Maybe Someday

A noise startles me awake and I lay frozen my heart beating fast. Sitting up I glance around the room through the dark.

“James,” I whisper laying back down and curling in to his warmth.

He makes a groaning noise and snuggles deeper into the pillows, tightening his arm around me. I shake his shoulder softly and call out to him again.

“James, I heard something.” He blinks his eyes open and sighs, but his small smile tells me he’s amused.

“Babe, I’ve checked the whole house. All the doors and windows are locked and nobody is in here.” He chuckles at me and kisses my cheek. “You are not allowed to watch crime shows before bed anymore.”

I pout at him which makes him laugh harder. He brings his mouth down to mine, his kisses calming my pounding heart. I sigh into him as his tongue meets mine and I move my arms to tangle my fingers through his hair.

“What are you going to do when I’m on the road?”

“I guess you’ll have to get me a dog,” he laughs and rolls on top of me, fingers digging in to my ticklish hips.

............................

After waking up to a phone full of text messages from my mother who has yet to return home, I spent the day indoors doing mindless chores to keep my mind off it. I did all the laundry, re-organized our closet, cleaned out the pantry, washed the kitchen floors, organized the fridge, vacuumed, and re-made all the beds. When James left his towel on the floor in the closet, I almost threw a fit.

“What’s up with guys not caring how messy their place gets?” I quipped at him as he sat watching the sports channel.

“You trying to tell me something, babe?” He asked his lips twitching. I glared at him and put my hands on my hips.

“There’s a hamper in the closet for a reason James. It’s literally one step away from where you dropped your towel.”

“You want me to go pick it up?”

“No, I already did” I sigh frustrated.
“So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I’m your girlfriend, not your maid!” With that I storm out of the room already regretting picking a fight, but in no mood to turn back and apologize.

I stayed downstairs watching a movie until I knew it was getting close to dinner time and James was probably hungry. I go to the kitchen and pick out one of his frozen meals that his trainers sends him.

I’m heating it up when James comes in and lifts me on the counter. “You wanna tell me what you’re really upset about?” He asks while pushing himself through my legs. “‘Cause I know you don’t truly care where I throw my towels.”

“Yeah, and how do you know that?”

“You like takin’ care of me baby,” he drops a sweet kiss on my lips before continuing. “You like knowing that I need you. And I do baby, and now I need to know what’s bothering my girl.”

I melt at his words. Of course he’s right, I don’t care where he puts his towel. And yeah, I like knowing that if I wasn’t around he’d have trouble.

“My mom is still here,” I say sighing, “She left me a voicemail saying she’s staying at the Fairmont, and wants me to meet her for dinner tonight, alone, before she leaves tomorrow.”

“You’re not going,” he states firmly.

“Obviously. It just-I guess it still hurts that after all these years, she hasn’t changed.”

James grabs my hand and places feather-light kisses over it. “I’m so sorry sweetie.”

“You making me dinner?” He asks with a small smirk and I smile wide and nod. “My girl loves taking care of me,” he mumbles against my lips before kissing them.

.................................................

I wait for Annie to fall asleep before I slip out of bed and quietly grab some clothes. I put my shoes on once I reach the front door and pull it shut softly behind me, locking it quietly. I parked my in the driveway so the garage door wouldn’t wake her up.

My hands drum against the steering wheel but as I draw closer to the Fairmont they grip the wheel tightly as my anger rises. The way Annie’s mother treats her makes me sick. No girl as sweet and as perfect as Annie should be treated so horribly, especially by their own mother.

I don’t feel bad for going through Annie’s phone to find her mother’s room number. I don’t feel bad as I ride the elevator up to her floor knowing I’m about to go yell at a woman. I do feel bad for leaving Annie, and not telling her, but if I had she would have talked me out of it. And this is something that needs to be dealt with.

It’s late, so I knock harder on the door, and when Annie’s mother opens up I don’t even let her speak.

“I am in love with your daughter. And one day she’s going to marry me. Maybe two months from now or even two years from now. But she’s going to spend the rest of her life with me. And if you want to be apart of that, you’re going to learn to be a good mother to her. You’re going to learn to love and respect her just as much as I do. Otherwise, you won’t be in her life. I will not stand by and watch you mistreat the most beautiful, caring and loving girl I know. She deserves better than you, and until you can give that to her, you will not see her.”

I turn and storm away not looking back. My fists clench at my sides as anger rips through me. I hope for Annie’s sake her mother does change, but something in me doesn’t think that it will happen. I close my eyes as I wait for the elevator to arrive thinking of what’s waiting for me back home. I just need her in my arms, need to hold her.

When I slide quietly back in bed, I softly pull Annie towards me. She cuddles tighter into my chest and I brush back the hair from her face. Watching her sleep peacefully beside me I can’t help but swell with love for her.

“I’ll always protect you, Annie,” I whisper before kissing her temple softly.