Shooting Star

Layton didn’t know it, but ever since she'd arrived and sat down to catch up with the guys, Matt had been watching her. But not just her, he had been watching how she and Marley communicated with each other, and Matt found their relationship to be quite adorable. He could tell that Layton truly loved their daughter more than she could ever explain, and Matt was beginning to feel the same way about Marley as well.

Matt didn’t understand it. How could he love such a tiny person who he had barely gotten to know in such a short amount of time? He assumed that it was that way for all men who had children though. To be honest, Matt loved Marley the second he laid eyes on her when he entered the hospital room to meet her for the first time. The minute he saw her, he noticed how much she looked like him, her eyes, her smile and dimples, and even her hair were the same. Sure, she had gotten some things from Layton, such as her attitude, stubbornness, and sarcasm, but her looks came from him.

Running his hand over his short hair, his eyes flicked over to meet Layton’s. She was standing straight, a look of pain etched across her face, as Marley was resting on her hip, asleep on her shoulder. Matt licked over his lips, sensing her pain, and motioned for her to hand him their daughter, but she shook her head.

“I’ve got her,” She said.

“You sure she’s not too heavy?” He questioned, raising one eyebrow.

“Mm-hmm.”

Matt frowned, “Well you like you’re in pain,” He pointed out.

“I am,” She muttered, “These damn heels are killing me.”

Directing his eyes down to her feet, he smirked at the black heels she was wearing. Honestly, the shoes not only looked uncomfortable but like a death trap as well. He didn’t understand how women wore them without falling flat on their face with every step they took.

“Anyways,” She sighed, a look of stress lit up in her eyes, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Of course,” Matt nodded.

Layton said goodbye and then headed out the front door and to the car to buckle Marley up. Matt could tell that the woman was exhausted, and felt slightly bad that he and the guys had made her stick around for so long. The night was practically over, so he knew she would most likely go home, put Marley to bed, and then pass out, but he was glad that she had a nice time hanging out. It felt like they were young again when they would all get together, except this time around they had Marley join in on the fun too.

Matt waved goodbye from the door as she backed out of the driveway before driving down the street to head home. Matt sighed, feeling exhausted as well from getting up so early the past couple of days, and shut the door, making sure to lock it. He headed to the kitchen to get a beer and found Val sitting at the bar, drinking a glass of wine, while reading some book.

He went over to her and snaked his arms around her waist from behind, breathing in her sweet scent before kissing her shoulder softly. She leaned into him with a smile, curious as to why he was being so sweet to her, but she didn’t ask. She just went with it.

“Thank you,” He finally said after a few minutes of silence drifted between them.

Running her hand across his jaw, she asked, “For what?”

“For accepting my daughter and being nice to Layton even though I know you’re angry with her.”

Val sighed softly, “You know that I would never, ever turn away a child that belonged to you, Matt. And of course I’m going to be nice to Layton. You and her were together long before you and I were. It’s not as if you cheated on me and got her pregnant or anything, so I really have no right to be angry at all,” She said, “I’m just pissed that she kept Marley away from you for so long.”

“Me too,” He murmured, “I hate knowing that I missed out on six years of her life.”

She frowned, “Just remember, baby, you have a whole lifetime to make it up to her.”

Matt smiled faintly, “You’re right, I do.”

It still hadn’t completely set in that he, Matthew Charles Sanders slash M. Shadows, had a child. He was a father to a little girl who adored him and looked up to him even though they barely knew each other, and he knew that he and Marley would be a part of each other’s lives forever. He was extremely happy to have her in his life now, but he was also terrified. What if he wasn’t a good father? What he fucked up and made her hate him? What if he ended up hurting her emotionally from being in and out of her life because of touring and the band? There were so many ‘what if’s?’ that it almost drove him crazy every time he got a minute alone to think about it. He knew, however, that he needed to clear his mind of those thoughts or he would go insane. Marley was going to always love him no matter what as long as he tried to be the best father he could, and that was all that mattered.

“You know, you really need to tell your parents soon,” She told him, interrupting his thoughts, “I don’t want to push you or anything, but sooner or later the fans and the press are going to start questioning why you’re out and about with a little girl, and things are bound to get messy. Your parents should know before any of that happens.”

“I know,” He breathed out, “I’m taking her over there tomorrow to meet them.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” She asked.

“Normally I would, but I think that I should do this on my own,” He said, unraveling his arms from around her waist before sitting down on a stool beside her.

“I completely understand, Matt.”

Matt gave her a faint smile, “I’m fuckin’ nervous as hell though. I know they’re gonna freak out. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom slapped me upside the head.”

Val laughed softly, “Yeah maybe once Marley has her back turned. Kim wouldn’t dare slap you in front of Marley and face having that little girl question her about violence.”

“You’re right, she wouldn’t,” Matt chuckled, “But that’s another thing that’s sort of ticking at my mind.”

Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“Marley,” He breathed out, shaking his head, “She’s just so damn smart.”

“She really is,” Val agreed.

“She’s always asking questions about things she’s curious about, never once over thinking about what she’s saying or asking before actually speaking, and it just bothers me I guess, because I know that I didn’t have a part in her being so smart. It was all Layton,” He licked over his bottom lip, “And her dancing is phenomenal, Val, and I didn’t have any part in that either. Layton was there when she began to show an interest in dance when she was three, and she was there for her first dance lesson, and it just—“ He ran a hand across his face, frustrated, “It kills me that I wasn’t a part of any of it.”

“Oh Matt,” Val murmured with a sad expression. She could clearly see the anger, and sorrow, and frustration written all over his face and she felt bad for not knowing how to help or even what to say to him.

“I’m just scared that I’m gonna lose her again and I’m gonna miss out on even more of her life than I already have,” He confessed.

“Baby, you need to trust that Layton won’t take her away from you,” She said.

Matt shook his head, “I can’t. Not after her keeping Marley from me all these years.”

He didn’t care if that sounded irrational because it was true. He was terrified that Layton would disappear off the planet again but this time taking his daughter with her, and for good. He had lost Layton once, and it had nearly killed him. He knew that if he lost his daughter, he would be so heartbroken and torn that he wouldn’t know what to do with his life. Matt could only hope that Layton didn’t do anything like that and that she stuck around with Marley, or he would never forgive her. He was not about to miss out on anymore of Marley’s life.