by Reana Malori
“Come on, let’s go back inside. Madison is in the back playing with her cousins. You and I need to put someone in her place. You with me?”
“Absolutely,” she said as he released her from his arms. Grabbing her hand, he walked back into the house and went straight to the kitchen.
Standing behind him, she heard him call out to his former mother-in-law, “Marge. May I—”, he stopped when she nudged him in the back. “May we have a word with you?”
Wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, she turned to Cooper with a smile. Once she saw Faith standing next to him, her smile dropped. Moving to stand beside Cooper, Faith grabbed his hand in hers and looked up at him.
“What’s up, Cooper? Why do you and Faith both need to speak with me?” Her face held a note of confusion.
“Can you excuse us, Aunt Olivia?” Watching the other woman leave after giving them a smile and a thumbs up, Cooper turned back to Marge before stepping into the room, bringing Faith along with him. “Listen, I know it’s hard for you to understand, but Faith isn’t going anywhere. You understand that, right? Continuously bringing up Heather is not going to make me stop loving her. She’s here because I want her here. I would like you to accept her in mine and Madison’s life, but if you don’t, then it’s your loss. I’m still not giving her up,” he told the shocked woman.
Lips pursed, Marge glanced from Faith to Cooper and back again. If there was anyone unhappy about their relationship, it was Marge. “Cooper, what would Heather say about this? You...you and this...woman. Dating? Are you serious? How can you have her around my granddaughter? You’re a married man!” Yelling that last bit, her voice carried into the other room.
Faith felt, more than saw, heads from the other room turn in their direction. The kitchen window was open and Eileen must have heard the commotion because she excused herself and came toward the house. Entering the back door, she was about to speak when Cooper raised his hand in a signal for her to hold.
“Marge, because you’re Heather’s mother and Madison’s grandmother, I will try to be respectful,” he said in a tightly controlled voice. Gripping his hand tighter, Faith tried to share some of her support for him through her touch. “Heather is gone.”
At the woman’s outraged gasp, Cooper’s face became a controlled mask of anger. “Are you shocked that I’ve accepted that your daughter, the mother of my child, and MY WIFE, is dead?” His outrage was growing each second. “I KNOW she’s dead, Marge, because I was the one who had to bury her. Now you stand there and question me? You question what Heather would think of me moving on with my life almost four years after she passed away? If you knew your daughter, you would know exactly how she would feel. I honored her during our marriage and after her death. I loved her for almost half of my life.” Pausing for a second, he looked down to Faith.
She mouthed, “I love you” and he smiled at her. She knew everything would be okay.
Bending his head down, he kissed her briefly on the lips, and whispered, “I love you, too.” Turning back to Marge who stood in the same spot, wringing her hands, “Faith is good for me. For Madison. She loves both of us fully and unconditionally. I will not give her up simply because you cannot accept that I want to move on. It’s time for me to continue living life. You can either accept it or not. Either way, I’m going to marry this woman someday. It will be up to you whether or not you have a place in our life or not.”
“What? Were you going to ask me?” Faith couldn’t help but ask the question, especially considering how casually he had mentioned it.
Looking away from the frowning Marge and his mother’s smiling face, he turned to Faith and pulled her into his arms, “Would your answer be anything other than yes,” he asked.
“Well, no. But, it still would have been nice for you to ask me,” she responded.
“How about this, we go upstairs and I can make it up to you?” Smiling down at her, she recognized the look on his face and almost forgot where they were.
Whispering up at him, “We can’t do that, Cooper. Your family is looking at us. Everyone will talk.”
“So what,” he said, all but dismissing everyone in the room. “Mom, can you keep an eye on Madison for us? We’re going to go upstairs and ...unpack.”
“Cooper!” Faith couldn’t help but exclaim as she hid her face in his chest, sure that her brown face had exploded in a ferocious blush.
“Sure, honey, you two take your time,” his mother yelled out to them from her perch by the door. “Faith, honey, remember what I said to you outside? I told you so,” she quipped.
