Chapter SIXTEEN

Kimberly almost stumbled backwards through the door but Bobby's hands were there at her hips pulling her back towards him. He continued to kiss her as he kicked the door shut. "Bobby, the food." She sighed into his mouth, hands grabbing the fabric of his jacket. "It's still on the porch."

"Forget the food."

"But-"

His hands thread through her loose hair, the pins there long lost in the depths of the car, and she sagged against him as he deepened the next kiss the very second their lips met again. Starting to burn up from the inside, Kimberly yanked at his jacket buttons, anxious to rid him of the material. He was backing them towards the stairs but taking his time, his attention focused solely on kissing her. She had no complaints and she pressed her body closer to his as she finally managed to push the jacket over his shoulders and jerk it down his arms.

"Daddy?"

They immediately broke apart, Kimberly blushing, Bobby clearing his throat. Clutching her favorite stuffed animal against her chest, Marley stood in the doorway of the living room already dressed in her SpongeBob pajamas. Her hair was braided on both sides and Kimberly couldn't help but smile at the sight of yellow socks barely managing to stay on her feet.

Bobby readjusted his jacket and bent down to his haunches. "Hey baby girl. What are you still doing up?" He smiled as she rushed forward and he scooped her up into his arms before standing again. "Where are Uncle Angel and Aunt Sofi?"

"We were in the kitchen but then we heard you two coming in like a herd of elephants."

Kimberly looked away from Bobby and Marley to smile at Sofi who had appeared in the doorway. "Did you do her hair?"

"Actually Angel did that." Sofi smirked. "He's been practicing on me. Marley simply insisted on having hers done tonight." She glanced slyly at the clock hanging on the wall beside the coat rack. "You are back earlier than we expected. It's barely eight."

Kimberly found herself blushing again but nodded. "We decided it would be nicer to bring the food back here to eat."

Sofi made a knowing sound in the back of her throat that made Kimberly aware she knew the altered plans no longer had anything to do with food. She stepped forward and winked at Marley. "How were things at the restaurant?"

"Everything was perfect."

"You said yes right?"

Bobby groaned in the back of his throat. "Sofi!"

"Right?"

Kimberly chuckled but nodded. "I said yes."

Sofi smiled and looked over her shoulder just as Angel appeared. He was wearing the worn Kiss the Cook apron, a spatula in his hand. "I told you he wouldn't be able to wait till the end of dinner."

"Nice apron Martha Stewart."

Angel smirked at Bobby. "Nice monkey suit GQ." He chuckled as Sofi elbowed him in the side. "I see a congratulations is in order."

"I see Sofi finally managed to turn you into that woman she's always wanted." Bobby ignored Sofi's glare of death and lowered Marley back to her feet so he could step forward to hug his brother.

Kimberly watched the two embrace and glanced down as she felt a tug on her dress. "Hey honey." She picked Marley up, kissing her forehead. "Did you have fun with Uncle Angel and Aunt Sofi?"

Marley nodded, resting her head on Kimberly's shoulder. "I missed you Mommy."

"I missed you too baby."

Bobby glanced over his shoulder at them as he stepped back from Angel. "Look at my perfect little family." He moved so he could kiss both of their foreheads. "I'm going to get the food and we'll eat while we watch a movie, how about that?"

Her eyes met his and she nodded at seeing the questioning look there. The urge to escape upstairs still remained in the back of both their minds but at seeing Marley there was no hesitation in keeping the idea on the back burner. "That sounds like a fantastic idea." She nuzzled Marley's face with her own. "Want to help Mommy pick out her pajamas?"

Marley nodded and Kimberly smiled as she heard Sofi's soft coo. Holding Marley securely to her, she made her way up the stairs. The little girl ran immediately to the dresser that contained most of Kimberly's pajamas and within seconds the floor was littered with options.

"This Mommy."

"This one?" Kimberly took the sweats and the large hockey league shirt that used to belong to Bobby from Marley with a smile. "Are you sure?"

Marley nodded. "Smells like Daddy."

"It smells good doesn't it?" When Marley nodded and smiled, Kimberly smile widened. "I agree." She helped Marley onto the bed and moved over to the closet. "Did Daddy tell you where he took me tonight?" She unzipped her dress and moved to stand behind the tall screen she had purchased for the times when Marley was in the room.

"To eat."

