Chapter Six
Marcus
I whispered her name to make sure she was asleep. When she didn’t reply, I stood close to her bed and lightly caressed her face. She was beautiful, with her cocoa-brown skin, dark brows, and full lashes. A few pimple scars left dots on her smooth skin, but she was still gorgeous in my eyes. Despite Zee’s natural curls looking untamed and frizzy from being pinned up under her chef’s hat, she still looked perfect to me. I wanted to stay all night by her bedside, but I had to head to Eliana’s place to explain why I had to leave immediately after the toast.
From the moment I saw Zamora lying on the floor until the ambulance was no longer in sight, I couldn’t stop thinking about her and wondered if she was okay. Still, I went back inside and did what a good man should do for the woman they don’t want to hurt; I smiled and celebrated the rest of our engagement party with our family and friends. After the final toast, I excused myself to get some air, and when I stepped outside, I saw Leila, our event planner, loading some things into the back of her SUV.
“Crazy night, huh?” she said when she noticed my presence.
“It most certainly was,” I agreed.
“The way you looked at Zamora while aiding her––do you know her?”
I turned to look her in the eye. “No, I do not. I was just concerned,” I replied, not wanting anyone to know our history.
“Okay. Well, if you want to check on her tomorrow, she’s at Mercy. The paramedics confirmed that’s where they were taking her,” she informed me, then walked away before I could reply.
She went back inside, and I went to tell Eliana that I would meet her back at her place. She tried to question where I was going, but I backed away with a hand gesture to say I’d tell her later. Once in my car, I headed towards the hospital. When I arrived, the lady posted at the desk in the emergency room eyed me like a stripper ready to perform.
“I’m here to see a woman who was brought in by ambulance about three hours ago. She’s pregnant, and––”
“Name,” she said, cutting me off while still eyeing me like a piece of meat on a grill.
“Zamora,” I began, and she cut me off again.
“Watts. Zamora Watts. She’s still here, Mr. Watts. Your wife is resting, but we can take you back to join her.”
I’m happy she didn’t allow me to say Hill, Zamora’s maiden name. I certainly wasn’t going to correct her if it meant I could see Zamora.
“Thanks so much. I had an eventful night and got here as soon as I could.”
“No worries, Mr. Watts,” she said, flashing a bright smile.
Zamora was not only pregnant but married. I had a mind to turn and leave, but if they thought I was her husband, that meant he wasn’t there. I waited by the desk until they finally led me back. She looked drained but still beautiful. I told myself to focus on being a friend.
After she invited me in, I sat down in the chair near the bed. We talked, and she told me the truth about her situation. I fought to keep my emotions in check, but what I wanted to do was hold her close and tell her all the things that would make her current fucked-up situation be something better than what it was. I wanted to take away her pain, but that was an impossible task at the moment. Only time would heal this devastating night. Before she finally fell asleep, I assured her that I would be there for whatever she needed.
On the walk to my vehicle, I wished I could stay and be there for Zamora when she woke, but I had to head to Eliana’s. When I got there and stepped inside the front door, a roomful of wrapped gifts greeted me. I wondered why an engagement was such a hyped affair that folks felt they had to give gifts. Falling back onto the sofa in exhaustion, I rested my forearm over my head as I shut my eyes.
“How is she?” Eliana asked, standing in the darkness.
Her question surprised me. I didn’t think she would consider for a second that I went to the hospital to check on Zamora. Still, I didn’t lie.
“She’s the best she can be considering.”
“Your mother referred her to me, Marcus. Should I be worried?”
“My mom referred her?” I replied, shocked by that revelation.
I had no idea and wasn’t sure why my mother didn’t tell me. I most certainly would be having a conversation with her to see what her reason behind it was.
“Yes. Now, should I be worried?” she asked again.
“Why would you be, Eli?”
“I’m no fool. I saw how you looked at her, and then you left our engagement party before it was over to be there for her at the hospital. Who is she? An ex? A side chick? Do I need to fire her?” she demanded.
I let out a breath because I knew Eliana was not the one to be played or played with. She was an intelligent woman and very observant.
“That’s not necessary. I just wanted to check on her. Like any decent human being, I was concerned, but she is my past. You are my future and who I want to be with. She and I are nothing. Again, I only wanted to check on her. That’s it, that’s all,” I said with extra bass, wanting to get my point across and hopefully avoid going back and forth with her.
“Good,” Eliana said, then approached me seductively and began planting kisses on my face.
