
"Don't flatter me Marley. Although Damien has good taste in women." Maddie says.
"I can tell that this will be a beautiful friendship." Damien and Luke pull us both away and as we enter the restaurant we are welcomed with a warm building and a waitress immediately took us to our table that was in a private room in the back. "A private room, why did you tell me to wear something comfortable?" I ask Damien.
"You look perfect, Marley."
"He's right there." Maddie joins. Luke pulls out her chair and she smiles as she sits down, I was about to pull out my chair but Damien stopped me and pulled it out for me.
"Thank you."
"Anything for my girl." Luke and Damien both sit down in their chairs. "What do you fancy?" He asks.
"I haven't looked at the menu yet."
"So, who's the stereotypical British person?" Luke repeats his unanswered question.
"Damiens mother is." I tell him, Damien shakes his head at me in disagreement but Maddie and Luke laugh at my comment.
"She is right you know, your mother is incredibly posh." Luke acquiesced.
"See I'm not the only one who thinks she's posh." I chuckle.
"Okay, she is a bit posh. But let's get off of this subject." He said with a wave. "What about your wedding?"
"Well it's still not for another eight months, but we are doing it at my parents house in their back garden." Maddie begins. "It's a big space and it's beautiful in the summer time, it will be like a fairy tale." She smiles at Luke and he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. "You two need to get a move on, we could have a double wedding if Damien asks you to marry him." I stiffen as soon as she starts speaking, marriage? Why does everyone speak about marriage?
"We've only been together since my birthday Maddie, marriage is a bit too soon." Damien clarified.
"I know, but you are obviously made for each other."
"Not yet, we'll wait until we are ready. Anyway, you have been planning this wedding since Luke asked you, it's your day and you deserve to have a day that all about you."
Everyone avoided the subject of marriage after that. I can't do marriage, not yet. I stiffen at the thought of marriage all of the time. Don't get me wrong I love Damien with all my heart, but marriage? Is anyone ever ready for marriage?
The evening flew by as I overthought about marriage for the rest of it. Maddie is a lovely girl, I can definitely say she and Luke are perfect for each other. "We'll see you when we get home from our holiday." Damien arranges.
"Yes definitely. I can't wait to hear more about you Marley, who knows maybe another little one could be on the way."
"Not for a while yet." I laugh. I hug Maddie and then move on to hug Luke.
"Sorry about Maddie asking all of these questions and talking about marriage and more children." He mutters so only I can hear him.
"Oh that's alright, it's just a little odd. I'm not ready to hear all of that yet." I whisper back. I pull away and give him a smile. "We will definitely have to meet up, you could bring James along one day for lunch when we are back from our holiday, maybe." I suggest.
"You would be up for that?" He's hesitant as he asks.
"One lunch wouldn't hurt." I shrug.
"He'll be so happy." Luke beamed.
"Right, we best be off." Damien says. "Got a son to get home too."
"Well, we will see you soon. Have a lovely holiday and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Luke teases.
"Don't be a stranger, you are always welcome at ours." Maddie tells us.
"We will definitely visit more often." I clarify. "Have fun planning the wedding, I look forward to the day." We said our final goodbyes and finally made our way to the car. "She's nice, I like her."
"She is a very lovely person. She and Luke have been together for years."
"They are perfect for each other."
"Yes they are." He was looking over at me from his drivers seat with a hidden look that I hadn't grown familiar with yet.
"Who knows that could be us one day."
"Maybe." He smiles over at me.
"Now let's get home and get ready for Disney!"