"That's right." She shrugged out of the dress and slipped on the shirt before she stepped into the sweats and pulled them up her legs. She cleared her throat as she pulled her hair free of the shirt. "Daddy took me out tonight to celebrate."

"Celebwate?"

Kimberly smiled and walked over to the dresser. She picked up a hair tie and styled her into a high ponytail. She came back to kneel down in front of Marley, her hands in her lap. "Daddy asked me to marry him. Do you know what that means?" When Marley shook her head Kimberly reached out to stroke her cheek. "It means I'll legally be your mommy. I'll be your mommy and your daddy's wife. I'll take care of him just like he takes care of you."

"Forever?"

"Forever is a long time Marley but that's what I'm hoping. But no matter what I'll always be your mommy. Is that okay? Is it okay that I marry your daddy?"

Marley nodded. "Always be my Mommy?"

"Always. I promise." Kimberly smiled as Marley flung herself off the bed and chuckled as she caught the little girl. "Have I told you how much I love your hair?" Marley shook her head. "No, well that's a shame because I just love your hair." She pressed kisses all over Marley's face who giggled in response. "Let's go downstairs and eat something okay baby?"

"Okay Mommy. Will you carry me and Boo Boo?"

"Of course I will." She smiled as she carried Marley from the room. "Boo Boo? Where did you hear that nickname from?"

"Uncle Angel."

"Well, it's a lovely name for your bear."

"You have a Boo Boo Mommy?"

"I do. His name is Bobby."

Marley giggled. "Daddy is a bear."

"He certainly is baby. He growls like a bear and he eats like one too." She made her way carefully down the stairs and when she went to lower Marley onto the floor, she paused at feeling the little girl's hands grab onto her shirt. "What's the matter?"

"Hold me Mommy." Marley batted her eyelashes in a way that no doubt was learned from Sofi. "Pwease?"

She felt her heart melt and she nodded, kissing Marley's forehead. "Of course baby." She entered kitchen to see everyone sitting down. Spaghetti as well as their dinner from the restaurant was on the table. Bobby pulled out the chair that contained Marley's booster seat but she shook her head and sat down, Marley adjusting herself so she sat there securely with Boo Boo the bear in her lap.

"Let's eat some grub!" Angel, sans apron, sat down across from them and lowered a plate of toasted bread onto the table. Sofi took a seat beside them and they all joined hands for the prayer. As always Marley said it to best of her ability and it was the most beautiful thing Kimberly had ever heard in her life.

"A-men."

Kimberly shifted to place food on her plate. "Would you like to share my plate Marley?"

"Yes Mommy."

Letting Marley pick out the items she wanted, she filled the plate and handed Marley her plastic fork before reaching for her own. The relaxed mood continued as they ate, Kimberly smiling as Marley tried to eat properly and follow Kimberly's example.

Bobby reached out to rest his hand on the back of her neck, massaging her skin, and she bit back a sigh. Her eyes met his. He smiled. Someone said something but she didn't hear a word they said.

It was the ringing of a cell phone that had her looking away from Marley to focus on Bobby again. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and fished it out of his pants. He barely glanced down at the screen before he smiled and flipped it open. "Hey little brother."

Kimberly cleared her throat and lowered her fork, watching as Bobby smiled even wider.

"Yeah." Bobby nodded. "Next plane out, I promise. Alright. Love you too." He hung up the phone. "Natalie's having the baby."

It was like everyone started talking at once, even Marley babbling for attention, but for a second Kimberly sat there and digested the information. She cleared her mouth again, her eyes focused on her plate.

"Babe? Baby?"

She looked up at Bobby. "Yes?"

"Did you hear me? Natalie's having the baby."

"That's great Bobby." She looked away to watch Marley try unsuccessfully to wind spaghetti around her fork. "I guess we should start packing."

"If you don't want to go baby, you don't have to. Natalie will understand."

Kimberly brought her eyes back to his. "I guess we should start packing." She repeated.

"You heard the woman!" Angel exclaimed, wide grin on his face. "We should start packing! Like right now!"

"I'll get online and see if we can get some cheap tickets." Sofi nodded. She started to rise to her feet.

"We could take the company plane if that would be easier." Kimberly found it necessary to clear her throat yet again as everyone stared at her. "Or I could see if I could get a deal on business class for a flight first thing tomorrow."

"You have a company plane?" Angel glanced around. "Like your own plane?"

"I randomly use it for business trips but yes, I own a plane."

"Hot tamale! How much are you worth?"

