Marcus watched her, waiting for her to look at him again. When she did, he smiled. “I do care. More than I’ve ever cared for anyone before. I was intrigued by you the very first time we met, but that didn’t prepare me for how perfectly you fit into my life.” He paused. “When I saw how upset Kelsey was over Jeff, I wondered what it would be like to feel so much, to love someone so deeply, that their leaving would bring a person to the point of such heartbreak. And then I experienced it myself when I woke up, and you were gone. The thought of living the rest of my life without you in it, brought me to that point.”
He reached out and laid his hand on the table, palm up. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with what he felt for her, but now that he had accepted and embraced those feelings, it was hard not to let them take over.
A tear slid down Alicia’s face as she reached out her hand. Her fingertips touched his tentatively then she slid her hand more firmly into his. As his fingers closed around hers, Alicia looked up at him and smiled. Even with tears slowly tracking down her cheeks, she had never been more beautiful to him.
“I never allowed myself to hope for a man to love me, but when I met you, I knew that if I could hope for anyone, it would be you. You made me feel safe and cared for. You made me want to trust and believe in love.” She paused, her hand tightening around his. “Before you came here today, I had decided that I would go back to you, to see if maybe there was something real between us. The possibility of a relationship. Or if it was just me. I needed to know, so that I would have no regrets.”
“It’s not just you,” Marcus assured her. “It may seem sudden to some, but I can’t help how I feel. My heart doesn’t care that you’re my assistant. All I know is that you have touched me more deeply than anyone else ever has.”
Marcus wasn’t sure why he struggled to say the words. Maybe it was because they weren’t words he was used to saying. He had said them to Meredith on occasion, but never to anyone else. Not since his last conversation with his mom. But Alicia was different, and she deserved to hear the words. Today and every day for the rest of their lives, if she’d have him.
“Come here,” he said as he tugged on her hand. When she came near him, he eased her down onto his knees, carefully resting one hand on her back while the other gently grasped her fingers. This way, they were eye to eye, and he was able to clearly see the emotion on her face. Letting go of her fingers, he lifted a hand to trace the softness of her cheek, wiping away the dampness there. “I love you, Alicia.”
She lifted a hand to grip his wrist, pressing her cheek into his palm. Her eyelids slid down to cover her dark eyes as more tears spilled over. She took a shaky breath then opened her eyes and said, “These are happy tears because I’ve wanted to hear those words from you but never allowed myself to hope that I would.” She exhaled quickly as more tears fell. “I love you, too, Marcus.”
He slid his hand into her hair, relishing the silky softness of it brushing against his fingers. Moving slowly because of both their injuries, Marcus leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her hands cup his face as she returned his kiss, reminding him of that moment at the top of the stairs when she’d come to him after he’d been shot. He hoped he would feel her gentle touch on his face each and every day for the rest of his life.
EPILOGUE
After Art had dropped him off at the front of the BlackThorpe building, Marcus moved quickly through the door, lifting a hand in greeting to the guys behind the front desk as he made his way to the elevator. He leaned back, bracing his hands on the metal rail that ran around the walls of the elevator. It seemed to take forever for it to rise, the numbers slowly flashing by on the display above the door. The last two weeks had felt like an eternity, and by the time their plane had landed over an hour ago, both he and Alex had agreed: never again.
The past six months had been stressful and busy as they’d tried to repair the damage done by Eli Bennett’s attack on BlackThorpe. Though Marcus no longer had pain from the gunshot wound, he bore the scars that were a daily reminder of what had happened. Thankfully, not everything that had happened during that time had been negative. The very best things in his personal life had come out of that horrible night. His faith and his relationship with Alicia.
The doors finally slid open, and Marcus stepped out.
“You’re back early,” Kelsey said when he neared her desk. Though she had once again begun to smile and laugh like she had before Jeff had used her, Kelsey’s unbridled joy had dimmed. It was the one thing he had the most trouble forgiving Jeff for. No one deserved to be used the way he had used Kelsey.
“Yep. Alex simply couldn’t stay away from his girls and Jordan.”
Kelsey smiled at that. The whole BlackThorpe admin team was enamored with Alex and Rebecca’s daughter, Joy Anna. She was barely three months old, having been born a month premature, but Marcus had yet to see the little girl without a smile on her face. She certainly lived up to her name.
Alex hadn’t been the only one eager to get back to a loved one. Marcus frowned as he approached Alicia’s desk just outside his office. Her empty desk. He took a minute to go into his office and leave his briefcase before heading back to where Kelsey sat.
