Page 88 of Villainous Fate

Marcus, to his credit, maintains his composure and stands up, reaching out his hand to my dad, who grabs it and shakes it firmly.

Always the gentlemen.

“Apologies for coming unannounced, sir. I’m Marcus, Marcus Stone.”

“Generally, you save those apologies for the women in your life, son,” he says, not cracking a smile before releasing Marcus’s hand and casually pulling the robe together so he’s more presentable.

“There a reason you're in my living room?” he asks.

“We’re waiting on a call from Deacon, Pops,” I answer for him, my eyes dropping to the floor.

At the sound of Deacon’s name, my dad's face sours. He has never liked that I ended up with a Marlo, and I know a part of him still hopes it won’t work out.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Nice to meet you, Marty,” he says over his shoulder before returning to his room, his door slamming loudly.

I hold my breath, staring at the hallway my dad just exited, not daring to turn around and face Marcus. I must be tomato red, and I don’t even know where to begin explaining my dad to him.

“I am…”

Before I can get the sentence out, Marcus stands before me, causing me to look up at him.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare apologize to me, Spitfire,” he places a hand under my chin when I try to look away. “You don’t have to hide this part of you from me. I know you. Deacon knows you. You don’t have to prove your worth to anyone. We see it.”

How? How do they see beyond the poor girl with the drunk dad and the mom who left her behind? The girl barely able to make the bills because her dad gave up on everyone, including her? How can they see value in that?

My eyes fill with tears that threaten to fall as he releases my face the moment the telephone rings.

Chapter 43

Marcus

I’mfuriousasIturn my back to answer the phone. Not at her, but at the fact that she was standing there thinking that if I saw this side of her, I would what? Judge her and think less of her?

Grace is the strongest person I know.

She has been walking around this town telling everyone her dad is sick and then paying his bills, buying their groceries, and covering for the parents who should be letting her be the kid.

Part of me is thankful that I have two parents who have always been front and center in my life, so I didn’t have to be the strong one. Grace has never had that, and deep inside me, it pisses me off.

I pick up the receiver with more force than I intend to and hand it to her.

“Hello?” she says, her voice small and full of tears.

“Tails? What's wrong?” I hear Deacon say from his end.

“Oh, nothing, D. I’m just so happy to hear your voice,” she lies, her voice clearing and filling with the happiness I always hear when she talks about him. Her eyes flash to me in a warning that has me holding up my hands in surrender.

I won’t tell him.

“God, it’s so fucking nice to hear yours. I’ve missed you,” he says, causing me to flinch at his profanity, and for a moment, I feel like I should step outside while she talks with him.

“Well, tell us everything. What do they have you doing?” she says, pulling me into the conversation before I can run from it.

“Us? Oh, hey, Cap! You taking good care of my girl?” he says, his tone light.

“Course I am. However, she doesn’t make it easy,” I say, earning a slap from her.

“I would expect nothing less. I’ve been working ten-hour shifts weekly and meeting with dignitaries during my off time. It’s a whole other world out here. Man, Tails, you would love the beaches. I ran right along the ocean this morning, and I could just picture you sitting under an umbrella, reading a book with your toes in the sand. Now, if we could figure out removing the alligators or crocodiles, this may be a place we could call home,”

---