Chapter Nineteen
Genevieve
Brightness dislodged me from the land of dreams into reality. A reality where I had agreed to marry a man I met less than a year ago without minimal thought for the next steps.
The clock announced I had two more hours before my departure, and a pang of uncertainty hit me, leaving me paralyzed next to Adrián, who slept beside me, oblivious to my panic.
Marriage hadn’t been part of my life plan. How, when love had never been fair to my mother? All my references were of men too intimidated by her intelligence and success. When I was younger, she tried to open herself for love, but the results were never favorable. I hadn’t seen a successful marriage in anyone close to me, not anyone as successful as I aspired to be. Diligence, ambition, and drive required sacrifices... Sacrifices that seem to weigh heavier and heavier on my shoulders.
Then there were the concerns about our lifestyles. I was not high-maintenance but a creature of comfort. Adrián could fall asleep on the floor with a blanket on him. He wasn’t trapped by any need for status; his only goal: his family’s well-being and health. I envied that. There was nothing wrong with my view of life, but would it align with his? Would our everyday merge comfortably? And what would he do for work if he moved to the States? Was it wrong for me to want him to have a more solid plan?
Next to me, Adrián stirred in his sleep, his obnoxiously long lashes flickering open until his adoring gaze rested on me.
Oh yes... I could definitely see our everyday merging. I had forgotten how special he could make me feel with just one look.
“So, is this the part where you start freaking out?” He propped his head on his fist, swinging a leg out of the sheets. The ripple of strength all of that movement displayed made me study the clock again, wondering if I had time for a...
“Focus woman...no debauchery today,” he said in mock outrage.
I flushed at his admonishment, then saw the white sheets and how they rose on a particular area of his anatomy.
“I think there’ll be some debauchery today.”
“Who am I kidding? I can’t deny you a thing.” He chuckled and lay back, staring at the ceiling. The beautiful lines of his lean muscles stretched, illuminated by the early morning sun. The struggle to ignore the tent under the white sheet was becoming an epic battle. “But for real, were you freaking out on me?”
“Well, aren’t you? We have no definite plan.”
“Step by step. We can look at the visa paperwork first. Then take it from there.”
“So you are moving to Florida.” I studied the planes of his stomach and the thick arms I loved around me. He lay pensive on his bed but then turned his face to me.
“I know it’s a lot, and if you need time...”
“No!” I blurted and studied the reaction. No, I didn’t want to take time. This felt right. Every time I was with him, it felt right. I wanted this. I was tired of overthinking, analyzing, and seeing how marriage would fit in my fifty-five-year career plan. I just didn’t know how to achieve this particular goal. But oh I had never wanted something as bad as a future with Adrián. That goal deserved the same type of determination I’d put in my career, didn’t it?
“Okay, so we do the paperwork. With the visa, I can get a work permit so I can work there. I will find something to hold us over until...until I figure out my long-term plan, then we decide from there. I’ll contribute to the finances of your apartment. Don’t think I’m planning to come and wait for you to be the sole provider.”
“I never thought that.” But Mom, on the other hand...that conversation would be interesting. Having to defend maintaining Adrián while he received his work permit would be a hard conversation to have. Mom didn’t rule my life, but to be honest, some of her concerns would have mirrored mine if this was any other man. Was I jumping into this too fast? Letting the high of love take over rationality? The pendulum of my thoughts was making me dizzy.
“Okay.” He nodded and bolted out of the bed. “Come on. I want to take you to have some breakfast before the flight.”
The grumble in my stomach approved of that plan.
Two hours would never be enough to plan the rest of our life, and the minutes fell through my fingers like sand. After some quick debauchery in the shower, we headed out for breakfast. I continued to “project manage” the upcoming months while Adrián patiently let me spiral while holding my hand.
“Where should we get married?”
“Can we decide that when I am in Florida?”
“Fine, but we need to decide, because if we are doing a big wedding then I need to plan the event...”
“Do you want a big wedding?”
“Uh...” A few days ago I wasn’t even thinking of a wedding, how would I know what I wanted?
“So, let’s pencil that in as things to consider,” Adrián said gently, his sexy smile making me wish we’d just ordered breakfast in bed instead.
“What are you going to do about LasDell and Villa Bonita?”
“Any admin work I can help with remotely, and I do plan to find more work as soon as that permit arrives in the mail.”
“Do you want us to move? I have a nice apartment, but it might be too small.”
“Let’s live together first and decide if we need to change that.”
And so along we went, me in a slight panic while Adrián exhibited an annoying amount of patience. Not going to lie, it was very sexy to me. Maybe we could have a quickie in his apartment before the airport... I looked at the time and realized that wasn’t possible and almost wailed out loud. After stuffing my face with hojaldras and chorizo, I hopped back in his vehicle, forlorn to leave him behind.
“So, you feel comfortable with this plan? Are you moving as soon as you get the visa? Are you sure? And...”
“Breathe, Preciosa. One step at the time. This will work. Trust me.” And Adrián enveloped me in a hug calming all my nerves. Now if only I could calm my racing thoughts.