“Marcus, honey, you can take the bags upstairs,” Mrs. Connor said. “You can have the guest room. It’s the center room. Erin’s is the farthest door down the hall on the right. You can leave her bag in there.”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.” He walked the bags upstairs to their separate rooms and smirked. He’d figured as much. Still, not sleeping next to Erin when she was just a room away was going to be difficult. He’d want her next to him, especially after dealing with her father’s judging stare all day.
Erin helped her mom set the table for dinner. She’d had potatoes and pork chops in the crock pot all day.
“Erin, you look so good,” she said lovingly. “It’s nice to see you smiling so much. Are all those smiles about Marcus?”
“Most of them,” she admitted with another easy smile. “He’s such a good man, Mom. I love him.”
“Well that was obvious, but I’m glad to hear that you realize it,” her mom teased her.
Erin just grinned again and poured water for everyone. Mrs. Connor called the men in from the back yard where her husband was showing Marcus his collection of landscaping tools. He spent extra time on the axe.
Erin laughed when they came in. Marcus widened his eyes at her and mouthed ‘holy crap’ so only Erin could see. She suppressed a laugh.
“Daddy, be nice. He’s never going to want to come back if you keep trying to pretend you’re the big bad wolf.”
Marcus smirked at her and her dad just gave a ‘humph’ before they sat down to eat. The conversation was surprisingly light for Marcus considering the tone of most of the afternoon. Erin was glad to see him starting to relax a little.
She, on the other hand, was only getting more and more tense. She wanted to sit down with her parents and tell them everything that night. She wanted to get her awful conversation over with. Once her parents heard her story, she would finally be free of keeping everything bottled up and hidden from them.
Marcus offered to help clear the table and Erin’s mom beamed at him. “Marcus, you are such a gentleman. Thank you for your help. Isn’t he so nice, Bob?”
Erin heard one more ‘humph’ from her dad and she walked over to him. She walked behind her dad and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while he still sat at the table. She whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Daddy, be nice.”
The group retired to the living room and Erin pulled Marcus to the couch and sat with him. Her parents followed and sat in the two fireside chairs across from them. Erin took a steadying breath and felt Marcus’s hand squeeze hers.
“Mom, Dad, I love you…and I haven’t been fair to you.”
“What are you talking about, honey,” her mom asked, instantly concerned.
“I know I’ve been different the past few years. I’m so sorry. I can only imagine what you must have thought.”
“Of course we were worried about you,” her mom said. “You changed so much and seemed so sad all the time. Something was obviously wrong.”
Erin looked anguished. “You know it had nothing to do with you, right?”
“We hoped so. But what was it about? You’re better now, I can tell. What happened that made you withdraw so much, sweetie? I remember asking you a lot at first. I kept hoping you would tell me but I never wanted to push.”
Erin took another deep breath and moved closer to Marcus. He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. She saw her dad scowl and she didn’t care. She needed Marcus in that moment and his comforting touch calmed her. She leaned her head down on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head.
“You’re ok,” Marcus whispered to her.
She looked up at him and tried not to look as nervous as she was.
“Erin?” her mom asked. “What do you need to tell us?”
“Ok, here goes. I’ve been too ashamed to tell you. It was just easier to shut down. But I’m not as scared anymore,” Erin started nervously. She took one more deep breath before she continued. “Well, I was at a pretty wild party my junior year at Emory. I met a guy there who seemed like a lot of fun. We were flirting and dancing. It was a good time. Then he…dragged me into a bedroom…”
Erin’s dad visibly tensed and her mom looked horrified. “Oh, my baby girl…”
“It never got as bad as it could have, but it was bad enough to terrify me more than I knew was possible. He was so much stronger than I was and by the time I got away, my shirt was ripped, and my wrists and thighs were bruised. I only got away because someone came in and interrupted.”
Erin’s mom’s hand covered her mouth as tears rolled down her face. Erin’s dad had a tightly clenched jaw and even more tightly clenched fists. Marcus pulled her toward him further and kept ahold of her tightly. Even he had never heard her say the words aloud. Erin could feel the tension in his arms.
