Verity knew that Mark was slightly on edge. He was due to drive Angelina to college in Boston. He had asked if Verity would be able to come with him, but she had told him that she had agreed to help Janet for the weekend. She'd given birth to a small, healthy baby boy and motherhood was proving to be stressful and more difficult than how she had initially imagined it to be. Robert had been as supportive as always, but he had to fly out to the west coast for business that weekend and Verity was concerned about Janet being alone. And so she had offered to go and stay with her in her apartment.
Janet had jumped at the offer, but Verity hadn't known that it would be the same weekend Mark was taking Angelina to college. They were sat in the living room of their apartment the day before, Verity knelt on the floor and wrapping up the present they had bought Angelina. They'd gone out and picked up a silver bracelet. Mark wasn't entirely an expert in fashion, but Verity had told him it was nice and he trusted her judgement more than anything. They'd bought her some other things for college too, including new bedding, stationery and toiletries.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay going without me?" Verity wondered, pulling off some tape and sticking down the paper. "I can tell Janet that I can't make it? I'm sure her mother might be able to help…or Daniella. She's in the city this weekend and I think-"
"-Ver, sweetheart, it's fine," Mark interrupted her. He was sat on the sofa behind her, glass of wine in his hands. He leant back, legs slightly spread and eyes struggling to stay open. He'd had a busy day at work and had just come off the early shift. He'd been up since about three in the morning and he knew he had to get some rest before he headed off to Boston the next morning. "Janet needs you and I'll be alright. Angelina…it's just going to be weird driving away, but I know this is what she wants. She's not even scared. She's just excited."
"That's good," Verity said and she finished wrapping the gift. She leant over and added it to the pile of boxes that Mark had to load into his car the next morning. "I mean, I guess she might get nervous, but she wants this."
"I'm just so proud of her," Mark said. "The first Hoffman to go off to college."
"You ever thought about going back to college?" Verity questioned from him and he watched as she spun around, knelt in front of him and between his legs. She folded her arms over his thighs and he placed his wine glass on the coffee table next to him before moving his hand to let his fingers run along her cheek slowly.
"I'm a bit too old now," he said and she scoffed.
"There's no age limit on college," she replied. "You always said you enjoyed art."
"I don't have the money or the time," Mark said with a shake of his head. "I'm happy as I am…sure…maybe if money wasn't an issue then I'd quite like to go to college…do a part time course…but there's no point dwelling on things that won't happen. As far as my life goes, I'm doing alright. My sister is off to college. I'm doing well at work. And I somehow managed to get you to date me."
Verity scoffed at that and rolled her eyes, but there was a playful smirk on her face. Looking up, she met his eyes. His lips were tugged upwards, a smile on them and he looked at her with a soft expression. She took his hand from her cheek and kissed the back of it.
"You're far too soft, you know that?" she checked with him.
He chuckled but shook his head. "Only with you," he said. "Something about you brings out something in me."
"Shall I take that as a compliment?" she questioned.
"I would," he said with a nod of his head. "Anyway, you know that we need to talk, don't you? You've been fobbing me off all week and I just want to make sure you're okay."
Verity groaned and moved to stand up. She used Mark's thighs to push herself upwards and tried to walk away, but he wasn't going to let her. He reached for her hand and tugged her back, pulling her back to him until she was sat down, draped over his lap and his arm securely around her waist. She leant her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I'm trying to put it off because I don't want to talk about it," she retorted.
"And we don't need to talk about it for long, but I just want to make sure you're okay," Mark retorted to her and she guessed that was only fair. She nodded her head and lifted a hand up to play with the collar of Mark's shirt. "We can ask for no contact. You don't need to receive those letters."
"I know," Verity said with a nod of her head.
Mark curled a finger under her chin, lifting her face up so that he could look her in the eye. "You don't own him anything," Mark promised her. "After what he did to you and would've done to you, you owe him nothing."
"And I know that too," Verity reiterated.
"Then why do I sense that there is a but coming here?" Mark asked and she sighed heavily, collapsing against him one more, her head going to his shoulder once more. He felt her warm breath tickle against his neck and he knew that she was steeling herself to tell him what she was thinking and how she was feeling.
