Chapter 7
Marti woke up to the sun streaming through the window and a slight chill in the air. It hardly ever snowed in Mountain View, but the fall had been cooler this year. She slid into her sweats and fuzzy slippers and went downstairs. The smell of turkey roasting in the Nesco and Annie humming Christmas tunes helped Marti get over the sound of headboards beating on the wall and the hushed moans that escaped their bedroom the night before.
“Mornin’ y’all where’s the coffee?” Scratching her head.
“Right there, girl, a fresh pot.”
No wonder Annie was always pert and happy. She had an amazing fiancé and didn’t have to work on top of that. What more could a girl ask for? Oh yeah, I’d have the same thing if I wasn’t so fucked up.
She grabbed a cup of fresh joe and sipped it. The hot drink warmed her insides. “It’s a bit nippy out there. You think it’ll finally snow this year?”
Annie scoffed, “Yeah, in our dreams. The mountains look real pretty though.” She nodded towards the kitchen window.
Marti walked over to the window. The mountains had a fresh layer of snow, sparkling in the sunlight. “Oh my God, that’s amazing.” She sipped. “I never realized how beautiful this ol’ podunk place is. That’s some God right there.”
“Mmm-hmm, I’ve always loved it here. Missed it real bad when I was in L.A.”
Marti turned, sipping her coffee and went to the old antique china cabinet, taking out a plate of the good china. Grandma and Grandpa Gibbons’ china. It brought back bittersweet memories of her and Annie bitching about how they hated to clean up the holiday dishes after dinner. When she was young, the big question was...why the hell did they have to wash the dishes, use them and then wash them again? Today, it made her feel like she was home.
“Remember washing these when we were kids?” she smiled, showing Annie the plate.
Annie laughed “Yeah, we were so lazy back then. Always complaining about this damn china, and here we are all grown up, washing the exact same dishes again… before we even use them.”
Marti glanced around, taking the china out of the cabinet. “Where’s Tommy? Is he working today?”
“Naw, he’s probably out there watching the parade or football or something,” she gestured toward the front. “I had him put the turkey on and then he ran off to the other room.” She peeled some potatoes. “Marti, we don’t need too many dishes, there’s only 3 of us.”
Marti laughed, looking at the stack of plates she had already piled up, “Oh yeah, duh!” and carried the rest of the dishes back to their place in the cabinet.
As the day carried on, the house warmed up with the smell of turkey roasting and pies in the oven. Marti ran upstairs to take a quick shower and get dressed. She had been prepping and cooking most of the day and she didn’t want to enjoy the fruits of their labor looking like she just woke up.
As the hot water ran down her body, she scrubbed her hair, her body and thought about Nick. She was worried, he hadn’t called all day. He was probably enjoying his holiday with her. The Bitch.
Marti stretched her neck from side to side, trying to shake the thoughts of him out of her mind; she rinsed and stepped out of the shower, catching a glimpse of her naked body in the mirror. She walked forward toward the mirror and let the towel drop. Her boobs were still just as beautiful and bouncy as ever. She ran her hands over them, looking at the reflection of her smooth, soft skin.
She was beautiful. Her curly red hair still long, but now coiffed into a more sophisticated look, her eyes, an emerald green that no man could resist.
Well…no man except hers. She thought, longingly. Even though she was home, she still felt lonely. Lost.
Quickly picking up the towel and wrapping it around her curvy butt, she ran into the guest room to get dressed. Marti grabbed a T-shirt and threw on some jeans. This millionaire lifestyle had definitely changed the way she thought about dressing. Who freakin’ cares if my pants have a label that says Prada in them? Who is Prada and why the hell am I wearing her jeans?
Freshly clean, shaved, plucked and pampered, she walked down the stairs, ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. She could hear strange people talking in the kitchen. It wasn’t Tommy and Annie although they were there. Oh my God, is that Nick? Did he bring Ellie? Who is that lady?
She tiptoed to the side of the kitchen door and listened. Yes, it was Nick, but who else was there? Her heart started racing. Shit! His back was to her and he was wearing her favorite faded jeans, the ones that grabbed the muscles in his legs and ass just at the right spot. And those shoulders, her knees weakened at the thought of holding him, God, he was handsome. His jet black hair just barely long enough to grab, his body strong and well defined. She thought of the first time she saw him at the café.
