Dear Meadows,

Chapter Three

Noveli

“Let's get you up to his room. He looks heavy.” She says, smiling down at him.

“Yes please.” I grunted out, adjusting him in my arms. She walks us back down to the foyer and shows us the elevator.

“Thank the gods,” I breathed. Kelly chuckles, agreeing with me. This house was too big. Sara pushed the button to the third floor.

“On the second floor you have access to the library and gym. As well as a seating area. And guest rooms.” She says as we exit the elevator.

She moves down to the right side of the house. Where she shows Kelly her office as well as an art studio. Grinning at Kelly as she stared speechless at space. She's always wanted a studio but having a baby is expensive. I couldn’t be more grateful to Marco for making her happy. She truly deserved the world.

“I can’t wait to see what you create here.” I told her, our hands intertwined together.

She grins down at me.

“Wait till you see your room,” she says with a mischievous look on her face. What the hell did that mean…?

Sara turns and walks down to the opposite hall where she opens the door to Theos' room. Walking in I see his little bed and all his toys put in the corner as well as new ones. I slowly put him down and made sure he was tucked in with his lovely Ted. Walking out, I saw Sara turn on the night light and smile at her.

Leaving Sara gives us the rest of the tour where Kelly and Marco’s suit is next to their bedroom. We move up to the fourth floor and one side holds the boys' suits and the other is a bunk area for their friends, who I guess stay over often, as well as an entertainment area.

I look at her with an arched brow when I don't see any more stairs.

“Don’t tell me all this space and you forgot about me?” I half scoffed and laughed at the same time. I look over the banister down to the foyer where Thomas instructs some staff to move the rest of Kelly's bags. Sara grins at me and opens a door and shows me another set of stairs and a landing with a window. My room was in the attic.

Going up to the landing, I looked out over the pool area. Glancing at myself in the large built-in mirror. The landing is long and has large windows on one side that stretch from one end to the other. Opposite the windows are double pocket doors with frosted glass. I see a small closet with enough space for me. Four boxes were pushed to one side with a closet labeled on them. I didn’t have many clothes. I had a habit of always packing lights because of Paul.

When it was Paul and my mom, we were always on the go. Moving from place to place because of Paul's job. Those boxes had memories from when mom was alive. Memories of my grandparents were there when Theo was born. All the home movies from me growing up with mom. Those were the most important things to me. I breathed a little easier seeing them safely here. I didn't want to lose those. I wanted Theo to see Mom the way I saw her before she met Paul. That piece of s**t had ruined her and me. I can still hear them arguing as if they were yesterday. How he lost it in a fit of rage, strangling her till she passed out. Blinking in and out of that old house as he charged at me, I went back to the small closet and bit the inside of my cheek till the metallic taste hit my tongue.

Before I could walk out, Kelly took my hand, halting me.

“Show her,” she said to Sara. I turned to her and looked at them. Sara opens a little room, pushing the boxes out of the way and crawls in. Following her, she showed me the little room where there was a bed under a slanted wall with a small triangle window next to it. The other side has a desk where Kelly goes talking about my private area to draw or write. ‘To unplug.’ Smiling at her, I could see the image she painted. Better yet, I could actually see the future. Something that I actively dreaded because of Paul. I was just waiting for it to end for so long that I had a home. Life is a shock to me still. And moving States away from him to a house with Marco…

I felt lighter being there so far away from him.

“Thank you.” I told her, my voice cracked a little. Leaving the closet, we walked up the last little bit of stairs to the rest of my suite. Sara opens sliding doors revealing large floor to ceiling windows. The top has colorful stained glass, my bed pushed in the corner against the window on a platform with two steps up to it. The other side has an ‘L’ shaped desk built in on the other side. There is an open area with a fireplace with built-in bookshelves and slanted walls of the roof with skylights. I could walk around without hitting my head, down a small hall with light coming through on both sides. To the left of the hall there is a balcony area that shows the back of the estate. I see my electric keyboard and can see me playing out on the balcony in the middle of the night. On the other side, there is another fireplace with a much smaller balcony. I pinch myself hard with an 'ow' Kelly and Sara both laugh at me.

“I- I.” I couldn’t even say anything.

