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“Mom, he’s here!”
Abby cursed as she added the last few touches to her makeup and then checked to make sure everything was in its proper place. Giving a side eye to the clock, she saw that it was exactly 7:30pm and he was of course, right on time. Her shoes were with her coat downstairs so with a long breath to relax her, she headed to the staircase to meet her date. Detective Marcus Kane was standing in the entryway talking to her daughter, Clarke, when she came down and Abby stared for a minute at the surreal feeling of the moment. He looked incredible in his white button down and casual slacks and she smiled at the way he kept running his hand through his hair; showing how nervous he actually was now that she had agreed to the date.
“I’m ready,” she said from her perch and he turned to look up at her with a smile already on his lips. Her breath caught in her throat at the look of adoration in his eyes and Abby could feel heat already moving up her cheeks as he smiled.
“You look breathtaking,” he said softly, holding out a hand to help her balance while she slipped on her ballet flats. Not knowing where they were going, Abby had opted for practical footwear even though standing next to him she felt even shorter than usual. A snort of laughter from Clarke made him blush and Abby smiled while she slid her coat on.
Turning to her daughter, Abby said, “money for pizza is on the fridge and yes, I left enough so you can have Octavia and Jasper over. I’ll call when we are on our way back so you can clean up any illicit activity that I don’t want to know about.”
“Mom!”
Abby grinned, “I know, just try not to burn up all the internet with Netflix alright?”
Giving her mom an enthusiastic hug, Clarke ran from the room to call her friends and Marcus held out his arm for Abby, “shall we?”
Giving him her biggest smile, Abby placed her hand in the crook of his arm and they walked to his car at the curb. Helping her in, letting her situate herself before closing the door, and holding her small bag while she buckled made Abby giddy with all the attentiveness. Her blush seemed to be permanently stained on her face.
“Alright Ms. Griffin, do you trust me?” Marcus asked as he started the car.
She looked at his grinning face and nodded as they pulled out of her driveway. Driving with Marcus was quiet but not uncomfortable. She watched the lines on the road go by and then gasped as she saw a large brightly lit carnival stretch out in front of them.
“Is this alright?” Marcus asked cautiously, trying to read her expression to see if he had guessed correctly. Parking the car a little ways from the entrance, he jumped out and went to help her out of her seat. She was all smiles as he draped her coat around her shoulders.
“This is perfect Marcus,” she said, “I am so glad I wore comfortable shoes!”
He laughed and grabbed her hand, leading her to the ticket line and then into the carnival where their first stop was food and then off to see the sights. Abby found herself laughing at his antidotes about his first carnival, laughing at his commentary on the juggling act, and trying not to laugh when he got hit in the head with an errant tennis ball. It was the most fun she had experienced in a while and as he led her to the Ferris wheel line, she thought back to their first meeting.
She first met Detective Marcus Kane a few months ago when he came to the hospital, dragging a man in handcuffs into the ER, and demanded that she treat the man as fast as possible so they could get him to lockup. Seeing as how the arrestee was bleeding internally and almost unconscious, Abby gave him her best fuck-off smile and told him that they weren’t going anywhere but to surgery before placing the wounded man on a gurney and directing two staff members to roll him into the operating room. Marcus stood stunned in the hall as she took the prisoner into the bowels of the hospital and she hadn’t spared him a second thought until two days later when he walked in her office and asked if she was free that weekend. Telling him to go to hell hadn’t had the reaction she thought it would, him smiling and walking out the door, so she wasn’t too surprised when she began receiving regular deliveries of cards from him with the same message and address.
“I am sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you were free this Saturday?
Signed, Marcus Kane: c/o Hell.”
Eleven cards later and she had tracked him down to the police station, found his desk, placed all the cards on top of it, and told him to pick her up at 7:30 and that the date better be amazing.
Looking around, she decided that he had lived up to her demand of an amazing date and leaned into his arms as they waited for their turn on the ride.
“Are you having fun?” He asked, for the fifth time that night and she swatted his arm.
“I am having just as much fun as I was the last time you asked me Marcus,” she said and he gave her a sheepish grin.
“Just making sure I hold up my end of the bargain,” he told her, giving her hand a squeeze.
The line began moving forward and soon they were sitting in the bucket seat as it lifted into the air. Shivering a little from the cold, Abby wrapped her arms around Marcus who returned the favor and drew her closer to his side.
“What made you want to become a police officer?” Abby asked to distract herself from the scent of Marcus enveloping her.
He shrugged, “I joined the army at eighteen, didn’t get out till I was almost thirty, and I knew that I wanted to keep helping people so it seemed like the best fit. How about you? Have you always wanted to be a doctor?”
“It’s been that way since high school really,” Abby told him, “my father was a surgeon and he wanted me to continue in his footsteps. My life never felt like my own till I got to medical school and then I realized that I did enjoy caring for people so I stayed. It helps that I have an affinity for it and I am proud of my work.”
