Heart Of Marley

by Leigh, T. K.

  “Of course I do.”

  “I think it’s cute how well you get along.”

  I shrugged. “We’ve been through everything together,” I explained, my voice pensive.

  “So…” she said, slightly hesitant. “What’s the real story?”

  I glanced at her, wanting further explanation.

  “I mean, I’ve heard the rumors. We don’t hear them as much as we did when you and Marley first arrived in our sleepy little beach community in sixth grade, but I still hear them once in a while.”

  “What do they say?” I knew it shouldn’t surprise me that people talked about why there was a court order requiring us to live with our aunt and uncle, but it still irritated me that no one had anything better to do than gossip about other people’s struggles.

  “Well, you can take your pick, really. That you and Marley were more than your parents could handle so they left you, and your aunt and uncle, being the saints they are, took you in.”

  I shook my head in disbelief.

  “Let’s see…” She wrinkled her forehead, deep in thought at the ludicrousness of it all. She felt it, too. “There’s also the rumor that your father was some hot shot in the movie industry, and he left your mom for some famous actress and she went off the deep end. And, of course, your aunt and uncle, being the saints they are, took you in… Notice a common theme, here?”

  I nodded. “I’m starting to.”

  “You should because every rumor ends with your aunt and uncle being saints.”

  “Saints in public, maybe.”

  “I know what that’s like,” Brianna muttered under her breath. “Put on a smile and pretend that everything in your life is like it should be so no one becomes suspicious that there’s something wrong.”

  I stopped dead in my tracks. “What do you mean by that, Bri?”

  “Nothing,” she answered quickly, avoiding my gaze. “I just… I’m sorry. I never should have opened my mouth. Everything in my life is fine. I just…” Her chin quivered and she took a deep breath. “I guess I just wish things were as simple as they were before. My mom and step-father don’t get along with my dad, and they use me as a pawn in their game of who’s better. My mom took my dad back to court, and both sides slung false accusations at each other. Who do you think it affected? Not them. Me. At least I’ll be able to get away from it all for a bit when school begins because I’ll be busy with theater and all the pageant stuff. I’ll finally be able to escape…I hope.”

  “But you got out today,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “I can’t think of anyone else that I’d want to get grounded for.” I nudged her gently and she turned to meet my eyes.

  “Either can I.”

  We stopped walking in the busy central market and faced each other, people attempting to maneuver around us. I didn’t care that we were blocking their passage. At that moment, it was as though Brianna and I were the only two people in the universe. I bent toward her and she raised herself onto her toes. Closing my eyes, I poised my lips over hers, the electricity I felt from being just a breath away from her mouth igniting me. I didn’t even have to kiss her to feel an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

  “Kiss me, Cam,” she begged.

  Licking my lips, I placed my hand on the small of her back and pulled her tall, slender body into mine. She whimpered…not in pleasure, but in pain. My eyes flung open and I saw a look of discomfort on her face. “What is it? Are you okay?”

  She nodded quickly. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, eyeing her dubiously.

  “Do you think I’m lying to you?!” she exclaimed. “If I say I’m fine, I’m fine!” She spun on her heels and began to walk away from me.

  Exhaling loudly, I wanted to kick myself. Thankfully, I’d had enough experience with Marley’s breakdowns and outbursts that I knew I could fix this.

  Running through the crowd of people in the market, I caught up to her and grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face me. I could still see the terror and burn on her face.

  “I’m sorry, Bri. I don’t think you’re lying to me. I shouldn’t have made you feel as though I thought that. I get it.”

  “I just strained my back yesterday at dance class. That’s all.” She looked away, confirming my initial suspicion that she was hiding something from me…especially considering I knew that she had dance class every Wednesday, not Saturday. She typically worked at the gym on Saturdays.

  Leaning down, I placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and inhaled her scent, letting out a small moan.

  “Smell something you like, Cameron?”

