Lie To Me, page 10
Marley was sure that she could make a list of reasons not too, that would easily out number the reasons that she should.
“People are going to talk.” Griffin said and that made her brows almost touch. What did she care?
“I don’t care.” She admitted honestly. She was not going to base her life decisions on the gossip of others. That would be the stupidest thing a person could ever do.
“I do.” Closing her eyes she tried to process what he was saying. “I have a reputation in this town and I would like to keep it.”
“This is the twenty first century.” She reminded him because it was all she could think of at the moment.
“That does not make it right.” Griffin countered.
“So, it is acceptable.” Because in this day and age, every body was doing it.
“Not right.” Marley really wished she could tell how serous he was about this. It was probably the second time he had mentioned marriage.
“Your first marriage was a disaster.” She reminded him, hoping it would derail him from this mind set.
“My first wife was a liar.” That was a matter of opinion she thought. How was she going to get him to understand that she wanted more from a marriage than great sex?
“I lied to you.” She reminded him. The argument was weak and she knew it. He shook his head at her.
“It is not the same thing and you know it. Try again, Princess.” That name made her angry. She wondered if he even realized how it made her feel. The name said he thought she was a spoiled person that was not concerned with anyone but herself. Which was as far from the truth as one could get. She was more concerned with her baby than anything else.
“Do not call me that.” Marley said trying to keep her anger in check. She did not want to get into a shouting match with him.
“Why is the idea of being married to me so upsetting to you?” Griffin’s eyes locked onto hers and she was unable to tear her gaze away.
“It is for all the wrong reasons.” She said and felt some of her anger slipping away.
She was sure that he wanted to get married to save face in the community. That was not enough for her.
“What reasons do you need?” Griffin asked his voice getting a little softer, she did not miss it.
“If I have to tell you then it is not going to work.” Marley again tried to push past him but he did not move. She tilted her head back to look up at him.
“Do you have feelings for someone else?” He asked and she did not like the way that thought made her feel. What if he had feelings for someone else? It did not seem like a possibility, but she could not be sure.
“No.” She admitted and wished she was brave enough to ask that question herself.
“Do you have feelings for me?” Marley brought her eyes to his too quickly. How on earth could he expect her to answer that? Well if she was being honest she would say yes.
“I am not sure.” Standing here with him now she thought she did. “My emotions are all over the map, thanks to these pregnancy hormones.” Marley offered the explanation hoping he would accept it. Anything was better than telling him the truth at that moment.
“I do not believe that.” That was easy for him to say, he was not the one with everything on the line.
“Griffin.” She started but he cut her off.
“I am not going to push the issue. Don’t think this is over, but I can tell you are done with this conversation. So for now I will let it go.” Marley was going to argue with him, but realized that he was offering her the best option. If she argued with him now it would be like shooting herself in the foot.
“Thank you.” She said and just barely moved her mouth out of the way before he closed his lips on her cheek. Ducking to the side she was able to slip past him. Griffin went into the bathroom and closed the door. Marley raced to her other clothes and dressed as quickly as she could. She would return later for her tooth brush.
Marley ran into Megan in the hallway and she could tell that her sister was not feeling very good.
“Good morning.” Marley said as she passed her sister.
“Not so loud.” Megan said and held a hand up to her forehead.
“Hangover.” She explained before heading into the kitchen. That was exactly what her sister deserved.
After breakfast she made her way to the guesthouse. It was not yet hot enough to worry about the ac unit. She knew through Megan that the guys Pop had hired would be there in a little bit. Which could mean anything with Megan but she hoped it would be before the thermostat rose too high. If so she would retreat to the main house until it was cooler.
The guest house was a nice little house. It had the kitchen and living room as one huge room when you entered. A simple bar separating the spaces. It had a fireplace and a television. Two things she rarely used. The kitchen had everything she would need to feed herself, except the food. She would fix that issue later. There were two doors leading off from the entry part of the house. One opened into a bathroom and the other into a bedroom. She was surprised to see that most of the boxes had been placed in the room that was printed on the side. Her furniture had even been set up pretty much the way she would have chosen to do it. Moving into the bedroom she decided a good cleaning was in order.
Several hours later she was hot and tired. The heat had climbed with the sun and it was too hot to stay in the guest house. She made her way to the main house. There was no one around. So she made her way to the guest bedroom she had used before and stripped for a shower.
