Chapter Fifty
Marcus
G igi and I are outfitted with bracelets to get us on to practically any ride and bypass any line in the park. I don’t splurge very often—my truck is probably my most frivolous purchase—but when it comes to places like this, money goes a long way to make life easier. And I would happily spend what I need to in order to make Gigi smile.
She dragged me around the park for three hours, jumping from ride to ride, all while wearing her tiara. I love seeing her like this. She’s free, and it’s like she’s lit up from the inside out.
I glance down at my watch. “Time to head back, G.”
“Already?”
“Yup, we need to get cleaned up.”
“For what?”
“Not telling.”
“I thought we were done with surprises?”
“There are a couple more.” I smile at her.
We go back to the room to get ready for what I have planned for the rest of the day. It was hot and humid in the park, so we shower and change before heading to our first stop of the afternoon.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Once we get close to our destination, I reach out and take her hand. I watch her face as we approach the boutique, and I see the moment that she realizes where we are. “I thought this was just for children.”
“I called in a couple favors. We won’t be in the actual boutique, but I have makeovers set up.”
She stops in her tracks, a pained look on her face. “I get to do the princess makeover?”
I turn to face her. “Yeah, does that sound okay?” I’m almost worried I fucked up.
She shakes her head, a tear falling from her eye. “That’s very okay. Marcus, how did you do this?”
I shrug. “I know some people.”
She releases my hand and wraps her arms around my waist. It’s barely a whisper against my chest when she says, “Thank you so much.”
I wrap her in my arms, kissing the top of her head. “You’re welcome.”
She moves her hand to my chest, looking up at me. “Ten-year-old Gigi is living her dream right now.”
I place my hand on her neck, my thumb on her jaw. “Good. Ten-year-old Gigi deserves to feel special.” Her head tilts and her eyes scan my face. Another tear falls, and I wipe it away.
“Wait.” Her eyes change. “You said makeovers. With an ‘s’.”
My arm raises and I rub the back of my neck. “Well, a princess needs a prince, right?”
Her eyes go wide. “You’re getting a prince makeover?”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“Oh my God! I’m not making fun of you! Prince, this is perfect! I can’t wait to see you dressed up.”
“Well, I’m more excited to see what you’ll look like, but I figured, if we were doing this, we should go all in.”
“All or nothing, huh?”
“Yup.”