by Mandy Magro
Jade glanced fleetingly at Molly. ‘Well, why in the hell not? You’ve been home almost two weeks now.’
‘Heath wants it to be special, and so do I, so he’s taking me away for the weekend, down to Pretty Beach. I can’t wait! I’m glad, though, really. The thought of making sweet, sweet lurve with Granddad and Grandma in the room next door and with Rose just down the hall kind of makes me feel nauseous.’
‘Well, go and ravish each other at his place then!’ Jade said, her eyebrows rising so high they were nearly at one with her hairline.
‘That would be even worse! Knowing that Trev could hear us … he’s like a father to me.’
‘Aha, so you’re a noisy one then,’ Jade teased.
Molly threw her hands up in the air and laughed. ‘Cut it out, Jade, you spinner!’
A loud thud startled Molly from her deep sleep. She sat up, clutching the sheet for dear life, wondering for a few split seconds what in the hell was going on, until she realised that it was someone knocking on her bedroom window. She instantly thought of Heath and her belly fluttered with excitement. She stumbled out of bed and quickly tried to flatten down her bed hair, glancing at her night clock to see the luminous red numbers stating it was 2.14 a.m.
She tiptoed over to her window, straightening her skimpy pajamas and peering out through her curtains. It was so dark she couldn’t see a thing so she pushed her face right up against the flyscreen. Abruptly, she saw a face materialise at the window and got the shock of her life. It was Mark staring back at her. Why isn’t Skip barking? she thought confusedly. Am I still asleep?
Her mouth involuntarily dropped open and she found herself breathless with anxiety. Remembering she didn’t have much on, she quickly wrestled the sheet from her bed and wrapped it around herself. Her brows furrowed as she finally discovered her voice.
‘What are you doing here, Mark? It’s bloody two o’clock in the morning,’ she hissed through clenched teeth.
Mark shrugged. ‘Um, I’m sorry it’s so late, but can we talk, Molly? Please?’
‘Goddamn it! You had a go at me for turning up at your place at ten in the morning, basically telling me to leave, and now you want to have a conversation at this hour?’ She was finding it terribly hard not to yell and wake up the entire household.
‘Please. I really have to talk to you.’
Molly could smell alcohol on his breath. ‘You’re drunk, Mark. Go home and come back at a decent hour.’
‘Oh, come on, Molly, I’m begging you. I have to talk to you. Now!’
Molly stood and pondered for close to a minute, glaring at him.
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake! Okay. I’ll be out the front in a minute.’
Mark was sitting in the couch on the front verandah with Skip at his feet when Molly came outside. She sat down opposite him and motioned for Skip to sit with her.
‘So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?’ she asked sarcastically as she jiggled her legs up and down.
Mark slumped in front of her as tears streamed down his face. She could tell he had been crying for a while – his eyes were puffy and red. A small part of her felt a strange satisfaction to see that he was actually a human being with emotions. She momentarily felt sorry for him.
‘I’ve been such a prick, Molly. I’m so deeply sorry for acting like I didn’t care about anyone else but myself.’
Molly’s compassionate instincts made her want to go over and put her arm around Mark, but she made herself stay put in her chair. He had caused her so much grief. He hadn’t even bothered to visit her in the hospital or check in with her to see how Rose was. News travelled fast in the small community, and it was common knowledge that she and Rose had been in the horrific fire. Mark played with the band at the local pub every weekend, so he had no excuse for not knowing or for not checking in to see how she was, or – even more importantly – how Rose was. What type of father would do that? She wasn’t sure how she would have responded if he had turned up at the hospital, but she certainly wouldn’t have told him to bugger off. She would most probably have been grateful that he cared.
‘Go on,’ she said gently, swallowing down hard on the lump in her throat as she began twisting the bracelet Heath had given her. It somehow made her feel like Heath was sitting there with her, lending her strength.
