Page 53 of Burning Embers
“Anything to drink at this shindig?” he asks. I tilt my head towards the table, to the bottles of soft drink and water. “What—no booze?”
Shaking my head, I clench my fists. “It’s a kids’ party, man.”
He shrugs—that’s when I smell it, the alcohol on his breath. Charlie comes over and says hi; Marcus is just as obtuse with him as he was with me.
“Can you get Molly ready while I go sort the cake?” Rachel asks Marcus.
“Sure,” he replies.
When Molly spots her dad, she rushes over and throws her arms around his legs. Her face paint rubs off on his jeans. “Flipping heck, Molly,” he says, annoyance in his voice.
She pulls back and looks up at him, her little eyes wide. “Sorry,” she says, a quiver in her voice.
What the fuck.
He lets out a sigh and crouches down, a bit off balance, but now eye level with her. “It’s okay. Come here,” he says, his voice softening. But she doesn’t move, her lip trembling ever so slightly. “Molly. I said, comehere.”
It takes everything in me not to punch him. I hold out my hand. “Molly.” She takes it and stays close to my leg.
He stands to his full height and pulls off his glasses, the dark circles under his eyes on full display, his pupils dilated. “What? You trying to be her stepdaddy or something?” he asks.
I shake my head and grind my jaw just as gasps ring out. I see Rachel from my peripheral vision, cake in hand.
His phone rings, and then Marcus steps outside to take the call right as the intro toHappy Birthdayspills from the lips of the guests.
I reach down and pull Molly up onto my hip, then step through the opening towards Rachel as she carries the cake to the centre, her eyes seeking Marcus. I see the hurt and anger in her gaze until her eyes catch mine, and I give her a heartfelt smile.
Her eyes soften on the final notes of the song, and everyone applauds. I set Molly down so she can help her mum cut the cake, and while everyone is busy, I step outside to find Marcus leaning against a post box.
“Hey man, you missed the cake,” I say.
He slides his sunglasses onto his head, watching me as I approach. “And who the hell are you again?”
“Someone who happens to give a shit about that little girl in there—and her mum.” I point my thumb over my shoulder.
“Yeah, well, being a dad ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
He did not just say that.
I take a menacing step forwards, but a gasp of air behind me catches my attention—Rachel.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she seethes, rushing past me.
He rubs his palm over his chin. “I didn’t mean it like that, Rach.” I hate how he saysRachwith so much familiarity.
“Yeah, then how did you mean it?” But she doesn’t give him a chance to answer. “I don’t ask you foranything,Marcus—no maintenance, nursery fees,not a damn thing. All I ask is that you spend time with our daughter andshow up. That’s all. And you have the cheek to say,it ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Give me a fuckingbreak.Iwas the one who took care of all the night feeds—alone.Iwas the one who had to go to all the appointments—alone. I’ve never asked you for anything, Marcus. You said you wanted to be part of her life. But you don’t get to be an arsehole about it because you’ve been on athree-day bender.”
She turns away from him, towards me, when he clutches her shoulder.“How the fuck do you know that?”
“Social media, you prick. Now come and say bye to Molly. She’s not staying with you tonight.”
She leaves no room for argument. We all head back inside.
Chapter Thirty-Five
OLLY
As soon as everyone has left and everything has been tidied up, I help Rachel load her boot with Molly’s presents.
