Beautiful Rose (Elixir Billionaires #1)

32. Zander

32

ZANDER

“It's a surprise.” I watch as Marr chews her bottom lip while looking out the car window. Her eyebrows knit together, and I know what’s coming. She’s not good with surprises, and who could blame her? But I want to keep this a secret. I have not a whit of doubt that she’ll fall in love with the place immediately.

“Any clues?” she asks hesitantly.

“No clues, but you are free to guess.” I purse my lips, trying to hide the smile emerging on my face.

“Zander!” She throws her hands up in exasperation.

“What?” I state in a calming voice. “You know I’ll only do things that make you happy.” I only need fifteen more minutes. “Just guess. It’ll be fun.”

She wrinkles her nose, not liking the guessing game. But when I flash another smile in her direction, she shakes her head.

“You could take me to an Italian restaurant, but we already had lunch,” she mutters halfheartedly. “You could take me dress shopping for Kristy’s breakfast party, but I never asked you to do that. You could—”

“You want to go shopping with me?” I cock my head in her direction, suddenly curious and contemplating if I should change my plan.

Her uninterested face pinkens, and she glances out the window and mumbles, “Clementine is making bridesmaid dresses, so I’m covered for the wedding day. But I need one more dress for the breakfast party the next day.” Turning in her seat just a tiny bit so she can face me again, she asks, “How was the dress I bought for your birthday? You liked it, right?”

A deep chuckle leaves me. “Why do I have a feeling that the sexy black dress isn’t really an option? Did Kristy ask you to buy something new?”

Marr huffs and folds her hands over her chest. “You know us too well, Zander. That’s not good. Don’t you know that a girl shouldn’t be so predictable to her boyfriend?”

“Don’t worry, couch girl. You’re unpredictable enough for me. I never saw you coming all the way to St. Peppers on my birthday.” That earns me her triumphant grin. “But tell me, why is Kristy not helping you? Usually, she does all these things with you.”

I watch as her smile falters. “Kristy won’t be… as accessible to me as she is now. She’ll be busy with her new family.” Marr’s shoulders hit the seat again, and she looks up to the roof. “I also need to post an ad for a roommate.” Her head slumps back on the headrest as her eyes close.

“You’re searching for a roommate?” I can understand her anxiety now. She’s never lived with anyone other than Kristy, not since she left Kindred Hearts.

“The house is too big for one person, Zander,” she replies without emotion.

“How do you feel?”

She stays silent for a while and then replies while staring at the blue sedan in front of us. “I’m not thinking about it.” I can see her biting her lip, meditating whether to say more or not. Thankfully, she does. “I’ve never lived with anyone else, let alone a stranger. What if I don’t like them? What if they find me too weird? Or worse, what if I like them, but they hate me?” She hides her hands under her hips, possibly to avoid tugging on the cuffs of her shirt.

“Marr. Calm down.” I internally curse at being on the highway. There’s no way I can park nearby. I have a few more minutes until I can pull her into my arms. I grab her hand instead and rest it over my thigh, under my palm. “First of all, you’re not weird. You are an extremely smart, intelligent, and beautiful woman. Believe in that. And you don’t have to make a decision now. You can find someone for the short term and see how you feel about it.”

She doesn’t reply right away, but gradually, her ice-cold hand relaxes.

“That’s a good idea. I’m a basket case since Kristy proposed she could help me find a roommate. I’m not thinking straight.”

“That’s understandable.” I park the car at our destination. My enthusiasm for the surprise has dampened with this new information. “Do you want to go back home? We can discuss this roommate issue. I’m sure you’ll feel better if we come up with a plan.”

“No!” She jumps in her seat, her head hitting the roof of the car. I stroke where she hit herself as she continues. “You already gave me an idea. I can post an ad at the office board. It’ll be easier if I can find someone familiar.” She clutches my hand, taking it away from where I’m caressing her hair. “I don’t want to think about this now. Please.” She looks up at me, her blue eyes hesitant before she fixes her perfect glasses. “We’re having… such a nice time, aren’t we?”

“The best.” I kiss her soft lips, reassuring her.

“Then let’s keep it like this. I really want to see the surprise.”

I already know that I’ll do anything for this girl. But when she pouts, she makes me go crazy. I can’t think, can’t see anything else.

