Chapter 19
Marley
Dominic made record time to the thrift store. I had only been shopping for a half hour or so when I heard the doorbell ding and I looked up to find that he had just walked inside.
We locked eyes, and he smiled at me. I waited for him where I was because I could see that he started crossing to me right away. He was too big for the aisles, and he had to turn to the side to get around them. I got antsy and excited when he crossed to me. There were other people in the store, but we were mostly alone in that section. The cashier half-looked at Dominic, only for long enough to see that he was there for me. No one recognized him or was paying attention to us.
He had on a beanie with warm athletic clothes, nice sweats, and a jacket. He was wearing shades of black and grey, and I smiled at how handsome and put-together he was. Suddenly, he was approaching. I had picked up a dress and two shirts and I barely had time to drape them on the rack in front of me before he made his way to me.
I turned just in time to go into his arms.
It felt incredible.
"I missed you so much," I said, squeezing him around his mid-section. He was a fitness expert, and his body was solid. I held onto him for several long seconds before I pulled back and looked at him. We smiled and then kissed each other. His mouth was warm, and the kiss was unrushed.
"You got here fast," I said, smiling. "And I like your jacket."
"Brice gave me this earlier today," he said. I knew who Brice was, he was one of the NBA players who went to his gym and was also a friend.
"You look like a total stud in this," I said, stepping back and looking at him. "I need to thank Brice."
I looked him over and he grinned and then rushed in and held me, picking me up and groaning with the effort. It was all very quiet with small movements even though I was being attacked and hugged vigorously. He squeezed me so tightly that I giggled. I was overwhelmed by his presence. I loved his smell and his touch, and the fact that he was so strong. I reached up and let my fingertips touch his jaw after he set me down. I was so relieved to have him next to me.
"I've been missing you, my Marley-boo," he said.
"Me too. I've been missing you so much."
"I can't believe you came by the gym today!"
"I did. You were in a meeting."
"Did Britt talk to you?"
I could tell he knew something. "Yeah, just for a minute."
"What did she say?"
"Just that you were busy at the moment. It was fine."
"She told me she was probably a bit rude to you. Are you okay? I'm sorry she didn't know who you were. I love Britt and everything, but I don't really share my personal life with her."
"It's totally fine," I said. "I probably should apologize to her for storming in there like that."
"What? No. I’m sorry she didn't know what to do. She should have been respectful and shown you around."
"No, it's all good. I should have let you know I was coming."
"I don't want you at the gym."
"What?" I asked, feeling a sudden wave of fear. In those split seconds, I assumed he didn’t think I could get along with Britt so he was saying I shouldn't work at the gym. "That was my fault today. I like Britt. We're going to get along good. I could tell she was just being protective of you, which I appreciate, honestly."
"How are you so sweet?"
"How are you so sweet?" I asked. I popped up and kissed his cheek.
"I still don't want you at the gym."
"Why are you saying that, Dominic? I want to be there. I think I can contribute to the business and help it flourish."
"You're adorable," he said, staring at me as I pleaded. "I'm talking about living there. You don't need to be there. I have so much room at my house. I'll make a renovation. You can have your own apartment with your own entrance."
I put my hand on his side, under his coat but on top of his t-shirt. His mid-section was hard and lined with muscles. "We'll be in a different situation, and I'll be able to move in soon, but until then, the gym is amazing. I like it there, and I feel safe. I want to be at the house with you all the time, but we'll get in trouble there, and we both know it. Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his great love for her."
He paused, thinking about what I had said.
"That guy, Jacob, seems patient. I don't think I want to wait seven years," he said, making a little face.
I laughed.
"Do you?"
"No, I don't want to. Seven years is too long."
"That's from the Bible, huh?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Are those the right names and the right story and everything?"
"What?" I asked.
"Did you use the right names and number of years and everything?"
"Yes, oh, yes. Jacob and Rachel? He waited seven years for her. It didn't quite work out for him even then, but yes, he waited for her. Why?"
"I don't know. You do that all the time—quote the Bible."
"Is it a bad thing?"
"No. I love it. I think it's incredibly hot."
"Hot?" I asked laughing. "Bible stuff?" I added making a face at him.
"The fact that you know that stuff, yes. Seriously, Marley. Who told you to be so good?"
"Nessa told me to read it every day, and I do."
"Is that why you can go through life assuming the best of everyone?"