“Where is she?” he asked.
Kelsey swung around and stared at him. “Alicia?”
Marcus almost responded with a sarcastic who else? But he restrained himself and nodded. It had been two long weeks since he’d last held her in his arms. “She’s not at her desk.”
“You might try HR. She said something earlier about having to talk to someone down there about Lorraine’s replacement when she goes on maternity leave next month.”
Marcus nodded but turned for the elevator without responding. It took just a few minutes to get to HR only to be told that she’d left there fifteen or twenty minutes ago. Marcus knew he was scowling as he made his way back to the elevator, but he couldn’t seem to help it. He wanted to see Alicia and not being able to find her was frustrating him. Finally, as he waited for the elevator to take him back up to the admin floor, he tapped out a text.
Marcus: Keeping busy, sweetheart?
He’d just stepped off the elevator when he got a reply.
Alicia: Always. I’ve got to do something to kill time until you get back.
“She’s back at her desk,” Kelsey said. “I didn’t mention you were here.”
Marcus flashed her a grin this time. “Thanks.”
Moving quickly down the hall, Marcus was glad for the carpet that muffled his approach. As soon as Alicia came into view, something loosened inside his chest, and he felt at peace. He paused, smiling as he watched her work, then he tapped out another message.
Marcus: Missing me, are you?
When her phone dinged, Alicia picked it up, read the message and sent him back a quick reply.
Alicia: Terribly. You need to tell your boss no more long trips.
Marcus: I have told him that and because he’s such a nice guy, he even agreed to let us cut the trip short by a day.
Alicia sat up straighter, a broad smile on her face as she tapped her screen.
Alicia: Really? You’re coming home today?
Marcus slid his phone into his pocket as he crossed the remaining distance to Alicia’s desk. “I’m already here.”
Alicia swung toward him, her eyes going wide, and then she was out her seat, around the desk, and in his arms. As Marcus bent to bury his face in her soft hair, he let out a long breath, grateful to be back where he belonged.
His throat tight, he whispered, “I missed you.”
Her arms squeezed more firmly around him. “I missed you too.”
Marcus thought of the small velvet box that was hidden in his briefcase and smiled. “Marry me?”
Alicia jerked back, her eyes wide and mouth agape. “What?”
With a grin, Marcus grabbed her hand and pulled her into his office. He guided her around to his office chair. “Sit.”
She quirked a brow at him
but did as she was told, her expression still a bit dazed. He went to his briefcase and opened it to pull out the box that contained the ring he’d bought for her in Paris. Clutching it in his hand, he turned back around and moved to stand in front of her before slowly lowering himself to one knee.
He hadn’t even gotten any words out before tears spilled out of Alicia’s eyes. With a gentle smile, he reached out and took her left hand in his. “These past two weeks without you have been horrible. All I’ve been able to think about was how much I missed you and how I wished you were by my side. Ask Alex, he’ll tell you how much I talked about you. I didn’t plan to propose like this, but you know what? I think this is the perfect place. After all, it’s where we connected for the first time.” Marcus paused to take a deep breath. “Alicia Leighton, I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Alicia smiled through her tears as she reached out to cup his cheek. “There is nothing else in the world that I’d rather be than your wife. I love you so much, Marcus. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with the love we share. It’s all I ever hoped for and so much more.”
Marcus straightened and pulled Alicia to her feet. Turning them around, he settled into his chair and tugged her down onto his lap. He worked the ring free of its box then took her left hand again. Looking into her eyes, he slid the ring onto her finger then lifted her hand to his lips to kiss it.
Alicia leaned forward to press her lips to his. Gently at first, then a bit more passionately. Marcus held her close, knowing that she loved being held tightly in his arms. It was a good thing that he also loved holding her tightly in his arms.
When the kiss ended, Marcus said, “I hope you’re okay with a short engagement.”
Alicia smiled and leaned her forehead against his. “I’m more than okay with that.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat grabbed their attention. They both turned, and Marcus smiled when he spotted Eric in the doorway.
“Not sure about the hanky-panky on company time there, boss,” Eric said as he walked into the office.
“While I would normally agree with you,” Marcus began, “it’s not every day a man gets engaged to the woman who has captured his heart.”
“Engaged?” Eric exclaimed. “That’s terrific!”
Marcus was glad the man approved although it wouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t. Alicia had agreed to be his wife, and that was all that mattered. “Yes, but before word spreads too quickly, I need to phone Meredith to let her know.”