"Angel! Don't ask that." Bobby growled. His eyes remained locked on Kimberly.

Kimberly made sure she kept her eyes on Angel. "My accountant informs me the number is around 1.2 billion dollars." She watched as both Sofi and Angel's mouth dropped and immediately felt the need to backpedal. "But that's a net worth estimate from over time. It's not really my money. I inherited it from my father when he passed and then the company assets became invested into-"

Angel whistled between his teeth. "Bobby, how come you get all the rich babes?" He tried to duck unsuccessfully from Sofi's hand that hit him in the back of the head. "I'm just saying!"

"That doesn't matter." Sofi scolded. She smiled over at Kimberly. "It was very sweet of you to offer Kimberly and I agree; it'd be a lot easier. I think it's a great idea."

"Since when do you think?" Bobby growled.

"Daddy's a bear!" Marley squealed. "Growl more Daddy!"

He smiled at Marley and reached out to tousle her hair. "Daddy's a bear huh?"

"You're Mommy's Boo Boo!"

"Is that right?"

"Uh huh! Mommy said so! You growl a lot and you eat everything!"

Angel was practically rolling in his chair. "Boo Boo, that's great. Boo Boo got himself a sugar mama."

"Shut your mouth man."

"Like that Beyonce song! Come sit in mama's lap, hey, hey!" Angel ducked to avoid the piece of toast Bobby threw at him and rose to his feet. He began to dance, imitating the way the singer always managed to shake her backside in her videos. "Suga mama!"

Kimberly watched as Sofi automatically moved to stand in the kitchen doorway, Angel still laughing and shaking his ass as Bobby tossed down his napkin and shot up out of his seat. "Come on pretty boy, sing it!"

"I'm going to beat your ass, that's what I'm doing to do!"

"Yeah right, GQ! You can't style even my hair with that slick gel you got! What ya gonna do?"

The two men ran around the table and Kimberly covered her mouth to hide her smile. Marley began to bounce and clap her hands, even Sofi beginning to laugh as Bobby managed to grab onto Angel and put him in a chokehold.

"Flash has got me! Help me Marley!" Angel grunted as Bobby smacked the top of his head. "Hey!"

"Take it back!"

"Get him Daddy!" Marley giggled. "Get Uncle Angel!"

They wrestled for several minutes before Bobby let him go and straightened, his hands smoothing down his clothing. Angel readjusted his sweater with a laugh. "You're getting old man. I remember you being able to go longer than that in the past."

"I just don't want to hurt you too badly in front of the girls." Bobby cracked a smile. He looked back over at Kimberly. "You said something about a deal on business class?"

"Man, forget the deal. Didn't you hear the part where she has her own plane? I bet it's a jet." Angel winked at Kimberly. "It's a jet plane ain't it?"

Smiling back softly but almost shyly, she nodded. "I can call Fernando first thing tomorrow."

"Fernando!" Angel clapped his hands together. "She even has her own pilot! You got stewardesses? Ones that serves drinks in those little suits? Those are hot." He yelped as Sofi smacked him in the back of the head again. "The drinks babe! The drinks are hot."

"You are not talking about the drinks!"

"I am!"

"It wouldn't matter anyway." Kimberly interrupted quietly. "I have a steward." She chuckled as Sofi smiled at that, Angel sighing loudly. "But I rarely use him so..." She looked over at Bobby to find he had disappeared and her smile faded. Carefully she rose, shifting Marley to sit in her seat at the table. "Excuse me."

"Mommy!"

"I'll be right back baby." She nipped at her bottom lip at the pout that appeared on Marley's face. "Okay." She lifted Marley back into her arms. "Let's go find Daddy Boo Boo."

"Daddy Boo Boo, I can't stop laughing."

Shooting a smile that expressed more confidence than she felt, Kimberly drifted out of the dining room in search of Bobby. She found him in the backyard, a lit cigarette in his hand, and debated a second before she lowered Marley back onto her feet again. "Marley." She grabbed the little girl's hands in her own. "Daddy is upset and I need to talk to him."

"Is Daddy upset at me?"

"No, of course not. He's upset with me but it's going to be okay."

Marley frowned. "Why is Daddy upset at you Mommy? Were you bad?"

