Marie Adamos loved her daughter. Of course she did, she was her mother. Anyone who dared hate their own child did not deserve such a title. But with that love came another emotion that was rarely talked about, but followed every parent worth their salt everywhere they went…fear. It was an all encompassing, all consuming fear that kept Marie up at night, staring at the ceiling and thinking about her child. Marie was not scared of Rose, she was scared for her.
It was part of being a parent, something Marie had accepted long ago. It was things like, is she happy? Is she warm enough? Is she safe? But over the years the fear had amplified. Growing stronger and stronger after her daughter had brought home a man…Rex, he called himself, wearing expensive clothes (he made a it point to tell Marie how much they cost). Looking around the Adamos family home like it was beneath him.
Then he had proceeded to look down on the food Marie made. Not saying it outright, just picking idly at her food and making some excuse about being on a diet.
A guest in her home refusing her food. Marie had nearly had a heart attack. But Rose had laughed it off.
"Oh, Mom, don't take it to heart. It's just the way he is," Rose had said, and Marie had kept her silence.
As it turned out, the way Rex was, was mean, selfish and manipulative. Marie watched them, biting her tongue each time he focused on his phone instead of Rose, ignored her when she tried to talk to him. He made little jabs at her, from the outfit she had chosen that day to how much she was eating. All under the guise of being helpful since "Photographers know these thing," Unbothered that Rose's smile dimmed each time he made such comments. In fact, her growing sadder seemed to brighten him up.
Marie Adamos did not like Rex.
Then one day, her daughter called to say she had broken up with him and after hanging up, Marie had rushed over to her husband's photo and hugged it. Thanking him for looking after their little girl.
Things should gone back to normal after that. But they did not. Instead there was another call, this one to say that she was married. And the next thing Marie knew, there was her daughter, coming home with yet another young man.
Marie was prepared to hate Nate Kiriakis with everything in her.
But then he walked into her house and looked around not in distaste, but in wonder. Like the little house held some type of magic in it. He was a busy man, she could tell by the way he kept looking at his phone. But whenever Rose spoke to him, the phone was forgotten. He ate Marie's cooking like starving man, not even leaving crumbs. If he was not so unfailingly polite she was sure the man would have licked his plate. He complimented Rose, not with words, but with looks. Deep and appreciative like he thought Marie's little girl hung the moon. With him around her daughter did not laugh those forced little laughs that she had with Rex. The ones that meant she knew he was being rude and was trying to lighten the mood. With Nate when she laughed, it was sweet girly giggles, the cute ones that Marie had heard less and less as her daughter had left childhood. It was wonderful to know that she wad still capable of those giggles. The carefree sound warmed Marie's heart, she had really missed it.
And when they went for their walk on the beach, he treated Marie not as bridge he needed to get over to be with Rose, but as a pillar of strength, someone he would always need. Someone to be embraced and relied upon, not an obstacle to his relationship.
So she had given them her wedding rings. The rings she had been keeping close since the death of her husband. As she had watched the two of them wearing the rings a realization had come to her.
Marie would always love her daughter, she would always worry about her. But now she was no longer alone. Before her stood a young man who loved her child as much as she did and Marie's love stretched to include him as well.
It felt good, to no longer have to worry that her child would not find someone who was worthy of her. To not have to stress over her marrying a leech like that dreadful Rex and becoming shackled to him for life. Thank goodness Rose had known her worth and kicked him to the curb.
Nathaniel Kiriakis was a good man. A kind one too despite how cold he looked from the outside. That was just a cover. He reminded her of her late husband. Steady, reliable and loving in his quiet intense way. Marie was proud to have him as a son-in-law. In the future, when he no longer like he would pass out and never wake up at the smallest show of maternal love. She would tell him how wonderful she thought he was. But that conversation was for the future, soon in the future if she had any say in it. For now she would gush over her son-in-law. Everyone, and she meant everyone, needed to know that her daughter was married to the sweetest, most handsome man to ever exist.