His Maid

Chapter 14

Damien Clark

"Are you happy, son?" George asked when I handed him a glass of scotch. George has been in my life for seven years and he has been more of a father than my dad had been when he was alive.

When my father died, it was horrible. I wanted to connect with him, get a better relationship with him. My father never really accepted me as his son, he never wanted children, when my mum turned up at his door saying that she was pregnant with me he wasn't happy, he didn't want to be tied down, but he married her and then they had me. He fell in love with her over the years but she didn't feel the same.

Once I had moved out of the house and started seeing Louise they got a divorce and then he died six months later, Prostate Cancer. He had it for a while but he never wanted my mother to know, he didn't go to his appointments or take his medication, he just wanted to die. He left everything he had to me and I have been the CEO of his company for eight years now.

"I am. I really really am." I smiled. Marley, that beautiful angel. When she came here to work for me, there was something about her that pulled me in, maybe it was her eyes or her bubbly personality, but I thought it was just because I was attracted to her figure. I never loved Louise, I think that was why it was so easy to sleep with Marley while I was with her. But when she found out about Marley being pregnant, I didn't cry because Louise left me, I cried because I knew I would never be a good father or a good man to Marley.

I have never been faithful to anyone, I haven't really had a long term relationship, but now here I am, begging for Marley's forgiveness to take me as hers and make her mine forever.

"She's quite beautiful, lovely eyes. You hit the jackpot son."

"I really did." I sipped my scotch and set it down on the garden table.

"Do you think you will have more children?"

"I don't know. I didn't even want Rhys, well that was until I looked after him for a few days. But I could see a few little ones running around in this garden." I laughed at the thought. "Always yelling for mummy and daddy saying how they are annoying each other. Or how they have scrapped their knee and need our help. I could see Rhys walking down an aisle holding the rings on a blue velvet pillow, the same colour as Marley's eyes."

"You really do love her."

"I do, George. I really do. She is the one for me."

"Well I am happy for you, son. Just treat her right, don't hurt her. You can tell by how tense she is around me and you that she doesn't really trust men."

"When Marley came to my door a few months ago, she was holding Rhys and she just told me to hold out my arms, she made me hold him and then she gave me a bag full of his things. She told me that she couldn't look after him anymore, that she couldn't give him the life he deserves. But I could. Marley has struggled for money over the years, couldn't afford food, hot water, electric, a phone bill, she was living in a caravan. When she left me alone with Rhys I had no idea what to do, I wanted to run after her, I had offered her a job as my personal maid just so she could stay with Rhys and I.

"I asked Mary-Jane to give me her address and when I went there she was being," I sighed, "she was being forced by a mad twice her size. She wouldn't fight, just laid there, crying, allowing him to do that to her. She won't tell me but I know that that wasn't the first time it had happened. She had told me that she had to sell her body to afford things for Rhys, but she didn't care about herself as long as Rhys was cared for. I just wanted to hurt myself over and over and over again just so I could feel even and ounce of the pain she had to endure over the years. I hate myself for what she went through, and even if she is able to forgive me I don't think I can forgive myself."

A tear cascaded down my cheek, I just let it fall to the ground. "Son, I know you think it was your fault, but it wasn't. You was scared and you wasn't thinking straight. You just did what you thought was best. Yes it may have been the wrong decision but it was a risk that you was willing to take. You took it and you screwed up, but this is your chance to fix it. Now why don't we go back inside to the family and I can spend some time with my grandson." I stood up and we wrapped our arms around each other.

"Thank you."

"Just don't screw it up anymore. You have a good one there, you only get that once, I was late into getting your mother and now that I do have her we take it one day at a time like it's our last." We collected ourselves and joined the women in the living room who were laughing and playing with Rhys as if they had known each other for years.

Marley noticed that we had entered the room and George joined my mother while Marley joined me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Are you alright?" She asked briefly, burying her head in my chest inhaling my aftershave. "Hmm." She hummed. "You smell nice."

"As do you." I replied causing a slight chuckle to erupt from her throat. "I'm okay. Just spoken to George about everything. He's really good at the whole advice thing."

"What did he say?"

"Just that I shouldn't screw this," I gestured to us when she looked up at me, "us, up."

"That would be a good idea."

"It definitely would be. Marley I am going to do everything I can to earn your forgiveness for the rest of my life, no matter what it takes I will win your trust and forgiveness."

"I know you will."

"And don't you forget it." I think we will be okay, maybe.