The Monroe Legacy - G.1. Chapter 13 - The Age of Innocence

These were happy times in the Monroe house and Marlie began to forget that life could be any different. Lola and Belle were happy about the wedding but more excited to have a baby brother or sister. They were constantly feeling for movements in Marlie's growing belly. Lola wanted a little sister.


Belle said she wanted it to be a dragon - Marlie rather hoped it would go Lola's way rather than Belle's.

Brody had been promoted which meant more money which they started to save - for emergencies and college and all the things which Marlie hadn't dared to dream of before. Brody spoiled her rotten, refusing to let her lift a finger, Marlie had not choice but to mooch around, she took to doing workout DVDs to burn off some of her raging hormones, mentally stripping Brody as he rushed about keeping the house running.

Ben had written a letter to let them know that he was leaving town with Lauren who he had gotten pregnant, Marlie felt nothing but relief. She was sad for the girls but they had a father who adored them in Brody and it would be less confusing for them this way. Brody was angry - he begged Marlie to sue for failure to pay child support but Marlie just wanted to move on.

Life would have been perfect if it wasn't for a few stange occurrences which kept reminding Marlie of NJ and their warning. When Brody took the girls to a festival he was approached by a man who tried to hide his face and asked all sorts of questions about Marlie's past and her siblings. Brody kept his responses vague but answered clearly, and honestly (he thought) that Marlie was an only child and had no living family.

When Brody told Marlie what had happened she shuddered, the description sounded like the guy in the ball-cap she'd used to see around - but she hadn't seen him in years. She was glad at that moment that Brody was in the dark and could convincingly dispel any curiosity.

An engine outside the house that night woke Marlie, she shrieked as she saw a woman peering through the windows. Knowing she'd been spotted, the stanger sprinted back to a waiting sedan and pulled away. The driver was wearing a ball-cap.

Marlie was paranoid after that, buying a bolt for the door and considering getting a dog. But she soon had other things to distract her. A month before she was due Marlie went into labour. Brody completely freaked out before trying to drive her to the hospital, knowing how hard her previous birth had been.

Marlie could tell there wasn't time - that baby was coming fast. Less than an hour later Marlie held a small but perfectly formed daughter in her arms.

Brody couldn't have been happier, looking at the tiny creature like she was the first baby ever to have been born in the history of time! They'd picked out names in advance, Maxim for a boy and Molly for a girl but this baby didn't lool like a Molly.

Baby Monroe was nameless for almost a week until Lola suggested a name from her favourite movie - The Parent Trap. Hallie Mae Monroe officially had a name! She was born artistic and brave and would never cry until things got really desperate in her diaper!

The weeks galloped by and Marlie and Brody doted on their daughter, Brody was promoted again and they soon slipped into a comfortable rhythm. Marlie ignored the sedan which occasionally appeared across the street and soon enough it stopped coming by.

 Besides - she had more interesting things to be thinking of....

Brody and Marlie couldn't keep their hands off each other. As soon as the family was in bed, they were too but very little sleeping was getting done! It was really no surprise that less than a year after Hallie was born Marlie felt a familiar sickness settle in. Brody was ecstatic at the news but they decided to keep it secret until Hallie's birthday was over - they wanted her to feel special.

Hallie aged up into a gorgeous toddler with a mixture of her parents feature, her mother's eyes and an inexplicable head-full of black hair. Brody joked that she was the postman's as neither of them had black hair in their families!

While on one side of town a family was slowly growing in numbers and in happiness, on the other a family was returning to a long abandoned mansion, exhausted but relieved that their decade long ordeal was finally at an end.

The Jeans had come home.

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Next time in The Monroe Legacy - The twins finsih middle school, the house gets a remodel and Marlie recieves an invitation she can't refuse.

Read in now in The Monroe Legacy - Chapter 14 - Double Trouble