Chapter Sixty-Seven
Gigi
I never imagined I would be walking into the Boston Harbor Hotel to meet with their wedding coordinator. How Marcus’s father secured even a small room at one of Boston’s most popular wedding venues less than ninety days from the wedding is unbelievable to me, but it’s a good sign we’ve convinced him this is real. I’m also sure that he made it happen so all of his high-profile business partners didn’t see his son was married at City Hall.
Marcus and I walk hand in hand into the offices at the hotel, where his father is already waiting for us.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Son. Gigi.”
I hold out my hand to shake his. “Thank you so much for setting this up. The facilities here are beautiful.”
He shakes my hand. “I called in a couple favors. Unfortunately, they don’t have availability for a rehearsal or a dinner the night before, so just plan a nice reception.” He turns to Marcus. “All of my information is on file. They’ll go over everything with you. I’m going back to the office.”
“Sounds good. Thanks again.”
“No need to thank me. Just put together a respectable wedding. I’ll send over the names of a few people who will be attending so you can include them on your guest list and seating chart.”
“You invited people to our wedding?”
“These are important contacts, Marcus, and they will be just as important to you in the near future.”
My eyes move back and forth between the two men. “Send them over, Mr. Holt. We’ll make sure they receive invitations.”
Marcus runs a hand through his hair as his father walks out of the room. I wrap my arm around his bicep. “It’s okay, prince. We don’t have many guests, so there will be room.”
“This is just a social event for him to throw money at. A way to one up some of his buddies.”
“Let him. We’ll have all of our friends and other family there. It will still be fun.”
“I really need to stop expecting better from him.”
“Now you’re getting it. Expectations, especially with someone like him, can lead to disappointment.”
“You sound like my therapist.” His shoulders relax and he squeezes my hand. “Ready to plan a wedding?”
“You bet your buttons I am.”
We spent three hours with the coordinator. I think we lost Marcus about an hour in. He let me pick out most of the important things. I know this isn’t his wheelhouse, so I gladly took the reins. With our short timeline, we don’t have time to outsource everything, so the hotel will utilize their baker, florist and other professionals. We just had to give our input, likes, dislikes, and pick a few things like lighting and the room setup. Pretty easy compared to what I saw Audrey go through with her wedding.
Once everything is decided, we say our goodbyes and walk a couple blocks, over to the parking garage.
“Were you happy with everything you picked out?” Marcus asks.
“I think so, but I want you to like everything, too.”
“As long as you like it, princess, I’m happy.”
I smile up at him as I let my imagination roam. “If it were up to me, it would just be us and the crew somewhere. Maybe a little villa in Italy for a week. Get married by a vineyard. Or somewhere tropical. Somewhere not here. No pressure, no fancy venue. Just us and the people we love.”
He sighs. “Same. The hotel is nice, but there’s so much fluff.”
“Did you ever see yourself getting married before all of this with your father?”
“Maybe.”
“What about kids? I know your dad talks about grandchildren, but do you ever want to be a dad?”
“I’m not sure. Sometimes, I think about my childhood and don’t want to make the same mistakes with a child of my own. But then I think about doing better, being the dad I didn’t have.”
“I can understand that.”
“I think Millie has really changed how I feel toward children. I would just hope I could have such a chill baby.”
“It’s weird hearing you say the word baby.”
He laughs. “Why?”
“Just is.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve always wanted to get married. I thought I would be married by twenty-eight. My teenage mind thought I would be settled by then, but that certainly didn’t work out. I love kids, but right now, I’m happy to be the fun aunt. I’ve thought about adoption a lot over the years. Give a child a home that I never had.”
“I think that’s awesome, G.” He slings his arm around my shoulders. “Want to go home and take a nap? That wore me out.”
“Sounds perfect.”