Kimberly hesitated. "I'm not sure but I'm going to go find out. We're going to talk and when we're done, we're going to come back in and watch a movie with you until it's time for bed. Deal?" She smiled as Marley nodded. "Why don't you go find Aunt Sofi? She loves it when you help her in the kitchen and we'll come find you when we're ready."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." She made the motion over the fabric of her tee shirt. She remained on her haunches until Marley rushed off back into the kitchen. Slowly, she rose to her feet and closed the back door. Bobby was still smoking and staring off into space as she approached. He said nothing as she came to a standstill beside him. "I'm sorry for suggesting the plane. I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't apologize baby. You're just trying to help out."

"You say that but you're obviously angry with me."

Bobby took a hit off his cigarette and took a second to blow smoke out through his nostrils. "I'm angry at the fact I can't be the one to provide these things."

"We've already talked about-"

"I know and I'm not arguing that point with you. I'm just saying..." He shrugged. "I want to be more for you. I want to be more for this family."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're enough before you'll start to believe me?" Kimberly reached out to snatch the cigarette out of his hand. She inhaled before she flicked it out into the yard. "And those things are bad for you Bobby."

Bobby smirked and turned to face her. "Hey, don't ride my ass. I found them in your purse."

"When did you go through my purse?"

"When you asked me to get your planner out for you! They were kind of hard to miss!" He reached out to pull her towards him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I'm sorry for walking out like that. I'm an asshole."

"Yes, you are." She smiled into his chest as he chuckled. "And I love you."

"I can't believe you have a fucking jet plane."

"We don't have to take it Bobby. It was just a suggestion. I thought it'd be a nice way to not be rushed and go through the mess of boarding plus we can leave whenever we'd like."

"We can take the plane baby but you have to promise me something."

Kimberly leaned back. "Anything."

"Anything?"

She smiled. "Anything."

"You have to introduce me to the mile high club in your jet."

"Bobby!"

He cackled with laughter. "I want royal fucking treatment Woman, the works!" His laughter faded only slightly as he caught the shocked look on her face. His eyes darkened and he slid his hands down to rest on her hips. "Are you a member of the mile high club baby?"

"I've never-"

Bobby groaned and pulled her close. She closed her eyes at the feeling of his lips softly exploring her face and when they captured her lips in a strong but gentle kiss, she pressed her body against his, her hands clutching at his broad shoulders. He pulled away to hold her, his scruffy cheek resting softly against her temple. "We should drive to Vegas while we're in L.A. and get married."

Kimberly kept her eyes closed but she tightened her grip on his shoulders. "That's one way to do it."

"It's only one way." He pressed his lips against her forehead. "What do you want? What would make you happy Princess?"

"I don't want to be given away by Elvis Bobby."

"How about a Martian? I hear they have a chapel that celebrates space unions."

She pulled away to catch sight of his smile and rolled her eyes. "I kind of like the idea of a small wedding, our family, a few friends..." She toyed with the button of his dress shirt. "We could even do it here in the backyard."

"If that's what you want..."

"It's something I think would be fitting and... And I think that Evelyn would approve." Her fingers drifted across his cheek. His eyes darkened but he nodded. "If she was here she'd tell you how proud she is of you Bobby."

"I wish you could have met her at least once." He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "I wish I could have done so many things differently when it came to Ma."

"You did the best any man could in your situation Bobby and I believe that she knew that. It's been six years baby. She wouldn't want you to keep beating yourself over it. Your mother loved you, she loved your brothers and she left this world knowing each of you loved her. Cherish her memory, talk about her if it helps you cope, but you have to stop clinging to the past as if the fight isn't over."

Bobby's eyes closed. "You don't understand Kimmy. Six years ago was a different time. I was a different person."

"The point is that you're different now. You're a brother, you're a father, and you're going to be my husband."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you Kimmy."

"I guess even a Mercer gets lucky every now and then."

"Oh yeah? Lucky huh?"

Kimberly squealed as he grabbed her by the waist and spun them in a quick circle. "Bobby!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. "If I throw up on your new clothes, I'm going to be upset!"

He was chuckling as he sat her back down on her feet. He grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her. "We can't have that. These threads cost me major fucking dough." He broke away from kissing her. "You haven't felt good lately baby."

"My stomach has just been driving me crazy." She sighed as he kissed her again. "I'm thinking we maybe should not let Angel cook so much."

"He does go a little crazy with the spices thanks to La Vida Loca. I don't think we have anything but Pepto Bismol in the house. Want me to run and get you something?"

She shook her head and thread their hands together. "It'll pass like it always does. Let's go back inside." She began to walk backwards, tugging him along. "Marley wants to watch a movie before bed and seeing how we have a busy morning ahead of us, we should get started."

