Chapter 5

"Mara?" Eddie called out, finding her on the balcony of their hotel room in a white slip nightgown that showed off the shape of her slender but curved body. Ever since he proposed, Mara was no longer afraid of physical contact, and he placed an arm around her that lowered all the way to her waist. "Are you nervous?"

"Kind of," She said quietly, staring out into the bright lights of Los Angeles. Because of Eddie's hectic schedule he only had a week to enjoy a honeymoon with Mara, and her parents were nice enough to sponsor a VIP stay in Hotel Bel-Air for a week. They had an amazing view of the city. "Eddie, I don't want to have kids."

Eddie stopped, and for a moment, it sounded like his heart had shattered. Another reason he loved Mara so much was that they had always talked about starting a family together. Even Mrs. Dalton wanted blue-eyed, brown-haired grandchildren, and before they were married, Mara had always talked about what names they would give their children.

Eddie heard her speaking again. "I mean—I want children, but I don't want them now."

"B-b-but…but darling, we've always talked about…" Eddie stammered. "You know I wanted a family…"

"Darling, please hear me out first," She said politely, and he nodded. "I want to have a family with you as soon as possible but…you know I worked in a daycare before I got my license, right? If you've seen the children I've had to take care of, you'd think twice about starting a family at this time too.

"Their parents are so busy trying to work for a future for their kids that they end up leaving children with us for the whole day to the point that some of the toddlers think that me and the other teachers are their real parents and cry when they have to go. Your career's in a great place already but…mine's just starting. Do you really think we can afford to have a child right now?"

"You know money shouldn't matter, right?" Eddie asked frustratedly.

"I know it shouldn't," Mara replied quickly. "But, don't you want to prepare so we don't end up like those kids I end up taking care of?"

Eddie wanted to fight—to say that they could manage—but deep inside, he knew Mara's fears were complacent. He wanted to be a father—a good father. And good fathers gave their children the best. His salary was more than enough to pay the bills for his apartment, buy the necessaries, and enough for some good things for himself and a gift for Mara every now and then. But he wanted to keep doing that, and he knew Mara needed time to start her career before they could even think about a family.

"Eddie?" She looked at him sadly. "I'm really sorry but…I just can't wake up one morning and think that I've become a parent I've always hated."

He hated his dad and he didn't want to end up like him. "Darling, it's alright. I understand you." He paused, thinking for a while. "But can we come to a compromise?"

"Like what?" She asked curiously.

Eddie placed a hand on hers which was on the railings, and affectionately rubbed the back of her hand with a finger. "I won't try to get you pregnant until you want," He offered. "I won't try to make accidents you do not want. Believe it or not, I will make an effort—I won't wear condoms though—I'm allergic to that latex stuff. But..if you do get pregnant, we aren't getting rid of it and we raise it no matter what our financial position is. Is that fine?"

"That's a good one," She smiled. "Okay, deal."

"Great, now…" Eddie wrapped his bride in a warm embrace, carrying her as her legs straddled him. He kissed her on the lips, trailing towards her neck. "Onward to consummating our love, darling."

He carried her back to the bedroom, placing her gently on the bed as he crawled on top of her.

He was sleeping, and it took him a while to realize he was sleeping back in his old room in his father's house. He trembled, knowing what would happen next, but he couldn't move nor scream for help.

The door opened, letting in a bright light from the hallway, but was quickly closed. But Eddie's eyes trailed to a burly shadow that was approaching.

"Are you sleeping, Eddie?" The figure asked, it's voice deep but high-pitched—almost effeminate. When Eddie couldn't respond, it laughed. "I thought so."

"My brother says you're almost a man now," The figure said, sitting at the edge of the bed just by Eddie's legs. Without a blanket, the man easily reached into Eddie's pants and grabbed his penis. "A very undisciplined man nonetheless—but I can fix that."

He began to stroke the shaft, but Eddie couldn't fight it by moving or by speaking. He managed to let out a pathetic squeak that sounded more like a dog whimpering, and Eddie felt the man's anger as he painfully squeezed. "Scream, and I'll make sure you'll never see the next morning boy."

Eddie panted, but kept his mouth shut. The figure loosened up, but continued. "That's a good boy." He said patronizingly. "Now, take of your clothes."

"Eddie!" He heard Mara's voice scream, and he found himself sitting up in their bed in their hotel room, sweating.

Mara was next to him, tears on her face and her hand on his shoulder from trying to wake him up. He was drowsy, and despite the air conditioning was covered in sweat.

"W-what—"

"You started screaming and crying in your sleep," She cried. "And then when you kept screaming I had to wake you up but you couldn't hear me and—"

Eddie pecked her on the cheek, trying to keep his breathing normal. "I'm fine now, darling."

"No you're not," She said sharply. "Are you still having nightmares about…you know…"

"Yes," He admitted. "When you've been molested for years, it kind of leaves nightmares."

Mara sighed, and Eddie kissed her once more and pulled her down as he lay back in bed so that she was snuggling with him. "I know this isn't what you signed up for," He began.

"I signed up for you." Mara said softly, her fingers trailing along his chest. "And if that means helping you get through a lot of horrible childhood memories, I'm ready to help you."

"Darling, I love you." He kissed her hair, taking in her scent. "I want you."

She looked up at him, smiling. "And I want you."

"How was your…first time?" He asked awkwardly. "Did I…hurt you?"

She couldn't help but laugh at his question.