Chapter thirteen
This was it, I was going to tell her and it was going to be fine. i took a few deep breathes and paced up and down the path to Adrian's building, telling myself it was gonna be ok. She'd be mad at fist maybe even a little freaked out but then she'd be pissed again. I'm not sure why but I really think she's gonna be really steamed when i told her my secret. Maybe now wasn't the best time.
Then I pressed the buzzer for Adrian's apartment, the last thing I was expecting was for a little girl to answer the intercom. She sounded about five or six and had a Cali accent like Adrian. "Fox residence?" The little girl asked and I tried not to laugh at how incessantly cute she is.
"Hi is Adrian Fox there?" I ask
"Yep" the little girl says then the line goes quiet
"So can I speak to her?" I ask after a while
"Erm... ok, Aid!" she shouts and I wait
"What's up my little Bambino" I hear Adrian ask
"There's a weird man at the door" the girls tells her
"Who is this?" Adrian asks and I laugh
"It's just me angel can I come up?" I ask
"Sure" she says and the door clicks open. When I get to Adrian's floor she's left the door open for me I let myself in and Adrian walks out into the hall to meet me she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me passionately. It's been three weeks since she got hurt at the surf shack that night she saved Willow and I'm yet to follow through on my promise of kissing her within an inch of her life, infact we're yet to even sleep together even though we've been dating for over a month. "Hey I missed you" she whispers and kisses me again.
"You did?" I ask
"I did" she nods and kisses me again
"I missed you too, who's the cutie answering the door?"
"That would be Marina. She's staying with me for a couple of weeks"
"Who is she?" I ask
"Leo's kid, she lives with her grandparents in San Francisco but her grandpa got sick and her Grandmother asked me to take her next thing I know Marina's on a train to Seattle waiting to be picked up" she explains with a sigh.
"Is he gonna be ok?" I ask and she looks suddenly sad
"I don't think so" she shakes her head. Adrian leads me into her bedroom where Marina is playing on the bed with the toy dog I'd won for Adrian the night we went bowling. "Marina come and introduce yourself sweetie, we have a guest" Adrian tells her. Marina jumps off of the bed and comes to stand in front of me and Adrian.
"Hello my names Marina Evans nice to meet you" she says and does a little curtsey holding up the corners of her dress as she does. I squat down to her level and smile at her.
"Riddoc Black" I say and hold out my hand to her, she glances at Adrian
"Go on it's ok" Adrian reassures her, Marina looks back at me and shakes my hand, she holds up the toy dog for me to see
"This is Blackie he's pleased to meet you too" she says
"Blackie? But he's white" I say with a frown and Marina giggles
"I know but that's what Adrian said his name was" she tells me and I turn to Adrian
"Blackie?" I ask
"It seemed fitting after a certain Mr. Black won him for me" she smiles and I grin back. Adrian turns to Marina and takes the stuffed animal "Oh no Riddoc can you feel that I think Blackie has a temperature" she pretend gasps but Marinas eyes widen and she smacks her hand over her mouth
"Oh no!" I say playing along "if only there was a Vet in the house" I say and Adrian beams at me
"I'm a Vet I'm a Vet!" Marina says jumping up and down
"Then you better take him doctor I think he has a cold" Adrian says and passes Blackie back to Marina "We'll go make some special get well soup while you make him all better" Adrian says then pulls me out of the room and half shuts the door. We go into the kitchen and she slumps into my arms.
"Kids are hard work huh?" I laugh
"That poor kid, I wish Leo would just see what she has to deal with and come home I mean she's his daughter doesn't that mean anything to him" she whispers I hug her tighter realising how similar to her own childhood this must feel to her. I guess right now really is a bad time to dump the fact that her boyfriends a shape shifting wolf.
"I'm sorry this put a dampener on our date" she says
"Don't worry its fine, we can just swap that new Mexican place for a McDonalds" I joke
"Ooh I could go for a cheese burger right now" she says and starts to kiss me, it grows heated and I completely forget there's a small child in the apartment and pick Adrian up by the hips sitting her on the counter.
