Cara was ready in fifteen minutes and waited eagerly for Marcus. In his haste to surprise her, he hadn’t even taken a shower since morning. After the delicious breakfast, he had asked her out on a date formally but left all the other details out since it was initially intended to be a surprise date. Cara wasn’t complaining since his surprises were quite different and totally worth the wait. She wasn’t much concerned about leaving Marianne the whole day since there were others to look after her and Marianne were used to her absence. Marcus didn’t want to whisk her away for an overnight stay because of his attachment with Marianne. The two of them had bonded so well that Marcus couldn’t survive without seeing his baby. The same with her siblings. He was like a pillar of strength in their lives. They were so dependent upon him for everything that it felt as if he was the one related to them by blood.
As she sat chatting with everyone else in the living room, her eyes were instantly drawn to a sinfully gorgeous Marcus as he emerged from their bedroom clad in a navy blue Henley and a pair of olive chinos. It seemed as if he was headed towards a fashion ramp than on a date with her! His eyes connected with hers and he winked, knowing that she was busy checking him out.
“Enjoy your day, Cara. Don’t worry about anything here. I’ll handle everything,” said Liam, making her smile and ruffle his hair. He removed her hand and started fixing his hair.
“Yeah, we’re all there for Marianne. She won’t miss you two at all,” confirmed Vera.
“Yeah. You two can take your time getting engaged and all,” said Liam and then his eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut, covering it with his hand. Everyone groaned and Adam pulled his twin away. Cara’s eyes popped out with surprise. Engagement? What was going on? She was going on a date, wasn’t she?
“He’s just bluffing. Don’t even give it a thought. Don’t ask Marcus anything. He’ll get mad at us,” said Vera, trying to save the situation.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t hear a thing,” she chuckled. Marcus came over to her after visiting his precious baby, Marianne.
“Shall we go?” he asked Cara while handing Vera a box of assorted chocolates. “Share with everyone,” he told Vera who jumped with joy.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said. “Enjoy!” With that, she dashed inside to enjoy her treat. Cara smiled at his thoughtfulness. He had the ability to make everyone around him feel special. She hadn’t done anything for his family at all while he went out of the way for hers.
“Dreaming about me?” whispered Marcus, bringing his mouth closer to her ear. It brought her out of her reverie and she smiled, shaking her head slowly.
“Not at all. I was thinking about your family,” she blurted out as he led her to his car. He groaned with disbelief.
“I’m in the mood for some romance while all you can think of is my family?” he said with an eye roll as he opened the door for her to climb in.
“Tell me more about the place we’re going to. Maybe I could feel a little romantic if I knew,” she laughed, attempting to fish out some clue but he just smirked and started to drive.
“What? I’m waiting,” she reminded him.
Marcus shook his head and smirked. “Nope. Keep guessing!”
“I’ll do the same to you someday,” she said thinking of ways to take revenge.
“So who were you thinking about? Mom?” he asked a little curiously.
“Not exactly. I was thinking that I didn’t do anything for your family while every day you go out of your way to make my family happy,” she said guiltily.
“I do because I love the children and feel connected to them. Haven’t you seen the way they behave around me? There’s no competition. You will have ample opportunities to show my family that you care. We’re in this forever. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone,” he explained. Cara nodded as she knew exactly what she needed to do. She would reach out to his mom first and start bonding with her.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Gwen and she groaned, having completely forgotten to inform them that she couldn’t make it to the studio today. “Oh no! I completely forgot to inform Gwen and Peter,” she gasped, staring at the phone.
“Tell them now at least,” suggested Marcus. Cara took a deep breath and accepted Gwen’s call. She informed her that she wouldn’t be able to make it to the studio today.
“I guessed as much since you’re never late but I didn’t call you for that. Peter sir is shattered to know that you’ve canceled the Canada tour. All the tickets are sold and the venue has been paid for, ma’am,” she informed her.
“Oh, when do I need to leave?” she asked worriedly.
“Next Friday. It’s just a five-day tour,” she explained.
“I’ll get back to you by tomorrow,” promised Cara. Marcus glanced at her after she disconnected Gwen’s call.
“Anything wrong? Where do you need to go?” he asked, with a frown.
“Nothing important, nowhere, don’t worry,” said Cara not wanting to spoil his mood. The frown on his face deepened and he prodded her further.
“You can tell me however unimportant it is.” Cara sighed and told him about her upcoming Canada tour clearly avoiding the details that Gwen just told her. Although she felt guilty about canceling it and causing problems for Peter, she couldn’t help it. Marcus and Marianne were her first priority, after all.
“Don’t worry, I’ve canceled it already,” she tried to pacify him and stop him from reacting.
“Why have you canceled it?” asked Marcus instead, making her gape at him. Obviously, she hadn’t expected him to ask her that at all.
“I wanted to spend more time with you. I didn’t want you to feel that I’m neglecting you or our child. I don’t want to be a bad mother to Marianne. I was forced to stay away from her but not anymore,” she said, her eyes reflecting sincerity and honesty. Marcus sighed and then steered the car off the road and switched off the ignition. As he turned to look at her Cara feared that he might blow up and tell her that she shouldn’t feel guilty about canceling the trip. It was the right thing to do.
“No, Cara, that’s not the right perspective on life. I don’t want to suffocate you in our relationship. You’re a star, an artist, a celebrity. You have an obligation to the thousands of fans out there who love your music. You can’t disappoint them. As for me, I will always love you irrespective of whether you’re famous or not, whether you’re near me or far away. We will spend time with one another every day for the rest of our lives but we have social obligations to take care of as well. I won’t at all feel neglected if you go on tours. I’ll accompany you if it’s for more than ten days or else I’ll wait for you at home and look after the children well in your absence. The same is the case when I need to go away for my exhibitions,” he said, gazing into her eyes. Cara was mesmerized by what he just said. She had never expected him to support her in this way.
“But what about Marianne?” she asked in a whisper.
“Marianne has all of us to take care of her. Just a few days won’t affect her much. You can make it up to her when you return,” said Marcus making her heave a sigh of relief. She was overwhelmed by Marcus’s way of thinking.
“Thank you Marcus for understanding me so well. I appreciate your support,” she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears. Marcus leaned in and kissed her forehead tenderly.
“Don’t thank me, love. We understand each other well ‘coz we’re soulmates. You’ll always find me standing by you through thick and thin,” he said, with his hand on his heart as a solemn oath straight from there.
“And me by your side,” she whispered, making him smile and steer the car back on the roads.
“Wow, that was deep! Now let’s enjoy our date or all my planning will go down the drain,” said Marcus. Cara chuckled and messaged Gwen that she would go on the Canada tour. A burden lifted from her shoulders and she felt carefree and happy. Marcus’s words rang in her ears.
“We’re soulmates.”
Yes, indeed they were! After all, it was only soulmates who found a way to unite despite all ups and downs. The car sped along on its way to some unknown destination as a sense of thrill went down her spine. She had heard Liam perfectly but she didn’t ask Marcus if he had planned an engagement for them. There was now only one way to find out, to wait and watch.