This would not be so hard she thought. She could easily live in the guest house until she found something of her own. It made the most perfect sense. Not to mention she could save all of that money she would have used to pay rent, and add it to her down payment fund. Yes Marley had funds for everything. It helped her to keep herself financially stable. Opening the door to the bedroom she saw that his blue and black shirt had been placed across the bed. She shook her head and made her way to the clothes she had brought with her. When had he brought that shirt in there? She was zipping up her pants when he opened the door.
“The guys are here to work on the unit.” Griffin explained as he stepped into the room.
“Do I need to move anything?” She thought trying to remember if she had put anything in their way.
“No, they are big strong boys they can move anything that is in their way.” Griffin closed the door behind him and looked at her.
“You left your shirt in here.” She said pointing to the shirt on the bed. That was such a stupid thing to say but she was at a loss for words at the moment.
“It was my excuse to come in here.” He admitted crossing his arms over his chest.
“Like you need an excuse, it is your house.” Griffin shook his head and pursed his lips. She wondered if he always had control over himself. Was that something that he was born with, or something that he learned? Probably a bit of both.
“I will not invade your privacy no matter whose house it is.” He was serious and she wondered what event in his life had made him that way.
“Thanks.” She was not sure what to do, so she started gathering her dirty clothes. “I might have to sleep in here tonight. If they don’t get the unit fixed.”
“This room is occupied.” He said and she wondered what he could mean by that. There was no one staying in that room.
“Griffin.” Marley was going to ask him who was staying in it when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Griffin said and the door opened for an older woman. She was short, much shorter than Griffin but she was fierce. That woman did not take crap, it was just the way she looked.
“Mom, Marley. Marley, my Mom.” That explained it. She had not one time thought about his mother. She had so many questions but now was not the time.
“So she is the one you knocked up?” His mother asked and she returned her eyes to his. This was not what she had been expecting.
“Mom.” Griffin warned but the other woman was not to be put off. She crossed the room and dropped her small suitcase on the chair.
“Are you a gold digger?” The other woman asked.
“No, I am a lawyer. Although some might say it is the same thing.” She knew the many names that lawyers were often called, but she was not going to get into that at the moment. She looked at Griffin briefly before her eyes returned to his mother.
“A lawyer? Well that must mean you are a smart girl. So why did you let this happen?” This woman was about to get an earful. Marley breathed very deeply and smiled. The smile was simply to keep her lips closed while she thought about the words to say.
“First of all that is none of your business. Secondly I have not disrespected you in any way. I can if you continue to be rude. However, I would like to start off on the right foot with you, because this is your grandchild.” Marley was pleased with the way she had kept her calm. Her emotions were running a marathon through her. It would be so easy to blame her rudeness on hormones, but she knew she would feel bad later. So she controlled herself as best she could and picked his shirt up off the bed.
Neither mother nor son said a word as she walked out of that room. When she made her way to the kitchen the door to the garage opened. Eli came rushing in with Pop behind him.
“Is she here?” Eli asked and Marley pointed down the hall. Eli ran off. Pop came in and removed his hat.
“I take it you met Martha?” Pop asked as he moved to sit at the small table in the kitchen. “I knew she would turn up as soon as Griffin told her.”
Marley tossed the clothes into the hamper in the laundry room and came back into the kitchen.
“Would you like something to drink?” She asked as she helped herself to a bottle of water.
“Is there any coffee?” Pop asked and Marley set about starting a fresh pot. When she turned he was looking at her.
“She is not all that bad.” Pop said and she wondered if Martha was always that way.
“Are y’all divorced?” Marley asked because she could not imagine this kind man married to that woman.
“No, we have lived apart for years. She went to take care of her mother in Boston and never came back.” It seemed as though she was back now. Marley poured some of the coffee into a cup and carried it to where he sat. She knew that he drank it black. Sitting across from him she wondered what to say.
“She is lovely.” Marley said with a smile on her face.
“Your sister can’t stand her. She comes every Christmas.” He added when her eyes met his. Megan liked every person she met so to say that she could not stand Martha was saying a lot.
“She means well, but she is very protective of Griffin.” That was obvious. However, she had no reason to fear Marley. Griffin came into the kitchen and Pop stood, the two men hugged and Pop sat back down. Griffin went into the laundry room and fished his shirt out of the hamper.
“I told you I did not want this washed.” He said as he passed by the table with the shirt in his hand.
“That shirt gets washed every day.” Pop said before looking at her. Marley shrugged not ready to tell him the reason why. Megan came into the kitchen and it was clear that she was still hungover.
“Why do you do that to yourself?” Marley asked as Megan poured some coffee in a cup.