Despite not being in the mood to make love to her, I wanted to keep the peace. So, I gave in and let our bodies indulge in some overdue pleasures. We rocked and rolled, our bodies intertwined for two rounds before she collapsed and fell into a deep sleep. I enjoyed our physical connection, but my heart wasn’t in it. Eliana pleased me enough; I’d never lie about that. However, my heart and soul were tied to Zamora. I had moved on physically from her but not emotionally. I felt foolish for proposing to Eliana without being totally over my past. But I had to live with my decisions, and that meant staying with Eliana. I had asked her to marry me, and I couldn’t break her heart. Somehow, I needed to figure out how to get over Zamora and go through with the choice I had made.
When I woke up the next morning, the other side of the bed was vacant. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand; it was a little after ten o’clock. While sitting with my legs dangling over the side of the bed, my first thought was Zamora. I wanted to call and check on her, but I didn’t get her number before leaving the hospital. I stood, headed into the bathroom, and started the shower, adjusting the water’s temperature before relieving my bladder. After showering and doing the rest of my grooming routine, I threw on a pair of joggers and a T-shirt. I smelled food as I made my way downstairs to the dining room, and as soon as I sat, Eliana walked in with a dish of food.
“Morning, babe,” she said, placing a plate of breakfast in front of me.
“Good morning, baby. Everything smells so delicious, but I know you didn’t cook this,” I replied, ready to dig in.
“You know I didn’t. When I heard you moving around, I put in a quick order, and it arrived seconds before you finished getting dressed,” she said and sat across from me without a plate for herself.
Eliana was vegan, but she ordered me breakfast from time to time from a local breakfast spot near her place on the mornings she had to be gone before me. Since it was a Sunday morning, I felt there were more conversations to be had about Zamora and me because she had that look of curiosity on her face––the look I hated. I had no problem answering her questions, but I had zero intentions of telling her the truth about Zamora. I’d do my best to assure her that we were good and my relationship with Zamora was history.
Focused on the dish before me, I chewed my food while doing a silent countdown for her to speak. Things went a bit too smooth last night, and I knew Eli too well to even think that would be the end of it. As soon as I reached for my glass to take a swallow of my orange juice, she cleared her throat.
“Our engagement party was beautiful yet eventful with the emergency involving your ex. We need to talk about it more, don’t you think?” she asked with a twinge of attitude.
I dropped the fork on my plate. I had hoped that I made myself clear the night before. I wasn’t the type of person who liked to argue or have debates about the same things repeatedly. So, why did we have to have another conversation about what I thought we resolved the night before?
“What?” I asked, looking at her with my brows raised. I tried to keep my frustrations at bay.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were racing off to see her when you left? Don’t you think I had a right to know where you were going?”
I rubbed my hand over my head with irritation.
“Because I didn’t want to answer a thousand questions from you before going. You would have wanted to know why, and no matter what I said, no reason would have been good enough. So, I went. I made sure she was well and came right home to you. I love you; I’m marrying you . We’re good, Eli. Don’t make this Zamora thing a thing when it’s nothing ,” I vented, took a sip of my drink, and then picked up my fork to continue eating my breakfast before my eggs got cold.
“Okay. I guess she can still provide the catering services for our wedding if there is nothing I need to be concerned about. The food at the party was perfection, according to our guests, and with your mother insisting she is the best choice, I will move forward with her as our caterer.”
“Great,” I said with a nod while chewing a mouthful of food. “She is the best person for the job, and I want our wedding to be as close to perfect as possible.”
To oppose would imply there was something to be concerned about, so I just agreed. There was no turning back the clock, so I had to let go of my fantasies of being back with Zamora and focus on moving forward with Eliana.
After discussing other highlights of our engagement party, I went upstairs to make a call to check on my hotel while she cleared the table. When I returned to the dining room, Eliana was nowhere to be found. I walked through the kitchen and downstairs to the basement, where I found her loading some laundry into the washing machine.
“So, what’s the plan for the rest of our day? Chores? I mean, I can help, but I don’t do dishes,” I kidded, stepping closer to her.
She turned to face me. “Is that right? Well, I have a chore for you, all right,” she teased, sliding the spaghetti strap off her shoulder.
“Then let me get busy,” I said, pulling her into my arms.
We kissed, and it didn’t take long before we were rocking with the washing machine on the spin cycle. After a quick round, we headed back to the bedroom for more lovemaking, conversation, and then a short nap. When I woke up, she was nowhere to be found again. Thinking she had gone back down to the basement to put the clothes in the dryer, I picked up the television remote, cued one of the movies from our watch list, and waited for her to return.