"Adrian?" Marina's small voice snaps us out of our lip lock "Where's Blackie's get well soup?" she asks.
"It's coming Bambino you have to wait for it to heat up, when you've given Blackie his soup would you like to go to McDonalds?" Adrian asks her.
"Yay McNuggets!" Marina sings then she skips off again.
When we got home and Adrian had tucked Marina into the Spare bedroom bed she joined me on the sofa. Adrian straddled my legs, laid her head against my chest and sighed. "You ok?" I ask wrapping my arms around her.
"Yeah I just... I got a call off of my Dad last night" she tells me.
"That's great what did he say?"
"His unit's shipping out to Cherry Point on Monday" she sighs
"That's good though right at least he's here he's out of the firing line" I try
"Yeah I know. I just wonder how long it'll last six months then he'll move out here with me but how long for?"
"For good, that's what he promised you" I tell her
"You don't know my Dad Riddoc, he has a long history of not keeping his promises" she says
"Don't think like that, you said so yourself how easily things fell into place here if that's not a sign that you're meant to be here I don't know what is" I say and I feel her smile
"Yeah I guess"
"What are you gonna do about Marina when you have work?" I ask
"I guess I'll just have to take her with me" she shrugs.
A week later Marina was still staying with Adrian and she'd received news that her Grandfather had passed away like Adrian had predicted. Marina seemed to be taking it pretty well; Adrian had sat her down and explained what had happened to her. Marina didn't even cry she said she understood and he was in a better place now. Either the poor kid was too young to fully comprehend what we were telling her or she was just mature for her age but either way she was coping really well.
I pulled up outside Adrian's apartment building the three of us were going to a barbeque on the beach with the pack. I'm about to roll my window up when I hear raised voices, I look across the street and see a man carrying Marina across the lawn followed by Adrian. "What do you want me to say Leo?" Adrian sighs sounding exasperated.
"Nothing you've said enough!" he shouts
"I'm sorry if you can't handle the truth but that's what it is!" Adrian snaps throwing her hands up
"Bullshit! I don't buy it!"
"Don't swear in front of your kid"
"Don't chastise me Adrian. I know how to be a Father" he tells her pointing fingers now
"That's funny considering you're never around to be one!" Adrian yells
"I'm doing my job I'm doing it for my country" he argues
"To hell with this country! What about your daughter? She should mean more to you than some dam flag!" Adrian spits
"Don't do that Adrian! Don't throw all of your hate at your Father at me!"
"If you keep doing this to her your relationship will end up just like mine and his, and you know what she'll resent you for it!" Adrian screams and tears pour down her face, Leo takes a deep breath then sets Marina down on her feet.
"Get it the car Marina?" he tells her
"But Daddy I wanna stay with Aid" Marina asks and he gives her a stern look
"Car! Now!" he bellows and in the same second I decide I can't just take a back seat any longer. Marina is the first to spot me.
"Riddoc!" she squeals excitedly and runs over to me she jumps into my arms and I balance her on my fore arm, her tiny arms wrapping around my neck.
"And this!" Leo shouts pointing at me "You've been here playing happy families with my kid and some other guy!"
"Oh you're saying it like I went behind your back" she practically hisses lowering her voice to the point where she doesn't think I can hear. If I was human I know I wouldn't be able to "There never was and never will be anything between us"
"Then why did you kiss me?" he demands and I feel my body go weak, she kissed him?
"It was one kiss Leo, a year ago. It was fucking new years for Christ's sake and I was very drunk, I thought we were friends if I'd known the hassle it would end up causing me I wouldn't have done it" she scowls at him
"I love you ok? We can play Happy family together just you me and Marina, I'll terminate my service, I'll marry you" he begs and she sighs
"Leo stop?"
"Adrian baby?"
"I don't love you" she tells him
"But you love him?" he asks and I wait for her to blow the question off.