‘Molly, before I start, I want you to know something very important. I came to the hospital to visit you. I truly did. But when I walked in Heath was asleep in the chair by your bed and I just panicked, I didn’t feel like I should be there. Then I couldn’t bring myself to go back there, in case your family knew how much of a bastard I’d been to you. I didn’t know how much you’d told them and I was ashamed. I checked in at the pub, though, every few days, to see how you were and to ask about Rose. I think he was beginning to wonder why I was so interested.’
Molly felt a wave of remorse wash over her for thinking that Mark was such a bad person. She dropped her head. ‘Thank you for caring about us, Mark. I thought you didn’t.’
‘Of course I care, Molly!’ Mark rubbed his face and took a deep breath. ‘I’m really sorry about how I spoke to Jade at the rodeo, too. I had no right. She seems like a really nice lady and I’m a bastard for judging her so quickly. I really want to apologise to her and Mel but I haven’t seen either of them to be able to. Mel’s never behind the bar any more.’
Molly fiddled with her bracelet. ‘Melinda’s got a new job now, down at the bowls club. She does all the cooking. You can call in there and see her if you like, if you’re really serious about apologising.’
‘Well, I’ll make sure I head in there this week, and I’ll give Jade a call, if you don’t mind giving me her mobile number.’ Mark leant back in his chair, resting his head so that he was staring at the ceiling. ‘But that’s not why I came here, Molly. I saw you and Rose in town yesterday, checking your postbox. I was coming out of the bank when I spotted you both, and I just froze. I stood there, staring, shaken by seeing my daughter for the very first time. It made her so real, Molly, that I couldn’t go on pretending that she wasn’t any more. She’s so beautiful. But I knew I didn’t have the right to go anywhere near her after reacting the way I did. I knew then and there that I had to be a part of her life, and come hell or high water I was going to make myself a better man so I could be a father to her. I was just so worried about not being a good dad. You know, not living up to people’s expectations. I was willing myself to believe that Rose wasn’t my child.’ He took a slow deep breath. ‘You see, Molly, I never knew what it was like to have a proper dad. My father used to beat me and my mother, well, she was too afraid to do anything about it. Not that she could, she was usually too out of it on whatever drug she could get her hands on.’
Molly leant forward and placed her hand on his knee. ‘I’m so sorry to hear that, Mark. I really am.’
He looked up at her and smiled weakly, then went on, his words spilling from him like a dam that had broken its walls. ‘I ran away from home when I was fifteen and I’ve never seen either of them again. They could be dead for all I know. I’ve always had to look out for myself – no one else was going to. And I discovered alcohol was pretty good at taking the pain away … Then I found my love for music. When I became a singer, I found I could get any woman I wanted – well, nearly.’ He gave Molly a knowing look. He breathed in deeply, exhaled slowly. ‘I began to feel invincible, as long as I was in control of my own destiny. And then, well, you came along and told me I was a father. I freaked, Molly. It terrified me to think there was someone out there who might depend on me. Me! I can’t even take proper care of myself half the time! But now that I’ve had some time to come to grips with it, I’m hoping you’ll let me be a part of your life with Rose. I want you and Rose to be a part of my future; it’s all I’ve been able to think about.’ He hung his head in his hands and Molly could almost hear his heart breaking, and her own.
His voice was almost a whisper and he looked crushed. ‘Please, please let me at least
meet Rose. You don’t have to tell her I’m her father, if you don’t want to. But I have to at least meet her.’
Molly didn’t know how to feel. It was what she had wanted all along, for Rose to get to know her dad, to be a family. She leant back into her chair, tucking her feet up underneath her. She sat there, silently, and finally gave a huge sigh. ‘Thank you for coming to tell me all this. It makes me happy to know that you want to be a part of our lives. I can totally understand why you’re worried and I’m so terribly sad to hear what you went through as a child. But, Mark, you have to understand my concerns, with your drinking and all the women coming in and out of your life. That’s not the type of world I want Rose to be a part of. Surely you must understand this? What are you going to do about it?’
