Enduring Everything (Marked Heart #1)

by M. Sembera

  ~

  After receiving our gift and thanking everyone, we headed off to the airport. Whatever excitement I had in me, concerning out trip, vanished on the airplane. Luckily, it was back the instant we landed. Aside from discovering I hated to fly, the hour of nausea was worth it once we arrived at the St. Regis hotel in Atlanta. There was a fountain at the entrance and a huge crystal chandler hung from the ceiling of the lobby. I could only imagine what it would look like when we stepped into our suite.

  Gorgeous wasn't the word. The living area was mostly white and silver with light touches of burgundy in it. Next to the fire place was a small table with a bucket of iced champagne and two fluted glasses sitting on it.

  "It's beautiful," I said to Jackson.

  Smiling wide, he pulled me close, asking, "Do you want to take a look around?"

  "What's behind those doors?" I asked eyeing the double doors to the left of the room.

  "The bedroom."

  Nodding, I said, "I think I would like to finish our dance."

  Jackson lightly kissed my lips before walking to a large cabinet against the wall. Opening the doors, he picked up a remote and flipped through a few stations before soft music filled the room.

  As he stepped closer, I held up my hand saying, "You're a little overdressed."

  Jackson gave me a confused smile before I unzipped my dress and slid it off.

  Looking me over, he assured, "If green wasn't already my favorite color, it would be now," complimenting my choice of lingerie.

  "My favorite color on you is invisible," I shared.

  I watched him take a deep breath before saying, "I don't think that's a color but let me see what I can do."

  Standing in front of me, Jackson removed his shirt and slacks before pulling his undershirt over his head and sliding his boxers down.

  "Come dance with me," I offered.

  Watching him kick his boxers to the side, I gave an inviting smile as he said, "Now, you're a little overdressed."

  Stepping to me, he kept his distance at arms-length as he carefully removed what little I had on. Smiling at each other, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his around my waist. We slow danced until he lifted me off of my feet and carried me to bed.

  8

  Honeymoon Surprises

  Lying in bed, I rolled over to see Jackson still sleeping. Deciding to let him sleep, after our first night as a married couple, he had more than earned it. I tried to be quiet, carefully climbing out of bed. My feet barely touched the floor when I felt Jackson's arms wrap around my waist.

  Smiling as he pulled me back into bed, I wagered, "If you let me get up and take a shower, we can spend the rest of the day in bed."

  "We can't do that," he whispered, starting to kiss down my side.

  "That's pretty counter-productive if you want me to leave this room today," I shared, brushing my hand against the side of his head.

  Moving up to my ear, Jacks softly said, "You're right," then promptly hopped out of bed.

  Shocked, I sat up asking, "What? Where are you going?"

  Smiling as he headed into the bathroom, Jackson laughed, "To shower so we can go."

  "Seriously? Get back in bed!" I fussed.

  "Sorry baby, we have a reservation at one for lunch and it's already eleven thirty," he replied before closing the bathroom door.

  Flinging myself back onto the bed, I pouted, thinking 'why is he making reservations when this is supposed to be our honeymoon'. Wondering if he would have been so eager to leave this wonderful bed if I had made him wait until last night, I rolled out of bed and opened my suitcase.

  ~

  Walking up to a small restaurant, it appeared to have outdoor seating, live music and a bar but I found it really hard to believe a reservation was required.

  Placing his arm around me, Jackson suggested, "Let's sit over there," pointing to a table at the far corner of the outdoor area.

  After walking with him, and sitting down, I asked, "I thought you said we had a reservation."

  Nodding, he replied, "Yep, I said that."

  Confused, I raised an eyebrow at him asking, "Okay Jacks, What is going on?"

  He only smiled at me.

  Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked up and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Sophia!"

  "Are you surprised?" she asked as I hopped up from my seat and threw my arms around her.

  Hugging each other tight before letting go, I said, "Really surprised."

