Marry Me

by Bishop, Alexandria

  Giselle: If you can’t that’s fine. I just need to know whether or not I should be going to look for my car or taking a taxi.

  Anders: I told you your precious car would be waiting for you and it will.

  Giselle: Thank you.

  Giselle: It really means a lot to me that you aren’t making things weird between us.

  Giselle: I honestly wasn’t sure how you would be acting.

  Giselle: Obviously I was over thinking it. Like I always do.

  Anders: Who said anything is weird? No thanks necessary.

  Giselle: Seriously I appreciate it so much. I hope we can still be friends.

  Anders: You got it.

  Chapter Four

  Giselle

  The airplane rocks to the side as we hit a small pocket of turbulence. I know we’re going to be fine and the captain already warned us we’d have a little shaking for a few minutes, but it doesn’t change how my chest tightens or the fact that my eyes slam shut of their own accord. I concentrate on my breathing as I white-knuckle the armrests.

  I’m holding on tighter when a warm, strong hand falls on top of my own and lightly squeezes. I’m momentarily frozen in place as the thick masculine voice whispers words of encouragement into my ear. I concentrate on his voice, allowing myself to forget about what’s going on outside of this plane or the slight jostling we’re feeling inside of it.

  One minute I’m internally screaming, my anxiety ratcheting up and trying to carve its way out of my skin, and the next the plane is speeding down the runway, slowing down with each bit of distance until it comes to a complete stop. Cheering goes up around the plane and if this were any other time, I’d probably laugh at the absurdity of it. We hit a few bumps, but it wasn’t anything I’m not used to.

  With the safety of our landing, my anxiety should dissipate, but it only gets worse. I finally allow my eyes to pop open as people stir around me, grabbing bags from the overhead bin and waiting to deplane. When I look to my left, I’m greeted with the biggest smile and the kindest chocolate brown eyes. With another gentle squeeze of my hand, he leans forward and places a gentle peck on my lips. His happiness spreads throughout me but doesn’t quite reach everywhere. Still, it has the desired effect he was looking for.

  I plaster on a fake smile and let out a small laugh, saying, “I’m not sure what came over me. Turbulence has never affected me like that before.”

  His warm voice surrounds me again like a fuzzy blanket when he asks, “Are you nervous?”

  Nervous?

  That’s the understatement of the century. It’s been nine months since I’ve been home, and I didn’t stay in very good contact. Sure, Marek and Tinley called me regularly, but I evaded any questions involving updates and kept our conversations very surface level. Nobody—and I mean nobody—knows what I’ve really been up to. If it weren’t for the guy currently sitting next to me, I wouldn’t believe it either.

  He stands up and grabs his small duffel bag, tossing it on the seat he just vacated. With a quick shuffle through the contents, he pulls out his favorite well-worn Boston Red Sox baseball cap and a pair of aviator sunglasses. Part of me wants to laugh at the silliness of his getup; I’m not even sure what time it is but we’ve been traveling all day and the sunlight is surely almost gone for the day, but after spending the past several months together, I get it. For him, it’s easier to get around if he’s less noticeable.

  I’ve been gone for almost a year, and I didn’t even know what I was looking for when I left. I just knew something had to change, and I needed something to be different. What I didn’t expect was to find an amazing man who loves me for me. Being with Wren is easy. We have fun and there is zero drama between us. We love each other, and I just hope my family loves him as much as I do.

  Closing up his bag, he reaches above us, bringing my small carry-on down as well. With a playful expression on his face, he acts like the weight of the bag breaks his arm off, but we both know it feels like nothing to him. My tongue flicks out against my lips as his muscles strain against his tight t-shirt. There’s no denying how gorgeous the man standing in front of me is. He offers me another panty-melting grin while reaching for my hand. Placing mine in his, I’m momentarily blinded by the sunlight from the window across the aisle hitting the adornment on my finger.

  I can do this. I can do this.

  I repeat the mantra in my head as he helps pull me up, placing his mouth onto my own. I push down any nervousness and anxiety and allow myself to just feel, to accept everything this gorgeous man is giving me and ignoring what or who is waiting for me outside of this plane.

  I’ve got this.

  I continue repeating any and every positive mantra I can think of, reminding myself of the positivity retreat I went on at the beginning of my trip. I honestly felt silly even going, but I was desperate, and desperate times call for desperate measures. I wanted to erase Anders from my mind, but apparently, I just needed to replace him. The only part that worries me is not knowing how I’ll feel the first time I see him again. The thought of it takes me back to the night before I left.

  As soon as I find my release, I collapse on the bed, falling flat on my stomach. Holy hell was that intense. My heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest, and I can’t keep my smile off my face. This is everything I’ve ever wanted and more.