“I see that I broke her.” Marco says, walking into the hall where I’m currently balking at the driveway. We just drove on earlier.

“Yes definitely,” I admitted. He chuckles, hugging Kelly and bringing her in for a scorching kiss. I turn, ignoring them. Sara opens the double door to another closet. This one is much larger than the one on the way up here. This was too much. My skin prickled, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

“Marco-”

“Don’t,” he scolds lightly. “This is your space. This is a big house, but the boys have a lot of space to entertain themselves. We’ve never had a woman in this house before. Both of you are going to want- need your own private space.” He spoke. His gray blue eyes make me freeze where I stand.

Kelly digs her fingers into his dark brown hair, bringing him in for another kiss. He grins down to her. Their eyes locked on each other.

I leaned to Sara and whispered, “I might need a new room if they continue.” she chuckled at me, leading me to the double doors in front of us to the bathroom. The first thing I saw was an oval tub in front of three huge arched windows. The one in the middle is larger than the other two.

Glancing over the large walk-in shower and double vanity and private toilet room.

“Are all your rooms like this?” I asked. Taking in the top half dark floral wallpaper and bottom half deep red purple paint.

“Yes. Kelly helped me with the interior. I wanted a mix of the old and new. The charm and modern luxuries.” he says, opening the double doors to the large balcony.

“Thank you. I don't need all of this…” He glares at me, and I laugh softly. “But thank you.” He smiles, bringing me in for a hug. A part of me wants to get tense, but I’ve known Marco for over a year now. And not once has he given me any negative feelings. I hugged him back with a tightness hitting the back of my throat. The back of my eyes sting with unshed tears.

We stayed like that for a while. I pulled back all the emotion and buried it inside. There was no reason to cry; these were unnecessary tears. When I knew that I concealed my swarming emotions, I pulled away from him the only man I ever hugged that wasn’t family. Someone who would never become a man like Paul. Never take advantage of me or Kelly. Hope bloomed in my chest. Going inside, Sara was no longer there and instead it was Kelly sitting on the window ledge, her feet lying in front of her on the platform next to my bed.

“Did you tell her?” she asked and looked back at Marco, who shook his head ‘no’.

“Noveli. I know how all this makes you jumpy and uncomfortable, but we are going to be family soon and all of my sons have their own. It's only fair that you do as well.” He says, holding out a small black gift box. Furrowing my brows, I looked at Kelly who had a big smile on her face, eagerly waiting for me to open it.

Opening it I remove the tissue paper and look at a black card. My stomach is dropping at what I hope isn’t what I think it is. A f*****g credit card?! Who gives someone a credit card…

“No. No. No.” I said, holding it out for Marco to take it. He laughs at me, and Kelly can’t help but take a picture of me.

“This isn’t funny. You're both crazy if you think I will accept this. The room itself is too much. This…” I shook the gift at him like it insulted me. His hardy laugh echoes in my room and I stare at him bewildered.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Yes, this is your credit card. It links to an account I made for you. I know you don’t want it. But you're going to keep it. I want you to buy furniture for your room and more clothes.” he says, on the verge of pleading with me. He walks to my duffle and suitcase near the stairs.

“This is all you have. You're not running anymore, Noveli. You're out of his reach. You can have a life now.” he says, holding both my arms in front of me as I look at the card and my bags.

“It’s time.” Kelly says, breaking the silence. Knowing some of what Paul had done to me when he was in my life. My skin prickles when the memory of his hands on my skimming over to the surface. The room is getting smaller with every bristle, and I squeeze my eyes shut trying to cut off the memory. His breathing skims over the side of my face heavily.

“I’m here.” Kelly whispers in my ear, pulling me from Paul's hands. Hands that I can always feel on me. She brushes her fingers through my hair as Marco's face comes into view slowly.

“He can’t get to you. I have security around the whole estate. This is the safest place for you and Theo.” Standing next to the window, he pointed out. “That building is where the staff rooms are, that includes security guards. If he attempts to contact you, tell me and I will get the whole family bodyguards. You are safe with me, Noveli.”

Then Paul's hands vanished, the air around me no longer filled with his overpowering cologne. I could feel the cage he had locked me in with fear of being pulled apart. He was nothing more than unwanted memories.