“I’m giving him space to recover. We message each other every day, and when he’s stronger, we’ll probably resume our weekly dinners. It was a close call, and as much as I want to be there for him, he needs this time for himself.”
“Will you promise me something?” she asks as she sits up. “Don’t spend your life waiting for him. I know you love him, but sometimes you have to let go and move on.”
“As long as you don’t try to set me up with anyone.”
“That’s a deal,” she says as she gets up. “I have to go get ready for my shift. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Which restaurant do you work at? Maybe I’ll surprise you later and pop in for dinner.”
Evie instantly looks uncomfortable. “Trust me, you don’t want to have dinner there.” She lets out a breath and pulls an awkward face. “Don’t yell at me, but I work at Marilyn’s.”
“Why does that sound familiar?” I sit up, not liking where this is going at all.
“It’s that restaurant where you can dine nude.”
My eyes widen, and I get up off the bed.
“What do you wear?”
She looks nervous as she whispers, “I get to wear an apron.”
“An apron? Are you serious?”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“It’s only until I can find something else. It’s been hard, Willow.”
“I can talk to my dad. I’m sure he’ll help us out until my business is up and running.” My mind starts to race with ways I can help Evie so she won’t have to work there.
She places her hand gently on my arm, giving me a pleading look.
“It’s only temporary. You’re going to have debt coming out of your ears soon. Focus on getting the business running and then I’ll join you. It’s not as sleazy as it sounds and it pays the bills.”
I don’t want her to feel more uncomfortable than she already is, so I let it go for now.
“I’m going to work my butt off, Evie.”
“Thanks, but I’m just happy that you’re finally here. It makes all the difference to me. I missed having you nearby.”
We hug each other before I let her go so she can get ready.
Chapter 15
MARCUS
“Why didn’t Rhett let me know they were in town?” I huff as I climb up and down the stairs.
“Rhett must love me more,” Miss Sebastian says as she keeps count of my steps. “You’ve got to shake your booty a little faster. I have a lot to do before our guests arrive.”
I’m gasping for air as I look over at where Ryan is busy setting the table. He’s just smiling while he watches us from the corner of his eye.
Miss Sebastian smacks me on the ass. “Stop checking out my husband and move your ass!”
I roll my eyes at her, too out of breath to snap at her. I move faster just so I can get this over with.
“That’s better,” she smiles. “If you keep exercising like this, you’ll be able to bow-chika-wow-wow soon.” She wags her eyebrows for extra effect.
I try to push as hard as I can before I stop and sit down on the top step.
“You’re killing me,” I wheeze as I try to catch my breath.
“Up! You need to cool down first.” She pulls at my arm until I’m back on my feet.
I do the damn exercises and let her take my blood pressure.
“All done.” She scrunches her nose at me. “You need to go bathe again. You’re all sweaty, and even though I love a sweaty chunk of hunk, even I have my limits.”
Instantly a smile spreads across my face. When I pull Miss Sebastian in for a hug, she screeches like a dying cat. She starts swatting me with her notepad she uses to record my blood pressure on.
“You’re going to ruin my blouse!” She swats me upside the head, and I let her go. “Just for that, I’m adding another fifty steps tomorrow. You obviously have some stamina you need to burn off.”
The doorbell rings, which immediately snags her attention. She heads for it like a crazy woman on a mission. Deciding not to test her patience, I go bathe quickly.
When I walk into the living room, Rhett says, “I can’t believe you invited me for dinner and I had to bring the food.”
“One of you almost dying from poisoning is more than enough for me,” Miss Sebastian says while rolling her eyes in my direction. “The fact that I’m not cooking for you is a huge compliment. You should thank me for saving your life.”
“Fuck, dude, you’re looking so much better,” he says when his eyes land on me. He gets up and gives me a quick hug.
Mia is right behind him, almost jumping with excitement to get to me. She lets out a little squeal as she grabs me in a hug.
When she pulls back, she says, “Rhett’s right. You’ve picked up so much weight. How do you feel?”
“Much better, thanks,” I say.
Since I got sick, I got much closer to Mia. Actually, I got closer to all my friends. It’s funny how death makes you reevaluate what’s important in life. When I was at my weakest, every one of them helped me get through it. I now understand what Jaxson meant when he said it’s not a bad thing to let people in. My life does feel fuller.
“What’s for dinner?” I ask as I sit down on the couch.
“I brought pizza for us, but I got a chicken salad for you,” Rhett answers. He looks over to where Miss Sebastian is busy putting final touches on the table. “Are you seriously setting the table just for pizza?”
“Now listen here, my delicious chunk of hunk. When we eat in my house, we will eat like royalty. My royal ass likes to dine in style.” Miss Sebastian claps her hands in the air. “Come, come. I’m on a tight schedule. Jaxson and Leigh will be here with dessert in two hours.”
“Oh, they’re coming too?” I ask.
“There will be no work talk at my table, so don’t go getting your boxers in a twist with excitement.”
We all make our way to the table. Miss Sebastian gives Rhett a beer and pours Mia some wine. When she gets to me, she places a bottle of water and salad in front of me.
“Yummy,” I say dryly.