  I groaned in response to her sensual voice. I wanted nothing more than to leave that public market and go somewhere that it could just be Brianna and me.

  Opening my eyes to gaze down at her, I was happy to see a playful smile on her face. “I sure do, Bri…” I stopped short when I observed a familiar-looking silhouette in the distance walking toward us. Shaking my head, I tried to convince myself I was seeing things, thinking that it would be too much of a coincidence if it turned out to be true.

  “Shit. Marley…” I said under my breath. Scanning over the heads of people, I was thankful for my towering six-and-a-half-foot frame for the first time in my life.

  “What? What is it, Cam?” Brianna asked as I pulled her through the crowd of people, officially on Marley damage control.

  “Hopefully nothing, but I can’t risk it. I’m sorry. I can’t really explain.”

  The fuzzy silhouette came into view and my heart dropped.

  “Marley!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, everyone in the market continuing on with their business, except for Marley…

  And Buck.

  He stopped in his tracks and met my eyes. I shuddered at the sight of a woman on his arm. He looked dramatically different than he did all those years ago. He was more muscular and he no longer had a glaze about his eyes. His brown hair was graying in places, but he was clean-cut and shaven, wearing a crisp polo shirt, khaki shorts, and loafers. He looked rather distinguished, like someone who was finally moving on with his life. The thought filled me with peace and rage at the same time. Peace that I didn’t kill him. Rage that he had moved on when my sister was still sentenced to live in the past.

  I broke my gaze from his and met Marley’s eyes. His eyes followed mine and my heart shattered in my chest at Marley’s reaction. From ten feet away, I could feel her entire world crumble as she met those eyes that she had hoped to never see again. She let out a sob and grew weak in the knees, losing her balance. Doug steadied her and I pushed through the crowd of people, the mere feet between us feeling like thousands.

  Finally reaching her, I wrapped my arms around her and quickly ushered her out of the crowded market, rubbing her back as she wailed, her entire body convulsing as I had never seen before. Approaching a relatively deserted alley, I turned to Brianna and Doug. “Can you just give us a minute?”

  They halted and nodded their heads. I could see the look of concern and confusion on their faces. I wished that I could explain exactly what happened, but I couldn’t do that. I was probably already in deep water with my aunt for what I said to Mrs. Dumond at church. No one was supposed to know the truth. I absently wondered if that had caused Marley more trauma than the actual events of her past.

  Pulling her farther down the alley, I glanced over my shoulder and turned to face her when I was certain that we hadn’t been followed. “Talk to me, Mar,” I said, wrapping my arms around her trembling frame. “Please. What’s going through your head? I need to know. Don’t keep it inside.”

  “He has a girlfriend?!” she screeched. “How?! He never should have been released!”

  “Shhh…” I attempted to soothe her sobs. “It’s okay. He doesn’t know where you live. He’ll never hurt you again.”

  She leaned back and stared into my eyes. Wiping her cheeks, she said, “But what if he does it to someone else, Cam? What if it’s all an act? It was an act with
us and Mama at first. Don’t you remember? He was the perfect gentleman and then the monster that lies beneath appeared out of nowhere. What if he’s doing it again? What if that woman has a daughter? What if he marries her and they have a daughter? Will he do it to his own child? I can’t just…”

  “You have to, Marley. Believe me. I know what’s going through your head right now. I feel it. It hurts me, too. But you can’t take matters into your own hands. It’s not right. Karma will eventually come for him, just like it will finally pay you back for all the shit you’ve been through. I know it, Mar. You’re going to have the most amazing future because of all the horrible things you’ve had to endure in your past. Please. You need to see that. Live for your future. Don’t shelter yourself with your past.”

  She buried her head in my chest and took several deep breaths as she clung on to me. When her breathing began to even out, I knew her momentary terror had passed. “How do you always know just what to say to calm me down?”

  I planted a kiss on her head. “Simple. Years of experience.”