“It is one of those in the moment things.” Megan said and sat beside of Pop. He patted her on the top of her hand.
“Did you drink a glass of water like I told you?” He asked and Megan shook her head.
“I forgot.” Megan said as she slowly sipped the black coffee.
“It helps.” Pop said just as Martha made her way into the kitchen. Megan looked up and groaned.
“Now I have to deal with her.” Megan said and Marley doubted Martha heard her.
“My Lord, as if one wasn’t bad enough now there are two.” Martha said as she made her way to the coffee pot. Did all of these people drink coffee? Shaking her head she looked at Pop. He smiled at her.
“Hello, Martha.” Pop said to his wife and it was almost comical.
“Quincy.” She acknowledged before joining them at the table.
“You can put the claws away now.” Pop said gently. Martha looked at him. It was almost funny.
“You know me so well.” Martha said before drinking from her cup.
“Megan, how are you this morning?” Martha asked a bit of forced sweetness in her tone.
“Hungover.” Megan admitted before standing and heading for the sink. Marley watched as she emptied the cup in the sink. Well she had drank half of it at least.
“I guess that is better than pregnant.” Martha said and Marley drew in a deep breath. Griffin and Eli came back into the kitchen at the same time.
“Who is pregnant?” Eli asked as he opened the refrigerator door.
“Eli, Ears.” Griffin all but barked at the boy. Eli put a finger in each ear and started humming.
“We are not talking about it in front of him, Mom.” Griffin and his mother met and locked eyes.
“So he doesn’t know that his father knocked up the baby sitter?” Martha asked and Marley had just about all she could take from this woman.
“That is enough.” Griffin said and Marley stood, it was more than enough. If she did not leave she was going to say something that she could not take back. Marley headed for the door. She needed some fresh air anyway.
“I am not knocked up.” She heard Megan say just before the door slammed behind her. That was all the reaction that woman was going to get and that was too much. The door swung open but she did not stop to see who it was. Griffin easily caught up with her and caught her hand.
“Please talk to me.” Griffin said and she wondered why he thought she was mad at him.
“I am not mad at you.” She said as her anger hit an all time high. His mother was a real treasure.
“I knocked you up.” Griffin said and that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Don’t you ever say that to me again.” Marley said calmly as she stopped and turned on him. She poked her finger in the center of his chest. “That is not what happened and you know it. I hate that term. Knocked up! What the hell is that supposed to mean anyway? You didn’t knock anything.” He was not the one that she was upset with. Marley prided herself on keeping her calm. They were almost on the porch of the guest house and she realized they were not alone. There were two men standing on the porch. They had come out of the house and stopped. They were simply looking at the couple standing in the yard. Griffin looked to the men.
“It is fixed, Sir.” It was clear the man was uncomfortable with the scene before him. Marley turned and headed up the steps into the house. They may have fixed it but it was not yet cooling the small house. She was sure that it would not take long. Making her way to her couch she sat. Griffin followed after he had taken care of the men, she thought. He sat next to her on the couch.
“Are you still upset?” He asked and she shook her head.
“She can be a bit much.” He admitted and she faced him.
“It is not even her that got to me. I normally don’t let things get to me. I am a wreck and I can’t seem to control my own emotions.” It was easy to talk to him and to admit that did make her feel better.
“Pregnancy hormones?” He asked and she wondered if he believed her now. She had used that excuse to avoid his question. Now it was a far more plausible excuse.
“I am going to have a heart to heart with her, Marley. Yes she is my mother, but she is not going to treat you like this.” That was his choice and she was not going to argue with him about it. She was sure she would not be able to change his mind anyway.
“What do you think we should tell Eli?” Griffin asked after several moments of silence.
“I don’t know.” That was the truth and she was in no mood to even think about it. There was a light knock on the door.
“Come in.” Griffin called and the door opened. Eli came in and closed the door behind him.
“Is Marley leaving because of Nana?” Eli asked as he made his way to where they sat. Griffin slid away from Marley so that Eli could sit between them.
“No.” Griffin answered and she smiled at Eli. He took the space that had been made for him.
“I was worried for a minute.” Eli said and she smiled at that. He was probably worried about losing the grilled cheese sandwiches he so loved.
“Marley is not leaving at all.” Griffin stated and it sounded final. She wondered if he was going to tell Eli the truth now.
“She is pregnant, Eli, and you are going to be a big brother.” Griffin’s words met silence as Eli turned to look at her. She could not tell if he was happy or not. It was a bit of a shock, she had been shocked when she had heard it herself.
