by Ashlee Price
"I look forward to spending the next year with you, Mrs. Montgomery."
A blush burns in my cheeks. I pull my hand away as I swallow the lump in my throat.
"Dr. Montgomery," I correct him.
He nods. "By the way, I've already told my family."
My jaw drops. "You already told your family?"
"I told you my brother went through heart surgery. I was with him, so I told him. Well, I told his wife and she told him, but yeah, they know."
No wonder he was so insistent on this. He already told his brother.
Dustin shrugs. "Normal married couples tell their families, right?"
I guess.
I draw a deep breath. "Well, in that case, we have to tell my stepfather."
Chapter Fourteen
Dustin
Dr. Hal Stevens is Marian's stepfather?
As I eat my steak, I watch him and Marian talk. They look nothing alike, and yet they are acting like a real father and daughter. Marian looks like she really respects him, but at the same time she has her guard down. Hal looks like he's hanging on her every word.
He's a good man. I thought so even when I first met him. He was obviously surprised by Marian's introduction, but there was no disappointment or indignation on his face. When he got over the surprise, he smiled and shook my hand before giving Marian a hug. He didn't even ask how it happened.
It's not that he doesn't care. He does, so much that all he wants is for Marian to be happy. I've never had my father - or anyone else - feel that way for me.
"So, Marian tells me you build things?" Hal asks me.
"Yeah. Robotics. I invented a pair of machines, one on the ground and the other something like a drone in the air, that detect landmines and work together to disarm them."
Hal's eyes grow wide. "Wow."
I can see the surprise and awe in Marian's eyes as well. Right. I haven't told her about that.
She tries to hide it, though. Instead, she smiles as she turns to Hal.
"That's right. He's quite amazing. Who knows? Someday he might just invent a robot to perform heart transplants."
Hal frowns. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that." He glances at me. "No offense, but hearts are fragile things. I don't think they should be held by anything other than human hands if they should be held at all."
"I understand," I tell him. "I'll keep that in mind."
Marian grins. "He's just saying that because he doesn't want anything else doing his job."
"Well, that, too," Hal admits.
She chuckles. "And Dustin is also into a lot of things. He bikes. He hikes. He surfs."
"I've tried surfing," Hal says. "That was a long time ago, though."
"It's never too late to get back on the board," I say.
"Maybe," he agrees. "But I'm not as young as I used to be. I used to go rock climbing, too, but that was before I decided to become a surgeon and realized I couldn't risk injuring my hands."
"His billion-dollar hands," Marian adds.
"What about hang gliding?" I ask him. "Or skydiving? I convinced Marian to try that once."
Hal looks at his stepdaughter. "You went skydiving?"
She shrugs. "What can I say? I guess I've got a reckless bone in my body."
He grins. "And you didn't get scared?"
"I did, but only in the beginning, just before the jump and those first few seconds of free falling," Marian answers. "But then you fly and you just feel amazing. Besides, Dustin was with me every inch of the way."
She glances at me and I smile.
"Well, it's not like skydiving is the first reckless thing you've ever done," Hal says. "Remember when you climbed that tree in the yard and I had to borrow the neighbor's trampoline so you could jump down?"
"Hal," Marian admonishes him.
I chuckle. "You climbed a tree and couldn't get down?"
She frowns. "Mind you, that was the only time I ever caused any trouble. I was a good girl."
"She was," Hal agrees. "She would always put her toys away and finish her food, unless it had beans. She hated beans of any kind."
"I still do," Marian confesses.
I finish my meal in silence as I listen to Hal's tales of Marian's childhood, many of which she tries to dissuade him from telling. He does anyway, and in the end, I learn a lot of things about my wife - some trivial, some interesting. In the span of one dinner, I've managed to know her better.
And like her better. Just as I thought, she's an amazing woman.
After dinner, she excuses herself to go to the restroom. As soon as she's gone, Hal leans forward.
"How's your brother?" he asks.
"Good, I think," I answer. "But maybe you know the answer better."
"His surgery went well," Hal says. "And his heart looks like it's still got a lot of years left."
"That's good," I say. "Or maybe that's expected. Even before he married Candace, Sidney always did take good care of himself. He takes everything seriously, even his health."
"And you don't?" Hal asks me.
I look into his narrowed eyes.
Ah, so the interrogation begins. I knew it had to happen sometime. Of course, what better time for it to happen than now, when Marian isn't here?
I square my shoulders. "Dr. Stevens, I know my brother said a bunch of stuff back then, but I'm not a bad person. I've never lived up to his high standards or expectations, but then I've never tried to. I've always lived my life according to my own expectations."
For a moment, Hal just looks at me as if trying to ascertain if what I just said is truth or bullshit. Then he shrugs.
"Well, your brother was high on morphine, so you know he said a bunch of things he shouldn't have."
"I know."
"And even if he meant what he said, they're his opinions, not necessarily truth. Maybe he just thinks you're lazy because he's pushing himself to his limits taking on the world. Maybe he thinks of you as childish because you'll always be his younger brother."
