Page 25 of Imperfection is Beauty

I breathed out.

And then I answered her while looking at my white sneakers, “I’m not supposed to be working on large men. I was attacked. It was a few years ago, but still. Anyway, the charge nurse knows that, but her favorite nurses are with other patients. She assigned me to him,” I said and pointed to the room that I was talking about.

And then at the sound of her voice, and her name, I snapped my head up, “My name is Aliyah. What’s your name?”

She was older now, and even though I only saw her from a distance, I knew who this woman was.

So instead of blurting out, I know you, but not know you know you, like some kind of idiot, I smiled, then said, “Oh, that’s pretty. My name is Scarlett.”

She didn’t know me, so she didn’t pick up on what was happening to me now.

I saw Daemon.

Aliyah.

Daemon.

Aliyah.

That could only mean one thing.

I grabbed the tablet from the counter to my right and checked the name.

Holy shit.

I knew she missed the way my shoulders relaxed, and the oh shit, are you serious war I was waging inside of me.

Marcus DuPointe.

Marcus. DuPointe.

M.A.R.C.U.S. D.U.P.O.I.N.T.E.

Recovering from surgery.

I looked up from my tablet and then she smiled, “I love that name. I’m going to tell you something, okay?”

Therefore, knowing she was friends with him, I nodded. “I was attacked too. Badly. But it gave me the greatest thing I could’ve ever hoped for.” With that, she nodded at her boy, Crew. “Marcus is that boy’s uncle. He’s my daughter’s uncle. I also claim that he's my twin.”

I laughed at that because I didn’t know that, “Really?”

She nodded, “If I didn’t trust that man with my whole heart, I never would’ve left my daughter with him when I had her so I could take my finals in college. He almost wrapped her in bubble wrap when he took her out and then growled at anyone who got too close. Oh, and when she was born, he was in the room not even ten minutes later and you should’ve seen it, he pulled bottle after bottle after bottle of hand sanitizer from his pockets and made sure everyone used it before they came into the room.”

“Please don’t be afraid of him. He’s big, yes, and he weighs a fuck ton. But he would rather hurt himself than ever risk hurting a woman. And if he growls at you, raise your eyebrow at him and say excuse me. He will knock that shit off right quick.”

I nodded at her.

It was nice to know a little something more about Marcus.

I watched them leave and then looked at the closed door to that room.

It’s been five years since I was close enough to see his face.

I wanted to pull my phone out, call Betty, and tell her.

But I wouldn’t be telling a soul.

For one, he was a pro athlete.

---