“Stop pouting, otherwise I’ll have to take you home for all different reasons.”

My words bring back the twinkle in her eyes, and her pout grows deeper. As much as I want to enjoy this flirty side of Marr, I know if we continue, I’ll for sure drag her home. She is irresistible like this.

“Okay, let’s do this. We see the surprise and then go dress shopping. There’s plenty of time before we meet my brothers for dinner. By the way, Zach has changed your return flight for the day after. Any remaining shopping can be done tomorrow.” I drag her out of the car before she can drive me further insane with her protests or her coyness.

“Is that…The Comic Corner?” She stops, her eyes riveted on the white vinyl banner and the red painted letters.

“The one and only.” I watch as her eyebrows crinkle before she beams and throws herself into my arms. Her body trembles in excitement, and I feel ten feet tall for making her this happy. Before I can crush her against my chest, she takes a step back when we hear footsteps.

Marr’s arms slowly come down from where they were locked behind my neck.

“Let’s go in,” she whispers as a group of teens walk past us.

I grab her hand and pull her back to me. “It’s okay, Marr. I don’t think people will mind you hugging or kissing your boyfriend in excitement.”

Hand in hand, we enter the largest comic store in the area, and I guide her to the X-Men section. Beast used to bring us here on Sundays, but it’s been years since I’ve last stepped foot in this store.

Marr’s eyes excitedly move around, perusing one collectible after another until she stands before a twenty-inch Wolverine premium format figure. Dressed in his signature yellow and blue, the berserker lunges forward, drawing his claws with a lethal expression on his face.

“It’s beautiful.” My chin rests on Marr’s shoulder as we stare at our fave.

“I think so too. Do you think it’s a good gift?”

“You already gave me my gift, couch girl.” I turn my head and whisper in her ear. “And you offered much more. I hate my morals so fucking much.”

She closes her eyes, and the back of her head rests against my chest. “Will you always…tease me…about that?”

“Tease you? The second I said no to you is the most regretful moment of my life. I’m fucking serious.” Our eyes meet as she looks up. Her dilated pupils mirror my own excitement, but the cock blocking teenage group interrupts us again, and Marr focuses back on the figure.

“It’s not for you. It’s Kristy’s wedding gift.”

I cough to hide the shock on my face. This girl can still surprise me, sometimes too much.

“I wasn’t aware Kristy is also a fan.” Fortunately, I manage to form a sensible response to her unconventional marriage gift idea.

“She isn’t.” Marr sighs.

I tug on her hands as they grasp the cuffs of her blue-and-green flannel shirt and pull her close to me. “Then what’s the deal with the Wolverine?”

“Kristy has asked me to buy something for Charlie as their wedding gift. He’s an X-Men fan.”

That makes more sense. “Okay, let’s buy this for the little man. Then we can find a real gift for Kristy and Oscar from us.”

“From us?” she asks in surprise.

“From us,” I confirm.

We’re back in the car after buying the action figurine and two X-Men comics for Marr.

“Let’s see what we can get them.” Her fingers fly over the touchscreen keypad of her phone.

“What are you doing?” I pull my Cadillac out of the parking lot and head toward the highway.

“I’m looking at wedding gift recommendations. Zander, look, we can get them wine bottles with labels personalized for special milestones.” She shows me a Pinterest page titled Gifts for Your BFF . The numerous heart shaped emojis tell me it’s only used by teenage girls.

“That’s nice, Marr. But don’t you think we should gift them something that interests both of them?”

She thinks for a while and then closes her phone.

“They both like traveling. I’ve heard Oscar was a peripatetic, trotting around the globe with his band, and Kristy always wanted to visit Europe.”

“That’s great. We can gift them travel vouchers for their honeymoon. We can even make it flexible, so they decide the time depending on their convenience. What do you say?”

“Wow, Zander. That’s so romantic. We can plan the destinations…or maybe not. I’d love to plan my honeymoon by myself.” The casual words are out of her mouth before she can think or interpret the meaning. But then she immediately goes silent, eyes focused on her hands clasped together on her lap.

“How does such a future look, couch girl? Am I there with you in your imagination?” My heart stops, awaiting her response.

“I… I don’t know, Zander,” she whispers.