I shrug. "Maybe."
"And as for the worrying, well, we can't really help but worry about the people we love, can we?" Hal sits back and sighs. "Look at Marian. She's a doctor now. She's grown to be such a fine young woman. And she's married to a man she has only wonderful things to say about, a man she'd jump off a plane with. Still, I worry about her."
"I'm not going to ask you to stop," I tell him. "But I will take care of her."
Yes, we may only be a married couple for a year, but during these twelve months, I will take care of her. Otherwise, how will I be able to face the man who gave my brother a second lease on life?
"And I will make her happy," I add. "Well, I mean, her happiness is up to her, but I will give her as many chances and reasons to be happy as I can."
Hal nods. "Thank you. I have to say it bothered me that she got married without telling me - and so soon after she broke up with Liam - but it seems she made the right decision. She seems happy, and she deserves to stay happy."
"I'll do my best to make that happen," I promise him.
"Thank you."
He falls silent as he finishes his wine. Marian returns.
"So, did everyone behave while I was away?" she asks as she throws me a questioning glance.
Why is she asking me?
"Everything's fine," Hal answers. "I'm happy for you, Marian. You found yourself a good husband." He pats her on the back. "Now, you just have to do the hard part and keep him."
"Yeah." Marian gives a sheepish grin.
Hal glances at his watch. "I have to go so I can catch my flight back to Boston. I have a surgery tomorrow."
He stands up and grabs his coat.
"But you guys can stay."
Marian glances at me. "Actually, maybe we'll head home as well. I feel a bit tired."
I place my hand over hers. "Then we should go home and rest. You have the day off tomorrow anyway. We can spend more time together then."
She forces a grin.
"Well,
it was nice meeting you, Dustin." Hal offers me his hand.
I stand up and shake it. "It was an honor meeting you, Dr. Stevens."
"Please call me 'Hal'," he says.
He lets my hand go and gives Marian a hug. "Take care. I'll see you again soon."
"Not too soon," she tells him.
He gives a final wave before taking off. I signal the waiter for the check before sitting down.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," I say. "For a fourth date."
Her eyebrows crease. "Fourth?"
I ignore her. "Hal's really nice."
"Yeah, he is," Marian agrees as she turns towards the door. "He treats me like a real daughter even though he's not even really my stepfather."
My eyebrows furrow. "But I thought you said - "
"He was in love with my mom," she explains. "They were engaged. But she died before they could get married. He didn't have any obligation to take care of me. Still, he did. He could have gone on to marry someone else and have his own kids, but no."
"He must have really loved your mother," I say.
"Yeah." She purses her lips.
"What?" I ask because she looks like she has something more on her mind.
Marian shakes her head. "Nothing. He's so nice that I feel like we're tricking him."
"Well, we're not," I tell her. "On the contrary, we came clean. We told him about our marriage."
"But we didn't give him the details." She sighs. "He's going to be devastated when we get a divorce."
"No. He'll understand. He said the hard part was keeping the marriage going, remember?"
"He'll still be devastated."
"Fine. I'll let him punch me so he'll feel better."
That makes the corners of Marian's red lips turn up into a grin.
I smile. "By the way, I haven't told you how beautiful you look tonight."
Which she does in her white dress trimmed with black lace. I've been trying to suppress the thought of taking it off her all evening.
She blushes. "You don't look so bad yourself. In fact, you even look good in a suit."
I glance down at mine. "Just for the record, I hate suits."
"I know."
The waiter arrives with the check. I slip a bill into the check holder and hand it back. Then I turn to Marian.
"Shall I take you back to your apartment?"
~
When we get there, Liam is waiting.
Marian rolls her eyes. "Not again."
I, too, frown. What's up with this guy? Didn't I warn him to stay away?
I step forward, but Marian extends an arm. "I'll handle this."
Okay.
She walks towards Liam.
"Hi, Marian," he greets her with a smile like he has no clue what he's doing wrong.
Asshole.
Marian squares her shoulders. "Liam, leave right now or I'll call the cops."
I grin with pride. Atta girl.
Liam looks disappointed. "Marian..."
"Liam," she repeats his name sternly.
"You're not really married, are you?"
Marian lifts her left hand to show him the ring.
That makes his eyes grow wide in surprise. Then he frowns.
"Then divorce him."
"What?" Marian asks in disbelief.
The same question echoes in my mind.
Why, this son of a bitch...
"I'm the one you should have married." Liam puts his hand on his chest. "You promised me, remember?"
She promised him?
"I never promised you anything," Marian says.
"Yes, you did. We were just a new couple then, and we went to San Diego, to Fisherman's Wharf. There was this couple who ate fish and chips with us and they asked about us. You said we were best friends. I added that we had recently become a couple. They said we looked good together and they hoped we'd last forever. You said that you hoped so, too."
My eyebrows arch. That's it? Where was the promise of marriage there?
"Maybe there was a time I thought we'd end up married," Marian admits. "But I'd forgotten that long before I broke up with you."