Her throat tightened, she felt like she was suffocating. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and quietly slid into the kitchen. “Hey, what are y’all doing here?”
He looked over “Marti! Princesa!” and went to her, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ve missed you, Peach. Oh, God, I have missed you!”
Marti pulled away. “What are you doing here? When did y’all get here?” Turning to the short, plump woman standing next to him. “Hello,” she smiled, “are - are you Mrs. Vargas?” Reaching over to shake her hand, the woman pulled her in closer to give her a hug.
“Yes, hija, I am Nick’s mamá. Mamá Lupita.” She held Marti for a few seconds and let her go, smiling. “You are as beautiful as I thought. Just beautiful.” She touched Marti’s hair, smiling, “y este pelo, your hair is maravilloso. So red and curly and beautiful.” She held Marti’s arm, not showing any signs of letting go. “Now tell me, what did my son do to you to make you go away? Come, hija, tell Mamá what’s wrong.”
Marti instantly fell in love with Mamá Lupita. She was warm and kind and her eyes were full of peaceful understanding. “Oh no, no Mrs. Vargas, your son is amazing,” she gestured towards Nick. “Are y’all here for dinner?”
Nick lowered his head. Mamá chimed in, “Si, hija, we can stay. I bring food for everyone.” As she turned and scurried out the door.
Marti’s heart sank as she turned to look at Nick. “You look good.” She stifled a smile.
“Princesa,” he slid his hand to her cheek. “I love you, I need you. Come home.”
She pulled his hand away and snapped, “Now is not the time. I see you met my best friend Annie and her fiancé Tommy?”
“Yes, I have met your friends. Wonderful people, beautiful home. I can see why you like it here.” He nodded.
“Good, then let’s get dinner on the table and eat, I’m starved.” She walked over to the counter and grabbed a baking dish, carrying it to the table. Her heart was racing, the butterflies in her stomach were alive and well. She felt like she was going to throw up.
The girls placed the entire Thanksgiving feast on the table, the smell of candied yams and turkey filled the room. Tommy was at the roaster, removing the turkey to a platter. “Tommy, grab me those giblets and I’ll whip up some gravy real quick.”
He laughed, “Uh…no. My mama taught me the best giblet gravy recipe in the world and I’m not about to let you mess them up.” Not only was Tommy a decorated cop and sex god, he was also a really good cook.
Mamá Vargas returned with a baking dish, “Hijo, help your mamá out, bring the food from the car.” She sat the dish on the table and lifted the lid. “Mmmm… I bring you tamales, frijoles, everything.” Her smile warmed the room as they all sat down and gave thanks to The Lord for their wonderful blessings.
Nick took a seat next to Marti and his mother was on the other side of her. They passed around the food, laughed and chit chatted about the various dishes. The whole table was laughter and conversation, getting to know Nick and Mrs. Vargas. They talked about the tamales, Los Angeles, the football game on TV. Marti sat there quietly playing with her food. She didn’t want to be here. She also didn’t want to be rude to Nick’s mom. She faked a smile and tried to seem interested, but the unexpected visitors had thrown her off.
Nick finally noticed Marti was playing with her food, barely eating. “What’s wrong? You don’t like the food?” She glanced at him and jumped up, smacking both hands palms down on the table. The whole table jumped, startled at her outburst.
“Oh.
My.
God!
I can’t fucking do this anymore!” as she turned, teary eyed and ran through the house and up the stairs.
Everyone was aghast. Annie looked at Tommy, “What the - ” Nick stood up, placing his napkin on the table.” I’ll be right back,” he said as he went after her. “Marti!”
Marti threw herself on the bed and smashed her face into her pillow and let out a stifled scream. The tears were flowing and her screams turned into sobbing. Nick sat on the side of the bed, “What’s wrong, Marti?” She felt his warm hand caressing her back.
“Marti, tell me what happened.” She turned to see sheer terror on his face. “Why are you crying? Princesa, what is going on with you?”
