A Little Bit of Truth (Little Bits) (45 page)

She’s just blurred past us screaming, “That monkey took my nana!”

“Nana?” I laughed as James rushed after her.

“Banana,” James shouted over his shoulder. “Babe, stop, I’ll get you another one!”

“It’s the principal!” She shrieked back and then they disappeared.

“She’s fast,” I point out to Marie who nods and responds, “She runs ten miles every morning. James is faster but she can run for longer so she overtakes him after a short while.”

We stand by a large fountain of a mermaid with jets of water shooting from her palms, silently watching the place Maya and her fiancée just disappeared from.

Marie looks around assessing the trees, most probably looking for wildlife.

“Let’s go inside,” I suggest and nudge her forward.

“Yeah,” and we do, hastily yet casually so as not to seem like we’re inwardly shitting ourselves at the possibility of animal attacks.

We have showers and crash. Literally. We crash on top of the covers, nude and wet from our showers. Both of us fall asleep before our heads even hit the pillows.

******

“I want to thank you all so much for coming, it means a lot to us,” Maya calls over our huge group of friends and family. “I want all of you to do what you want when you want, this is a holiday for everybody. I know we have our schedule but if there is anything that you don’t like or don’t want to try then feel free to do something else.”

“Does that mean I don’t have to do the hike?” Marie asks hopefully making a few people chuckle, including myself.

Maya gives her
a pointed look before turning her dazzling smile back to everyone, “My immediate wedding party not included. Bridesmaids and Groomsmen to be exact.”

“Ugh,” Loryn and Marie grunt, because walking isn’t their thing. Summer only elbows her and gives her a teacher look. The one your teacher would give you in class for speaking during a film session.

My arm, of its own accord, snakes around Marie’s shoulder and pulls her tight to me as Maya goes on. When she’s finished we’re allowed to leave for breakfast. Which is a buffet of every food from fruit, to eggs, to bacon, to… well there’s a lot of food. Nom.

“Hungry,” I say and rub my aching tum.

“You’re always something,” Marie hisses and slaps at my hand. “Get a grip. You act like I never feed you, or fuck you, or entertain you. Worse than a child.”

“Speaking of children,” a bawling Evelyn is thrust at her. She yelps and holds the kid at
arm’s length.

“Down, down,” Evelyn sniffles and latches on to her
Auntie Marie’s hair with a pudgy fist.

“No, if I put you down you’re going to run. I’m not stupid.” Marie detaches the fist from her hair and carries her over to the food table.

“Why didn’t we order room service?” I whine and grab a plate. Marie holds Evelyn’s plate, who seems a lot calmer now that she’s about to be fed.

“Can I get a highchair at the bride’s table please?”
Marie asks the staff standing near the eggs. Ooh, eggs. Hungry. “Stop wriggling, I’ll drop you.” This is said to Evelyn who only smiles widely in response. “Just because you turn one tomorrow doesn’t mean you get permission to be a little…”

“How’s my little pumpkin?” Maya says in baby talk and kisses her daughter. Then she pats Marie on the head, “Thanks chuck.”

“No problem, I wanted breakfast with a screaming infant anyway, it’s so much fun.”

Maya laughs and rushes over to her table and future husband.

We finish piling our plates high and get ourselves situated at the table with Evelyn in the highchair.

I watch Marie with the kid, I watch her help her eat her banana and yogurt, I smile when Marie smiles, I grin when she laughs and I sigh wistfully when she talks to Evelyn in baby talk. They look great together,
Marie would make an excellent Mom there’s no doubt in my mind.

“What was your mom like?” I ask her, clearly startling the hell out of her.

“Mom’s dead,” she responds coldly and turns back to the baby.

I place my hand on her shoulder, my thumb moves in circles over her skin. Leaning forward I whisper, “
Like your dad apparently is or is she actually gone?”

She tenses and turns to glare at me, “I never said my dad was dead and yes my mom is dead as in buried six feet under, feeding the worms.”

“You don’t have to lie to my face, it’s not like I’m making a big deal over your dad. I would’ve said something sooner if I was pissed about it.”

Her mouth drops open, I could fit my cock in there. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Clearly not.”

“I never once said my dad was dead. I remember when you asked, I said he was gone.”

“That’s the same thing.”

Her shoulders sag and she worries her lip between her teeth, “You’re right, I see how that could be misleading but I didn’t mean it that way.”

Now I’m interested, “In what way did you mean it?”

“My dad was in prison Jacob, has been since I turned seventeen,” well I wasn’t expecting that. “I don’t like talking about it.”

“Okay,” leaning forward I kiss the curve of her neck. “We’ll talk about it later in a more private setting.”

She shakes her head, “We’ll talk about it never. If that’s okay with you.”

“Seems like something pretty big for you to not share with me,” I’m not sure about her but I think at the point in our relationship that we’re currently at, there should be no secrets. Everything in her past makes her who she is, I want all of it. There’s not a burden on her shoulders that I shouldn’t carry for her. That’s my job and I’m taking it seriously.

So why isn’t she?

“Like I said, I don’t like talking about it.” She glances around but sees that no one is looking our way, nobody but Evelyn that is. Everybody is busy doing their own thing.

“Like you don’t like talking about the shooting yet you still have nightmares occasionally.” Oh shit, I went there. Why the fuck did I go there?

Her lips thin and her body tenses, “Don’t talk about that.”

“Why not? You need to deal with it.”

“Shut up Jacob.”

“It’s true Marie, you lock all of your shit up and one day it’s going to be too much. Let me help you.”

