Chapter 2 - Marcus: Memories
I walked back into Ethan’s house after I had thoroughly irritated Maddie. I loved getting under her skin. It was my favorite pass time if I was being honest.
I was sitting on the counter when I heard them make their way down the stairs. I started the song I had selected on my over here. The speaker blared, the song filling the whole kitchen.
I just had seeeexxxx! And it felt so goooood!
When Lily rounded the corner and appeared in the kitchen, her face was beet red. Ethan followed closely behind with a hard scowl etched on his face.
“Really, man?” He questioned as he moved to the fridge.
“I mean you guys did have nasty loud sex, so I just thought that you would appreciate it.”
Lily looked at me. “It’s not our fault you're a light sleeper.”
“I’m not a light sleeper, Lily. You two are just so damn loud, especially you with your moaning and screaming. I thought he was strangling you for a second there.”
Her face took on an even redder tint. I loved messing with Lily; she often reminded me of Danny, my little sister.
“You are so annoying,” she pouted, taking a seat by the kitchen island. Ethan walked over to her and handed her some water and some pills.
I knew exactly what they were because Danny had to take the same prenatal vitamins when she was pregnant with Axel.
Ethan circled his arms around his girlfriend. He kissed the side of her head, and she smiled up at him. They were so in love, it was almost nauseating how cute they were.
“Marry me yet?” He stared down at her.
Lily’s smile was so big, I was surprised that her face didn’t crack. “Not yet.”
They always did this thing where he would ask her to marry him, and she would reply the same way every time. He had been doing that since the day he found out she was pregnant. She was pushing seven months now, and her belly was round and plump.
Just because I loved annoying them, I made a gagging sound to break their little moment. Ethan looked at me with a scowl, and Lily stuck her tongue out at me like a child.
“Don’t you have a house to be at or work to attend?”
“As a matter of fact, I do have a home to be at.” I hopped off the counter and took my speaker and phone. “Next time I sleep over please make sure that you scream a little lower Lils. I had to go over to Maddie’s just to get some peace and quiet.”
“Did she bite your head off?” She laughed.
I smirked. “Nah, you know she loves it when I visit. We’re like best friends now.”
Lily rolled her eyes and waved me off.
I headed for the stairs and took them two at a time to go and retrieve my things so I could head back home.
My next shift was in two days, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it. Some people would hate the fact that they had to work 24-hour shifts, but I didn’t. I loved what I did. My schedule wasn’t always ideal, but I had gotten used to it over the years.
I worked every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Sometimes, I would work the odd Tuesday but that was a half shift. I had the weekend all to myself, and I also had days in between the week that I used as my downtime.
Okay, that was a lie. I still worked on my days off. I helped Danny run Pete’s ranch. It was a lot of hands-on work, but I liked getting my hands dirty.
Peter Archer had died almost a year ago. The poor guy had no wife and no kids that we knew of in his life, but he wasn’t alone. Pete had had Danny and me. He was closer to Danny since she had worked full time for him, but he and I had had a pretty good relationship.
When he died, Arnie, Pete’s best friend and lawyer, informed Danny that, in Pete’s will, he had given the ranch to his daughter. Imagine our shock when we found out that Pete did have blood somewhere out there.
They had been in the process of finding her and bringing her to Riverroad, so she could decide what to do with the ranch. Arnie hadn't informed us if they had found her because he had taken a sabbatical.
He had taken Pete's death really hard. He and Pete were more than best friends; they were even more than brothers. It was like they were kindred souls. They were two halves of one flame.