You Found My Heart

"Well, look who it is."

I turned and gaped at the site. They strode towards my table and stood beside me, with a beautiful smile on their perfect face. I couldn't help, but smile back. "Hello, Mark," I said, softly. He smiled at me and looked at the chair beside me on my left, where Kendra was sitting in her stroller. I nodded as I understood if he could sit down.

"Hello to you, too. How have you been, Kimberlee?" He asked, politely.

"Good, yourself?" I asked, giving Kendra a bit of the apple juice. I chuckled as she made the same cute face after her small sip. Mark - Bryce - smiled, as well.

"Alright. So, who is this beautiful young lady?" Mark asked, placing his index finger in Kendra's outstretched hand.

"This Kendra, my daughter," I said. His face brightened.

"I might have to say, attractive child. Like her mother," He said, looking at me. I flushed and looked away.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I live around here. I'm surprised I found you here and happy," Mark said, with a grin.

"I'm on a small vacation, again. I'm living with Avery right now," I explained. He nodded, in understanding and smiled at Kendra. She seemed very interested in this new stranger, smiling down at her. She outstretched her arms at him. He looked at me, his eyes asking permission to hold her. I gave him a smile. He picked her up, gently and placed her on his lap, caressing her hand ever so softly.

"Curious, isn't she?" Mark asked, kissing the top of Kendra's head.

"Very. You should see what she gets into," I laughed. He joined in.

I remembered back when I was still with Landon and I was still pregnant. Memories flooded back when we went to the mall in Miami and bumped into Mark there, how much hate both Landon and Mark had for each other. I wondered about the story Landon had told me; Maria. Then I remember, he had mentioned something about a girl named Sandy. What if he had been seeing Sandy when he was with Maria? What if Maria had been a victim like me? If she had, no wonder she turned to Mark. He had been there for her, when she needed it.

Right?

Jesus, how confused I felt. I didn't know what to believe. Yeah, I did believe Landon when we were together, but then he cheated on me with that...Sandy chick. It all changed from there. But now, looking at Mark play with Kendra, it seemed like he was the good guy and Landon was the bad guy. I mean, what if Landon had twisted the story? He could have said he was the victim and Mark wasn't. For all I knew, Mark could have been the one who was cheated on. Landon could have been the bastard who betrayed him.

Fuck, I hate life.

It's too damn complicated.

I glanced towards the way Avery had vanished into and seen she was walking strutting towards us. She smiled as she seen me, then confusion washed over her face as she seen Mark, sitting there, playing with Kendra. She cleared her throat and arched an eyebrow at me, before smiling at Mark.

"Um . . . Hi," Avery said, awkwardly.

"Hello," Mark said, with a smile.

"Uh . . . Avery, this is Mark. Mark, this is Avery," I said. I felt kinda dumb, didn't they know each other threw Landon?

"You look familiar. Have we met?" Avery asked, scrutinizing his face.

"I don't really remember, but you do look familiar as well," he said.

"Do you, by any chance, know Landon Harris? He's my older brother - half brother," Avery asked.

"Yes, I know him. We're," He paused, searching for the right words, "old mates," He finished, stiffly.

Avery nodded. "What's your name, maybe Landon has mentioned you," Avery said.

"Mark Creeo," He said.

"Your name sounds really familiar. Last name, especially. But I can't catch it," Avery smiled, then shrugged. She turned towards me. "Are you ready to leave?" She asked.

I looked towards Mark, though he wasn't looking at me, I could see the reluctance in his eyes. He smiled as Kendra played with her hair and rubbed her eyes, in a cute manner. I smiled at Avery and shook my head. She arched an eyebrow, confused once again.

"Would I be able to stay with Mark for a little? I need to talk to him about something," I said.

"Uh . . . Sure. Do you want me to wait around or something?" Avery asked.

"No, you can head home. You can take Kendra, too," I said.

"Okay. Do you know your way back . . . I mean this is our first time, technically, going out," Avery wondered, grabbing her purse.

"I'll drive her," Mark said, softly. He smiled, assuringly and that's all Avery needed. She nodded and let Mark strap Kendra into the stroller before she pushed Kendra away, saying farewell to me and Mark.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Mark asked, turning to look at me.

"I wanna know something. What really happened back when? You know, when you and Landon were friends," I said, somewhat awkwardly. I didn't want him to ask any questions about Landon and me, though I knew they would come up in the end.

"Well, what did he tell you? He probably twisted something," Mark said.

"Um, well," I bit my bottom lip.

"Wait, are you and Landon okay? I mean, I'm a little confused why you're asking me these questions," Mark chuckled.

"Uh . . . We kinda . . We broke up," I said, looking away.

"What did he do to you?" he asked. I could see he was trying to keep his face calm and his tone cool, too.

"Let's not talk about it, please," I said. He nodded.

"Anyways, tell me what Landon told you," Mark said. Before I could begin, the same waitress strolled by.

"Do you need anything?" She asked, kindly. I shook my head and said no thank you, politely. She turned towards Mark and smiled.

"Could I have some champagne, please?" He asked. She nodded.

"But of course. Anything else?" She asked, pausing. Mark shook his head. She continued, "I'll be back with your order."

Mark turned towards me. I took a deep breathe and told him the story Landon had told me back in Miami. His face hardened as I told him the last bit and a quiet growl rumbled in his throat. His hand clenched into a fist, that was placed on the table and glared at the chair across from him.