"Maybe he's being genuine?" Verity wondered from Mark. "He said that he's talking to the prison's pastor…that he understands what he did was wrong…and he's just a kid. He's just a kid who had absent parents and saw his father behave in certain ways and copied him. What if he is sorry?"
"He can be sorry, but it doesn't change what he did," Mark said to her. "He's a rich, spoiled brat who kidnapped you…he would've killed you, Ver…he…the thought of him touching you-"
"-I know," Verity interrupted before Mark could delve any deeper into that topic. She still remembered the feeling of his weight pressing on top of her, his hands clawing at her and tugging at her clothes. "I know what he would've done and I don't know if I can forgive him for it, but he sounds remorseful in those letters and a part of me wonders if…if I see him…hear him…then I might get closure. A part of me wants that, Mark. I want closure and the nightmares to stop. I know I'm getting better at being alone, but when you're on the night shift there are times when I struggle…where every noise I hear makes me jump. I just want that to stop and maybe seeing him might help."
Mark wished that he understood what she was saying. He wished that he could be supportive and tell her that he would happily go with her and sit and listen to whatever Daniel Jacobson had to say, but he didn't know if he could. He didn't find forgiveness as easy. There were times when he wished he had pulled the trigger that night. He knew that it would have cost him everything. He'd have lost his job. He'd probably have been convicted. Verity wouldn't look at him the same way.
But, in the dead of the night when Verity woke up murmuring and whimpering, he'd wished he had pulled the trigger. He'd reach out for her and wrap her into his arms, feeling her shaky breath against his neck. He'd hold her until she fell back to sleep, but it took him longer to doze back off. He would lay there, fingers stroking her hair softly, wondering just what more he could do to help her overcome what she was going through.
"Say something," Verity urged and Mark realised that he'd been silent this entire time, lost in his own thoughts.
"I don't know what to say," Mark admitted to her. "I just don't know if seeing him will give you that closure you want."
"I don't know either," Verity said. "But I need to give it a chance."
"Do you?"
"You were the one who brought this up, Mark," Verity said and he heard an edge to her tone. He knew he might have overstepped slightly and so he shook his head, backtracking and trying to stop this from turning into a bigger argument considering that was the last thing he wanted.
"I just worry about you," Mark said to her. "I worry that you going to see him won't help and I don't want him to hurt you anymore. I thought that he was out of our lives and that's all I want. I want him gone…not being brought back."
"I want that too," Verity said. "But I just think that if I go and see him then I can ask him to stop writing. I can tell him that we're done and that I wish him well with whatever comes his way."
"You wish him well?" Mark questioned.
Verity shook her head. "You know what I mean," she replied and her fingers continued playing with his collar. "Not that I wish him well, but just that whatever happens, I don't want to be involved. I don't want him to keep getting in touch. I want him to move on and if he can be a better person for it then that's not a bad thing."
Mark knew he wasn't going to win this battle. There was no point in trying. She was different to him. She had her own ideas and she was determined when she wanted to be. He just had to be there for her.
"If you want to do this then it's your choice," Mark said. "I'll support you no matter what you decide."
"I know you'd rather me not bother with any of this," Verity said and ran her hand from his collar and down his chest. "And I know you're just looking out for me like you always do. I appreciate that…I appreciate you."
"I just don't want to see you hurt or upset," Mark said. "I'm just trying to protect you, sweetheart. It's all I want to do. You're everything to me and anyone who tries to hurt you…I wouldn't let them. I wouldn't let anyone hurt you."
Verity lifted her head up and kissed him squarely on the lips. Closing her eyes, she let his mouth continue to move over hers. She felt his arm around her waist grip tighter and moved her own hands to take hold of his cheeks, tips of her fingers by his ears and feeling his hair that had grown slightly too long. Mark pulled back after a moment, kissing her for one final brief moment and then letting his forehead rest against hers.
"I love you," Verity whispered.
"I love you too," Mark responded and dropped another brief peck to her lips.
…
The drive to Boston hadn't been as bad as Mark had thought. It had taken them over four hours with traffic and Mark insisting they stop for a break. They'd arrived on campus and Mark had let Angelina take the lead. He'd watched as she received a welcome pack and her dorm room keys. They'd unloaded the car together. Angelina's room-mate hadn't arrived yet and so she had the space to herself and choice of bed. The room was white bricked walls with a grey carpet and old wooden furniture.