My palms sweat over the steering wheel as she rejects me so easily, without a second thought.

“I don’t think… such a future stands for me. And about you being with me, you deserve someone… much smarter, much braver… just much more, than me.”

My heart pounds through my chest as I find it hard to believe her fucking words. I thought we had cleared Marr’s insecurities.

Boy, was I wrong.

“Do you wish for such a future with me?” My voice clogs with emotion.

“If I can even think about such a future, it’s only because of you, Zander,” she says, before adding hastily, “But as I said, such a future isn’t for me. You don’t want to be stuck with someone like me. Someone who gets panic attacks about little things like buying a dress or getting a new roommate. I can’t do this to you. I…just can’t.” Tears roll down her cheeks, dropping onto her hands, which are clasped tightly on her lap.

I’m once again face-to-face with the knowledge that this wonderful, remarkable girl is struggling with such low self-confidence. She’s somehow established herself in this world by interacting with computers, but her social life is in crumbs. She needs perpetual backing, and now I fully grasp and appreciate Kristy’s place in Marr’s life. I wish that someday I can be that support system for my couch girl. I also realize that I can’t rush into asking her the question . I need to talk to Kristy and glance deeper into Marr’s heart.

“A few months back, I couldn’t have imagined having such a future for myself. But now, you give me hope. Hope for so much more.” I take a deep breath. I want to tell her how important she is to me, but I also don’t want to railroad her with my emotions. “I’ll not say anything more, except that I love the future I imagine with you and would love to live it. But we’ll discuss it some other day.” I kiss her hand, still damp with tears. “Today, let’s buy a gift for your best friend and a dress for you.”

We end up buying a European holiday package for Kristy and Oscar. Upon Marr’s insistence, we included a third ticket for Charlie. I’m not sure how comfortable a honeymoon with a six-year-old would be, but Marr was pretty resolute on it.

After purchasing a beautiful peach-colored dress for her, we reach Little Italy for dinner. Lukas is the first one to show up.

“Hey, guys.” He sits across from us.

“Hi, Lukas,” Marr replies and gives him a genuine smile—a smile she reserves for very few people. I’m still in shock that he managed to impress my girl this easily.

“Where are my brothers? I thought they were coming with you.”

He points toward the door, and I find Zach and Zane talking to a guy in a blue suit with a name tag on his chest. When they notice us looking their way, Zach pats the restaurant manager on the back, and they stride toward us.

“Marr, you enjoying S-s-st. Peppers? What did you d-d-do?” Zane asks as he sits next to Lukas.

She nods. “It’s nice. We went to The Comic Corner.” Her bashful voice is filled with embarrassment.

“Did my darling brother tell you about his crush on Wolverine?”

I’m not egged on by Zach’s comments, as Marr bursts into giggles. I owe my dumb brother for making her laugh.

“My girl can’t complain. She has a much bigger crush on him.” I stroke Marr’s denim-clad thigh under the table as she shivers under my touch. I’m about to remove my hand when I notice her pink cheeks. My most favorite color giving me the perfect idea.

Since our talk of the future, I’m wondering how I can make her believe in our love, in our future. I’m surprised how this small gesture led me to the perfect fix for our problem. She needs assurance that I want her with all her awkwardness and panic attacks.

And I’ll die trying, proving to her that I want her not just in private but everywhere, every time, forever.

I squeeze her thigh once before extending my arm behind her. I clasp her shoulder and pull her closer to me. Marr looks around, her natural response to my touch in public, before settling back. I meet the eyes of the three men sitting across from us. There’s a flicker of surprise, but they recover quickly.

“We didn’t know you’re an X-Men junkie like him, Marr.” Zach continues the conversation. “Are you a fan of the movies or comics?”

“Both.” She smiles as I stroke her forearm, and I feel her relaxing against me. “But the comics more.”

“That’s my girl,” I rasp, caressing her cheeks with my fingers.

How did I not see that Marr needs social acceptance along with love?

Someone to profess and assert his affection to her publicly.

Our food arrives, a tasting menu comprising of her favorites.

My brothers have gone all out to make this evening special for my girl. They, especially Zach, might give the impression that they don’t care, but they’ll die for our family if needed. In such moments, I feel blessed that we three didn’t inherit the lack of a family bond from that woman.