Marshall becomes enamored by a woman named Val who just came out of a severely abusive relationship. He begins falling for her, but ghosts of her past seem to always be lurking. Val must put her faith and trust in Marshall if she is ever to become...
Marshall led my daughter's and I to the main dining room of the resort with his hand on the small of my back. I was wearing the sundress I had picked out when I went shopping with Hailie and Kim, but I didn't realize just how revealing it was. What was I thinking?
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"Val, I got you another drink. This one is a rum runner." Laney handed me the fancy beverage with an umbrella in it and a pineapple slice on the rim.
I took a sip. "Mmm. This one's good too."
Everyone found their places around the table: Nate and his wife and kids, Hailie, and Laney with Bella in her highchair in between them, then Stevie, Cassaundra, Marshall, and me. I was so thrilled to give my daughters this experience. They had never been to a waterpark or a resort. I knew they were excited to be eating a delicious dinner inside a fancy restaurant that night. I was too!
Marshall's eyes kept finding mine and he rubbed my thigh under the table. I was used to Marshall by this point. We had made love three times in the past twenty-four hours, but some mysterious nervous energy was flooding my body.
I ordered a chicken and pasta dish, and it wasn't sitting well with me. Each bite filled my stomach far too much and my head started to hurt. I was trying to tend to my daughters, but I felt awfully sick. I couldn't even tell if it was my anxiety that brought it on, I was still sometimes a bit jittery around Marshall's family. Perhaps my daughter's and I were intruding on their vacation. They couldn't even go to a real destination because of me and my stupid situation.
"Here, have another."
Laney handed me another rum runner drink and I proceeded to gulp it in the hopes that it would calm my nerves, but it had the opposite effect. My head was now pounding, and my stomach was all twisted up. I just hoped I wouldn't pass out. I tried to smile at Marshall to make him think everything was ok, but anxiousness was pumping through my body. I shouldn't have had that last drink. Now, I'm the tipsy girl at the party!
I was able to make it through dinner, but as we were all leaving the restaurant to stroll through the lobby and hopefully get into some other fun things for the rest of the evening, I had to sit down.
"What's wrong baby?" Marshall knelt next to me.
"I don't feel well." I managed right before the heated lightheadedness hit.
I had to run away from the group and push open a door to throw up in the bushes. Marshall chased after me of course, but I shooshed him away.
"Marshall, just take Cassaundra and Bella, ok? Tell them mommy will be there in a second." I told him as I stayed bent over for one last spit.
"Baby, we got the girls. I'm worried about you! Do you need some water? Here, do you want my jacket?" He started taking it off.
"No, I'm fine. I don't want anyone looking at me. This is embarrassing."
"No one's looking at you Val." He rubbed my back.
"Just go inside Marshall. I'll be there in a minute."
Ashley had followed us outside and encouraged Marshall to take my girls while she sat with me. He reluctantly kissed my forehead, then complied. She sat down on a bench next to me while I was now sitting on the grass and continued to stroke my back for comfort.
"I feel better since I puked." I scooted back a little and sat down on the walkway. "This is so embarrassing."
"Why? Val, you're sick. Things happen."
"Yes, but it was because I drank too much. I don't want anyone to think I'm irresponsible."
"Val, no one in our family looks at you like that. We all like you and we've never seen Marshall so attentive like he is with you and your daughters. I'm glad we all took this trip together so we could get to know you better. You're a sweetheart. You make Marshall happy."
I felt so relieved when she told me that.
"Marshall sent you to the spa today, right? That type of thing tends to make you dehydrated."
I smiled thinking about earlier that day, "Yes, Marshall sent me to the spa. And it was amazing, he is so kind. I don't know why he treats me the way he does."
"Val! Marshall likes you; he wants to do nice things for you. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Why though? He could have anyone he wants; this entire resort is rented out and the staff is contracted to not let anyone know we were here. Everyone in the world knows who he is."
Ashley nodded in a smile, "Yes, I know it's overwhelming. Marshall's security can be extreme. It comes with the territory though. He's just a regular person underneath it all. I'm sure you know that by now."
I thought about earlier when I wasn't even allowed to hold a conversation with the lady at the spa. Ashley sensed that I was becoming overwhelmed at this next level of me and her brother-in-law's relationship.
"Look Val, Marshall does not do things like this for women. I mean, ever! His life has been dedicated to his daughters for years. I think he may be ready to settle down and you're very special to him. He's going to spoil you the way he does his daughters. Just enjoy it. Don't think about it so much."
Marshall POV
There was an arcade and an indoor mini golf course in our hotel, so I gave my girls some cash and let the kids be. Me and Nate sat down in the lounge of the resort to take a load off and I parked Bella sleeping in her stroller next to us. My leg shook in anxiousness wondering what Val was telling Ash outside. Our relationship was finally moving forward, I couldn't take Valentina having second thoughts now. I'm fucking in love with the girl!
"So, what happened with Val? She drunk?" Nate blatantly asked.
"Nah, Val didn't even drink that much. I don't know, she was acting weird at dinner. I'm worried about her; she gets panic attacks sometimes."
"Oh." Nate stayed quiet for a moment. "Then why didn't she want you out there with her? You'd think she wants you around the most. To calm her down and shit."
"Yeah. You'd fucking think!" I felt stupid that my own girlfriend didn't trust me.
"Maybe she's just embarrassed Marshall. Let Ash help her to calm down, she'll be fine. Your entire lifestyle is probably a culture shock for Val."
I weighed my words as I didn't want to betray Val's trust, "Valentina's...fragile. She kinda gets scared easily, she doesn't have a lot of confidence in herself."
"Why the fuck not? Val's hot as fuck!"
My eye twitched involuntarily as I looked over at him sharply, "Don't talk about her like that man! Val's my girlfriend, the woman I love, she ain't just some flavor of the week."
Nate put his hands up, "Alright, damn. Chill."
"Before I tell your wife."
"Ok ok, I just meant, she's obviously a pretty girl, that's all." Nate sat back thinking of something to say so I wouldn't jump down his throat again. "So, Val has issues."
"Yeah." I wasn't going to blab Val's past to my brother. "She has issues man. A lot of em." I sat back and sighed in frustration. "But I don't give a fuck, Valentina's my new addiction."