Angelina had told Mark where to put things as they unpacked. He'd struggled with putting the duvet into the quilt cover before laying it on the sheet on the bed. He'd plumped up pillows and added the throw to the bottom of the bed that Verity had bought for Angelina. She'd insisted on buying some things for Angelina that she had hoped would be homely touches. There were some scented candles and some scatter pillows with blankets and some indoor plants.
"I didn't realise Verity had bought so much," Angelina admitted to her brother as she finished adding her books to the shelf above her desk. She sat a photo frame next to the last book.
"She's been sneakily buying bits and adding them to the boxes," Mark said to his sister and he pushed her empty suitcase underneath her bed. "I think she just wanted it to be nice."
"Well, she succeeded," Angelina replied. "You know, she's got great taste. I love everything. Will you thank her for me when you go back?"
"Of course," Mark said with a nod of his head. "She wanted to come today, but she promised she would go and stay with Janet. Ever since she had Billy, she's been struggling. I think Verity is worried about her. I know it's not easy having a kid…and Janet is great…but I think she's feeling overwhelmed."
"I understand," Angelina promised him. "Besides, I don't think there would've been much room in the car seeing as how many boxes we had."
Mark chuckled, agreeing with her on that one. He moved his hands to his hips and looked around the space, nodding thoughtfully. "It's looking nice, Ange. You gonna be happy here?"
Angelina also looked around and a content smile formed on her face. She nodded her head, beaming at her brother. "I think so," she said to him with a content nod of her head. "And you know I appreciate everything you've done for me. I wouldn't be here without you."
"You'd have made it, Ange," Mark assured her.
"Maybe, but I doubt it," she retorted. "You helped me get here and I know that. I just…I'm going to miss you…but I think we're both going to be okay."
Mark smirked. "Of course we are," he said to her. "You're going to thrive here. I know it. And when you come home…for holidays…whenever…well, me and Verity were talking, and you can stay with us if you'd prefer. We have the sofa bed and I know it isn't the most comfortable, but it means you can spend more time with us and not have to go back to Aunt Doris."
Angelina's eyes lit up at that and she nodded her head enthusiastically. "I'd love that," she said. "And Verity's okay with it?"
"It was Verity's suggestion," Mark said.
Angelina sank down onto her mattress and Mark took her chair at her desk. He wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet. He knew he would have to go soon enough. There were social mixers on campus and when her roommate arrived, he doubted she'd want him cramping her style.
"You know, I don't know why you haven't asked her to marry you yet," Angelina said and Mark chuckled at his sister's boldness. "I like her and you're clearly punching way above your league with her."
"Oh, am I?" Mark questioned in a light tone.
"Definitely," Angelina retorted. "But you're going to marry her, right? She's the one?"
"I seem to remember you warning me not to jump into this relationship when we first got together," Mark reminded his sister and Angelina shrugged, tucking her long dark hair behind her ears and looking to her brother with her head tilted.
"Because I was worried about you and you were moving pretty quickly," Angelina said. "But I got to know her and I realised I had nothing to be worried about. She's nice. She's clever. She's funny…and she's really pretty."
"That she is," Mark agreed with his sister.
"Then when are you going to ask her?" Angelina pushed her brother and Mark's brows furrowed, but the smile remained on his face. He found this to be quite amusing if he had to be honest.
"Why are you so pushy?"
"I'm not," Angelina defended herself. "I just…I want you to be happy and she makes you happy."
"She does," Mark confirmed. "And I'll ask her at some point. Trust me, we've both talked about it and we're both on the same page. We want the same things and in time we'll get married…I just wanted to check with you on that though."
"With me?"
"Well, I have mom's ring," Mark said. "And I had thought about using it to propose to Verity when the time's right. I don't know when that will be. It might not be for months…but when the time comes, I wanted to use it. But I only want to use it if you're okay with that."
"Why would I not be?" Angelina questioned her brother.
"Because you might want it."
