CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The next few days flew by quite quickly. Martha was happy because Macca would be arriving back in Summer Bay later that afternoon. It would be good having him back. Macca was so much like her dad, and if she couldn't have her dad around, then at least she had the next best thing.

Martha decided to go down to the beach for a while. She had been spending a lot of time there lately; just sitting in the sand or down by the rock pools. The sound of the waves seemed to calm her. It was peaceful. It gave her time to think about things; her dad, Jack and the baby.

She hadn't really seen Jack much over the last couple days. Because he had taken those few days off work while Alf was away; Jack now had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. So he didn't have much time for anything else.

Martha sat down and started burying her feet in the sand; letting the sand run silkily through her fingers. She then fell onto her back and closed her eyes. She rested her hand on her stomach, and gently rubbed it. When Martha opened her eyes, she got a surprise when she found Jack smiling down at her.

"Having fun," he smirked.

"I was until you came along," she smirked back up at him.

Jack laughed and fell down beside her. He rolled closer until they were lying side by side; looking up at the clouds.

"See anything interesting up there?" Jack asked her.

"Not today," Martha answered. "Just some fluffy balls, that's it".

"Damn," he faked a sigh. "Hey, sorry I haven't seen you much over the last couple of days," Jack apologized.

Martha shrugged. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. Besides being alone has given me time to think," she told him.

"What sort of things have you been thinking about?" Jack wanted to know. Honestly, he just wanted to know if she had been thinking about him.

"Everything," Martha sighed. "My life, my dad, and the future. Oh, and we can't forget the baby. The kid is on my mind practically twenty-four seven," she explained.

Jack sat up a bit and looked down at Martha. "How did we even manage to get ourselves into this?" he smiled as he rubbed her stomach.

Martha laughed. "I have this vague memory of something called sex," she exclaimed.

"How could I forget," Jack laughed as he lay back down beside her.

"Well, it has been nearly two months since we last……..you know?" Martha suddenly felt shy.

"You don't have to tell me," Jack muttered.

Martha sat up quickly and laughed. "Aww, Is Jack upset because he hasn't gotten any in a long time," she looked down at him with a pouty face.

"I never said that," Jack huffed.

"You didn't have too," Martha exclaimed. She then gave him a rough poke in the chest. "And besides, you've only got yourself to blame. I offered it twice over the last three weeks, and you rejected me. So deal with it," she teased.

Jack smirked at her. "Well, maybe you should offer ……….," he started, but was cut off by a loud voice.

They both looked up quickly and spotted Robbie and Tasha walking towards them.

"Saved by the bell," Martha said smugly.

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Martha sat on the couch next to Macca. He had arrived about an hour ago; and they had just been sitting quietly together.

"How long do you think that you'll be staying in Summer Bay?" Martha asked him.

"As long as you need me," Macca replied.

"What about the farm? Don't they need your help there?" Martha questioned.

"Greg and Davie know that you need someone around at the moment," Macca started to explain. "They're glad that I'm here with you. They don't want you to be alone. And besides, I'm sure the farm will be able to cope without me for a while," he said.

"Thank you," Martha smiled. "I'm glad you're here," she told Macca.

Macca pulled her towards him and Martha rested her head on his shoulder. "So, how are things with Jack? I noticed that you seemed a bit cold with him for the first few days after dad died," Macca commented.

"I was just being a bitch. I was just pushing him away, I guess," Martha started. "But things are okay now. He's been really good; making sure I have everything that I need. Things are slowly getting back on track," she finished.

"Has Megan been giving you any trouble?" Macca then asked.

"No, she hasn't. It's quite surprising really. I've only seen her around a couple times actually. The only thing that has been annoying about her is the constant whining. She's always on Jack's case; wanting him to spend more time with Grace," Martha said. "Jack's actually having trouble bonding with her. I told him that it will come eventually. But he told me that he feels really bad about it. But I've told him it's not his fault," she explained.

"Has Jack ever thought that there could be a chance that Grace isn't even his? I mean, that could be the reason why he doesn't feel a connection with her," Macca added.

Martha sighed. "Believe me; it's gone through my mind a few times. She's doesn't actually have any proof that Grace is Jack's daughter. He's just taking her word for it," she said.

"Maybe he should get a paternity test," Macca suggested.

"I'm actually thinking about mentioning it to him soon. I just don't want to upset him," Martha shrugged.

"Well, you should do what you think is right. And when you think the time is right," Macca told her.

But when would the time be right? Martha thought.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Trouble's brewing

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