Shooting Star

“Why am I sleeping here?” Marley asked, looking up at Matt with her big hazel colored eyes.

“We’ve already been over this,” Matt sighed faintly. “Your mommy has something important to do tonight.”

“It’s just weird,” She muttered, turning away.

Matt raised one eyebrow at his daughter before shaking his head. He knew that Marley just wasn’t all that used to being away from Layton for the night, and he could understand that. He just hoped that she would be okay for one night. Marley needed to be able to trust and rely on he and Val in order for them to build a strong relationship between each other, so he wanted her to feel comfortable sleeping over every now and then, and hoped that one day she was comfortable with it.

“Daddy?”

Pulling out of his thoughts, Matt turned back to Marley, “Yeah?”

“Mommy’s on a date, isn’t she?”

Matt drew in a deep breath. His daughter was way too smart for her own good sometimes. “Yes,” He said truthfully, “She is.” When Marley frowned, Matt sighed, “You don’t like her going out with other men, do you?”

She shook her head as her arms tightened around the bear she had pressed securely against her chest. “Some of them aren’t good.”

Matt leaned forward slightly and brushed a lock of hair from her face, “What do you mean, baby?”

“I get a bad feeling when I meet some of them,” She shrugged.

He half smiled, “I think that you shouldn’t worry about those men, because I don’t believe that your mommy will ever bring around a man that you don’t feel safe around or like.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because I know your mother better than anyone.”

Marley smiled, “Daddy, do you love mommy?”

“Of course I do,” He chuckled, “She gave me you.”

“I mean do you love her like you love Val?”

Matt sat there for a moment in silence, not all that sure what to say. He did still care about Layton, he always would, and he did still loved her. She was the first woman he ever fell in love with. Hell, at one point he thought for sure that he was going to marry her and they were going to be with each other for the rest of their lives, but things had changed. Now he was engaged to Val, who he truly loved and wanted to be with. He and Layton would never be together again, and he knew that Marley was going to have a hard time accepting that for a while, but he hoped that she did sooner or later.

“No, Marley, I don’t. I love your mommy like a friend, not someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

“Oh,” She murmured.

Matt frowned and asked, “You don’t like that do you?” and Marley shook her head hesitantly. “Why not?”

“I don’t wanna lose you.”

“Marley,” He smiled, “You are never gonna lose me. Just because I'm marrying Val and not your mommy doesn’t mean I’m gonna disappear. You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”

“You swear?”

“I swear.”

“Do you pinky swear?”

Matt laughed and extended his pinky, “I pinky swear.”

Marley grinned and looped her small pinky around his, “Good.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, “It’s time for you to go to sleep now, monster.”

“Daddy?” She asked.

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

A smile curved at Matt’s lips, “I love you too, Marley.”

Matt said goodnight once more, switched off the lamp, and then left her to sleep, making sure to keep the door cracked slightly in case she got scared at any point during the night and needed him. Val was sitting in bed with a book in her hands when Matt entered their bedroom. Her eyes flickered up from the book and over to him before she smiled. Matt smiled back as he pulled off his shirt and then sat down beside her and leaned back against the pillows and headboard.

“She asleep?”

Matt nodded, “Yep.”

Val frowned and sat her book aside, “What’s wrong, babe?” She asked, leaning beside him until their bodies were just barely touching as she ran her hand over his shoulder.

“Marley thinks that because Layton and I aren’t, well, together, that she’s gonna lose me,” He said with a sigh.

“I can see why she would think that, and I understand that you don’t want her thinking that, but honey, she’ll learn eventually that you’re here for her for the rest of her life whether you’re with Layton or not. You can’t let that get to you.”

He nodded, “I know. I just wish things weren’t so complicated between all of us, you know?”

She smiled sadly and then kissed his cheek, “Everything will be better sooner or later, Matt. Just you wait and see.”

Matt knew Val was right. Things would be okay eventually. He just needed to have some patience for once in his life and make sure things stayed stable and civil between him and Layton over Marley, because it wouldn’t be good if it didn’t. One thing Matt was absolutely sure of was that Marley was never going to lose Matt again. He wasn’t going anywhere, and as far as he was concerned, neither was Layton. They were going to both live in the same state, in the same town, and they were both going to raise Marley together. He didn’t care if things got complicated every now and then, that was how it was going to be, and if Layton ever tried to move away or take his daughter away without his permission, then things would ugly, because Matt would fight for his daughter, whether he would have to hire a lawyer and go to court over it or not. He hoped though that nothing like that ever happens, because he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt over this entire thing.