Martin rushed Mac, fisting handfuls of his friend's shirt and pushed him up against the wall by the back door.
Camden's dining room…
Conversation buzzed happily between Annie, Eric, Ruthie and Maggie as they finished up their desert, Savannah gurgling joyfully in her high chair, chocolate cake smeared on her sweet, tiny face.
Annie's fork hesitated in mid-air as she heard a muted thud from outside. "Eric, did you hear that?"
"Hear what dear?" he asked and flashed her a concerned look when the thud was heard again, this time louder.
"Well, what the heck is going on?" she asked, getting up from her seat and picking up the baby as everyone headed towards the sound.
They gathered at the back kitchen door, Eric opening it quietly, allowing them enough room to all peer out without being noticed.
"Dude, I didn't think you would get this angry. It's just a friendly gesture…ohhh," Mac gasped as Martin let him go suddenly.
Martin shook his head and lowered it, looking at the ground before shoving his hands into his pockets. He raised his gorgeous tear glittering eyes to look at Mac. "I'm sorry man. It's just…I couldn't stand the thought of Ruthie being with anyone else."
A small gasp from the door caught Mac's attention, he smiled to himself realizing that everything was falling into place even better then he thought. Ruthie stood beside her parents and friend with a look of astonishment on her face. He decided to play everything to the hilt.
"How come Martin? And, exactly how do you feel about Ruthie, seeing as you thought I knew about them?"
Ruffling his dark hair again, he shrugged his shoulders and admitted so quietly that everyone had to strain to hear, "I love her. I think I always have, that's why when ever guys came nosing around I did my best to protect her and I guess I was jealous."
Tears began streaming down Ruthie's face, her sharp cry drawing Martin's gaze to her like a magnet. Eric and Annie gripped Ruthie's shoulders for comfort before they headed back inside.
"We'll leave you two to talk. Mac, why don't you join us for desert." Eric asked, gesturing with his head for him to leave Martin and Ruthie alone.
Mac shook his arms, settling his rumpled coat back into place and patted Martin's arm when he tried apologizing. Mac placed a lazy arm over Maggie's shoulders and led her inside, looking back to wink at a stunned Ruthie.
"What was that for?" she asked gesturing towards the house.
Martin laughed and shook his head. "Something tells me that Mac planned this all along."
"But why? How did he even know to do this? Can't say that I'm not extremely grateful though, because I am."
Martin stepped towards her; a grateful and relieved smile curved his lips. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I was afraid that it might have been too late. Wasn't too sure if you'd want to kick me out on my butt."
"If it had happened earlier today I probably would have. Do you have any idea how badly my heart was broken when you told me that you only loved me as a friend when you confessed about having a baby with Sandy. And when you left here to be with Sandy and the baby and didn't say anything…I was just so angry with you, it killed me Martin," she confessed with tears blinding her eyes. "I thought that if we couldn't be together and you didn't love me back, at least you could have done as a friend is say goodbye Ruthie, I'll call you Ruthie…"
He reached her side within seconds and pulled her to him tightly, wrapping his arms around her trembling form, burying his nose in her fragrant hair. He nuzzled her, pulled back slightly and gently kissed her forehead. His green eyes began to water looking down at the fear and hope in her own, his thumbs wiping away her tears.
"Ruthie, I can't tell you how sorry I am." His voice muffled as he rested his forehead on her shoulder.
"I just don't understand Martin, I don't. Were you telling the truth back there a few minutes ago?"
He ran his hands down her arms and laced his fingers with hers, leading her towards the picnic table as the sky blazed a blending of dark reds, purple and pink, the first star appearing in the east. They sat side by side in silence for a moment before Martin spoke with conviction.
"Ruthie, I never ever meant to hurt you, you have to believe that." He ran a finger across her cheek, her eyes closing with pleasure at the simple contact. "I think I always knew deep down that I loved you, but I was afraid to admit it to myself. Mac must have known too because he pulled his little trick off without a hitch," he added laughing.
"Yeah, what was this little trick that he was supposedly doing?" she asked with a little laugh.
"He called me today as I was leaving Sandy's and asked me if I would mind if he asked you to spend some time with him the way that we, you and I, used to. He must have known exactly how I'd react, because my insides boiled with a jealousy I felt every time you were with another guy."
"So, if you felt this jealousy all this time…"
Martin leaned across the table and dropped a kiss on her nose and flushed, a sheepish grin crossing his lips, "Partly because I didn't feel that I had a right to interfere and I needed a little wake up call to make me act. I was afraid and a little confused to admit how I felt Ruthie. Here you were, like a little sister to me before, but then when it changed, I didn't know how to handle it."
She laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I noticed. I'm glad that Mac did what he did though, it brought you to me."
Martin inched his head towards her and whispered a breath from her lips, "So am I. Lord knows, so do I."
Their lips came together, gentle at first as their passion for each other began to ignite, their heads tilted and they deepened the kiss. Ruthie gasped with happiness, giving Martin the opportunity to bring their heads even more impossibly closer and their tongues to touch for the very first time. Ruthie's closed lids opened with a sigh and talked against his soft lips.
"I think we have an audience."
He chuckled and looked over his shoulder and saw four beaming faces spying at them through a kitchen window. "Ah, let them, we've waited too long for this."
Hope that was okay...lol, it's a little syrupy sweet (and maybe a little too emotional, so I apologize for that), but when it comes to these two I have a hard time not writing it that way :). Hope that you all have a wonderful week!
