Jurassic Wedding

Chapter 6

When I awoke, I heard hushed voices in the living room and my first thought was Owen. I got out of bed quickly and went into the living room, and sure enough he was there, holding Harper whilst Maria grabbed her bags. Owen turned to look at me and my heart skipped a beat in hope, but I may as well have not been there as he seemed to look straight through me.

"Oh, Rosie, so glad you're awake! Owen's just escorting me to my hotel room and I think we're bringing Harper with us. You're welcome to come if you-"

"She's fine here Mom. Come on, let's go." he pulled her suitcase with his spare hand whilst Maria looked confusedly at me.

"Rose, is everything okay between you two...?" she asked cautiously once Owen was out of hearing's distance. 
I was tempted to spill it all out to her, especially since the tears that were threatening to spill would have given it away anyway, but I bit my lip harshly.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" I said briskly, smiling before making myself busy picking up Harper's toys that were all over the floor. Maria didn't say anything for a moment, but sighed.

"Well, if you're sure." her voice wavered.

"I am." I stood up and smiled falsely, "What time shall we come and pick you up tomorrow?"

"Anytime after ten honey." she replied before hugging me lightly. She pulled away and held me at arms length, "you know you can talk to me whenever you want, right?"

"Sure, Maria." I said, "anyway, I think Owen's waiting for you, it will be getting dark soon. Thank you so much for taking care of Harper for me. I really needed that break."

"It's no problem, you only have to ask." she said. She still looked unsure on whether I was actually alright or not, but eventually she left and I was left standing alone in the living room. Once I was sure she was gone and wasn't going to turn around and come back to check on me I burst into tears, letting them pour down my face onto my shirt. Why was Owen being so cold? It was only a stupid fight, we had them like that all the time.

Deciding to perk up before he came home, I rinsed my face with cold water and I got changed out of my pyjamas into a pair of shorts and a vest. I tied my hair into a pony tail and tidied the whole house. It was a long walk back from the main complex so it was easy to do it all before Owen and Harper got back.

When he did get back, I was't expecting a huge dramatic welcoming, but I did expect some kind of acknowledgement of what I had done, but he barely looked around the house before going to the fridge and getting a bottle out for Harper.

"I don't know when your Mom last fed her." I said, standing behind him awkwardly. I'd never felt so distant from someone when I was standing right next to them.

"It was a while ago." he said bluntly, rocking her slightly as he fed her, "she told me."

I knew I had to say something, we couldn't go on like this.

"Owen I... I'm really-"

"Rosie." he interrupted, "don't... just don't." My heart started pounding at his stern tone and I knew not to push it further.

"Right, well... I'll go and get Harper's crib ready for her." I said quietly, slipping out of the room and going into the nursery. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, biting my lip so hard I was drawing blood to stop myself from crying. Knowing he could come in any moment, I set to work, sorting out Harper's blankets and soft toys before they came in.

"I'll take her, if you want." I offered, holding my arms out.

"It's okay, I got it." he said, not even looking at me.