She shook her head. "I have mom's locket," she replied. "Besides, I never really knew them, Mark…and mom…if she was like I think she was and from what you told me then she'd want Verity to have it. She'd want Verity to be the one with the ring and I think that's sweet. It means a lot to you, that ring, and so I want you to give it to her."
Mark smiled sadly and nodded his head. "Thanks, Ange," he said to his sister.
"No need to thank me," she promised him. "Just don't let Verity go. I like her far too much."
"I'll see what I can do."
…..
Returning to the apartment, Mark hadn't anticipated the wailing cries of a baby to enter his ears. It had gone nine at night by the time he got back. He'd found a spot to park just outside and had carried his black jacket in his hands back to the apartment, fiddling in the pocket for his keys. Entering the hallway, he hung his jacket up and followed the sound of crying to the living room.
"Ver?" he called out.
"Hey," Verity greeted him and he saw her stood by the window, Billy in her arms as she tried to soothe him. She was wearing her pleated green skirt and white shirt, hair in a messy bun at the nape of her neck. "I'm sorry about this, but Janet…she was exhausted…and I thought that I should offer to look after Billy to give her a night to herself. She hasn't been sleeping and she looked drained. I told her I'd bring him here."
"You don't need to apologise," Mark assured her.
"I do," she said. "You've had a busy week at work and then you've driven all the way to Boston. How was Angelina? Was she okay when you left?"
"She was fine," Mark assured her and moved towards her, hand going to her hip and he bent down to peck her on the cheek as Billy continued gurgling, swaddled up in an abundance of blue blankets. "She said thank you for everything…including the bracelet."
"She was more than welcome," Verity said, still bouncing Billy in her arms. "How did you got on settling her in?"
Mark shrugged his shoulders and headed into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. He noticed a half-drunk glass of wine on the worktop and assumed it was Verity's. He grabbed his own wine glass and the bottle of white that was open in the fridge. "It was weird," Mark confessed. "It felt weird just to leave her there, but she…she seemed excited. She was waiting for her roommate to arrive and had been invited to some social event tonight. I think she'll be fine, but I just want her to make friends and enjoy her course."
"I am sure she will," Verity promised him.
"I hope so," he said and took a sip of his wine. "And what's the plan with this one?" he wondered, motioning to Billy with a nod of his head.
"I told Jan that I'd have him back tomorrow morning," Verity said. "I've set up his foldaway cot in the bedroom by my side of the bed in case he wakes up in the middle of the night. I think I've fed him at the right time…and managed to change him without making too much of a mess. Do you know that his poo was basically green?"
Mark chuckled at hearing her and he arched a brow. "I had an incline," he responded. "I was the one who used to change Angelina, but don't mention that around her. It freaks her out."
"But you were six," Verity said as Billy quietened down, small gasps and gurgles coming from his mouth.
"You met my aunt, right?" Mark reminded her. "She wasn't exactly someone who wanted to look after a baby. I learned pretty quickly how to take care of her when Doris showed me…told me that I had to learn."
"God, I hate your aunt," Verity muttered.
"You and me both," Mark retorted.
It was at that moment when Billy decided to empty the contents of his stomach onto Verity's crisp white shirt. He vomited everywhere and Verity shrieked loudly, looking down onto her shirt and seeing it splattered, Billy's mouth hanging open slightly.
"Oh my God, is he okay?" Verity exclaimed.
"He's fine," Mark promised her, setting his glass down on the side. "Babies throw up, Ver. You haven't done anything, trust me. Pass him here and I'll get him cleaned up while you go and clean up."
"You sure?" she asked.
"I've got it," he assured her and she passed him Billy.
Mark followed her to the bedroom and laid the baby boy on the bottom of their bed. He expertly unbuttoned the baby grow he was in as Verity unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged out of it, carrying it into the bathroom and depositing it in the sink to soak. Returning to the bedroom, Mark had already found the bag with all of Billy's supplies. He was wiping him clean and putting him into a new outfit. Verity took his other and went to let it soak, tossing the wipes into the bin as well.