“I don’t n…”

“That’s what I’m here for, that’s why we’re together. I’ve never
took a life, Marie so I don’t know how you feel but at least let me help you. Let me be there for you.”

She stands abruptly and quickly wipes Evelyn’s mouth with a napkin. Then she grabs her bag by her feet and begins to walk away. I snag her by the hand but she doesn’t even look at me, she just tugs her arm free and keeps on going. Leaving me to sort out the kid.

“I think I just messed up,” I whisper to Evelyn and feed her another mouthful of yoghurt. “What do you think?”

“
Mooomon,” she replies and I can’t help but agree with her.

Birthday’s, Weddings and Broken Hearts

We sing, everybody sings as a cake is brought out to the birthday girl who is clapping her hands like a madman. This brings laughter with the singing.

“Make a wish princess,” James says to his daughter and helps her blow out the candles, plunging the large room into darkness. Everyone claps and cheers and the lights come on, plunging my eyes into blindness as they adjust to the sudden change. “Hip, hip.”

And we shout, “Hooray!”

To which Evelyn claps again.

The kid is put on the ground and let loose on the world as everyone hands her gifts. She rips at paper, throws the toys on the ground and rushes to the next person. This is one extremely spoilt yet funny kid.

“Hey baby,” I say softly and ruffle he
r hair when she gets to me. Ignoring me completely, she rips the shiny paper from my gift, throws the toy and moves on to Loryn and Lucas.

The staff run behind her, grabbing her toys and taking them out of the way. Amelia follows, clearly wanting to play with some of them, I doubt Evelyn will mind.

Okay so I’m being a coward, I’ve kind of maybe avoided Jacob since breakfast yesterday. Who can blame me? He talked about shit I’d rather avoid. At least I don’t deny that fact.
I want to avoid it. It’s my problem to avoid if I want. Sharing isn’t caring in this particular case.

Why won’t he let me be?

I hate talking about stuff, I like dealing with it alone.

So yesterday I avoided him, including at meal times where I’d show up late and have to sit at the other end of the table and then I’d leave early much to Maya’s annoyance.

We got to dance last night, which was fun. It would have been more fun if I’d gotten to dance with Jacob. Unfortunately I didn’t because I was avoiding him.

Last night I went to bed and to sleep before he got in. When he did get in he sat beside me on the bed and rested his hand on my hip. “Babe? Are you awake?”

I didn’t respond, I’m really good at feigning sleep.

“Marie,” he shook me a little, I still didn’t respond, worried he was going to corner me into talking. Then he sighed long and loud, had a shower and climbed into bed with me. His entire body casing me in warmth.
I immediately turned into him, my arm across his stomach and my leg across both of his.

Then I slept and so did he.

This morning we woke up together, I showered while he shaved, I brushed my teeth while he dressed and then I dressed while he waited silently, held his hand and walked with him to breakfast.

We’ve barely spoken a word to each other all day.

Even when we got to have a Jet Ski ride together. I laughed, I cheered and so did he. Yet neither of us spoke.

I’m ruining this holiday for myself, acting like a bitch the way I am. Sulking like a child.

I’m going to make it right.

Tomorrow is the party day. I don’t want to spend it away from him knowing that we’re not talking.

And this people, is the reason why I don’t do relationships. This feeling that my insides are chewing themselves sucks ass. It hurts and it sucks.

I feel guilty.

I feel grumpy.

I feel lonely.

And I feel sorrier than a nun caught with a dildo.

I’m hoping I can say sorry and this will all blow over. I need my Jacob back, not this eggshell crunching male I woke up next to.

So I lean over, press my lips to his jaw and say softly, “Forgive me?”

He leans into me, presses his lips to my temple and responds, “Always baby.”
I sigh with relief, there’s nothing worse than asking for forgiveness and getting rejected. “But when we get home we’re talking.” Let me amend my last statement. There’s nothing worse than asking for forgiveness, having it accepted and then still having to face the original issue that caused the grief in the first place. Fuck my life.

Ah crap. “Okay.” Because what else can I do other than to agree and pray he forgets?

Who am I kidding? The chance of him forgetting is smaller than the chance of me waking up tomorrow with a penis on my head. Although the way I’ve been acting I’m surprised to see that one hasn’t started growing.

Wait… are those balls I can feel?

Nope.

Just a zit.

Nice.

“Love you,” I murmur and slide onto his lap.

“Love you too babe,” he smiles and wraps his arm around my waist, the other rests just above my knee. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too babe,” I grin and trace his sweet tasting lips with my tongue. “Fuck me later?”

“Need you ask?”

Sorted.

And fuck me he does.

“Where is it?” I demand, throwing his suit onto the bed.

“Ugh,” James grunts followed by dry heaving.

“Got it!” I hold up the shoe, feeling the urge to kiss it but not kissing it because it would be weird if I did.
Not to mention gross.

“LUCAS!” James shouts as Lucas rushes through the door to James’ hotel suite, in his hands he carries a bag full of medicine to get rid of James’ hangover.

I didn’t get drunk so I’m okay. Lucas stayed sober too.

James… idiot. Need I say more?

It’s his fucking wedding and he’s spent the entire morning throwing up air into the toilet.

He’s got be ready in
two hours. I need to go and help Chris get people to the right place and then their seats, this delay isn’t wanted nor is it needed.

“Throw him in the shower,” I say and grab James under one arm as Lucas grabs the other. We open the stall, slide him in and Lucas switches it on the coldest setting.

Then we close the door and laugh as James squeals and yelps like a little girl.