Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marcus
Waking up to Zamora the next morning felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from. I literally pinched myself to make sure it was real. For a long time, I thought she was gone forever, but He had favor on me and brought her back into my life. I didn’t even want to move, but I had to go to the bathroom. I kissed the side of her face before easing out of the bed. She stirred a little but didn’t wake up. After draining my pipe and brushing my chops, I grabbed my phone and headed to the living room. She looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn’t want to wake her yet.
Sitting on the sofa, I unlocked my phone and went to my contacts to search for my doctor’s office number. After being placed on hold three times, the staff member confirmed I could be seen that day since another patient had canceled their appointment. I was happy to hear that. I wanted to be one hundred percent sure I was STD-free before being sexually intimate with my baby.
Before returning to the bedroom to wake my angel, I used the room’s phone to call room service and order some of our favorites. I planted soft kisses on her face as she fanned the air, trying to swat me away.
“Wake up, baby,” I whispered in her ear.
“Noooooo, let me sleep longer, babe,” she said in a deep voice, sounding like Barry White.
I laughed. “No, Barry, it’s time to get up,” I playfully teased her.
Instantly, her head popped up.
“Say what now?” she quizzed.
“I’m just teasing because your voice is deep as hell. Lying here sounding like a man. I don’t swing that way,” I said, and we both laughed.
“You funny,” she replied and sat up in the bed.
I stared at her as she stretched and yawned, trying to wake fully.
“What, babe?” she asked, her head tilted. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m just happy. Now get up and go brush yo’ teeth. Breakfast is on the way.”
“Damn. That bad, huh?” she said, covering her mouth.
“Yeah, your yawn was really loud. I mean, humming a funky tune,” I teased.
“Shut up,” she said and swatted me with a pillow.
“But I still love you,” I said sincerely.
It felt like our old selves––so natural, light, and easy.
“I know you do,” she returned, getting up from the bed.
She headed to the bathroom, and I headed to the front room. As I opened the curtains to let the light through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I thought we would be fine in the penthouse until we found a new place. I mean, I would never want to stay in a place where I knew Evan’s balls had lived their best life. So, I understood why she didn’t want to reside in a space Eliana had used.
I was about to check on her, but the bell sounded, alerting me that someone wanted access to our floor. When I looked at the camera, I saw room service with our breakfast.
“Baby, the food is here!” I yelled after pressing the button to grant them permission to our floor.
He wheeled the cart over and unloaded it, placing the plates on the dining table. I assured him that I would tip him later since my wallet was in the bedroom with zero cash inside.
“No worries, Mr. Coleman. Don’t worry about it.”
“Nope, I got you.”
“If you insist, but it’s a pleasure to be of service to you and Ms. Zamora. She is a wonderful person.”
“She is, and I’m happy to know everyone has treated her well around here.”
“We love having her,” he expressed.
“Hey, José,” Zamora said, emerging from the bedroom.
“Madame Zamora, hello and good morning.”
“Good morning, and thank you. Everything smells so good.”
“My pleasure. I hope you enjoy,” he said and moved towards the elevator.
Zamora sat across from me at the table, and we helped ourselves.
“The staff loves you,” I said after we said grace and started eating.
“And I love them,” she replied with a smile. “It’s only been a short stay, but I’m loving my time here.”
“That’s great, babe. Growing up here was a lot of fun, and I can say now that I loved it.”
“I bet. I haven’t had a chance to get in the pool yet, but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it as much as I have the rest of this place.”
“I’m going to resign,” I blurted.
She was quiet at first as she buttered her toast, as though she was processing what I had said.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” she finally asked.
I hunched my shoulders. I thought for sure I was until she asked me the question.
“I don’t know, Zee. I never wanted this as a career, but now that I have it, I’ve learned to love it. The real issue is that I danced to the beat of my parents’ drum instead of taking a leap of faith and going after what I truly wanted.”
She chewed and then swallowed. “And what is that, baby? What do you truly want?”
It was an easy enough question, but the answer wasn’t as easy to put into words. I mean, I didn’t hate my role as a hotel owner. In fact, I loved it, my staff, and the overall atmosphere. So, I was now second-guessing my decision to resign.
“I want to continue to grow as a businessman. I was so jealous of your tenacity that I thought I settled, but honestly, I did not. I have grown to love my career in hospitality and enjoy my dedicated staff.
“For a long time, I felt as if I lost myself in my parent’s agenda,” I continued, “but I wouldn’t take a moment back. I thought I wanted to leave it all behind, but now I’m not sure I want to walk away just yet. I honestly love my job––complaining guests, maintenance emergencies, and all.”
“So, continue to do it, Marcus. And when you start to feel like you’ve lost your passion for the job, then you can do something else. However, I think you still should have a conversation with your parents. Express to them how you felt pressured for so long about what they wanted for you, which resulted in you being unable to see what you truly wanted for yourself. Let them know where you stand today, and that if or when that changes, you will be moving on to the next thing. Baby, you can change careers, retire, or do anything else you want when you want. This hotel is not a prison sentence,” she said and reached to touch my hand.
My eyes welled, and I felt better just talking about it. She was right. I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted; I wasn’t tied to one thing. She was also right about me needing to share what I’ve been feeling over the years with my folks, and I planned to do that soon.
I grabbed a napkin and dabbed my eyes.
“Thank you, Zamora. Thank you for holding me in your heart all this time. Thank you for coming back to me. Thank you for always being honest and true about everything. I love you.”
“I love you, too, and no thanks needed. Everything I am to you is all you’ve been to me, and it is my absolute pleasure to love you in return,” she replied, flashing her gorgeous, bright smile.
“Marry me?” I said, looking her in the eyes.
The words just jumped out of my mouth. I almost shocked myself, but I knew it was what I truly wanted––to make Zamora my wife.
She paused and looked at me for a moment, then smiled.
“I will marry you,” she answered.
Putting her fork down, she stood, walked around the table to my seat, and wrapped her arms around my neck. She kissed the side of my face, and I felt her tear drops wet my skin.
“Baby, why are you crying?” I asked, pulling her onto my lap.
“Marcus, I prayed for this for so long and felt the Most High had stopped listening to me. But on this day, He answered my prayers. In His perfect timing, he answers prayer, and I’m crying because I’m so happy.”
I pulled her close and held onto her tight. My heart swelled, and my love for her grew stronger with every beat. Although it took us over ten long years to get back to each other, the delay was all worth it because what we now had couldn’t be dismantled by anything or anyone.