~*~
Alicia stared out the floor to ceiling windows of the living room in the apartment she shared with Meredith. The sun had set a bit ago, but the city was alive with bright lights glowing from the buildings below them, and snow had begun to fall a short time ago, giving it all a rather blurred look.
“Are you excited?” Meredith asked as she joined her at the window.
Alicia turned to look at the woman who had become one of her closest friends. They’d been living together for the past seven months and had grown so close during that time.
After what had happened at the mansion, no one had wanted to return there. Marcus had immediately begun looking for a new place to live while trying to sell the other property. Apparently, he had some connections because he was able to sell it to some Saudi prince who was willing to pay the price Marcus was asking. It wasn’t long after that that Marcus had rented two apartments in a forty-story building in downtown Minneapolis.
Marcus had set up one apartment for himself and Derek and the other for her and Meredith. He didn’t even seem to consider that she might not want to live there. Of course, she hadn’t argued with him. Why would she have? After all, compared to where she had been living, the new apartment was a palace. Plus, it was close to Marcus, and after the attack, that had become important to her.
But tonight, all that would change again. When Marcus had said he didn’t want a long engagement, he hadn’t been kidding. In short order, he’d reserved the beautifully decorated commons room at the apartment building and proceeded to plan their wedding. He had asked for her opinion all along the way, making sure that if she wanted something for their wedding, she would have it. Alicia answered any questions he had for her, such as the color of the flowers she wanted or the type of cake, but at the end of the day, the only things she absolutely had to have at their wedding was the two of them and a licensed minister.
“You look so beautiful,” Meredith murmured as she ran a finger down the lace sleeve of Alicia’s gown.
“So do you,” Alicia replied, taking in her friend’s striking appearance in the dark green satin dress she wore. It might have been cliché for the time of year, but Alicia had gone with dark green and red for their colors. She saw no reason to not embrace the colors of the season since they were getting married so close to Christmas. Marcus had made this wedding happen in less than a month, and now she was just minutes from getting married.
As if on cue, the doorbell went.
Meredith went to answer it and returned with Doug and Caroline. Both of them were going to be walking her down the aisle since they were her parents in every way that counted. Her own mother had turned her back on Alicia when she’d heard that she had made contact with Doug. Alicia had been okay with the decision because she knew it was her mother’s loss.
“Oh, you look lovely, sweetheart,” Caroline said as she hugged her.
Doug also gave her a hug, holding her shoulders in his big hands as he stepped back. “I’m proud to call you my daughter. For all the heartache that lead to this point, I want you to know that you’re worth it.”
Tears threatened to spill over as Alicia swallowed hard.
“None of that,” Doug admonished her with an indulgent smile. “We need to get you downstairs pronto because Marcus is more than ready to get this underway.”
The four of them rode the elevator to the floor that held the commons room. Alicia hadn’t been allowed to see the final product, so she couldn’t keep from looking all around when it was her turn to step through the doors once Meredith had gone. First, she saw the white twinkle lights that were draped over every window and from the ceiling. Next, as they neared the chairs that had been set up, Alicia saw the friends and family that had gathered for them. Each and every one was smiling at her, and she knew that they shared her joy in this day. Finally, her gaze landed on the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle.
Her heart expanded with love when she saw Marcus standing there. It surprised her sometimes, how much she loved the man. What she felt for him now was so far beyond what she’d felt for him six months ago. It had been love then, but it was so much more now. Having never really seen a loving relationship growing up, she hadn’t realized that love could continue to grow. That once it was acknowledged, it didn’t just stay the same. The ups and downs of the relationship caused that love to strengthen and grow, expanding to fill areas of her heart and life she hadn’t even known needed filling.
When their gazes met as she neared him, Alicia saw him swallow hard, and knowing that his emotions were near the surface, tears filled her eyes again. She placed her hand in his, relishing in his strength as his much larger hand engulfed her smaller one. Stepping up beside him to face the minister, Alicia felt peace flood her.
When the time came to say their vows, they each said them with complete surety. Alicia could see the love Marcus had for her as he spoke the words aloud. And she felt it in the gentleness of his kiss just before the minister pronounced them man and wife.
This man was her protector in every way. She knew that she could put her complete trust in him. That she could be her most vulnerable with him. That she could be weak before him. That she could pray with him. And he could be and do all those things with her.
They could be secure in the love they had for each other.
Always.
The End
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A Sense of Security: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 6) Page 27