"Yes, it is. That's the only reason. It's definitely the key to life." I was certain and easy with my answer and Dominic leaned in and kissed me.
"How much sooner than Jacob do I have to wait?"
"For what, for me to move into the house? Marriage, I guess. I don't take your offer lightly, though, Dominic. I've been to your house, and I know what an amazing offer you're making me right now. I love you for that, I really do. But I'll be happy at the gym. I won't feel stuck. I'll take a class or something so I have to leave campus. And, of course, I'll be hanging out with you and at your place. I love you for asking." I reached up and put a kiss on his cheek—a soft caring one.
"How soon can we get married?"
He was speaking quietly to me, and the lady who walked up didn't hear our conversation when she butted in. People knew Dominic's face and they interrupted us regularly when we were in public, especially in Chicago. This time, we were in Milwaukee, and this time it was for me.
"Hello, excuse me, but did you get that scarf here? And if so, was there another one? That thing's amazing. If you decide not to buy it, I'd like to take a look at it."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry, this is already mine. I came in with it. I just had it up here with these clothes because I—did you need to get over here?" I asked, taking the clothes and my scarf off of the rack where I had set them down.
"No, I came over here for the scarf. Would you be interested in selling it?" she asked. "I am here thrifting, after all."
"Oh, no, I appreciate the offer, but I've had it since I was a little kid, and there's a whole host of unlikely stories that go with it. I wouldn't part with it for anything in the world. I'm glad you like it. Thank you for asking about it."
I thought she would walk away, but she just stood there, staring at me.
"In that case, I'd like to talk to you about something else. How interesting are the stories?"
I shrugged at her question. "It's my life, so I'm bias, but I think it's pretty interesting. A famous lady made it, and then other stuff happened. Why?" I smiled at the lady. She was regarding me with an appraising smile. It seemed like she liked me as a person and was checking out my style.
"I have a podcast, and I interview people with interesting stories. The one that went live yesterday featured an interview with the woman who had her baby at the Pick 'n Save last month," she said.
"I heard about that," Dom said.
The lady smiled but kept her eyes trained on me. "Let me give you my card. My name's Naomi Prince. If it seems like something you'd be interested in doing, I can have my assistant email you with details."
"Sure," I said. "And I'm Marley."
"Nice to meet you, Marley. Sure, you'll do it?"
I smiled. "Sure, you can email me," I said, smiling and being lighthearted with her. "But I might do it too."
"I hope so." She smiled as she pulled out a card and handed it to me. "I said that about my assistant emailing you so that you'll know I'm a big deal," she said with a deadpan expression.
She was funny.
"I already thought you were a big deal when you said you had business cards."
She smiled. "I am a big deal, so you probably want to call me, not to brag."
"No, no…" I smiled at her. "I don't live here yet," I said. "I'll be moving soon, so I'll probably touch base after that."
"Okay, well, check out my channel and let me know if it's something you want to do. I like your style and think I'm going to like this scarf story."
"I will, thanks."
She walked away, and Dominic looked at me. I began to meander slowly toward the checkout, and he came along. I took the long path to get there, walking around the back of the store since I wanted to be able to talk to him.
"Are you going to go on that show?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. My first instinct is no. That's why I told her I don't live here yet."
"Why not?"
"Because podcasts are long. It's not like it's a two-minute conversation."
"So? You'd be good at it, and it would be fun." He grinned at me, challenging me. My heart felt so full looking at his dad gone handsome face. I just loved him.
"Yeah, but you're the most interesting part of that story."
"Why's that bad?" he said, his expression curious.
"I mean, the most amazing part of the story is you… it's when you came in with the rescue at the bus stop and everything."
He stared at me with a look that told me he was confused. "So, why's that a problem?" I shrugged a little, running my hand absentmindedly along a rack of clothes.
"Because, Dom. You're famous. You don't need me spilling the story all over the internet. I don't want people to judge you for me. They might think I want my fifteen minutes." I shrugged. "She was nice, though."
"Hey, Marley."
"What?"
"Guess what."
"What?" I said.
"I don't care what people think. I want people to know you're mine. I don't really care if it's the whole internet."
"Do you want me to go on that podcast?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Not necessarily. Not if you don't want to. I'm just saying, don't make it about me. I don't care who knows about the scarf. Or about us. I'm sorry about Britt earlier. I just don't talk about my personal stuff with her, but I don't care who knows that we love each other. I want people to know."