Chapter 20 Marcus
Cassidy really outdid herself with the wedding week planning.
One day, we’re snorkeling. Another day, we’re parasailing. Today, we’re leaving the resort and exploring downtown Cabo San Lucas.
“Were you a travel agent in another life?” I ask Cassidy as we roam around the waterfront market.
Cassidy smirks. “If your friends asked you to plan their wedding week, you’d pull out all the stops too.”
“I don’t think I could make it as fun as you have,” I reply, slowing my pace to check out one of the booths selling different art pieces.
I’ve seen all sorts of things at this market. Clothes. Glassware. Jewelry. Figurines. Fine art.
A steady crowd of other tourists shuffle past us as everyone browses the different shops, looking for a souvenir to take home with them.
Our wedding party is scattered across the downtown area.
Some are eating at one of the local restaurants.
Some are drinking at one of the bars. Some are walking around the marina.
Cassidy and I just ended up together.
I’m definitely not complaining.
“You think everyone else is having fun too?” Cassidy asks, her voice sounding hopeful.
“Of course,” I assure her. “This is the best week I’ve had in a long time.”
“Needed a break from work?”
I shrug. “I really like my job. I just think getting out and away for a little while has been good for me. It’s given me some clarity.”
Curiosity lights up her eyes. “Clarity on what?”
I let out a light laugh, not wanting to get too deep. “I mean, Ryan and Sarah are getting married and about to start a life together. Stuff like that just makes you look at your own life. It kind of helps you see what’s missing.”
Her face softens as she nods. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.”
She just got out of a relationship. I doubt she’s yearning for marriage right now.
Especially not with one of her brother’s friends.
We both come to a stop in front of another shop selling all sorts of handmade art pieces and intricate jewelry. A few other tourists inspect all the items hanging up or lining shelves.
“These are beautiful,” Cassidy says as she admires beaded bracelets with different charms.
I gravitate closer to her so that I can get a better look, my chest nearly grazing the back of her shoulder. “I’ve seen a lot of really good art here. There are a lot of talented local artists.”
“I love looking at art,” she sighs happily. “I get so inspired.”
“There’s a really cool art festival where the guys and I live. It’s in a few months. You should go with me,” I tell her, a surge of hope filling my chest.
I don’t want to never see her again after the wedding. After everything we’ve gone through since Las Vegas, we can’t just go back to how things used to be.
Not without it hurting.
“That sounds nice,” Cassidy replies without hesitation. She then pauses and frowns a little. “But we should probably get other people to go too.”
“It could just be like this. You and me. Casually looking at art,” I tell her.
A bittersweet look forms on her face. “Me coming to your city alone to go to an event with you could be seen as suspicious. At least by Ryan.”
I let out a faint sigh. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
At least one of us is thinking clearly.
Cassidy looks around before letting her hand brush mine. “I’m having a good time with you now, though.”
“Me too,” I say, our eyes meeting. “You get art the same way I do.”
“Try to imagine a world without it,” Cassidy says.
It would be as bland and gray as a world without her in it.
“I was always told I wouldn’t make it as an artist,” I tell her. “I mean, a tattoo artist is a little different from a traditional artist.”
“You’re putting your art on other people’s bodies,” Cassidy replies, her expression warming. “Whoever it was, you proved them wrong.”
“My foster parents,” I admit.
A moment of silence follows my words as Cassidy raises her eyebrows in surprise. I guess I don’t bring them up much.
“The same ones that threw out my sketchbook that one time,” I say, watching her mouth wilt.
“I remember that,” Cassidy replies. “You were really upset.”
“I almost filled out the whole thing,” I tell her before letting my fingers graze her hip. “I even had a sketch of you in there.”
Her cheeks pinken. “Really?”
I don’t plan on telling her just how long I’ve loved her for. That might make her uneasy. What if she just wants something casual?
“Yeah, I drew a lot of people.”
“I wish I could’ve seen it,” she says.
A couple squeezes behind us, making us move closer together to give them more room.
“I’d draw a better one now,” I reply, my hand settling on the small of her back.
Her hip touches mine, our eyes staying locked. “What would you draw me doing?”
“I have a few ideas,” I tell her, an amused smile tugging at my lips.
She starts to laugh until someone calls out her name. She quickly steps away from me as I look over my shoulder to see Kara waving her over.
“I’ll be right back,” Cassidy says before slipping away.
Shit. That was close.
I swear my brain just doesn’t work as well as it should when I’m around her. I never expected love to affect my common sense so much.
As Cassidy chats with Kara outside of the shop, I take another look at the beaded bracelets, my eyes roaming over all the different color beads and charms. She’ll always remember this trip one way or another, but I don’t want her to forget little moments like these when we could just be ourselves away from prying eyes.
We have a lot of fun together. I just wish we weren’t so limited.
I wish we didn’t have to hide.
I grab a bracelet with beads as blue as the ocean and a wooden, handcrafted charm that calls out to me. It’s perfect.
By the time I pay for the bracelet, Kara has walked off, leaving Cassidy alone.
“She didn’t steal you away?” I ask, keeping the bracelet hidden in my hand.
Cassidy smiles as she turns to me. “They’re about to go to the bar. She was just seeing if I was interested in going too.”
“Not interested?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. Honestly, I’m ready to get off my feet.”
We’ve been walking around for a while now.
“Want to go back to the resort? I’ll ride back with you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. Don’t you want to stay? I think Jackson and Tyler are still at the restaurant with the others,” Cassidy replies.
“I’d rather head back with you,” I assure her. “I could show you the cool suite we have. The view is awesome.”
She laughs. “Jackson said I have a better view.”
“I guess you’ll have to decide for yourself.”
Cassidy presses her teeth into her bottom lip for a second before nodding. “You’ve convinced me.”
That wasn’t hard at all.
Together, we find a local taxi to take us back to the resort. Once we’re tucked away in the backseat where no one else can see us, I take her hand and rest it on my thigh.
“I got this for you,” I say as I wrap the beaded bracelet around her wrist and clip it closed.
“Oh, Marc…” she gasps as she gently pinches the wooden sun charm between her fingertips.
“You remind me of the sun,” I tell her. “Radiant. Bold. Hot would be cheesy, but it’s true. There’s no other person in my life who shines like you do.”
Cassidy lifts her eyes to mine, awe filling them. “Thank you.”
I lean forward and press a gentle kiss against her forehead. “No need. It looks great on you.”
Cassidy admires the bracelet for a few moments before resting her head on my shoulder. Her hand moves to mine, and just for that ride back, I let myself pretend that we’re more than what we actually are.