“No childhood dream job that you never got a chance to take?”
“Well, I wanted to be a taste tester for Ben and Jerry’s when I was twelve, does that count?”
“Sure,” he said with a laugh, “and it’s never too late to chase that one.”
She giggled, “I’ll pass, now that I have Clarke, staying at the hospital seems more financially sound.”
“I do admire the financially stable,” he said with cheeky grin that had her swatting his arm in playful anger. They talked about their similar childhoods and their worst fears till the ride stopped. They talked about their favorite movies and silliest co-workers while walking the length of the carnival and when Marcus led her back to the car while she finished eating her half of the cotton candy, Abby felt as if she could dance on clouds. This fierce, bold man was making her feel things that she thought were over when her husband died and he was so different from Jake’s calm and unassuming way that she was surprised she didn’t hate him. Abby had wanted to hate him at first or at least hold indifference to his being. Now she was glad that her annoyance had trickled into amusement and that saying yes had made him clap his hands like a boy at Christmas and she knew she couldn’t be indifferent to Marcus Kane. Her heart pounded with each smile and touch from him until her whole body sang with joy and nothing felt strange or out of place.
Calling Clarke to say they were on their way back brought a bit of somber reality to the night as Marcus was more aware than ever that they couldn’t ignore the world while they learned about each other. Abby hadn’t been very forthcoming about Clarke or her late husband that night and Marcus was very willing to let her talk about the heartaches of the past at her own pace but he wanted to learn about Clarke and find a way to win her over. Without the daughter’s approval, he was sure that Abby would never agree to any sort of relationship with him. Driving Abby home was Marcus’ least favorite part of the night. She wasn’t very talkative, staring out the window with a smile he couldn’t interpret, and each passing mile meant that the night was that much closer to being over. When he saw her house a couple blocks down, he frowned and lowered his speed.
“Are you alright?” Abby asked as she felt the car slow.
Marcus looked over and gave her a slight smile, “I just don’t want this night to end is all. Who knows if it will take eleven weeks for you to agree to go out with me again.”
Placing a hand on his arm, Abby said, “I don’t think you have to worry about that Marcus. I had a great time. You aren’t as prickish as I thought you were.”
“Oh, well then this date really didn’t go as planned,” Marcus teased as he parked the car on the curb. He once again, jumped out of the car, held open her door for her, and held out his arm to walk with her to the door. Accepting all his gestures, Abby felt her chest tighten as she stood on her porch and tried to find a way to say good night. She was sure he could hear her heart beat from how hard it was pounding and the way her eyes followed his mouth as he talked made her knees weak.
“I had fun Marcus,” she said a little lamely, twisting the hem of her coat between her fingers, “we definitely need to do this again.”
Marcus could only nod as he stepped closer as his breathing was irregular and his heart felt like he was trapped in a bass drum. Abby was trembling and he could tell she didn’t know what to do to end the night so he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle hug.
“Good night Abby,” he whispered in her ear, “thank you for an amazing time.”
His cheek against hers, Abby could feel the heat of him radiating towards her, surrounding her, and she didn’t want to be afraid of this feeling anymore. The pressure that had been building inside her all night threatened to rip her apart if she didn’t act. Slowly withdrawing from his embrace, Abby placed her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his in a desperate attempt to soothe the throbbing want for him. Feeling Abby’s lips on his own, Marcus caught her face in his hands and pulled her closer, his chest pressed to hers as he drove her dizzy with his lips and tongue. Seeking her own anchor, Abby shifted her hands until they were buried in his hair and the moan from his lips was like a sin.
“Mom?”
Gasping against his mouth, Abby drew back and faced Clarke with cheeks flaming. Being caught making out on her own porch by her daughter was embarrassing enough but Octavia and Jasper had followed their friend outside and were standing behind Clarke with looks of astonishment.
“Hey I’ll be in soon; I was just telling Marcus good night,” Abby explained, putting a bit more distance between her and Marcus.
“Yeah, in french,” Clarke said with a smirk before closing the door and leaving them alone again.
“I’m sorry about her,” Abby said, leaning against the door with a groan, “teenagers can just be wonderful sometimes.”
Marcus moved forward, placing his hand on her hip and touching a gentle kiss to her mouth, “there’s no need to be sorry Abby, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes finding his full of warmth and tenderness, “me too Marcus, thank you for everything.”
Giving her another hug, he moved to the steps of the porch but her voice made him turn around.
“Wait,” she said, walking quickly over to the stairs. Taking his face in her hands, Abby brushed her lips against his again and whispered, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow about our next date Marcus Kane.”
“I am counting on it Abby Griffin.”
Her radiant smile stayed with him on the walk to his car and as he drove away from the small house, Marcus touched his lips with reverence and thought, I’m in so much trouble.