"Is that what he told you?" Mark asked, after I finished.

"Yes," I nodded.

"He twisted the story. I knew he would, he didn't want to loose you. He didn't want his act to end," He said, quietly, in a menacing tone.

"I don't know what you mean. What did he twist?" I asked, leaning forward a bit.

"Well, me and Sandy were together. I did like Maria, but I didn't really care about that. I thought, since I had Sandy, I could move on. I was happy Landon had someone who would make him happy, but I guess that wasn't enough for him. One night, I came home. Sandy was living with me at the time and she usually came home from her part-time job during lunch time. She hadn't noticed I had come home and I was standing at the doorway, while she talked to someone on the phone. I thought it was Maria, until I heard her say, "No, Landon, we can't."

"I listened, quietly, by the door as she talked to Landon on the phone. She kept saying me, neither Maria, could find out about them seeing each other. She said something about them having to end and I heard Landon shout into the phone. That's when I finally decided to barge in. She dropped the phone from shock and asked me what all I had heard. I told her everything and she burst out crying. She said she had wanted to tell me about Landon and herself, but she didn't want to hurt me," Mark said, flipping the hair from his eyes. I took my hand from my lips and let out a shaky breathe.

"What happened after that?" I asked, looking down at my lap.

"I left Sandy and I moved away. Maria and I, didn't get together. We never did," Mark said.

"Landon lied to me," I whispered. "Landon and Sandy must have been having an affair for a while," I added.

"What do you mean by that?" Mark asked, grabbing my hands and kissing the top of them.

"The reason I left Landon was because he cheated on me . . . With Sandy," I explained. Mark looked up at me, with a bewildered expression.

"No way!" He gasped. I nodded, feeling the tears slid down my cheeks. He brought his chair closer to mine and hugged me. I was thankful we were at the far end of the restaurant. People weren't around this part. I cried into his shoulder, quietly.

Why had Landon lied to me? Why had he done this to me? Had he been seeing that stupid blonde bitch as long as we had been together? Or better yet, when he had traveled on business, had he went to see her? I sobbed, more, into Mark's shoulder, hiccuping a little.

"Shh, shh. Don't cry, sweetie. He ain't worth it," Mark cooed in my ear.

"I loved him, Mark and he did this to me. I mean, my only crime was loving him. Letting him have my body. I gave him a beautiful baby girl. What else did he want? If he wanted more, he could have asked, couldn't he? Ugh! I hate him so much!" I sobbed.

"Kimberlee, if I was Landon and you had given me all of those things, I would be the happiest man in the world. I wouldn't ask for more, but your love in return. Kimberlee, you don't know how much you mean to me. From the first day I met you, I fell head over heels for you," Mark said, softly, wiping the tears away. His eyes told me the entire truth; he loved me. He had from the start.

"Mark, why didn't I fall in love with you? You wouldn't lie to me. I know you aren't lying to me, now," I said, softly, threw a shaky breathe.

"You know, you got time, now. You'll be living here for a while, I hope, anyways. We could, you know, hangout," He said, fumbling with his words. I nodded and smiled.

"Of course," I laughed. Mark smiled, then his face softened. He held my head in his face and bent down, placing his soft lips on mine. I kissed back, for a minute, then pulled away. He sighed.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Mark chuckled.

"Don't be. I'm sorry. I'm moving in, a little too fast," Mark smiled, running his thumb underneath my lip.

"I promise, I'll try, but no guarantees," I mused.

"I'll make you, happy. That's for sure, or try anyways. You and Kendra would be my only dedication," Mark said, softly.

"If you and me got back together, you wouldn't care that Kendra was Landon's?" I asked.

"No. I've taken a liking to her. She's so beautiful," Mark smiled. I sighed and nodded. Mark placed his hand on my cheek and ran his thumb over my lips.

"She is. She makes me so happy and she's the only good thing Landon gave me," I said. Mark nodded.

We talked for a good two hours. Motherly instincts told me to get my butt home. I checked my watch and sure enough, it was about time to feed Kendra. Mark smiled as he seen me check my watch and stood up, stretching. He waved the waitress over and asked for the bill. Once he paid for his champagne, we walked out into the darkening sky. The sun was setting over the horizon.

Mark steered me towards my car, talking about where he lived and all. He wanted me and Kendra to visit sometime. He said Kendra would enjoy his two felines. I laughed; I didn't think Mark would be the kind of person who liked cats. He, jokingly, said that offended him.

[X][X][X][X]

Mark stopped infront of Avery's house and turned to look at me. He smiled and moved a strand of hair from my face. I flushed a bit and smiled. "Thanks for driving me home,"I said, softly.

"No problem," He said, warmly.

"We'll keep in touch. I'll call you or something," I said. He nodded.

"Take care, Kimberlee." He pecked my cheek and unlocked the door. I got out of the car, swiftly and got into the house, without looking back.

Bryce's Point Of View:

I seen her disappear through the door and I smirked. My little plan was going just as I wanted it to go. I laughed as I drove off. Kimberlee thought I was the victim, now. I swear, I should have became an actor. All this, was just an act for me. Once I got Landon out of the way, I wouldn't have to act, anymore. But I do applaud myself on how I twisted the story. If she knew that Landon's story had been the entire truth, she sure as hell would kill me. But since, dear Landon wasn't here and Sandy was doing her part of the deal, she didn't have to know that part of the story.

Now, all I had to do was play my part. Kimberlee was all mine from there.