Just as they were turning around and she was being pulled out of the room, she heard Marge say behind them, “Cooper, this is not…”
Stopping where he stood, but not turning around, he said, “Marge, you and Stan are only here because my family is committed to making sure our two sides remain connected.” Facing her for a brief moment, he continued, “I care for you a great deal, but stop questioning my relationship with Faith. I will honor my past, but my future is standing right here beside me.”
Faith smiled behind Cooper as he led her up to the room at the top of the stairs. Luckily most everyone else was outside or in the living room. But she was sure they would be the talk of the weekend. The old Faith would have been nervous and shy about what they were about to do, but not this new version—the new her was bold and willing to shame the Devil to get what she wanted. Walking further into the room, she sat on the bed as Cooper closed the door behind him. Pressing his back against the door, he put his hands inside his pockets and smirked.
“What are you standing there smirking for?” Taking off her shoes, she looked at him standing there and licked her lips. Damn, her man was so fucking sexy. To imagine, all those months ago, she had been feeling dejected, alone, and unloved. Not anymore. Things had changed so much.
“I’m looking at the woman I love. My future. Why shouldn’t I be happy?” Pushing away from the door, he began unbuttoning his shirt. “Now, as I said, I need to make sure that I show you again, in no uncertain terms, just how much I love you. Which means, I need you to get naked. Because right now, all I need is to be inside of you.”
Looking at him as he continued undressing in front of her, she didn’t say a word. Lifting her hands to her blouse, she let her actions speak for her. Within seconds, she was fully unclothed and lying back on the bed. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Epilogue
“Mommy Faith, it’s time to wake up,” Madison’s soft voice pulled at Faith as she woke up from a deep slumber.
“Hey, sweetheart. Good morning,” she said as she sat up in bed. Squinting her eyes at the bright light coming through the room, Faith turned to look at the clock and noted the time. Seeing that it was almost nine-thirty in the morning, she moved quickly to untangle herself from the bed covers. “Oh no, not today,” she exclaimed. Standing up quickly, she looked down at Madison, “You’re already dressed, honey? Um, where’s your daddy?”
Hopping up on the bed in front of Faith, Madison swung her feet as she responded, “He’s downstairs with Mimi and Papi. Mimi’s cooking breakfast for everyone. Said she had energy to burn. How do you burn energy, Mommy Faith?”
“Um…” Faith was still trying to force her brain to wake up.
Not waiting for her to answer, Madison continued, “Dad said I needed to let you sleep, but I couldn’t wait.”
Trying not to grumble out loud when she heard that Stan and Marge were already here, Faith forced a smile, “Oh, that’s good, honey” she responded distractedly. “How about this? Give me a big morning hug and then go on back downstairs. Tell daddy that I’ll be down in a bit. Can you do that for me?”
“Okay, but don’t tell dad I woke you up, okay?”
“I won’t, sweetheart. Now go on downstairs. Make sure you eat your breakfast and drink your milk. Got it?” She said while standing at the large walk-in closet and pulling out some clothes for the day.
“Got it,” Madison respond
ed as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Alone in the room, Faith sighed deeply as she thought about their houseguests. She knew this day would come. Six months ago, almost one-year to the day after meeting, she and Cooper had gotten married. It had been the most beautiful ceremony she could have ever imagined. Having pictured her dream wedding many times before, the real thing had come pretty damn close.
The weekend with Cooper’s family had turned out to be everything she had hoped it would be. After putting his foot down with Marge, they had settled into simply enjoying the days and nights with his family. Practically everyone had welcomed Faith into the fold, except for Marge, but Faith had not been bothered and she did not allow that to steal her happiness for one second. Never once during that long weekend had she felt unwelcome or out of place. Even Stan had been nice to her, going out of his way to respect her place in Cooper’s life, which she appreciated.