  Anders pulls out and plops onto the bed next to me. “You’re moving in with me.”

  Well, this is moving fast. I’m not complaining, but I never expected him to jump in fully. What’s next? Is he going to skip being my boyfriend and go straight to marriage? Turning my head to the side, I look at him and ask, “Want to repeat what you just said?”

  “Giselle, you just got done telling me you listed your apartment on one of those vacation rental websites and you have nowhere to go. I’ll be damned if you get on that plane to Paris for who knows how long. I have a guest bedroom and it’s all yours.”

  His guest bedroom?

  He wants me to sleep in his guest bedroom? How does he possibly think I could live in the same house as him and sleep anywhere other than his bed? Does he want us to be roomies now? Sending each other off on dates and having a texting code for when the other needs to be scarce for the evening? I can’t bear the thought of him bringing another woman back here, seeing what they look like and knowing he’s doing to them everything I wish he was doing to me.

  “Thank you,” I tell him as I get up from his bed for a quick minute in the bathroom. Maybe he didn’t want to push me and that’s why he offered up his guest bedroom. Maybe he wants me in his bed but doesn’t know how to ask. The room is dark when I leave his en-suite and his eyes find mine. He motions for me to come over and I crawl in beside him as he wraps his arms around me.

  I nibble on my bottom lip, itching to ask him the question that has been on my mind since we got to his house but too scared to ask. In complete heaven after what we just did, I suck it up and ask him. “What are we doing Anders?”

  “After what we just did, you’re still questioning me? I want to be with you, Giselle. I’ve always wanted you.”

  I don’t know why I was so scared. Anders wouldn’t sleep with me if he didn’t want to be with me. This dance we’ve been doing all these years doesn’t matter anymore. My heart pounds and I can’t help but feel so happy. “Then you have no problem with telling my brother about us?”

  There’s a pause, and I wonder if he heard my question. Then he replies, “What’s the rush? Why don’t we just be us and see where things go before we get anyone else involved in our business?”

  “If that’s what you want—”

  “Why add any unnecessary drama to our relationship before it has a chance to get started?”

  “Yeah, that makes sense.” I nod my head and smile while dying inside. I don’t know why I thought things would be different between us. I thought maybe since we were adults, family stuff wouldn’t matter. I guess I was wrong, and I should have just trusted my instinc
ts from the beginning.

  I refuse to be his dirty little secret.

  I yawn and roll over, and Anders tugs my back to his front. He kisses the side of my face and says, “Good night.”

  “Night,” I reply, but there’s no way I’ll be going to sleep tonight.

  I snuggle into the arms of the man wrapped around me and try to quiet my mind. I close my eyes and breathe in a huge breath, taking in his warm spicy scent and saying to him, “I’m just excited for you to meet my family.”

  He kisses the top of my head, hugs me tighter, and replies, “I hope they like me.”

  Funny how no matter who you are or how much money is in your bank account, you can still have the same anxieties and insecurities. I look up into the eyes of the man who has proclaimed his love for me over and over these last few months and smile. “They’re going to love you, Wren. I just know it.”

  And then we’re moving. The door finally opens up, bringing the brightness of the sun into us. I guess it’s a lot earlier than I thought. Then again we did travel back in time in a sense. The flight attendant smiles at the passenger in the very front seat and they start allowing the passengers in first class off the plane with everyone else following after. I have no idea what my brother is going to say when I see him, and I hope his wife Tinley is with him as a buffer.

  Before I left for Paris, Tinley had become one of my closest friends, which shocked the hell out of me because I was a complete bitch to her when we met the first time. Before she and my brother started dating, they were just colleagues, and Marek and I ran into her with her sister, Tara, at a coffee shop. Let’s just say I thought it would be hilarious to play a trick, one my brother didn’t appreciate too much, and I acted like we were together rather than me being his sister. We’ve always played stupid pranks on each other over the years, but after that day, neither one of us has really done it again.

  My brother wants to see me happy; I know that from the bottom of my heart, but I think his protective nature takes over and he’s more interested in going all brother bear on any guy who tries to get close to me. He’s the main reason why nothing ever happened between Anders and me after all these years except for that one incredible night before I left.

  Nope.

  Not going there.

  Instead I pull my phone out of my crossbody bag and power it on. I can’t imagine how many messages are waiting for me. I turned it off when we left Paris this morning and I’ve left it off all day, although changing time zones is completely throwing me off. We left at seven this morning and it isn’t even noon yet here in Oregon. So weird.

  My phone buzzes as we step off the plane and something tells me to ignore it. Of course, I can’t, and I open up the notification immediately. It’s a Google alert I have set up for my name. It probably sounds vain, but I don’t use any kind of team. I run my business solo, and if any articles are posted about me, I want to know.