"There you go, buddy," Mark said and Billy's little arms and legs continued moving in the air. Mark bent down and picked him back up. "You're alright, aren't you? Hey? Yeah," he spoke in hushed whispers to him, rubbing his back and soothing him as he kept him against his chest. Wandering back through the corridor towards the kitchen, he saw Verity mopping up the floor with a cloth. She'd tugged on one of Mark's shirts he'd left hanging in the bathroom, sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"I think this one might be feeling sleepy now," Mark said to her.
"It is past his bedtime," Verity confirmed.
"I'll go and get him settled," Mark replied.
"Do you not want me to do it?"
"I've got him," Mark said, seemingly having a soothing touch on the baby who had gone very quiet in his arms, having his back rubbed making him sleepy. Verity watched Mark head on to the bedroom, seeing how he held Billy so tenderly against him and whispered to him, talking no sense but seeming to have a calming effect on him.
Picking up their glasses of wine, Verity carried them back to the coffee table and sat down again. She kept the TV on low, some black and white film playing that she wasn't interested in watching, but just enjoyed the background noise. Mark slipped out of the bedroom after a few minutes and closed the door, but left it snicked open. Heading to the living room, he sank down on the sofa and moved an arm over the back of it, Verity moving to rest against his side.
"I love that kid," Verity said, "but I'm not sure how Janet does it."
"You get used to it," Mark promised her. "It's exhausting to begin with, but it does get easier. I promise you."
"There's no rush, is there?" Verity asked from Mark. "I mean…to have kids…I do want them one day…just…I know you said there was no rush."
"And there isn't," Mark said to her. "Ver, we're both still so young. I know I like looking forward to the future and planning, but there really is no rush. I promise you."
"Okay, good," Verity said with a nod of her head. "Besides, Janet was telling me of everything that has accompanied her pregnancy and it freaked me out slightly. She was saying that her and Robert haven't been able to have sex yet…that she's worried he won't find her attractive now that she looks different. I told her that Robert would always love her, but I think she's worried about what having a kid might mean for their relationship…being intimate…"
Mark shook his head. "I'm with you," he said. "I've seen the way Robert looks at her. It's like she's the centre of his universe. Granted, she might be sharing that now with Billy."
"I don't doubt it," Verity retorted. "But I think having a baby has really knocked Jan. I'm worried for her. I know she's going to change…but she seems tired and not entirely herself…she's always been the strong one and confident."
"It's a big thing," Mark replied. "And it's not easy either. You constantly question whether you're doing a good job and your world changes. It's like…there's someone relying entirely on you and that is daunting. But Janet knows that you're here for her and she has her family plus Robert. If she needs time to rest and take a minute to herself then she can. That doesn't make her a bad parent."
Verity listened to him intently before turning her gaze up to meet his, her eyes searching his and a small smile forming on her lips. "You know, you're really good at this," she said to him and his brows furrowed.
"Good at what?" he questioned.
"Being a voice of reason," she replied. "Being supportive…you'll make a good dad, you know?"
"I hope so one day," Mark said. "When we're ready to take that step…and no matter what happens…I'll always find you attractive, you know?"
"Really?" Verity questioned.
"Really," he promised her and bent down to kiss her, his lips moving over hers as he reached for the buttons of his shirt that she was wearing. He kissed her neck softly as he finally undid the shirt and it hung loose around her frame. He moved her backwards on the sofa until she was laying down, him in between her legs and her hands tugging on his belt buckle.
It was just as Mark had managed to pull her skirt awkwardly from her body did Billy suddenly begin crying loudly again. Mark groaned into Verity's ear as he sensed her trying to sit up and he knew they had to put a pause on their activities. Mark clambered upwards and moved to sit on the edge of the sofa. Verity started to button the shirt back up, but Mark stilled her hands.
"You stay here," he urged from her.
"I'll go and-"
"-I'm on it," Mark interrupted her, leaving his belt unbuckled. "I'm less dishevelled and hopefully I can get him to settle so we can finish what we started."
"You sure?"
"Stay where you are, sweetheart," Mark demanded, kissing her quickly and then heading to the bedroom again to try and calm Billy.
Verity watched him go again and a smile formed on her face as she took a gulp of wine.
She would tell him that she had agreed to go and see Daniel Jacobson in prison in the morning.
...
A/N: So we are visiting jail...a parental reunion...and a big piece of news all coming up!