They had been home for two weeks when Cooper had surprised her one night. Sitting in their favorite restaurant in Arlington, VA, Faith had just returned from visiting the ladies room and grabbed her napkin to place it on her lap. Right there in front of her, in the middle of the empty place setting, was a black velvet box with the top open. Resting inside was a beautiful princess cut diamond in a platinum gold setting. Her mouth fell open in shock and her hand came up to cover her mouth, but not soon enough to hide the loud gasp that escaped. Feeling a movement by her side, she looked over to see Cooper on bended knee.
“Faith, finding you has made me whole again. The love you give to me, and to Madison, can never be replaced. I want to wake up next to you for the rest of my life. I want to argue with you, laugh with you, and make love to you every night, morning, and sometimes in the afternoon,” he said with a smile. Laughter could be heard from patrons around the room who made no attempts to hide that they were eavesdropping. “Marry me, Faith. Be mine, for now and for always.”
Tears fell unchecked from her face as she saw the love she felt for Cooper reflected back at her. There was no other answer, “Yes. Yes, Cooper, I’ll marry you.”
Sighing as she thought about her blissful, and sometimes hectic life with Cooper, she was so pleased with how life had turned out for her. While she was ready for whatever happened downstairs, she was still on edge about Marge and Stan staying at the house. No matter what Faith had done or how many overtures she made, Marge had never seemed to warm up to her. Faith knew she thought that her daughter would be forgotten or hidden away, and that wasn’t something she could help her with. That was, until a few months ago. She wasn’t quite sure what happened, but one day out of the blue, Marge had called. Instead of asking to speak with Madison, like usual, she had asked to speak with Faith.
That brief conversation led to more conversations, which eventually ended with Faith inviting them to stay for the weekend. It was Madison’s birthday weekend and they were having a huge party at the house with all of her friends. It felt like the right time.
Walking over to the dresser, she pulled some undergarments. As she was turning away to walk into the bathroom for her shower, the sunlight caught her wedding rings and the diamonds sparkled. Smiling at the memory of her wedding day, and every day after that, her heart fluttered at the new reality that was her life. Married to the man she loved. Raising a beautiful, smart and precocious little girl. Her career continuing to flourish—after all, she had been promoted to Regional Director three months ago. Life was good now and all it had taken was that first step. A commitment that she would always be true to who she was, not the person people wanted her to be.
Surprisingly, she had even reconnected with Denise. Not that they would ever be close again like they were, but the day her assistant had put the call through, Faith had been in a forgiving mood.
“Faith Branson,” she greeted into the phone as she continued to make notes on the document she was reviewing.
“Um, Faith? This is Denise.”
Pausing as she listened to the one person from her past that she never thought to hear from again, Faith almost hung up. “What do you want, Denise?” Not caring one bit that her voice was filled with ice chips, she waited.
“Did you say Branson? Did you get married? Wow, that’s great, Faith. Congratulations,” Denise said through the connection.
The all too familiar stirrings of friendship bubbled up and she wanted to pick up where they left off. She really did. But then she remembered how they ended things. “Why are you calling me, Denise?” Faith asked, quickly running out of patience.
A pause, and then, “I’m sorry.” Contrition filled her voice as Denise said the words Faith never expected.
A mere ‘I’m sorry’ would not cut it. Not this time. Faith said nothing.
“I miss my friend, Faith. I don’t know why I said the things I did that day. You were the only person I ever trusted,” Denise’s voice cracked on the other side of the phone. “All I can say is that I should never have said those things to you.”
“Is that all? I really have to go, Denise,” she said coolly into the phone. She had wondered why she even allowed her to go on for so long.
“I’d like to start over. To build our friendship again...well, at least try to anyway. Back then, everything was just falling off the rails and I couldn’t, wouldn’t, see how it was my own fault.” A deep sigh came through the phone, “Anyway, I’m just calling to apologize. Can we maybe meet for lunch one day soon?
