Chapter 19 - Dominic
Mara is different than I remember, but she’s also the same. When we were kids, she used to be fearless but clumsy at the same time. Now, she’s still got that fire deep inside her, but it’s more tempered. She’s not as impulsive as she was when we were little. She’s graceful. She moves with purpose, and her intelligent eyes seem to take in more of the world than I knew existed.
She’s snoring gently beside me, and I watch her chest rise and fall as she sleeps. I brush a strand of hair away from her face and watch her for a few moments.
I’d never considered that her parents might have used her just like they used us. They were probably using her when they encouraged her to date Aiden. They’ve never wanted her to be happy – they just wanted my father’s business.
When he got sick, they didn’t need her to marry Aiden anymore. They could acquire my father’s business directly without waiting for the three of us to inherit it. They could get all of it instead of only a third. All they had to do was pretend they were buying it from us to help us with hospital bills.
I blamed Mara for a long time, and then I blamed Dad for not going to the hospital sooner. I blamed Mara’s parents for betraying us, and then I blamed myself. I was the eldest, after all. I should have known not to sell them the business.
Mara snorts in her sleep and shifts, making a small noise and going still again. I smile, pressing my lips to her forehead.
In all the years that I blamed the McCoys for our hardships, I’ve never considered that Mara could have suffered as much as us. At least my brothers and I had each other. Mara was on her own, with parents who didn’t care about her and half the town thinking she was to blame for my father’s death.
I wrap my arms around Mara and hold her close. My heart seems to grow in my chest as she sleeps against me, and all I want to do is keep her warm and safe. I fall asleep like that, with my arms holding her close. Our breath mixes together as we drift to sleep in my small bed.
She stirs beside me and I wake up, opening my eyes to see her smiling at me.
“Morning,” she says. Her voice comes out as a croak, and she laughs before clearing her throat. “Morning,” she says again.
“Morning, beautiful.”
Her cheeks flush a little and I smile. In this light, I can see the smattering of freckles across her nose. Her eyes are clear and bright.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” she says.
“Is that so?” I ask, not ready to get out of bed. I drape my arm across her body and she giggles as I pull her close. My cock is aching for her, and she gives me a little grin as she presses her body against mine.
“Maybe I can wait,” she says. I crush my lips against hers and groan as she wraps her arms around me. If I could stay in bed forever with her, I’d be happy. Waking up next to her in my bed is the sweetest pleasure I could ask for. When I watch her head lean back and her lips part – when her back arches and her body contracts around mine – I feel like the luckiest man alive.
She’s ignited something inside me. It’s not just the sex, or the orgasms. It’s something more. Once the pleasure of my orgasm fades, I rest my head on the pillow and watch the smile play across her lips. My heart jumps as we lay in bed together.
When she’s in the shower, I put on some eggs and bacon for breakfast. She comes into the tiny kitchen with a towel wrapped around her, inhaling and smiling. I hand her a cup of coffee and she takes a long drink.
“This is the perfect morning,” she says. She looks at the window and then back at me. “Listen!”
I listen to the birds singing right outside the window and I watch her look outside. She points at a nearby tree and looks at me with a huge smile on her face. “A nest! There must be babies hatching!”
I nod, flipping the bacon. “They’re sparrows,” I say. “I’ve been watching them the past couple of days. They hatched two days ago, and the mom has been busy feeding them ever since.”
Mara stares out the window and I smile as I watch her face. You’d think she’d never seen a bird’s nest before.
“Even being just a little bit further out, you get so much more wildlife here,” she says. “It’s way too busy near the hotel. It’s nice here.”
I nod, dishing up a couple plates of breakfast. Mara tears herself away from the window and smiles.
“This looks amazing,” she breathes.
“Between last night and this morning, you’ve pretty much gotten my full repertoire of cooking,” I laugh.
“Well I’m impressed,” she answers. She leans over to me and plants a kiss on my lips. “It smells so good.”
We spend the next hour or so just enjoying each other’s company. I used to think my cabin would never be big enough for two people, but Mara seems completely at home here. I put my arm around her and kiss her temple as we sit on the couch. She turns to me and kisses my lips before smiling sadly.
“I’d better go,” she says. “Any later and people will start wondering where I am.”
“I can drive you back,” I offer.
“That’s okay, I’ll walk the back way. It’s such a beautiful day.”
I nod and kiss her one more time. When she leaves, I watch her walk through the trees in the direction of town, and my heart feels light. I finish the rest of my coffee and put the mug in the sink before heading out to the workshop. I’ve got sketches for a few items that Mara wants to prototype. Based on the contract she showed me yesterday, I’m going to be incredibly busy for the next couple of months.
I get to work with a smile on my face and a lightness in my heart that I’m not used to. As unlikely as it is, Mara McCoy has brought the joy back to my life.