32
Marley launchedfrom the taxi and ran up the neatly trimmed sidewalk splitting her father's front yard down the middle. Before she reached the dark blue front door, it burst open and Maddie came running outside, arms open. “Mommy!”
Marley's heart swelled, her throat clenched and tears sprang to her eyes as she enveloped her daughter in her arms. Maddie’s sweet smell filled Marley and she palmed her daughter’s head tight against her shoulder. “I missed you so much.”
Maddie giggled and pulled back, her smile fading. She reached out a tiny hand and brushed a thumb across Marley's cheek. “Why are you crying mama?”
Marley offered her daughter the best wobbly smile she could and yanked her against her chest once more. “Mommy's being silly. I'm crying because I'm happy to see you.”
Her father appeared in the doorway, the weathered lines of worry around his eyes easing and Marley silently mouthed thank you over Maddie’s head.
Her father gave her nod and disappeared back into the house, giving her another moment with Maddie. Careful not to crush her daughter, Marley squeezed her a little bit harder, feeling like she'd never get enough.
A pang of sadness took her off guard and she slammed her eyes shut, trying to focus only on Maddie and block out the thought Mack should've been here.
“Mommy, come on, I have to show you what I found in the backyard this morning!” Maddie wriggled her way out of Marley's arms and took off running to the house. Marley climbed to her feet on wobbly legs and quickly dried her cheeks.
It was her fault Mack wasn't here. Marley knew that. Just like she knew she had to accept her decision and move on. She’d live for her daughter and that was all there was to it.
Marley clutched the doorframe and watched Maddie jump into the colonel’s open arms. Marley's mother, Jane, enveloped both of them in a hug.
The picture-perfect family stole Marley's breath. She could have had that with Mack.
As if sensing Marley behind her, her mother spun. She took in Marley with a knowing glance and held open her arms. Marley flew to her mother, and as soon as her cheek hit her mom’s shoulder the tears started flowing again.
“You scared us,” Jane whispered.
Marley sniffled, so thankful to be home. “Just a slight delay, I'm home now, and that's all that matters.”
Just like Marley had done to Maddie, her mother squeezed the breath out of her and then leaned back. The searching gaze her mother gave her probing deep enough to make Marley lean away. Jane, as usual, was having none of that. She put her hands on each side of Marley's face, forcing her to look at her. “Then what's causing the shadows in your eyes?”
I lost the man I loved. Again.
“There's no shadows, mom.”
Jane clucked but thankfully didn't press the issue. “I'll let you get away with that for now.”
Maddie's soft high-pitched voice filled the room, “Come on mama, you have to see my new pet!”
She squirmed until her grandpa set her down and took off out the kitchen door. Marley passed by her father and went to the patio where Maddie knelt over a large cardboard box, talking softly to something inside.
Marley felt her father's presence behind her “Did you have any trouble?”
“Nothing I couldn't handle.”
She turned to look up into her father’s eyes, there was a simmering anger present she hadn't noticed before. “What happened?”
Before dad could speak, her mother burst into the conversation. “I'll tell you what happened, some man was sneaking around the backyard. Your father tackled him with nothing but a knife from the kitchen, hogtied him and kept him locked up in the guest bathroom until a couple of men in black suits showed up and hauled the intruder away. Scared the living daylights out of me.”
Her father didn't even blink. “What did you want me to do, invite him in for cookies?”
As if on cue the oven timer dinged and her mother went into the kitchen and pulled out a heavenly smelling batch of chocolate brownies. She sat the pan down on the oven top a little too hard before answering. “I wanted you to do what any normal person would have done and call the police. No, you had to relive the glory days. You're not as young as you used to be Col. Mitchell.”
Her father's unreadable expression fell into a frown. “I wasn't too old to take down that asshole now was I?”
“Language!” June waved her bright yellow spatula in the air like a club.
“Look mama, I named her Penelope!” Maddie’s tiny fingers were wrapped around a small rabbit with fur the exact same shade as Mack's eyes.
