Chapter Fifty-Eight
Gigi
M arcus and I shower together and decide to be lazy and live in our robes for the morning. The food is delivered, laid out on the table by one of the windows. I sit, pour some coffee and take in my surroundings. I’ve never stayed in such an extravagant hotel room. The living area of our suite is probably bigger than my first apartment, with huge windows, lots of seating, and Marcus said we have our own concierge service. I can’t imagine what this cost.
Boyfriends in the past have taken me on little trips to the shore, or to New York for a night to see a show, but I’ve never experienced a man plan anything like Marcus had for me. Sitting with him this morning, seeing him in a fluffy white robe, drinking coffee while gazing out of a set of windows, I’m so relaxed. I haven’t had to think about anything during this trip. It’s so nice to just have fun and not think about where we’re going, how we’re getting there, or even work. Neither one of us brought laptops, which shocked me. Marcus never goes anywhere without that blessed laptop of his. Me, on the other hand, I’m happy to act like I have no responsibilities for a few days.
I love my job and my team, I really, truly do. But over the past couple years, I’m just tired. I turn thirty-four this year and I want a slower life. Society tells us to go, go, go, climb the ladder, own the business, be a boss bitch, but I’m over it. Lately, I’ve started following homesteading and slow living channels on YouTube. I’ll watch videos and daydream of having a little garden and some chickens.
And the craziest part of how I’ve been feeling? I almost feel embarrassed to admit to anyone, but I would love to be a housewife. I want to take care of a household and a husband. I know what you’re saying right now. “But Gigi, you almost ripped the balls off of Marcus’ father for saying a woman’s place is in a kitchen with kids underfoot.” Here’s the thing, I believe in choice, not social constructs. I will cheer a fellow woman on if she wants to be a corporate girlie, the same way I will if she wants to raise five kids and homeschool. Where she wants to be in life should be ruled by her heart and her wants, not by some man dictating her place. I’ve done the boss bitch bit, and now I want to try something else.
“What are you thinking about?” Marcus’ eyebrows pinch together as he looks at me.
“Chickens,” I respond, gazing out the window, still lost in my thoughts.
“What?”
I turn my attention to him. “Would you ever raise chickens? Like having a little coop and collecting eggs every day? I’d name the birds Martha and Margaret or Josephine and Jackie.”
“My HOA doesn’t allow chickens. Why the fuck are you thinking about naming chickens?”
I shrug. “Just letting my mind wonder.”
“I would love to spend a day inside your brain.”
“You wouldn’t survive it.” I laugh and finish my danish.
After breakfast, we moved to one of the couches to read. He brought a book, I have countless downloads on my Kindle, so we cuddled on the couch in silence. The only sounds in the room were rain on the windows and Marcus turning pages. Finally, around eleven, the rain stops.
He places his bookmark in his book, picking up his phone. “The rain is done. Radar looks like it’s all moving out. Is there anything you want to do in the park?”
“I definitely want to get something for Millie and Adam.”
He smiles. “Okay, we can do that. Let’s get ready.”
Our time at the park was a success. I picked up some mouse ears, some onesies, and a couple of stuffed animals for Millie and Adam. We ate churros and pineapple whip, took pictures with countless characters, and got to watch the daily parade. By late afternoon, we’re sitting on a bench, people watching.
“We should start thinking about dinner.” Marcus glances at the time on his phone. “I made reservations for a place that looked good at one of the other properties here, but if you want casual, we can do that, too.”
“Let’s be casual. I’m too relaxed to get fancy.”
“Sounds good. It’s weird, I thought my brain would be fried by the end of this weekend, but I feel pretty chill. I’ve had a lot of fun.”
I grab his arm. “That makes me happy, prince. You deserve to relax, and I’m glad you can have fun with me.”
“Things are always fun with you, princess.”
“Have you talked to anyone back home?”
“Shit, I was supposed to text Melonie and Audrey.” He digs out his phone. “Show your ring and smile.” I raise my hand and make a huge, corny smile. “Perfect.”
“Let me see.” He shows me the text thread, the picture sent and captioned with “She said yes.” Then I see a flood of messages come through, not only on the thread with my two friends, but from Linc and Jax, mainly congratulating us, along with a ton of exclamation points.
“I love all of them.” I smile at the messages.
“We’re lucky to have such good friends.”
“It’s pretty crazy how we’ve all come together over the past few years.”
“I wouldn’t want to imagine a world without all of you in it.”
I lay my head on his shoulder. “Same. It’s like we were all supposed to find each other in this life.”
“I guess we were.” He stands and gives me his hand. “Let’s go find dinner.”