On her way out, Betty stopped to look at the father and son. Observing how playful Mark was with Tommy, tickling and making him laugh, Betty couldn't help but think of her son.
He would be old enough to have a family of his own if he was still alive. Thinking about it brought a frown to her face.
As Betty stepped out, Melissa noted how distressed she was.
Her aunt never talked about her husband and son, but Melissa knew how much she missed them. To some extent, she understood the pain her aunt had gone through since she felt it when her parents died.
'Maybe this is the right time to help her come to terms with whatever happened in the past. Help her move on.' Melissa thought to herself looking at the closed door.
Since her aunt had never gotten a chance to say goodbye to her husband and son, Melissa planned to check all the cemeteries in the city to find out where they were buried. That way her aunt could say her goodbyes. Get closure and maybe start a new life.
It was the least she could do to make it up to her for taking good care of them over the years.
"Please mum, can you and dad sleep here tonight?" Tommy's soft voice brought her back to the room.
Like every child, all Tommy wanted was his parents to stay together. For them to never separate again.
Finding it awkward to share the bed with Mark, Melissa tried to talk him out of it. She argued that Mark may be uncomfortable with the arrangement, but both father and son insisted on sleeping together.
"Okay young man, you win."
She felt uneasy being in the same room with Mark, especially after the intimate encounters, but Tommy was so excited to spend the night with his parents that she couldn't say no anymore.
On her way out, she stopped and watched her son play pillow fight and piggyback ride with his dad. Seeing him so cheerful brought tears to her eyes.
"Mum!"
"Yeah, I'm going to change my clothes." She smiled at them as they turned to gaze at her then quickly got into her room before they could notice the tears in her eyes.
With Melissa out of the room, Mark stopped to stare at his son jumping on the bed giggling. Watching him so happy made him wish he had known his son earlier. He never really thought of having a child but he was happy to have him. Especially since he was a mini image of himself.
"Daddy, are you tired?" Tommy questioned, noticing his dad staring at him motionless.
"Very, aren't you?" Mark sighed leaning back causing Tommy to giggle more.
"Oh, men! That's the problem with old people."
"Ha ha, are you calling me old?"
"Mum is always tired and has no time to play. When I ask grandma, she says she is old and can't play with me."
"Well son, I'm not as old as grandma is. I can play all day but not anymore, it's past your bedtime."
"Okay dad, but will you read me a story?" Seeing his father nod, Tommy got off the bed taking a storybook from the bookshelf for his dad to read.
A moment later when Melissa got back, she found Mark reading the little bear's story with sleeping Tommy in his arms.
Noticing her, he set the book aside then placed Tommy in the middle of the bed and rested beside him.
Though Tommy slept between them Melissa felt very conflicted. Being her first time sharing a bed with a man, she reluctantly got on her side. Said goodnight and turned her back to them before he walked out, only to get back minutes later.
With her eyes shut, she felt him watching her as he turned off her bedside light then went to sleep beside Tommy.
They had not discussed about the marriage since that day he had brought it up, and though he had made it clear about his decision to marry her, she hoped he would give them time to know each other first.
Melissa was okay with marrying Mark since it was necessary, but Mary's words about the perfect well educated lady from a wealthy family that had been chosen to be his wife distressed her.
She had not met her yet but from all the stories she heard from Mary and Nancy, Melissa felt that his family won't be welcoming. Being an orphan with no wealth, and having not completed university, she didn't think they would accept her. To top it all, she got pregnant before marriage, and though he was their grandson, they may think that she was just after the Johnson fortune. Which to some extent she was.
She needed him so she could get to her godfather but like her mother always told her, it didn't matter what people thought about her. What mattered was the person she was inside.
Turning to look at her snoring son and the man sleeping facing each other, she wondered what kind of a person she had become. Willing to give herself for the sake of revenge was unlike her but it had to be done. Her lips curving up looking at the two men in her life, she decided to rest her worries and face any problem that may arise in the future head on.
Melissa was willing to endure anything to get her revenge and keep her son happy and safe.
....
As the sun rose to brighten the morning, she woke up to find Mark watching her. Somehow in her sleep, she had rolled over to his side of the bed, lying on his chest with her legs intertwined with his.
"Morning sunshine." He said playfully stroking her hair behind her ear. "Seems you can't keep your hands off me, love." Grinning, he placed a light kiss on her cheek causing her eyes to open wider.
"Get your hands off me. Mark what are you doing, stop." She tried to get up but he held her tight rolling her on her back.
"My love, won't you give your husband to be a good morning kiss?" Holding her beneath him, he whispered into her ear and then gazed into her eyes.
The more she struggled to get him off, the more he tightened his hold on her.
"Get off me please, Tommy might come back. It's not good for him to see us like this." She looked around the room trying not to look into his eyes.
"Relax love, I sent him down for breakfast. He won't be back for a while." With his eyes darkening, he leaned even closer making her squirm.
"Can you stop moving."
"Oh!" When she realized what her wiggling was doing to his lower body she stopped. Wide eyed, she looked up into his eyes holding his gaze. With him only a breath away, she ran her tongue along her lips moisturizing them.
His eyes on her lips caused her to bite at her lower lip anticipating his next move as he brought his lips down to meet hers.
Holding her breath, remembering how it felt when he kissed her the night before, she closed her eyes waiting to feel the magic touch.
"Mum, Mum! Wake up." Just then, their lips almost touching, Tommy came in with bread in his hands calling his mum to get up.
Startled, Melissa pushed Mark from her jumping off the bed as the door opened. "Mum are you okay?" Seeing his mother standing beside the bed out of breath with beads of sweat on her forehead, Tommy asked making her feel more embarrassed.
"Ha ha, you frightened your mum. She almost ran out." Mark laughed leaning back on the headrest.
"It's all your fault." Throwing a pillow at him, she went to the adjoining room to get ready for work.
Wiping the bead of sweat on her face as she closed the door, she could hear Tommy laughing at something his father had said making her more flustered.
After the embarrassing moment, she tried to always stay away from Mark not being able to face him. Often going to work early before he got up and stayed away from the dining hall whenever he was around. Choosing to have most of her meals in the kitchen.
She was busy too most of the time in her room finishing her project design. Matching off the colors and decoration of various rooms for the hotel, with Mark reading Tommy's bedtime stories every night, giving her the space she needed.