Mark slowly lifted his head up, looking directly into Molly’s eyes. ‘I’ve decided to get help. I found a really good psychologist in Mareeba and I’m starting counseling next week. I promise you, I will change. It’s time to grow up, Molly. I have someone other than myself to think about now.’
Molly wanted to believe him as his intensely solemn eyes held hers, not faltering for a second.
‘I think that it’s great you’re man enough to go and get help. Not a lot of blokes have the guts to do it. But is this really you talking, or is it the drink? I can tell you’ve been drinking tonight, Mark. I can smell it on your breath.’
‘Before I headed over here, I sculled a glass of whisky to calm my nerves. I know it was the wrong thing to do, but I was terrified that you’d tell me to piss off and never come back. God knows I would have deserved it if you did, after the way I treated you.’
Molly clapped her hands on her legs. ‘I reckon it’d be great for you to get to know Rose. On two conditions, though: that you visit her here and that you haven’t been drinking. You have to act responsibly, Mark. But as for us all being a family, I’m sorry – the chance of that ever happening is gone. I have a man in my life now, so you’ll have to accept that Rose will also have a second dad. I hope that isn’t going to be a problem for you?’ They both knew it was a rhetorical question.
Mark looked at her miserably than jumped out of his chair, surprising Molly, and ran over to hug her. ‘Thank you, thank you! I’ll be a good dad, you just wait and see. And maybe in the future, she can come and stay over sometimes and I can teach her how to play a guitar.’ He stood back to look at Molly. ‘I’ve really stuffed up and it’ll be a long time before I can ever forgive myself for the pain I caused you. You deserve to be treated with respect and to be loved for the wonderful woman you are. I just wasn’t the guy to give that to you.’
Molly watched him inquisitively as he scratched his head, clearly deep in thought.
‘The curiosity’s killing me, though; can I ask who the lucky bloke is?’
Molly went to reply but he put his hand up to shush her.
‘No, hang on, let me guess. Would it by any chance be, um, let me see, Heath Miller?’
Molly couldn’t hide the look of shock on her face. ‘How did you know?’
‘You could tell by the way he looked at you, Molly. That man is madly in love with you.’
Chapter 26
The cherry-red Harley-Davidson grunted and rumbled like a primitive beast beneath Molly as she gazed out over the mountains at the aqua-blue ocean before her. From here, the water looked smooth as glass. She could just make out a large boat as it sped towards the Great Barrier Reef, leaving a spray of white foamy water in its wake. She pictured all the tourists on board trying to capture the beauty of their ocean holiday with clicks of their cameras, and envied them being able to spend weeks in this amazing wonderland. She could only ever spare a few days to enjoy it, but on the flip side, most of the travellers would only see this once in their lifetimes, whereas she could visit whenever she liked.
As the bike roared along the long scenic highway, passing through the small village of Julatten, Molly’s thoughts drifted back to yesterday, when Rose had met Mark for the first time. She had hidden behind Molly’s legs at first before gathering the strength to emerge from her safe spot and give Mark a shy cuddle and a kiss on his cheek. Mark had wiped joyous tears from his face as he told Rose again and again just how beautiful she was. Rose had smiled timidly when she took Mark’s hand. Then she had led him to the puppies’ kennel, explaining how she wanted him to meet Mack and Sasha.
Molly had sat and watched them play with the puppies from the verandah. It had been amazing to observe their similarities in features and also in mannerisms, even though Mark had had nothing to do with Rose until now. Within an hour they were both laughing and rolling around on the grass, having a whale of a time together. Mark kept glancing in Molly’s direction, smiling with pride. She was so pleased the meeting had turned out so well. When it was time for Mark to go, Rose had hugged him tightly, telling him that he had to promise to come back. Molly had believed Mark completely when he had said he would love to.
David and Elizabeth were initially stunned when Molly had told them about Mark. It was the first time that she had seen her grandfather at a complete loss for words. He kept going to speak but would instead shake his head, running his fingers through his imaginary hair, muttering ‘holy moley’ time after time. After the news had sunk in though, they were extremely happy for Rose and they had all sat down with her to explain that Molly had found her dad.