Shaking her head, “Nothing, nothing is going on with me,” she stood up. “Just releasing some steam. I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I don’t care what the fuck I look like; I said I’ll be fine,” She snapped, running to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
She plopped herself down on the small velvet settee in the oversized bathroom. One thing about the old ranch houses in Georgia, they were huge. The guest bathroom was no different. It was big enough for a small family to live in. And very girlie…subtle pink lighting and a plum colored settee.
Marti sat there crying. What the fuck am I doing? This amazing, wonderful man actually married me, stayed married to me, and here I am running around like a fucking little brat. God, what is my problem? I bet his mom thinks I’m a total freaking loony bird. Tommy probably won’t even let Annie hang out with me anymore. Fuck, I don’t even know what to do. I mean shit! I really don’t want to go back downstairs with my tail between my legs and apologize to everybody. I cannot believe I fucking did this. SHIT!
She let out a big sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair, leaned back on the wall and sighed, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Fuck!
After a few minutes passed and she gathered her senses, she blew her nose, washed her hands and face and stepped out into her bedroom. “Nick?” Her husband was looking out the window, on the phone, again. He turned to look at her, quickly said goodbye and walked over to her.
“Princesa, are you okay?” His voice was soft and his eyes were dark. He reached over to hug her, pulling her into his chest. She sighed; this is where she wanted to be, in his arms. She wanted to feel safe, protected, loved. His scent was so manly, musky. He always smelled good and the rippling muscles on his chest didn’t hurt. She felt a warm slice of heaven and raised her head to look at him.
“I’ll be fine, honey, I’m sorry, let’s go home.”
“Well, Princesa, it doesn’t look like we’re going home tonight, I was just on the phone with Jimmy and it seems a cold front has come in and a big winter storm will be passing through in the middle of the night and early-morning. I was just watching the snow flurries outside. We’ll have to call into town, find out if there’s any room in a hotel; we’re not going to Memphis tonight.” He inhaled, letting it out slowly.
“Honey, y’all can just stay here. I’ll go ask Annie, I don’t think she’ll mind. I’ve got to get downstairs and apologize to everybody for acting like such a bitch. I’m really sorry” Biting her lip, she said “I don’t know what’s got into me. All I know is that I have a constant feeling like I am going to fucking explode, fair warning.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. He pulled back. “What do you mean explode? Are you alright? Do you need to see a doctor?”
“No, I don’t need to see a fucking doctor, I need to go apologize to your mother.” Pulling his hand, she led him downstairs.
Making her grand entrance into the dining room, she blurted out, “Hey y’all, I’m sorry I’m such a brat, apologies to all of you. Tommy, Annie, there’s a storm coming in; did you see the snow flurries outside? Anyway, no one is going to be able to drive home tonight, so is it okay if Nick and Mamá Lupita stay here until the storm passes?”
Tommy looked at Annie and nodded, they had been talking and eating with Mamá Lupita for over an hour. She had helped with the dishes and the only thing left on the table was Nick and Marti’s plates, and a chilled bottle of wine. He looked over at Nick, and smiled.
“Hell yeah! Y’all are more than welcome to stay at our house any time you want, for as long as you want. We have tons of room, more than enough for all of us.” He stood up and grasped Annie’s hand. “Baby, let’s go set up the other room. Nick, will you…uh…need a room of your own?”
Marti looked up at Nick, still holding his hand, then back to Tommy. “No, Tommy, Nick will be with me tonight. And I’m so sorry y’all that I am acting like a freaking idiot. Lupita, please forgive me.”
“No biggie. I know you got a lot going on, girl. Now finish eating ‘cause I’m not feeding you again!” Annie chuckled and gave Marti a big hug. “You know I love you girl. Just give us some warning before you go postal, okay? And if you do go postal, remember, I’m on your side.” A smile slid across Annie’s face as she hugged her best friend. Marti would be okay.
“Tommy, come on! Let’s go get the guest rooms squared away.” She scurried up the stairs, Lupita slowly followed behind. She glanced back at her son. A wink and a smile slid across her face. He nodded and they sat down to finish up their cold Thanksgiving dinner…nothing a microwave wouldn’t fix.