"You owe me, Marian." He beats his fist against his chest. "Have you forgotten about that?"
I don't like the look of that fist, so I start walking towards them.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you forgotten that I was with you during the hardest years of your life?" Liam asks her. "When you were struggling at medical school and you kept wanting to give up, who kept encouraging you? When you were studying for your exams, I left my job in New York just so I could move in with you and be with you and take care of you. When you were struggling with your internship, when your first patient died and you got depressed, who helped you snap out of it?"
Marian falls silent. Shit. He was able to get to her, but I'm not going to let him have her.
I grab her arm. "Should I call the cops now?"
Marian draws a deep breath. "I'm not saying we had only bad things, Liam. I'm not saying you didn't do anything for me. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. I will be forever. But Liam, you can't keep me just because of that."
She steps forward. "I loved you once, but I don't anymore. You have to accept that. You don't want to be with someone who doesn't love you. No one does."
She's talking to Liam, and yet her words strike a chord with me.
No one wants to be with someone who doesn't love them. Is that why she didn't want to be with me?
Then it's a good thing we agreed to be together only for a year, because I don't do love. At least I'm prepared to let her go.
The anger on Liam's face vanishes but hope, just as dangerous, gleams in his eyes. He takes her hand. I draw my breath and my chest tightens.
"Then let's go back to being best friends. We can still be best friends, right?"
Marian pulls her hand away. "No, Liam. Maybe in a decade or so, but not now. I think we need some space."
"But - "
"More space."
She walks past him and slips her key into the doorknob. The door opens and she gestures for me to go inside. Then she glances at Liam over her shoulder.
"Leave or I'll call the cops."
She closes the door and turns on the lights. Then she sinks into a couch and rubs her temples.
I stand in front of her. "I can still call the cops right now. Or I can go and haul him downstairs."
I take off my jacket and throw it onto the coffee table. I loosen my tie.
Marian looks up at me and shakes her head. "Forget it."
I sit beside her. "Do you want me to kiss you so you'll feel better?"
I grab a few strands of her hair and press them to my lips.
"Or I could do even better," I offer. "If he hears you moaning in the throes of ecstasy, he may leave and never come back."
Marian turns her head towards me and narrows her eyes. "What ever happened to the one-month grace period?"
"What grace period?"
She throws a pillow at my face. I catch it.
"Besides, that will only make him want to tear down the door," she adds.
I put the pillow down beside me and tap my fingers on it. "He's persistent. I'll give him that."
"He's annoying." Marian grips her hair.
"That, too."
She lets a sigh escape her lips.
I sit back. "Is it true what he said?"
"Which part?"
"That you used to be best friends?"
She nods.
"That he helped you snap out of depression?"
"I don't think it was depression in the real sense of the word. I just got... really down."
"Well, you're the doctor, not me, so I believe you."
"Like I said, I didn't break up with him because he was a bad person. A bit controlling, maybe, and he could be selfish sometimes, but not bad. I mean, he never hit me or anything. And during the first few months, he was even fun to be around."
"But the fun stop
ped."
Marian rests her head on the back of the couch. "I broke up with him because I wasn't happy anymore. And yes, maybe that's not entirely his fault, but is it my fault that I want to be happy?"
"No," I answer. "And he should understand that. He should want you to be happy."
She closes her eyes. "I just want him to leave me alone."
I nod. As she falls silent, I glance around her apartment. It's smaller than mine, but not that small. It's about two or three years old maybe. There isn't much furniture - just this couch, a coffee table and another table in the kitchen with two chairs. And a bookshelf for the TV to sit on, though most of her books are stacked against the wall. Maybe she didn't have time to buy furniture? Or was this just a temporary place for her?
"You know, I was thinking," I start to say. "Maybe you should move into my apartment."
Marian's eyes fly open as she lifts her head. "Excuse me?"
"We're married," I remind her. "We should be staying in the same place."
"So why can't you stay here?"
"Do you really want me to? Do you want my stuff here?"
She touches her chin and doesn't answer.
"Besides, what if Liam shows up here again, hmm? Or what if he forces his way in before you have a chance to call the cops? If you're at my place, he won't bother you. He doesn't know where I live. And even if he finds out, my building has better security."
She makes a face. "You don't have to rub it in. I get it. You're rich and I'm not."
I ignore that remark. "I promised Hal I'd keep you safe, that I'd take care of you."
Her eyebrows go up. "You did?"
"If Liam did something bad to you, do you think Hal would forgive me? Do you think I'd be able to forgive myself?"
Marian sighs. "Fine. I'll move in with you, but I'm not letting go of this place."
"I'm not asking you to," I tell her.
"And I'm going to have my own room," she says.
I shrug. "I have a spare."
She rolls her eyes. "Of course you do."
"Anything else?" I ask her.
She yawns. "I'll tell you if I think of something. Right now, I'm really tired."
She gets off the couch.
I pat it. "I'll sleep here."
She throws me a puzzled look.
"Just in case Liam comes back," I tell her. "Also, so that tomorrow I can help you pack your stuff and load it in the car."