  Giggling as she and Ailin joined us at our table, Sophia shared, "Uncle Jacks thought it would be a good idea if we crashed y'alls honeymoon."

  Looking at Jackson, I smiled, saying, "Thank you."

  Returning my smile, Jackson winked at me.

  ~

  Standing in the shower of Jackson and I's hotel room, I thought about what a great day we had. After lunch Jackson, Ailin, Sophia and I experienced most of what Atlanta had to offer. We went to the Georgia Aquarium, The Botanical Garden, Wren's Nest museum, stopped at local landmarks that included a large fish statue, Margaret Mitchell Square and Rhodes Memorial Hall, ate dinner at Bone's restaurant and made plans to spend the day together tomorrow. As I stepped out of the shower, I glanced at the huge bathtub that set next to the separate shower before quickly drying off. Wrapping the towel around myself, I walked into the bedroom.

  Seeing Jackson laying across the bed watching a basketball game on the T.V., I asked, "Is it weird that we are spending our honeymoon with my daughter and her new husband?"

  Laughing, Jackson turned the T.V. off before setting the remote on the night stand as he said, "That depends. Does it make you happy?" As I nodded he replied, "Then it's not weird. Besides, they are only going to be here tomorrow and the next day until noon, that gives us two and a half days with just me and you before we leave."

  Stepping to the bed, I said, "You can finish watching your game, if you want."

  Glancing at the remote before looking back at me, he assured, "Not a chance."

  Unwrapping the towel from around me, Jackson smiled, pulling me onto the bed with him.

  ~

  Standing against the wall in a jazz club called North Side Tavern, Sophia and I watched Jackson and Ailin playing a game of pool.

  Noticing the endearing way she looked at her husband, I asked, "Is it too soon to start asking about grandkids?"

  Blushing with a little giggle, Sophia replied, "We want to wait a little while."

  Nodding, I asked, "Like a year?"

  Shaking her head at me, she answered, "More like maybe five."

  "I'm not being pushy am I?" I questioned.

  Smiling at me, she said, "No mama," before explaining, "I think we wanna see how everything goes first."

  Scowling at her, I asked, "Everything's okay, right?"

  "Of course it is. Auggie got hired as head bartender of his dad's old bar, when it's done being remodeled. William is working there too and there's talk of having live music at night."

  "And Ailin wants he and Braden's band to play there," I said, finishing her thought.

  Nodding at me with a knowing smile, she added, "It won't affect his job and I don't know, I think all the boys want to be at their dad's place.

  "Why didn't any of them buy it then?" I questioned.

  With a little sigh, she answered, "No one but Ailin and I could have afforded it and Sarah really needed the money. We talked about it, but Ailin didn't want me to use my trust money because we were planning on traveling for a month with it already. The new owner wants them to be involved. The Bar is in good hands."

  Thinking about The Bar and all my special memories there, I couldn't help wishing Ailin hadn't talked her out of it. If Sophia had bought it, it could have stayed the same. Now, it was going to have a new name along with its new owner and who knows what they would do to the inside. It wouldn't look the same or smell the same inside and whether Gus' boys where there or not, for me, it wouldn't be The Bar anymore.

  Finished with thei
r game, Jackson and Ailin walked back to us.

  Quickly grabbing the pool stick from Jackson, Sophia reminded, "I called next!"

  Latching onto Ailin, she pulled him back to the table to take her turn playing him.

  Shaking his head and smiling, Jackson said, "That kid beat the pants off me."

  Raising an eyebrow at him, I blurted, "Well I'm jealous."

  Giving me a shocked expression, he replied, "There are so many things wrong with what you just said, I don't know where to start."

  Laughing, I nudged Jacks, saying, "You know what I meant." Then unable to get it off of my mind, I asked, "Hey, who bought The Bar?"

  "Where did that come from?" he questioned with a curious look.

  Shrugging, I replied, "Sophia was telling me that the boys are all going to be involved with it and I was just wondering why someone would buy it to let them run it."

