So I lied. I'll put this one out tonight short thought it is. I'm tapping away at more chapters slowly but surely. Thanks for the reviews thus far. I'm glad people seem to be enjoying the story.
I still own jack all.
Previously… He knew his wife and he saw when that hope she'd had buried deep inside her, that it had all been a misunderstanding and her mother wanted her, shattered in front of her eyes. Another daughter. A replacement daughter. An abandoned child. It was all too much for her and she shut down. He didn't blame her in the slightest but he cringed remembering how he was forced to try to comfort his wife's half sister on his own.
Marissa stood in the living room, shell-shocked after Andy walked out of the room..
Sam stood once again, leaning over and picking up Theo from the floor. He walked over to Marissa and put his hand gently on her shoulder. "She meant it you know. It's not never, it's just not 'right this second'," he told her quietly.
Marissa nodded, seeming numb to the events that she had set in motion.
"Hey, why don't you write down your number, and I'll put it aside for Andy," Sam said carefully.
"I'm not sure it would make a difference," Marissa said sadly, regaining her bearings and mapping out the quickest route out the door.
"Okay I'm bad at being comforting so I might as well tell you, I know Andy, you don't," he said bluntly. "There's a lot of history that you are completely unaware of. Time and space are things she doesn't handle well. Give her a little bit of time and you'll hear from her. She just needs to process a bit. We're not going anywhere. Just hang on and I'll get you a pen to write out your contact information," he said simply. He had never felt adequate with this whole comforting females skill.
"Okay," Marissa nodded, only just then beginning to process the information she'd been given.
Sam disappeared for a minute and came back with a small notebook which he handed to her. She obediently put down her phone and email address. Sam then took the paper and reciprocated, writing out all their reachable numbers and their two email addresses. "If you need something, call us at any time, we've always got phones on," he said handing her their information.
Marissa nodded once again, pocketing the slip of paper.
"I mean it, just give her a week and she'll contact you. She doesn't have it in her to shut you out," he said reassuringly.
Marissa met his eyes and nodded before heading for the door.
"Do you need a ride anywhere?" Sam asked her.
"I actually have my car just up a block," she said simply. "Thank you, by the way. It was nice to meet you," she said holding out her hand politely.
Sam nodded and shook it in return. "We'll see you shortly. Take my word for it," Sam said trying to be convincing as much for himself as for her.
Marissa nodded again, "It was nice to meet you too Theodore," she said reaching out and patting his chubby baby arm. Theo bounced on his father's hip and flapped his arms. "I'll take it that's a goodbye," Marissa said with a smile.
Sam nodded. "We're still mastering the polite wave," he said opening the front door and watching as she left and walked quickly to a Range Rover parked a few houses down. He watched her climb in and pull away before he re-entered the house shutting the door behind him.
"Well that was uncomfortable," he said to Theo who looked at his father quizzically, tilting his head. "Yeah, my sentiments exactly," Sam said bouncing the baby once before heading up the stairs to find out if they were still going to St. Catherines.
Andy reappeared freshly showered in their room, and despite her red eyes and her bag was at the foot of the bed zipped up neatly. She looked at her husband and shook her head before motioning to his partially packed bag and reaching for her son.
"We've got to get changed while Daddy finishes packing, bub," she said affectionately before taking him to his room and proceeding to do precisely that. Within minutes she had him in a striped outfit Sarah had bought him months back. Within a few more he was in the car seat with all bags stowed. Sam would later swear it had been record time. They set off for St. Catherines in silence as they both thought through the events that had just occurred.
