His Maid

Chapter 24

It was early Tuesday evening and Damien was at work leaving me with another day to catch up with Mary-Jane, Tyler and May. It had been three days since Luke and James left, I hadn't spoken to James and he hasn't spoken to me since Saturday. I've had time to think about if I am willing to forgive him, he's my dad, apparently, but I want to get to know him. 

I want to have a dad, I've wanted one since I was seven years old when my mother died and I had no one left, but he never showed up and I lost my faith in him. He died the day he abandoned me when he had the chance to take me under his wing, now he wants to be in my life, he wants to be my father and I want him to be my father too. But I will always fear that one day, even though I am twenty-six years old, that he will get up and leave again, abandoning me once more. 

"How has Damien been over the past few weeks Marley?" Mary-Jane asked as she wiped down the counters. I sipped my tea, holding it in both hands and slowly nodded my head while blowing the tea to cool it down. 

"He's good, really good I think." I inform her. 

"That's great. Are you together yet, or are you both still being stubborn?" I blush at her question and think back to When I told Damien on his birthday. 

"We're together now. I've also been to the name change deed poll."

"Why is that?" She asks, halting her task and focusing on me as she stares at me. 

"I changed Rhys's name to Rhys Clark." I smile, she beams at me and Strats to bellow a hearty laugh. 

"Oh that's wonderful dear, absolutely wonderful. What made you do that?" 

"Well I wanted to surprise Damien with it and I did it early in the morning on his birthday." 

"That really is wonderful news darling, I am so proud of how far you have come since everything that happened two years ago." 

"Thank you, Mary-Jane." I put my tea down onto the counter and turned to Rhys, who had made a mess on himself with his cut up spaghetti. "Oh my god." I laugh. "What have you done?" 

"Mama!" He squeals, banging his plastic cutlery onto his highchair. 

"Yes, mama. Let's get you cleaned up." I go to grab some tissue from the side but Mary-Jane waves me off and tells me to get Rhys cleaned. "Thank you, I will help you if you aren't finished by the time I get this little monkey cleaned up." I push my hands underneath Rhys's arms and lift him out of his chair. "Let's take you to the bath." He shrieked in my ear and I grimaced as my ear started to ring. "Hey, hey, hey. Enough of that noise, the bath will be fun. Daddy will be home soon and I want you to be ready for Mary-Jane to look after you when daddy and I go out to see Uncle Luke and Auntie Maddie." He quietened down and I exhaled a sigh of relief when the ringing in my ear finally came to a stop. "Good boy."

I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket, I adjusted Rhys in my arms and pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Hey." I greet Damien as his face pops up on the screen. 

"Hello, love. How's my little boy and my girl doing?" He asks with a smile. 

"We are doing fine, I'm just about to give the little monkey a bath."

"Has he made a mess again?" 

"With spaghetti this time as well. You're lucky it didn't go up your walls in the kitchen." 

"Our walls babe, our walls." I rolled my eyes but carried on walking up the stairs towards the bathroom. 

"How's work?" I ask when I open the bathroom door and lean my phone against the soap bottle.