It was taking Eliana much longer than I thought it should, so I went downstairs to hurry her up. I opened the door to the basement but paused before descending the stairs when I heard her on the phone.
“Look, Ross, stop blowing up my damn phone. I have moved on. Don’t make me block you!” she barked, then chuckled softly.
I stood at the top of the steps and listened to her go back and forth with this clown. Something inside of me believed she enjoyed this “come-back-to-me-girl” nonsense. Everyone knows that threatening to block someone instead of just blocking them is a foolish game people play to keep entertaining their exes.
“Whatever, negro. I gotta go before he wakes up. And for the last time, stop calling and texting me,” she blasted.
Before ending the call, she did her flirty giggle, which let me know she loved the attention from her ex. I had no time nor the energy to address the bullshit, though.
I quietly closed the door and turned to head over to her wet bar. After pouring myself a drink, I headed back upstairs. I had no intention of asking any questions about Ross or why she was still talking to him. I got comfy on the love seat at the foot of her bed and grabbed the remote. By the time she made it back to her bedroom, I was feeling mellow. That one glass of Crown Royal on ice made me feel nice.
“Baby, you ready?” she asked excitedly, grabbing a blanket from the hall closet before joining me on the sofa.
“I am,” I replied. “But what are movies without snacks? Where’s the popcorn and candy?”
“Honey, you know I don’t eat all that crap,” she protested.
“Well, I do. So get me snacks, lady, or I opt for my place,” I responded playfully.
“Okay, okay! I’ll DoorDash you some snacks, greedy,” she teased.
Eliana was cute, and I did enjoy her energy. However, I still missed Zamora’s laugh and witty sense of humor.
“That works for me. As a matter of fact, …” I said, getting up and grabbing my phone from the nightstand, “…let me order my snacks because your choices be whack,” I said, laughing as I flopped down beside her.
“All lies! But if you plan on getting the type of junk food you like, we’re going to have to move this downstairs to the basement because you are not getting crumbs all over my bedroom, sir.”
“Cool, and I’m down with that. Besides, I don’t want to have to strain my eyes watching this little ass TV,” I joked, then pressed the icon to open the food delivery app.
After filling my online cart with snacks that would require me to put in overtime at the gym, I placed my order, and we relocated to the basement. She also placed an order, but her “snack” choices consisted of sushi rolls, celery, carrots, and ranch dip. I was not mad at her for keeping it healthy, but she never let loose and had a cheat night. Zamora would make all kinds of snacks and desserts. Even though we had to put in an extra ten minutes on the treadmill to work off the calories, it was worth it to enjoy good junk food during movie time.
By the time our orders arrived, we were able to agree on which movie to watch first. I pressed play while shaking my head at Eliana’s sparkling water on the table. Taking a sip of my Crown Royal, I reminded myself not to think about Zamora.
While watching the movie, I pretended not to notice her phone going off and her repeatedly ignoring it. After that movie ended, I went to the bathroom before starting the next. When I came out, I saw her quickly shove her phone down into the side of the cushion. Instead of addressing it, I told her that I was going home.
“Why? I thought we were going to watch another movie?” she whined.
I won’t lie; she was adorable, but her phone was a distraction. I didn’t want to be that guy who tripped over their girl’s phone going off, questioning who was calling and demanding to see the call log. Whatever she had going on would eventually come to the surface if she was living foul.
“That was the plan, but I’m going to go ahead and head out,” I said, leaning in to kiss her.
She tried to convince me to stay, but I just told her that I needed to get some orders in for the hotel and finish up some reconciliations for work. After a few moments of trying to change my mind, she gave in, and I headed upstairs to gather my things. She kissed me at the door, and I held on to the slick-ass comment that danced on the tip of my tongue about whomever she was conversing with via text during our movie. My comment would have led to an exchange of words, and I was not in the mood.
As I walked to my ride, I hit the button on my fob to unlock my doors, and laughed to myself. She’s playing silly-ass games, I thought as I opened the back door and tossed my bag onto the seat. Once I was inside my car, a feeling washed over me. I missed Zamora. I missed her and wanted to talk to her. I questioned if I was ready to marry Eliana or if I should see if Zamora and I could start over. I hated that I ran into her. Being close to her awakened dormant feelings that I thought were gone. Knowing everything she was going through made me want to be there to comfort her and show her how wonderful she truly is.
Halfway home, I called my mother. She and Zamora always kept in contact, and I needed her number. I also wanted to know why my mother thought connecting the two without letting them know who the other was, was a good idea.