  "Maybe the new owner thought it should stay in the family," he offered before saying, "Come on, let's dance."

  Leading me to an area beside where the band was playing, we joined two other couples who were already dancing.

  Wrapping his arms around me, Jackson pulled me close as the music continued to play.

  Looking up at him, I said, "You didn't answer me."

  "What brought on this sudden interest in The Bar's new owner?" he asked.

  Sliding my hands up his chest before lacing my finger behind his neck, I replied, "I was asking Sophia when they might start having kids and she said they were waiting awhile because they wanted to see how Ailin and Braden's band worked with the new owner."

  Nodding, he smiled at me, saying, "Already pressuring for grandkids, you spend too much time with my mom."

  "I wasn't pressuring, I was just curious and you are avoiding my question," I said, growing more suspicious by the moment.

  Smiling, he replied, "I am not and there is no reason for Ailin to worry, I'm sure everything will work out for them."

  Narrowing my eyes, I asked him directly, "Jackson, did you buy The Bar?"

  The soft expression on his face was the 'yes' I expected before he said, "It was supposed to be a surprise."

  "Wait, if you bought it why is it changing?" I asked.

  With a sigh he answered, "Gus always talked about remodeling and maybe having bands come and play but there was never enough money. It was in the negative when he took it over from his dad and never made it out of debt."

  "So you bought it and gave it to the boys?" I asked.

  Leaning down, he gently kissed me before saying, "Sort of. Old Lou is still going to work in the back running the kitchen. Auggie's going to tend the bar and William will manage it. I'm planning on booking some outside bands here and there but it will be a steady gig for Ailin and Braden."

  "That's so sweet Jacks," I said, thinking about how much he loved his family.

  Smiling, he shared, "It's a little selfish too." As I gave him a confused look he informed, "I'm not handing it over to them, the boys will run it but I own it."

  "How is that selfish?" I asked.

  Tightening his arms around me, he answered, "Sarah needed the money and the boys were sad to see it on the market but when it came to the final decision on buying it or not, it was purely selfish."

  "You were close to Gus. He gave you your first job. Hell, our senior year, we were there all the time, closing it down and just spending time there," I assured.

  After placing another kiss on my lips, he said, "I know and that's why. Ren, there isn't a spot in that place that doesn't have a memory with you in it. I couldn't bring myself to let it go."

  All I could say was, "I love you."

  Resting my head against his chest, when he said he loved me too, I could have sworn I felt it in my soul.

  9

  Unpleasant Surprises

  Waiting outside of a fitting room in a department store, I shook my head at Sophia as she handed me a handful of swimsuits and asked me to get her a black and white one that she saw and forgot to grab. We should have all gone to breakfast together but since Sophia always waited until the last minute for things, Jackson and Ailin went to eat and we went shopping. I thought it was ridiculous, but Sophia had said they were going to find a beach on the way to their next stop. Apparently she didn't care what the weather was like, she was determined.

  Rummaging through a bin of discounted bathing suits, I finally found the one Sophia asked for. In an effort to hurry, I quickly turned and ended up running right into someone. When I looked up I realized it wasn't just someone. It could have been anyone with brown hair, medium build, brown eyes and generic features but it wasn't. It was HIM.

  A voice that reminded me of a distant memory said, "Ren, I thought that was you."

  I could barely get his name out of my mouth as I breathed, "Henley," then trying to overcome the pounding in my chest, I questioned, "What are you doing here?"

  "I live here. You didn't know that?" he replied.

  Shaking my head, I answered, "I never asked where you went."

  "What are you doing here?" he asked, apparently displeased at me answer.

  For some reason I couldn't think of anything to say.

  I briefly considered slapping him and shouting, 'None of your business'.The grown up version of me decided that would not be wise. Even though I never got over the years I spent with him, I had made my peace with him before he left. Of course, that was with the understanding that I was never going to see him again. Now that he was standing right in front of me because I had invaded his territory, I had to say something.