“Anyway,” she continued in a shaky voice, “I lost my trust in everyone at that point and didn’t feel like I was worth anyone’s love. I blamed myself for being stupid enough to get in that situation. I thought I had let you down by not being the person I was supposed to be.”
Erin started crying. She dropped her face into her hands and Marcus reached his other hand around her and held her tight. He kissed her head again and whispered encouragement in her ear while she sobbed. She was so glad he was there, taking care of her and being strong when she wasn’t strong at all.
Erin’s mom walked over to her and sat on the other side, holding her with one arm and letting her other hand rest on Marcus’s forearm.
“Erin, that wasn’t your fault,” her mom whispered. “You have never disappointed us. Your story doesn’t change that.”
Marcus held Erin tightly and looked at her mom’s hand on his arm. So much was conveyed in that simple touch. Her mom knew. She understood just how much Erin meant to him and how much he took care of her. They shared that bond.
He met her eye and she nodded to him and mouthed the words ‘thank you’ as they both held Erin. He nodded back and kissed Erin’s hair again.
He looked over to Erin’s dad and saw him sitting there, barely controlling his anger. Marcus knew, though, that none of the anger was aimed at him or Erin. Marcus recognized the look on Mr. Connor’s face as the same one his face held when he first read that awful story. He wanted to destroy the bastard as much as Marcus did. Marcus liked her dad a lot more in that moment.
When Mr. Connor’s eyes finally met his, he spoke up in a soft and loving voice to his daughter. “Erin, what happened to you was atrocious. I’m sorry you felt like you had to hide from us. You know we love you no matter what.”
“I know, Daddy,” she said in a thready voice. “I just didn’t let myself feel anything for a very long time. I kept myself hidden from everyone. Not just you. I wouldn’t even be able to talk about it now if it weren’t for Marcus. He’s the one that got me out of it.”
“Erin, you picked yourself up the minute you bought that journal. You found the strength. Don’t question that, please?”
She looked up at him with such sadness and love in her eyes that he nearly started crying himself. All he could do was keep holding her. He met Mr. Connor’s eyes again and saw a change. There was a hint of acceptance of Marcus that wasn’t there before. He recognized that they had at least one thing in common, a true love of Erin.
The entire group was quiet as they all processed the story and how much it affected all of their relationships. After a while, Erin’s mom welcomed her back from her years of solitude and openly thanked Marcus for his role in her daughter’s journey back to the world around her.
“It’s obvious how much you care for her. I love you for it,” she told him.
Everyone was exhausted from the emotionally charged evening and Erin was ready to sleep. “Mom, Daddy, I need to go to bed. I’m so tired. I love you and thank you for listening and still loving me. I didn’t think you wouldn’t, but even after five years I think I still keep expecting the worst.”
Both her parents got up with her to hug her tightly. She kept Marcus’s hand even as her parents held her from both sides. She pulled him up the stairs with her after the embrace. He followed her up the steps and held her tightly once they were in the hallway.
“I’m so proud of you, baby,” he said quietly. “You’re my champion, just like I told you. You did it.”
Erin kept her arms around him and cried for another minute or two. “I love you Marcus. I couldn’t have done that without you.”
“Yes, you could have. But you don’t have to worry about facing anything by yourself. I’m with you. One hundred percent. Now get yourself ready for bed and I’ll tuck you in as long as your dad’s not looking.”
She laughed a little at his comment and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t let him fool you. He’s a teddy bear.” She went in her room and shut the door to get ready for bed. Marcus braved going downstairs by himself while she changed clothes.
“Marcus,” her dad said. “How long have you known my daughter?”
“Since May, sir.”
“And she trusts you already? Even after what happened?”
“I made every effort to let her know that she could. I cared about her from the first moment.”
“She’s broken,” he said with sadness in his voice.
“I don’t think she is, sir,” he said softly. “She felt like a victim for a long time, but she’s coming out of it. I can’t believe how strong she is. She doesn’t see her strength at all, but I keep trying to tell her. Like I said before, she’s exceptional. If she
was
broken, she’s repairing herself from the inside out.”