“So let me get this straight,” Rhett says while he loads his plate with pizza. “You invite people over and make them bring food.”
Miss Sebastian raises her eyebrows at him. “Is there a question in there somewhere? I’ve misplaced my crystal ball, so you’re going to have to spell it out.”
Rhett smiles widely. “No question. I’m taking notes. I’m never cooking again. From now on you can all bring your own food.”
There’s a lot of laughter around the table as we eat. When we’re done eating, Miss Sebastian chases us to the living room. She flutters around the table to get everything ready for dessert.
Ryan and Rhett start to talk about football, so I smile at Mia.
“Is there somewhere private we can talk?” she asks me.
“Sure,” I say standing up.
She follows me to the guest room I’m currently staying in. I watch her glance over her shoulder before she reaches into her bag.
“Before I give you this, there’s something you need to know,” she says.
I try to see what it is but it’s still hidden in her bag.
“Okay.” For a moment I’m worried, not sure what Mia wants to give me.
“The man who gave me these is an incredible man. You have some pretty big shoes to fill.”
I frown, not sure where this is going.
Mia’s eyes tear up which has me really worried now.
Her bottom lip trembles as she says, “I read the letter you wrote me. Thank you for explaining why you avoided me. I wasn’t sure, but now that I know for certain that it’s because Summer and I were the same age, I understand.”
I didn’t see that coming. I’ve actually forgotten about the letters. I was such an emotional mess, thinking I was going to die.
“But then you got sick, and it changed everything. You let me see another side of you, and I love that side. You let all
of us in, and I don’t want that to change now that you’re better.”
“It won’t,” I whisper.
She removes her hand from the bag and holds two of three envelopes out to me.
“These two belong to Willow. I thought now that you’re better you might want to give them to her yourself.”
I take them from her, and it hurts remembering how it wrecked me to write them.
“I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Willow, but anyone could see that she loves you. You only wrote to three people, Marcus. You wrote an apology letter to me. You wrote to Jaxson because he’s your best friend. Why did you write to Willow?”
I look away from Mia, needing a second to gather my thoughts.
When I bring my eyes back to hers, I whisper, “I wanted her to remember me.”
“Why?” Mia takes a step closer to me, her eyes never leaving mine.
“I didn’t want the woman who owns my heart to forget that every beat was for her.”
A tear spills over Mia’s cheek as she smiles at me.
“In that case,” she holds the third and final envelope out to me, “this letter is for you, Marcus. The man who wrote this loved Willow with all of his heart.”
I’m overcome with emotion and struggle to blink the tears away as I take the letter from Mia.
“I saw the way you looked at her, Marcus. It’s the way Logan looks at me. Now that you’re healthy, I hope you don’t forget what you would’ve missed most if you had died.”
I nod and smile around the emotion whirling inside of me.
“Thank you, Mia.”
“You’re welcome,” she whispers as she steps forward to give me a hug.
I stay behind when Mia goes back to the living room.
I turn the envelope around and choke up when I see my handwriting.
To the man who holds my heart.
I close the bedroom door and slowly walk to the bed as I tear the envelope open. Removing the single page from it, I read it.
If you’re reading this, then it means Willow Brooks loves you.
Her love is one of a kind. It will never leave you. It will keep coming back even when you’re an ass to her.
She will love you unconditionally. She will put your happiness before her own.
That’s why I’m writing to you. Cherish Willow’s love. Don’t be a dick just because she’s loyal. Because she loves so fiercely, she can be hurt so easily.
Put her happiness before your own. She deserves the best, and I pray to God you’re it.
I might be dead, but I will do everything in my power to watch over her.
I’m begging you to love Willow the way I never got chance to love her.
Marcus.
Ps. She really doesn’t like surprises.
Chapter 16
MARCUS
I’ve given myself another two weeks to recover and get stronger. I’m not at full strength yet, but I’m almost there.
I started working a week ago. It took some getting used to again, but I’m getting there. Jaxson and Rhett helped me move into my new place, and now that I’m settled, I can’t wait to see Willow.
I look at the time again, and excitement bubbles in my chest knowing that Willow will be here soon.
I walk into the living room and sit down next to Miss Sebastian, who might be more excited than me to meet Willow.
“What are you watching?”
She pulls a face. “The Bachelor. Watching all those crazy women makes me feel better about myself.”
I frown at her which makes her turn the volume down. She turns to face me and the last time I saw her this serious was just before the surgery when I lost my shit.
“I look at their perfect boobs and vajajay's, and I can’t help but turn green. And as I’ve said before, green isn’t my color. When they act crazy, it makes me feel better knowing I have a dazzling personality.”
I nod to show her that I understand.
“Have you thought about going for a gender reassignment surgery?”
A sad look crosses her features.
“I think about it all the time,” she admits softly.
I’ve never seen this side of Miss Sebastian.
“So why don’t you go?”
She lifts her eyes to mine and tries to smile bravely.
“It’s expensive.”
I can see that she has more to add, so I wait patiently.
“Ryan chose to love me with this body. What if I change it and he doesn’t love it anymore?”
“Babe,” Ryan suddenly says from the hallway. I almost shriek with Miss Sebastian.