  She pinched me playfully in my side.

  “Ouch! Not so hard, Marley Jane!”

  She giggled and the sound brought a smile to my face. I grabbed her hand and led her down the alley. Glancing at her, I asked, “Secret spot?”

  She grinned and nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yes! Do you have enough stuff?”

  I shrugged. “We can always rent some gear when we get there.”

  “You’re digging into your college savings, aren’t you?”

  “What fun is looking at money in the bank? Life is marked by experiences, small moments of time. That we can take with us. I’d rather live a life full of moments than be surrounded by meaningless possessions, wouldn’t you?”

  She nodded contemplatively and I wished I knew what she was thinking at that moment.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SECRET SPOT

  “WHERE ARE WE?” DOUG asked as Cam pulled up to a small building at the entrance of a campground on the beach about twenty miles south of Myrtle Beach that we had discovered about a year ago. He had just gotten his Wrangler and wanted to take it for a drive.

  We’d always loved hanging out at the beach, but living two blocks away didn’t give us much freedom to disappear when we wanted to. This campground became our place. It was where we went when we needed to get away and be ourselves and not who everyone else expected us to be. Well, at least me. Cam didn’t hide who he was from anyone. He didn’t have to.

  “It’s our secret spot,” I explained as Cam and Brianna ran inside to grab a few things we would need.

  “Are we staying the night?”

  I nodded fervently. “Go big or go home.” That seemed to be the motto of the day. “If we’re all getting grounded, may as well enjoy it. Am I right?”

  Doug nudged me, winking. “I’m guessing all the stereotypes about the preacher’s daughter or, in this case…niece, are true. You rebel, you.”

  I grinned in response. “You know it.”

  Cam and Brianna came back to the Wrangler and, within minutes, he pulled in front of our normal spot. We all chipped in and helped unload the blankets and food that he had picked up at the general store.

  After setting up a few tents on the beach, we then got to work at starting a fire.

  “Do you guys do this often?” Brianna asked, surprised at the efficiency with which Cam and I were able to build and light a fire.

  “From time to time,” he responded. “We haven’t been here that much lately.”

  “Well…except a month ago on the night we found out that Grams died,” I interjected quickly.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “But that was different. We’re not here to mourn tonight. We’re here to have fun.” He raised his eyebrows at me.

  “Marshmallows!” I shouted. “There’s a fire! With a fire, there must be marshmallows! They go hand-in-hand!” I rummaged through the supplies and grabbed the bag of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. “I hope you like s’more kisses, Douglas.” I winked.

  “Marley,” Cam cautioned, “I really don’t want to think about you and Doug kissing right now, okay?”

  “Fine. We won’t kiss in front of you if you and Brianna don’t kiss in front of me. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  Brianna laughed. “You two crack me up. Now give me a marshmallow.”

  I handed out the sticks and passed the bag of marshmallows around. “S’mores make friends, ya know.”

  I could feel Cam rolling his eyes.

  “What? They do! It’s a proven fact!”

  Doug wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him. “There must be a story here, isn’t there?”

  “Yes. There is.”

  “Care to share, Mar?” Cam asked.

  “Well, when we discovered this place last summer, we set up camp pretty much in this same exact spot. Just down the beach a bit, there was a family with two kids. The sun had just begun to set so there was still a lot of activity on the beach…people running, playing Frisbee, stuff like that. Well, these two little kids stumbled onto our little campsite and saw that we were roasting marshmallows for s’mores.” I paused and slid the gooey marshmallow off my stick and into my mouth before placing on another one and starting to roast it. “Their parents came running after them and apologized for their kids barging in on us, thinking that we were dating. Gross, by the way. No offense, Bri.”

  “None taken.” She grinned.

