Page 68 of Marlin's Faith

We lapsed into silence and I nodded, realized my sister couldn’t see it, heaved a sigh, and told her, “I’ll try to call her soon.”

“That’s my girl, listen, I have to go, but if you need anything or want me to call, just call Cutter and he’ll tell me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I love you, Bubbles.”

“Back at you, Buttercup.”

“Talk to you soon, Sis.”

“Okay.”

We ended the call, and I felt marginally better. Hope had sounded unfazed by the happenings, and that made me feel, well, hope that things would actually be okay. My sister didn’t know it, but I had so much of my namesake in her. She could do anything, just look at me. I’d believed she would find me, and she did. I may have lost my faith that she would in some of my darker days, but Hope came through. This was no different; she would come through and come home.

I stopped and looked up into the bright blue skies that matched Marlin’s eyes to near perfection and had to smile. This was home. I hadn’t felt a sense of home in a very long time. It was nice to have that again. I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was nice to be able tobreatheagain. I had a long ways to go to be completely free, but for one of the first times I felt like I was on the right path, and not only that, I felt like I could make it and the feeling wasn’tfleeting.

I decided to wander back to the house. Marlin and Bobby should be done with the air conditioner by now, and I was fairly certain that they could both do with something to eat. I know I could.

As I entered the front yard, my suspicions about Marlin being through with the work were correct. He stood barefoot on the porch, hair dripping onto his bare shoulders from a fresh shower. He wore only a pair of faded, work worn jeans and I felt a throb of desire, a deep ache of appreciation that stopped me in my tracks so that I could simply drink the sight of him in. He pulled a hair elastic off his wrist and pulled his hair into a short man bun, catching the ends of his hair in the elastic to create a loop. It wasn’t something I’d ever seen him do, and I had to admit, the look suited him.

He caught sight of me standing at the edge of the grove and his smile lit him up from the inside out. It was so startling, I had to turn and look just to be sure it wasmethat elicited the reaction, but of course I was out here alone, and it was only me he was looking at. It made me blush, and butterflies took off in my stomach, rising in a cloud and tickling the inside of my ribs, causing my heart to stutter in a giggle. Joy flooded my veins, more addictive, and better than any synthetic drug and my feet carried me forward even as my mind mourned not being able to capture this moment for a little longer.

I gathered the long skirt of my maxi dress in my free hand, my other occupied with my phone and little iPod. Marlin reached out and popped the earbud out of my one ear, and took the items from my hand, twisting to set them in reach on one of the porch railings.

“Hey, Baby Girl. Have a good walk?”

“I think so,” I said smiling, and it felt natural, the smile.

“Good, c’mere, there’s something I want to do for you.” He took my hands in his and led me over to a rocking chair he’d brought out from inside the house. “Sit for me,” he murmured and trusting him, I did. He knelt and slipped off my sandals one at a time and I looked at him quizzically.

“Don’t go anywhere for me, I’ll be right back.” Marlin straightened and disappeared back into the house, the screen door banging in its frame. I looked out over the peaceful and idyllic scene of the trees rustling lightly in the breeze and I relaxed, leaning back in the chair. The screen door opening up brought my attention back around, Marlin stepping out of the portal with an honest to god foot bath between his large hands.

“What are you doing?” I asked, laughing.

“You trust me?”

“You know I do.”

“Then you’ll see.”

He set it at my feet and ran the cord to an outdoor socket, flipping back its cover to plug it in. He returned and lifted my skirt, tucking it between my knees to preserve my modesty before lifting first one foot then the other into the bath. I watched him curiously, this big, strong, man on his knees at my feet. The water was warm and when he switched on the bath, the smell of lavender and eucalyptus wafted up to me.

“Where did you even get this thing?”

“Drugstore while you were in with your doctor, now sit back, relax and let me take care of you.”

“Why?”

He flashed me a roguish smile, “Because I love you, and it makes me happy.”

His frankness stole my breath away, and his words made it slow to return. I watched in rapt fascination as he went back into the house, returning with a couple of bags of items, taking his time to rifle through them. He brought out nail polish remover and cotton balls first, and laid a towel over the top of one of his thighs; he brought out one of my feet and took care to strip the chipped and flaking polish off of each toe.

I blinked, and couldn’t believe it. This powerful man’s man, fisherman, biker, fighter… was giving me a pedicure. His hands were rough against my skin, but so gentle with how he handled me. At one point I heard laughter, and turned to see some of Bobby’s workers standing by and watching. A couple of them called out to Marlin, mocking, but he ignored them, holding me fast when I tried to pull away. He captured my gaze with his and something passed between us. He didn’t care, not one bit, about them or anyone else who had an opinion. I found myself becoming strangely emotional. Something I couldn’t quite define, something that had no name but didn’t feel bad; quite the opposite actually.

I was suffused with a warm, tingling, golden glow. I felt loved, cared for and cherished. He was amazing in so many ways and I found my hands shaking lightly with how fiercely I wanted to pull his mouth to mine and show him just how much this grand gesture meant to me.

He took his time and extraordinary care, clipping, filing, and buffing the nails. He did everything exactly right and I found myself blurting through one of the tenderest massages I’d ever received, “Where did you learn how to do this?”

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