She turned to look at Nick, his eyes were tired and the muscles in his jaw tight. “I’m really sorry for all this, Nick. Please forgive me.” She felt like she was giving up, again. She had to, for today anyway. It was Thanksgiving and she wanted to give thanks, not screw up everyone’s holiday.
His dark eyes turned into melted chocolate, he reached across and slid his arm around her shoulder, caressing her for a second, then pulling her close into him. “I forgive you, Peach. I was more worried than anything. Not angry, just worried.”
She poured another glass of wine. She needed it. And then she poured another. This was going to be a long night.
Nick stood up “I’ll have to carry mama’s bags upstairs, and get her settled in. I’ll be right back.” Marti smiled and nodded, she was about to down another glass of wine. Oh, fuck it! She went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Jack. Her heart hurt, her head pounded and if she was going to sleep with Nick tonight, she needed something to take the edge off.
After a few shots of whiskey, Marti was a little buzzed. Nick and Tommy got Mrs. Vargas all set up in the other guest bedroom and Annie and Tommy locked up the house and went to bed. The snow was falling outside and there was a chill in the air. Nick brought in some firewood and stoked the fire. They sat on the sofa watching the flames and Marti started, “You know this house was built in the 1800’s? Annie had it restored, don’t know where the girl got the money, but she did an amazing job.” She lay back between his legs, her back warm on his chest.
“This house is beautiful. Your friends are wonderful. I can see why you love Mountain View. I can see why you are such an amazing lady. You came from this beautiful, small town.”
If he only fucking knew how my life truly was before I met him, he would run for the hills. She thought. “Our house is beautiful too, I’m just a whiny brat. Guess I didn’t know what I had till I didn’t have it no more.” She sighed, the warmth of the fire and the feel of his heart beating in his chest stirred up a tingling inside.
“How’s your mama? Does she hate me?”
He chuckled, “Mi mamá doesn’t hate you. She has enough love in her heart for everyone. And she gives it freely. No questions asked. You have to remember where I come from. We were a poor immigrant family for many years, she has worked hard and now all the work she did raising her children has paid off. She’s an amazing woman. You will love her once you get to know her.”
Marti rolled over, placing her chin on his chest, and looked into his eyes. “You are an amazing man, we just have our differences and I really hope we can get them settled before we fall apart again. I really need you.”
He reached up and ran his fingers through her thick hair. His thumb slid across her cheek bone. “You fell apart, Peach. I have a business to run.” She frowned. “I know, I just, well… I really don’t want to talk about it now.”
He exhaled. “You don’t want to talk about anything, ever.” He hesitated, playing with her curls, “you are my wife and I intend to keep it that way, but hija, you left me…in the middle of the night. We need to talk about this.”
She pouted and ran her fingers through his hair. “But I don’t want to.”
“Marti…hija. You left, I woke up in the night and you weren’t there. My wife, gone, I searched all over the house and you were gone. What kind of life is this? What do you need that I am not giving you?” His eyes were dark and piercing, she shivered, she had never seen him like this.
“Nick, I really don’t want to talk about this. Not today, it’s Thanksgiving. Relax.” Shaking her head, “This is not how this night is supposed to end.”
“This is not how my marriage is supposed to end. Do you have any idea how I felt when I saw you had left? Do you even care what you did to me?” His voice vibrated throughout the living room.
She sat up, almost snarling. “What I did to you? What about all the shit you do to me?” Her voice was getting louder. “You know what? Just forget it, just fucking forget it. I’m going to bed.” She picked up her glass and started towards the stairs, stopping for a moment at the bottom step. She turned back and looked at him. “You know what? I ju-”
“Marti,” he interrupted, “I’m sorry. Sorry that my feelings for my wife are more than I ever imagined. Sorry that I love you. And I’m very sorry that you think our marriage is a joke or something to be played with. Damn! Are you ever happy?” he exhaled, tired of arguing, and looked over at her and said, “I’ll go in the morning, for now I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Good night.” She didn’t know if it was the whiskey or what, but her feelings just went on overload and she wasn’t about to let it show. She slowly walked up the stairs, wanting him to come to her, her heart pounding, begging him to come to her…because her bruised ego wouldn’t dare let her go back downstairs.