  “That’s when I explained that we’re twins,” Cam said, continuing with the story. “Turns out, this little boy and girl were twins, too, and we invited them to make s’mores with us. As Marley was preparing them for everyone, she kept saying ‘S’mores make friends’ over and over again. The little kids starting saying it, too. To this day, she says it every time we have s’mores…and M & M’s.”

  “Well, yeah, because M & M’s definitely make friends. Offer someone some chocolaty goodness and they will most certainly say ‘thank you’ and not ‘fuck you’. It’s scientifically proven.”

  Everyone erupted in laughter.

  “I’m not so sure about it being scientifically proven,” Cam said.

  “Okay. Well, it’s Marley proven, so that’s close enough,” I replied lightheartedly.

  “Whatever, Mar,” Cam said, bringing his attention back to Brianna.

  I felt Doug’s lips just a breath away from my neck. “I like the idea of Marley proven,” he whispered. “I like it a lot.”

  I melted into his arms. “Me, too.” I sighed, trying to calm down the butterflies dancing in my stomach.

  The hours passed as we sat around our campfire and roasted marshmallows, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Normally, I would have been hesitant to be at the secret spot with anyone other than Cam, but something about being there with Doug and Brianna felt so, well…normal. It was as if they were meant to be there with us.

  When we arrived at our school all those years ago, Brianna and I had become friends almost instantly. A few years ago, when her mother re-married, she grew somewhat distant and aloof, probably because of all the drama at home. She was no longer the outgoing, carefree girl that she once was. That was around the same time she began dating Mason. Rumors circulated about what caused a change in her, but I was the last one to ever listen to a rumor, having heard quite a few good ones about myself.

  Regardless, I had always remained close with her. She was probably the only girl in school that I would have considered telling what happened to me.

  I felt a nudge on my head and my eyes flung open. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said to Doug. “I must have fallen asleep.” I yawned, my eyes heavy with exhaustion.

  “It’s okay.”

  “Yeah, Marley. That’s the way to win a guy. Drool all over him while you snore.”

  I picked up a shell from the beach and chucked it across the fire at Cam. “I was not snoring.” I turned to Doug. “Was I?”

  “Nah,
you weren’t. And even if you were, I’m sure it would be the most adorable sound in the world.”

  “She snores, Doug. And it is not adorable. It’s loud. I can feel the wall shake between our bedrooms.”

  “Stop exaggerating, Cameron Michael.” I leaned my head back on Doug’s shoulder, reveling in his comforting warmth.

  “Do you want to go lie down?” he asked softly.

  “I probably should. I’m a little tired.”

  He nodded and helped me stand up, growing nervous when he saw the two tents. “Ummm, why don’t you and Brianna each take a tent and Cam and I will sleep out here.” He turned to Cam. “Does that work for you?”

  “That’s what I was planning,” he responded.

  I shook my head. “Well, that doesn’t work for me,” I said, facing Doug, his hand enclosed in mine. “I can’t ask you to sleep outside. Not when there’s plenty of room in there…with me.”

  “Marley, I don’t mind. I know you want to take things slow…”

  “And we are. But you can still sleep in the same tent as me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “I’ve never been so sure about anything before in my life.”

  He glanced at Cam, almost as if asking permission if it was okay for him to share a tent with me.

  Grabbing his chin, I forced him to look at me again. “You don’t need my brother’s permission to sleep with me… I mean, sleep in the same tent as me…”

  “She’s right, Doug,” Cam’s voice broke through the tension. “Don’t worry about me. But if you hurt her…”

  “I know, I know.” Doug’s eyes remained glued to mine as he answered my brother. “You don’t have to ever worry about me hurting her. I’d never be able to live with myself if I did.”

  I grinned and pulled him into the tent with me.

  “Ummm… I can’t sleep in this skirt,” I said to him. “Are you going to be weirded out if I sleep in my underwear? Don’t worry. I’m wearing boy shorts so it’s like I’m sleeping in my gym shorts.”

  “Are you going to be okay with that? I really don’t mind sleeping outside, Marley.”