"Are you sure you want to go?"

She paused and leaned forward to capture his lips with hers, the kiss passionate and deep. "This relationship is a two way street and I want to make you happy Bobby." Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the sight of the slow smile that appeared on his face. "Stop it."

He chuckled. "Stop what?"

"You've got that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The look that tells me the last thing you're thinking about is what movie to pick out for Marley."

Bobby chuckled again and jerked her forward, his arms wrapping around her. He continued to maneuver them towards the backdoor, his eyes never leaving hers. "What's the saying? Innocent until proven guilty?"

"I'm pretty sure in Detroit it's guilty until proven innocent."

Bobby let out a bark of laughter. He kissed her quickly. "And to be honest, I actually keep thinking about a certain someone telling me they weren't hungry for food. They wanted to forget their pasta and sink their teeth into a piece of the Michigan Mauler."

"Who in the world said that?" He growled at her and she couldn't help laughing. "Daddy Boo Boo sounds like he needs a time out if you ask me." She squealed with laughter again as he lifted her off the ground, arms tight around her torso as he carried her up the porch steps.

"Mommy's going to get a spanking if she doesn't stop talking about Daddy that way."

"Can't I just get a time out? I'd prefer that."

"Liar."

She began to laugh again but his mouth covering hers muted the sound, Bobby successfully managing to kick the door shut behind them.

161616161616161616

Even with her undying devotion for the little yellow sponge, Marley fell asleep halfway through the SpongeBoby movie. She was curled up in Kimberly's lap, Boo Boo clutched to her, her tiny thumb stuck in her mouth. Kimberly brushed loose strands back from her face and continued to watch the little girl sleep.

"Baby, come on." Bobby patted her leg. "Let's get her into bed."

She lifted her eyes to his. "Can I hold her just a few more minutes?"

"Sure baby." He looked away to see Sofi and Angel were asleep as well and smirked. "I'll get those two up to help me clear off the table if you want to take her upstairs when you're ready."

She nodded and kissed Marley's forehead, Marley making a soft noise of content as she buried her face into Kimberly's neck. Stroking her back, Kimberly rose to her feet and she began to hum softly as she escaped from the living room to head up the stairs.

Marley stayed asleep while Kimberly tucked her into her bed and for a few extra minutes, she sat on the edge of the bed watching her sleep. She looked around the room filled with toys and books, pairs of little shoes not put in their place and smiled. The room had once been Jack and Bobby's. Her imagination played with the thought of the two of them on their beds talking about school, girls, maybe something Evelyn had scolded them for, and it made a sense of something she couldn't exactly name flare through her.

Evelyn's house had seen endless cases of anger in small children be smothered out by patience and replaced with a sense of belonging and love. It was hard to imagine successfully raising four boys known for enjoying the somewhat easy ability they shared in making trouble into functioning, respectable adults but Evelyn had done that.

Something else shot through Kimberly but this time she knew it was envy. She had grown up as an only child in a family that was anything but patient. Her parents expected her to be adult and know her place from day one, forcing her to sit through endless sessions of etiquette and instruments she had no desire to learn. It had been a blessing when she had finally been able to go away to college. There had been freedom to level she had never experienced but even that was short lived when her mother had passed away, her father following soon after that.

Any plans she had of her own had vanished, replaced by expectations of continuing on the family name through the Carter Enterprises empire. Just like every time before she had dropped everything and did what was expected of her to do. She had taken over the company, accepted the role as leader, and after a year of struggling to prove herself, she had come out as someone respected and at times even feared for her ruthlessness in the business. She had turned into the one thing she had promised she never would, a cut throat shark in a sea of little fish. Basically, she had turned into her father.

Bobby had pulled her free from that abyss. He had reminded her of things she wanted for herself, reminded her that there was more to life than making the next deal. It might have been foolish to admit but she had fallen in love with him the second their eyes had met that night at Johnny's. It was as if her entire body already knew, tingling in places she didn't think possible the second he touched her. The hot current of electricity had amazed but also scared her. Thankfully Bobby Mercer was as stubborn as they came and every attempt at pushing him away had failed miserably.

Her eyes drifted down to gaze at the ring on her finger. She was going to marry Bobby Mercer. She was going to make him happy. Marley was going to have everything and she was never going to feel alone. She'd see to that if it was the last thing she ever did.