“Hmm.”
Erin’s mom chimed in. “You’ve taken good care of my girl. I can tell.”
“I try, ma’am.”
“Oh, call me Linda, you dear boy. As far as I’m concerned, you’re family now.”
Marcus was taken aback. He’d never really felt like part of a family. The thought of being accepted by the Connors gave him a light feeling in his chest. He had no idea what to say, but luckily he was saved by Erin’s voice calling him from upstairs.
“Marcus, will you help me with my bag?”
He excused himself from the living room and went up to Erin’s room. She hugged him and whispered in his ear.
“My bag is fine, I was just giving you an excuse to come up here with me,” she whispered. Her eyes were puffy from her tears, but clear and no longer tense. She pulled him into a tight embrace and moved up to kiss him.
He offered her the same loving kiss he had that morning outside of her apartment. Again he rubbed her back and held her cheek with soft passion. He moved his tongue with hers gently and felt her relax in his arms. He brushed her lips two sweet times more before he stepped away from her.
“I think your dad is finally starting to like me. I can’t stay up here too much longer or I’m going to lose any ground I’ve gained,” he said with a smile. “Sweet dreams, baby. I wish I could hold you tonight.”
“Me, too,” she said. “But my parents are still pretty traditional.”
“Yeah, I can tell. They’re good people. I’m really glad I came,” he admitted before offering her one last kiss goodnight. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Good night.”
He walked from her room and back downstairs to politely say goodnight to her parents. He was ready to crash for two reasons. One, he was tired, plain and simple. Two, he didn’t want any more alone time with her parents that evening. The questions from her dad would have to wait for morning.
Chapter Twelve
Saturday morning Erin’s mom cooked everyone a big breakfast with all the trimmings. Marcus ate heartily which earned him a big smile from the chef.
“I love a man with a good appetite. So tell me, how did you two actually meet?” Linda Connor asked.
Marcus and Erin looked at each other and smiled. “Actually, Mom, we didn’t meet until a few months after we met.”
Marcus smiled wider and her parents looked back and forth between the two of them. “What?” her mom finally said.
Erin couldn’t contain her grin. “It’s a good story. I bought a notebook to write in. I was getting tired of living so hidden and alone all the time. I needed to change something so I decided to do some therapeutic journaling. A shrink I saw in college after that party introduced me to it.”
“You saw a therapist?” her mom asked. “You poor thing. Did it help?”
“To an extent, but this time around writing worked better…the notebook wrote back,” she laughed. Marcus caught her eye and smiled at her.
“I guess that’s one way to put it,” he said. Her mom looked at him confused again. He decided to explain. “I found her journal by the trashcan in her office during my night shift. I checked to see if I should throw it away or leave it at her desk and, uh, I kind of read what she wrote.”
Her dad glared at him again. Erin interceded on his behalf. “Daddy, don’t look at him like that. I’m so glad he did. He wrote back to me. He apologized for reading and then he told me how strong I was and to believe in myself. We wrote back and forth for months. He helped me so much before I even knew who he was. He was my first friend in years.”
Marcus looked at her dad. “I wanted to introduce myself earlier, but I could tell from what she wrote how scared she still was. I kept my distance so she wouldn’t worry. I wanted her to feel safe.”
“So how did you actually meet, then?”
Marcus smiled at the lighter tone in his voice. “Well, it was actually when she first admitted to me how completely closed off she’d been for so long. I felt so bad for her. She didn’t need to be alone so I asked to meet her.”
“And I bolted,” she smiled a guilty grin. “I didn’t write to him for days. I didn’t even go to work. I shut down just as hard as I had before. Marcus got worried and came to my apartment to check on me.”
“I needed to know she was ok,” Marcus said unapologetically. “No one else in Atlanta was looking out for her. I decided it was my job.”
“He rescued me, I swear it. That was months ago and we’ve been together ever since. He’s the best man I’ve met since you, Daddy.”