“Don’t scare me like that!”
He stalks towards her, and I have a sudden urge to flee before I get caught between them. I ease myself over the arm of the chair and almost fall off the side. At least I’m out of the way by the time Ryan grabs hold of Miss Sebastian’s hands, pulling her up into his arms.
“I love you. I love your colorful brand of crazy. I love every word that comes out of your mouth. You,” Ryan pats his hand over her heart. “I love you. If you want boobs and a vajajay, then go for it.”
He frames her face and looks at her with so much love, you can’t help but feel the emotion.
“Did you just call me crazy?” Miss Sebastian asks suddenly.
I cover my mouth and turn away before she sees me laughing. Poor Ryan. It was nice knowing him.
“Out of everything I just said, that’s what you decide to hear?”
“I’ll let it go this one time, but only because everything else you said was so swoon-a-licious.”
I smile as I walk to the kitchen so they can have some privacy. I make sure everything is ready for when Willow gets here. I chuckle when I remember Miss Sebastian's face when I invited them over for dinner and told her she had to bring the food. She wasn’t impressed with me.
When there’s a knock at the door, Miss Sebastian shrieks and runs for the door before I even manage to take a step.
Miss Sebastian yanks the door open and pulls Willow so fast into a hug, all I get to see of Willow is her blonde curls.
“OMGEEEEEE!” she keeps shrieking, then pushes Willow back and turns her from side to side. “Let me have a good look at you.”
I get a glimpse of Willow’s stunned face and decide now is a good time to save her.
“You’re just too delish for words.” Miss Sebastian frames Willow’s face, and for a moment they just look at each other before Miss Sebastian whispers, “You have the eyes of an angel. Girl, you keep looking at me like that, and you’ll have me confessing my sins in no time.”
“Trust me,” I say, interrupting their moment. I wrap an arm around Willow’s shoulders and pull her away from Miss Sebastian. “You do not want to hear Miss Sebastian’s sins. She’ll scar you for life.”
I turn my body into Willow’s as my eyes drop to her face. Her eyes are wide as they stare up at me, and I’m not sure if she’s in shock from being steamrolled by Miss Sebastian, or whether it’s because of me.
It feels as if I’m seeing her for the first time again, or maybe I’m just allowing myself to really look at her. She’s even more beautiful than I remember. It feels like a lifetime has passed since I saw her last.
Her blonde hair feels softer against my arm. My eyes drop to her mouth, and I have an overwhelming urge to kiss her, the way I should’ve kissed her that night we met.
Fuck, I’ve wasted so much time.
I’m just thankful that I got another chance. This time I won’t waste a second. The letter I wrote was the final wake-up call I needed.
“Hi, Willow,” I whisper, smiling down at the face I’ve missed so much. I press a soft kiss to her lips, and it takes all my strength to pull away.
I notice tears shimmering in her eyes as she lifts her left hand to my face, and a look of wonder quickly replaces the shock that was there a moment ago. She traces her fingers lightly from my temple down to my jaw.
She drops her hand to my chest, right over
my heart, and whispers, “Hi, Marcus.”
“He looks so delicious because I have been feeding his sexy ass.” Miss Sebastian’s voice breaks the moment between us.
Miss Sebastian grabs Willow’s hand and pulls her towards the living room.
“While the chunks of hunks get the food ready, I’ll give you a tour of your man’s love shack.”
Ryan places his hand on my arm when we hear Miss Sebastian say, “Just look at the bed! There’s plenty of space to bow-chika-wow-wow with your man. I made sure he got a lot of exercise. He’s good to go. You don’t have to worry about giving him a heart attack. You can ride him like Seabiscuit, and he’ll be fine.”
Ryan tightens his grip on my arm and shakes his head. “It’s no use. Once she starts you know there’s no stopping her.”
“Seabiscuit?” I groan, thinking it wasn’t such a good idea to have Miss Sebastian over for dinner to help Willow feel more at ease.
∞∞∞
WILLOW
I stand with Marcus by the front door and watch as Miss Sebastian and Ryan walk down the hallway towards the elevator.
“I love her,” I whisper.
“Yeah, she’s something else.”
Marcus takes my hand and pulls me back inside the apartment. Miss Sebastian was so overwhelming that I haven’t had time to really focus on Marcus.
I let my eyes run over him, and I can’t believe how good he looks.
Was it all just a bad nightmare?
“Before you go, there’s something I want to tell you.”
I nod, and instantly my nerves feel unsettled. When it comes to Marcus, I’m never sure what to expect.
He clears his throat and then his eyes lock on mine. They are so blue and filled with life that I can’t stop myself from staring back.
“When I was lying in the OR, just before I passed out, you want to know the very first thing that entered my mind?”
I nod, waiting for him to continue.
“Your smile.”
A smile forms around my mouth.
“I remembered the first time I saw you smile and how it froze me. I remembered thinking you were the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in all my life. It froze me because I knew I’d never be able to move on from that moment. I wanted you, but I couldn’t have you. At that moment my miserable existence froze in time until I was lying there waiting for Doc to cut into my heart.”
Ruthless (An Enemies To Lovers Novel Book 4) Page 11
