Chapter Fifteen
Gigi
H arry Styles’ cover of The Chain blares from my phone as I blow dry my hair. Since I was up so early, I decided to put the energy into straightening my hair. I’m sure I’ll be a sweaty mess by the time I’m done, but that’s the price I have to pay to get rid of my waves.
I try my damndest not to replay what happened last night over in my mind. As soon as I woke up, I knew I was done crying. Now the anger and resentment are kicking in something fierce.
Then I hear the voice in my mind. The one I try to keep quiet.
‘No one wants to keep you.’
‘No one ever stays.’
I stuff it down again, shutting off the hairdryer. I usually know those thoughts aren’t true, but in times like this, when things fall apart, it’s harder not to listen to them. I finish my makeup, and as I brush my teeth, I hear the sound of the garage door. I rinse and spit, wiping off my mouth.
I make my way to the kitchen. “Hey! How was the gym?”
“Good.” He sorts through a stack of mail at the counter. When he looks up at me, his brow pinches. “You straightened your hair.”
“Yeah, I figured a little extra effort on my appearance might help today.”
“But your curls are better.”
I force a laugh. “Don’t worry, prince, they’ll be back tomorrow.”
He nods and grabs a water from the fridge. “I’m going to shower and jump on my call. Did you think about what you want to do today?”
“I was thinking we could hit up the Harvard Museum of Natural History.”
He smirks. “You want to look at rocks, don’t you?”
“They aren’t just rocks! The Mineral Gallery is awesome.”
“Mineral Gallery is just a fancy name for a room full of rocks.”
“And you’ll enjoy every second of it. Go get ready for your call.”
He shakes his head and walks up the stairs.
Marcus followed me around the museum for two hours. The man has the patience of a saint. We walk out of the building, and I lift my face to the warm afternoon sun.
“See, prince? That was fun!” I tease, glancing at him.
When we reach his truck, he unlocks the doors with a press of a button. “I definitely know more about rocks now,” he replies dryly.
I give his shoulder a playful shove, but it’s like trying to move a brick wall. “We saw way more than just rocks today.”
“I didn’t mind the bird exhibit.”
He closes my door, crossing to his side, getting in and starting the engine. “You didn’t think that was creepy? All those stuffed birds? All their lifeless eyeballs?”
“No,” he replies nonchalantly.
I shiver in my seat, remembering all the stuffed birds on display—lifeless, staring into space. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, what are you in the mood for?”
“I want a big salad.”
He thinks for a minute. “We can go to Russell House Tavern. It’s about five minutes from here.”
“I trust your recommendation,” I say, settling in as he begins to drive.
In less than fifteen minutes, we’re seated at the bar with menus in hand, waiting on drinks.
“Their chopped salad is really good.” Marcus smiles at the bartender when they place our drinks in front of us.
“Sold,” I say, placing my menu off to the side.
After placing our orders, I take a sip of my Old Fashioned and glance at him. “Is it nice to have a break from the office today?”
“It is,” he admits, leaning back in his barstool. “Sometimes it takes me a bit to switch off my work brain. I’m so used to being stressed that I forget how to relax.”
“Do you think it will still be as stressful when you take over the company?”
His head tilts back and forth. “Maybe. But I think it will be different. Now I’m stressed with meeting the odd demands of an old man. When it’s mine, I’ll be stressed about making it a better company to work for and if my teams and customers are taken care of. Might be the same amount of stress, but easier to carry. Does that make sense?”
“It does.” I took a long sip of my drink this time. “Have you given any more thought to what your dad said? The whole marriage thing?”
He runs a hand down his face. “Yeah. I mean, it’s hard not to.”
“What’s the verdict, then?”
“I have a date Thursday night.”
My eyes go wide. “A date?”
He picks at the label on his beer bottle. “Yeah.”
“With who? Do we know her?”
He shakes his head. “No, I met her at the gym.”
“Did you meet her this morning?” I sit up straight in my chair, turning toward him.
“I did. She approached me, and I asked her out.”
I can’t fight the panic running through me. “That was fast. You really asked her out?”
“It wasn’t the smoothest interaction, but I have to do things that make me uncomfortable right now. I only have a year.”
I hear those voices again. Someone I count on could leave me. I would be left behind after someone I’m close to chooses someone else. Sure, I have Melonie and Audrey; they are my best friends for life. But they have kids and relationships now. Marcus is my safe place. He’s the person that accepts all the crazy parts of me and knows how to talk me down. I can count on him to answer the phone when I have a bad day. Hell, he just saved me from one of the worst situations last night. I don’t want to lose him and all of those parts of our friendship.
How selfish is that of me? I’m not even sure where that feeling is coming from. But the thought of a woman coming in and taking my best friend makes me feel like I’m going to throw up. I know this has to happen. He has to do this to inherit the business. But I’m so scared to lose what we have. Suddenly, the crazy side of my brain takes over, and I say something that sounds completely insane.
“What if we got married?”