  After a short mental debate over how much of my life I should share, I settled on saying, "We decided to take a trip."

  Glancing down at the Claddagh ring on my hand, Henley said, "We? You are with Jackson." As I nodded he snapped, "Figures."

  Scowling at him, I didn't get the chance to say anything because Sophia walked up beside me, saying, "Mama." Then grabbing the suit out of my hand, she cheered, "Yay, you found it."

  Sophia didn't seem to notice Henley until he asked, "Is that your daughter?"

  Smiling at him, Sophia replied, "I sure am and you are?"

  I do believe at that moment my heart may have stopped for a minute.

  Before he could answer her, I quickly stated, "Nobody. I accidentally bumped into him and said I was getting you your bathing suit. Now hurry up and go try it on so we can go."

  I watched her shake off a curious expression before darting towards the dressing rooms. I turned and looked at Henley.

  "That's you and Herterand's daughter?" he questioned with irritation.

  Starting to feel sick to my stomach, I replied, "Yes."

  An expression of disgust, that I was very familiar with, spread across his face as he asked, "That's your daughter?"

  Clenching my teeth, I stood there staring at him before I repeated, "Yes."

  With a hateful glare Henley shook his head at me before turning and walking away.

  One step towards the fitting rooms and I had to stop and close my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my thoughts together and continued walking.

  Tapping on the fitting room door, I said, "Okay, we need to go."

  The door flung open as Sophia pouted, "I didn't like that one either."

  "Let's go then," I said ready to get out of there.

  With a little sigh she replied, "Just let me go look again, maybe there's a cute one I missed."

  Unable to take a moment longer in the store, I snapped, "Damn it Sophia, you always wait until the last minute to do everything. If you would think ahead this wouldn't be happening."

  It wasn't like this was the first time I had ever fussed at her but my anger was clearly misdirected and as soon as the words left my mouth I felt horrible. I was mad at myself.

  In a quiet voice she replied, "Okay, Ailin and I can find a place to shop on the way to Tennessee."

  My heart sank as I looked at her, saying, "Honey I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

  N
odding with a sad expression, Sophia said, "I'm sorry too mama, I wasn't waiting until the last minute, I just woke up this morning and thought about how nice it would be to go to the beach."

  Placing my arm around her, I assured, "I'm not mad at you. I just...I don't feel very good and I'm ready to go."

  "Because you skipped breakfast or because of Mr. Nobody?" she asked.

  Nodding, I lied, "I'm sure missing breakfast is why."

  Sophia gave me a hug and smiled before we left to go back to the hotel.

  ~

  I lingered in the hotel lobby for a little while after Jackson told Sophia and Ailin goodbye and went up to our hotel room. I had spent a few extra moments with them. Sophia said she would see me in about two weeks and then they were off to their next destination. I had to wonder if I was overreacting. Henley thought I cheated on him with Hert and at the time, it worked for me. It was possible as obsessive as Henley was, coming face to face with my daughter made him angry, at least that's what I hoped it was.

  Finally deciding I'd better go back to our room, I couldn't stop thinking about the way Henley looked at me. It was familiar, like recalling a bad dream. All of the sudden, flashes of Jackson lying on the ground filled my mind. I hadn't thought about it in years. The scar above Jackson's eyebrow was part of him, like his smile. The day Henley attacked us, I thought we were both done, the memory gave me chills. I had scars form Henley also but most of mine were on the inside, and apparently they were waiting for a moment like this to remind me of what I once was. I wanted to think I had grown as a person and there was a small part of me that hoped Henley had too. After all, without him there would be no Sophia and I loved her more than life itself.

  Concentrating on keeping thoughts of what Life with HIM was like, I slid my room key into the door. Jackson was right there, wrapping his arms around me. I tried hard to smile.

  "Did they get off alright?" he asked. As I nodded, Jacks covered my eyes with his hands, saying, "I have a surprise for you."