the coffee girl

Chapter 29

Kat's POV
Once I was home with Parker, Niall was called back out for the last three shows of the tour. He missed one so that he could get me back home but I didn’t want him to miss any more.
But he’s coming home today. Tonight, rather, and I can’t wait. Sydney left this morning so that she could get back to her and Harry’s place across town.
Belle and Parker were both down for naps and I was catching up on Modern Family.
As I began my third episode the doorbell rang. Who could possibly be here at 6 in the afternoon? Niall’s flight isn’t scheduled to land until 7:30pm.
I opened it. It was a man about 55 or 60. "Can I help you?"
"Are you Kathryn Lee Marcus?"
I cringed at the sound of my full name coming from the mouth of a stranger. "Yes."
"Then yes, you can help me." He held out his hand. "My name is Joseph Marcus. I'm your father."
My jaw dropped. "Wh-what are you doing here?" I stepped outside and shut the door.
"I came to see you."
"I don't even know you and flew thousands of miles to track me down and walk up to my front door to see me?"
"Yes. I was wrong not to return and take care of you after I healed."
I didn't really know what to say. I had so many questions to ask but my mouth couldn't open. I sighed and said the only thing I could think of. "Come on in. We have to be quiet, but we can talk."
I stepped back into the house and let him in. I watched him as he walked around the living room.
"Beautiful home." He commented.
"Thank you."
He sat down on one of the chairs.
"Would you like something to drink? I mostly just have orange juice and milk but I can probably get a beer from the basement."
"Oh, um maybe just a water?"
I nodded, "Yeah, of course."
I went to the kitchen and made him a glass of ice water and returned to the living room.
"Thank you." He said taking it from me.
I sat back down on the couch and turned the TV off.
We sat in an awkward silence. The only sound heard was the clock above the old bar counter.
"Um, what do you go by now?" He asked.
"Kat." I replied.
"Oh! That's nice. Pretty, I mean."
I smiled at his attempt to get to know me. "Ok, look. You kind of caught me off guard today. My husband is coming home today and I've been very exhausted."
"Your husband? You're married?"
I nodded, "Yeah, we just went to the courthouse about four months ago. We're having a wedding next year sometime probably."
"Wow. That's awesome."
I nodded.
"I don't want this to be awkward."
I chuckled, "It kind of already is. You just showed up on my door step."
"I know people were looking into me."
I met his gaze, "It wasn't me."
"I know that too. I'm assuming it was your husband."
"He was trying to help me."
"By looking into my life?"
I nodded, "Yes! Do you know what I went through as a child?"
"You were well taken care of."
I scoffed. "That's probably what those people told you." I stood up and peeled off my shirt and turned around. "Does that look like I was well taken care of?"
He gasped. He stood and trailed his fingers across the scars that ran across my back. I never talked about them. I never even told Niall about them.
"Wh-what?"
"That's what a curling iron on high does to skin." I said quietly. I put my shirt back on and then flipped my arms out. "Those are burns from cigarette butts." I explained. "I became a human ashtray at the age of seven."
"Kat." He sighed. "I'm-"
"I know." I cut him off. "I know you're sorry. You don't have to tell me."
"What can I do?"
"Oh! Now you want to do something. Okay, well um, you can explain to me about my mother. My husband's bosses had a lot of speculation about her."
He sat, "Alright, I'll tell you. Please sit down."
I took my seat back on the couch.
"You got your name from your mother. Did you know that?"
I shook my head.
"Her birth name was Kathryn. She also went by Kat. When she was seventeen, she changed her last name to Marcus. She got into a lot of trouble after that. She used the name Kat Marcus to smuggle people and supplies to and from the Middle East. When I met her, she was being detained by the United States government for terrorism. I fell in love with her between bars. When it was my turn to guard the cells, we'd sit up all night and talk. When she was released a year later, we got married. It was coincidence that we had the same last name. We had you three years later. Your mother changed her life around for me, for you. She loved you so much, Kat."
I took a breath and realized I'd held it that whole time. "What happened that day?"
"We were coming home from Paris. I had a meeting there for work and we left you with the neighbors because children were not allowed. They were looking for your mother, unaware that she had changed her ways."
"Who was?"
"Terrorists from the Middle East who she defied by talking to the US government."
I sighed.
"A car hit the passenger side of the car and then, while one person held me down, another killed her. They slit my throat but missed all the major arteries."
"When did you decide you weren't going to come back for me?"
"Right after I was released from the hospital, I did go back. But you were so happy."
"I was practically a baby."
He shook his head, "You were walking, and talking already."
I shook my head, "I can't believe this."
"Kat, I didn't know you were being abused."
"Why didn't you try to contact me as I got older?"
"I didn't know how to raise a child by myself."
I stood. "I think it's time for you to go."
"Mama?" I heard Belle.
As I turned toward the hallway she peeked around the corner. "Belle, sweetie go back to your room."
"I wan you."
"Babe, go back to your room please."
"You have a daughter?" Joseph asked.
"Um, actually this is my husband's daughter. She's known me most of her life."
Suddenly Parker began to cry. Damn it, I sighed to myself.
"Who is that?" He asked.
"Don't worry about it. Please just leave."
Just then the front door opened.
"Daddy!" Belle ran over to Niall and he scooped her up.
"Hi princess." His eyes shifted to Joseph and then to me and then back again.
"Sir, I think you should leave." Niall said to him.
"Are you her husband?"
"Yes. Now leave."
Joseph made his way to the front door and Niall held it open for him. Before walking out, he turned to me, "I wish you would give me a chance."
"You had years for another chance and you blew every single moment keeping your dignity intact. So congratulations, you don't have a daughter. I think my husband was clear; leave."
"Okay." And that was the last I saw of him.
I ran to Parker's room and picked up my son as I began to cry.
I craddled him until he fell back asleep and put him back in his bed.
When I turned around, Niall was in the doorway.
"I wish you would have called me."
"You were in the air. I didn't know what else to do. I wanted answers."
"Did you get them?"
I nodded.
"Okay. Well it's over. If he comes back we'll call the police."
"Okay." I choked out.
"Hey now. No more crying." Niall walked over and used his one free arm and wrapped it around me.
"Mama, no cryin!" Belle said touching my hair.
I chuckled and looked up at her. "Ok, princess."
Her fingers rans through my hair.
"Goodness she's growing up fast." I mumbled.
"Yea, she is." Niall kissed the top of my head. "Let's actually wake Parker up again and have a family dinner. It's been awhile."
"I'd like that."