With honesty high on the list for Molly, she had gone to great lengths over the years to make it clear to Rose that her dad had left before he even knew about her. But now, they were finally able to tell her the great news – her dad was back. At first Rose had been ecstatic, but then she had become increasingly insistent that she wanted Heath to be her dad. Molly had gently clarified that she could have two dads. Rose had thought about it for a few minutes before pronouncing that she felt very lucky to have two dads. Molly had almost wept with relief at her innocent declaration.
Sapphire skies stretched out above them with only the odd fluffy white cloud floating about. Molly wrapped her arms more tightly around Heath’s waist as they began their descent down the Rex Range. She could smell his aftershave as the breeze blew back towards her, mixed in with the scent of his leather jacket. It was divine. The dust and heat of the outback was long behind them and now they were surrounded by lush, green rainforest. It was hard to believe they were only an hour and a half down the road from Jacaranda Farm. Here massive tree ferns hugged the mountain slopes. Hundreds of multicoloured butterflies flitted among the tropical bush and shrubs, enhancing the enchanted beauty of the rainforest. Molly loved the way the landscape could change so dramatically so quickly. It made her feel blessed to live in such a diverse part of Australia.
Heath slowed the Harley down, indicating to the four-wheel drive behind them that he was pulling into the lookout. A group of young guys honked and waved as they drove past them, the old four-wheel drive obviously straining as it lugged a massive fishing boat behind it. A thick black cloud of sooty smog billowed from the exhaust when they accelerated and vanished around a sharp bend.
Once the bike had stopped Molly slid off the seat, taking off her helmet so that she could feel the sea breeze in her hair. Heath grinned mischievously as he did the same, the look in his eyes filled with the promise of the night they were about to share together. The sexual tension between them was so powerful it made Molly quiver. He pulled her in close to him, gently caressing her lips with his tongue before kissing her passionately, longingly. Molly felt her legs buckle beneath her as shivers ran up her spine from his touch.
‘Are you looking forward to sleeping with the sounds of the ocean at our front door?’ Heath asked huskily.
Molly smiled. ‘I’m looking forward to sleeping with more than the sounds of the ocean.’
Heath playfully poked her in the ribs. ‘Now, now, Molly, we have some romancing to do before that. I have a few little things planned for you.’
Molly rested her head on his chest. ‘Ah, that sounds wonderful.’
&nb
sp; They stood in silence for a few minutes, drinking in the panoramic view before them.
‘So, how are you feeling about Mark spending time with Rose?’ Molly finally asked as she tenderly stroked Heath’s back. He had been very quiet on the subject.
‘I’ll be honest – I was a bit jealous when you first told me. I’m delighted with the fact that Rose still calls me dad, though. And really, I think it’s great that Mark’s decided to pull himself together so he can be a father to Rose, as long as it doesn’t affect us, Molly. I mean, now I have you I’d hate to lose you, or Rose. It’d kill me.’
Molly cupped his face in her hands and pulled him close. ‘I’m not interested in Mark, Heath. At all. I only have eyes for you.’
Heath smiled broadly. ‘That’s all I needed to hear.’
It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at Pretty Beach. They had stopped in Port Douglas for a leisurely lunch on the waterfront and had spent an hour or so browsing the quirky shops afterwards. Molly had loved walking hand in hand with Heath around the village; she felt so relaxed and secure in his company. She also couldn’t help liking the fact that so many women almost broke their necks to have a second look at Heath. He was gorgeous, and he was all hers.
Molly felt the motorbike slow down as Heath turned onto a cobblestone driveway, which seemed to go on forever. She could tell from the perfectly manicured gardens on either side of the long drive that the house was going to be mighty impressive. Once it eventually came into view, her jaw dropped. The interior matched the extravagance of the exterior with luxuriant furnishings, exquisite bath products and a fridge full of decadent goodies, and she had not even made it to the bedroom yet! There was also a massive marble-tiled patio that had incredible unobstructed views of the ocean.