Faith had agreed to think about it. After talking it over with Cooper, she had called Denise and agreed to lunch. They had talked things over and then they talked again. It had taken months before Faith was even willing to admit that she missed her old friend. She wasn’t sure if they would continue to talk, but she was at least willing to give it a try.
Twenty minutes later, Faith walked down the stairs and entered the flurry of activity. Madison was talking to her grandfather, her mouth moving a mile a minute as she regaled him with her daily adventures. Cooper looked up as she walked in and came over to her. Grabbing her around the waist, he pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips. “Good morning, Mrs. Branson.”
“Good morning, Mr. Branson,” she responded, looking deeply into his eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Everything is perfect now that you’re here. Are you hungry?” He asked the question, never taking his eyes from her face.
“A little. Maybe some bacon and toast,” she said as she peeked around him at the pile of food sitting on the counter. “Marge outdid herself, didn’t she?”
“I think she’s a bit nervous. This is huge for her, honey. Thank you, Faith, I know this means a lot to them,” he whispered to her.
“You’re welcome, Cooper. I want her to feel comfortable here. Now, let me go so I can eat,” her stomach grumbled just as she said it.
Marge looked at her with a mixture of hope and sadness in her eyes. “Thank you for having us this weekend, Faith. It means a lot to us, to me, that you would welcome us in your home.”
Sitting down at the table, Faith smiled at her, “Marge, your granddaughter lives here. You are always welcome.” Pausing to take a drink of juice, she continued, “This all looks very good, Marge,” she commented as she ate a piece of bacon.
“Um, Faith, may I have a word with you?” Marge looked nervous, but committed. She had to give it to her. The woman had went through something no mother should ever have to experience. Faith knew it was hard on her, and she tried to respect that. But Marge needed to respect that she was Cooper’s wife now.
Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she looked around and noticed Stan and Cooper about to exit the room. Madison was across the room, sitting on the floor playing with her toys, outside of hearing range. “Sure.”
“Stan, Cooper, don’t leave. You should hear this, too,” Marge said. Wringing her hands, she looked at Faith with sorrow-filled eyes. “You have to understand. Heather was everything to us. To me. My entire world revolved around her and when she and Cooper married, and t
hen Madison was born,” pausing, she made a sound that could only be described as despair, before continuing. “My family is everything to me.”
Stan came over to stand next to his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Dear, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. But this is something I have to get off my chest,” she smiled up at him, patting his hand.
Faith piped in, “Marge, it’s okay. I understand. I never held this against you. I know this was difficult for you.” Looking at Cooper, she noticed him simply staring at her with love in his eyes. He mouthed the words, ‘I’m proud of you’ as he watched the scene unfold.
“Faith, I was unfair to you. I couldn’t see past my own hurt. It was hard for me to see how Cooper could fall in love with someone else. How my daughter could be replaced so easily,” voice cracking, she paused.
“Marge, please don’t do this to yourself,” Faith said. Looking over at Madison again to make sure she wasn’t paying attention to the adults, she continued, “There’s no need for you to continue, truly.” She felt horrible that this woman was humbling herself like this. This is not what she wanted.
“No, let me say this one final piece. A few months ago, Madison spent the evening with us. When I was putting her to bed, she said her prayers and I listened. My granddaughter said something that I couldn’t believe. She thanked her Angel Mommy for bringing her Mommy Faith into her life. When I tucked her in, I asked her what made her say that prayer. And do you know what she told me?”
Shaking her head, Faith looked at Madison, then at Cooper. Turning her head back to Marge, “No, what did she say?”
“She said that only a Mommy that had been sent by her Angel Mommy would love her and her daddy so much. That you spoke to her Angel Mommy all the time, telling her how Madison was doing in school and how Cooper wasn’t eating right.” Laughing and shaking her head, “That you would do this, even when you thought no one was around to see, or judge, or question your motives, helped to open my eyes. I was wrong about you, Faith. It wasn’t my place to make either you or Cooper feel guilty for finding each other. If Cooper was going to fall in love with anyone, I’m glad it was you.”