  Clicking the link, I’m shocked at what I find.

  Is Hollywood’s Favorite Leading Man Finally Settling Down?

  Sasha Nichols

  QuickFeed Staff

  Wren Danzig has been spotted out and about with the same woman recently. What turned into a breakaway from the limelight might be turning into true love. High off his recent Academy Award win, Wren has been traveling and getting a little R&R. He spent all of last summer hopping from location to location filming the book-to-film adaptation of Twin Flame, the movie everyone has been raving about and that won him his Oscar.

  But who is this mystery girl, you might ask? After a bit of research, it looks like Giselle Outlaw, the celebrity ViewTuber famous for her makeup videos, is the girl hanging on his arm these days. We’re not sure how serious the relationship is, but shippers of Wren with his leading lady are definitely not excited about this pairing.

  Do you think Wren is settling down? Or do you think this is a publicity stunt? Could be, although we can’t see what he’d get out of the relationship if that were true. Leave us your thoughts on the budding romance in the comments below.

  Welcome home to me…I guess.

  Chapter Five

  Anders

  Today.

  I’ve waited impatiently for nine months for her return, not knowing when it would happen, but today is finally that day. At first, I was pissed at her for up and leaving in the middle of the night without a word. We’d crossed a line we’d been toeing for years, and I was mad that I’d made myself ignore the feelings for so long. But now she’s back, and my first order of business is to show her that I’m ready.

  For her.

  For us.

  For all of it.

  I, Anders McKay, am completely and irrevocably in love with Giselle Outlaw, and I’m not letting anyone stand in the way of our happiness. That includes Marek, her brother, who just so happens to be my best friend. If I have to ruin our friendship to be with the woman I love, so be it. I just hope he’ll come around to the idea of us eventually, because I’d really rather not lose him.

  The keys she left on my kitchen counter—without a note, I might add—jiggle in my hands. I never had any intentions of just dropping her car off at the airport. If she really doesn’t want to see me, she’ll have to drive me home first. That said, I’m hoping she’ll come back with me and I can tell her everything about how I’m feeling. Hence the obnoxiously large bouquet of flowers in my other hand. It’s stupid, but I have high hopes that remembering her favorite flower might earn me some brownie points, or at least guarantee me a conversation with her.

  I glance up at the electronic sign in front of me for the millionth time in the last thirty seconds as ON TIME flashes annoyingly. Her plane should have landed five minutes ago, which means she should be making her way to baggage claim, to me, any minute now.

  Nerves and anxiety have never been something I’ve had an issue with, yet here I am with fucking butterflies in my gut like a teenage girl. The happiness flowing from me right now is probably strong enough to power a lightbulb. I thought I was a goner before, but man this is bad.

  I can’t help the smile on my face as I look up when a group of people head toward me to wait for their checked luggage. This must be her flight. I made sure to find out which carousel was hers. My heart pounds like I’m a crazy person, but I can’t contain my excitement.

  As cheesy as it sounds, the crowd parts, and it’s as if everything moves in slow motion. She’s here. She’s really here, and her entire being is glowing.

  Giselle stops in front of me a mere three feet away from me. Her eyes widen as she glances over her shoulder before looking back at me and asks, “Anders, what are you doing here?”

  I step forward, wrap my arms around her, and just breathe in her scent. It’s slightly different; she’s changed the perfume she uses since she’s been gone. Throughout the years, she always wore the same one I remember from the summer I first met her. It was a subtle floral wrapped up in the most delicious-smelling peaches. Every time I smelled it on someone else, it always made me think of Giselle.

  Now she’s doused in something unfamiliar, and I hope it isn’t permanent. Even so, I bury my face into her neck and hold on to her for dear life. This is what I’ve been waiting for, and I can’t believe she’s finally home and back to me.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” I say breathlessly into her hair as I tighten my grip on her. I hadn’t even realized how much I was missing her until this moment.

  Someone clears their throat next to us, and I tug to pull her to the side, out of the way. I know we’re standing in the middle of the walkway and whoever it is probably just wants to get around us, but Giselle stands firm in her place and moves to let go of me. Not a chance in hell am I letting her get away that easily. The dude clears his throat again, and now I’m starting to get pissed. What the fuck is his problem? He can just go around us; it’s not like we’re taking up the whole damn airport.

  With a loose grip still on Giselle, I look up at the douche and say, “Listen buddy—”
<
br />   My words get caught in my throat as she uses that moment to wriggle out of my arms, and then the dick bag wraps his arm around her waist and tugs her tight to his side. He has two large suitcases sitting on the floor next to his feet. One of them looks identical to the one that was previously parked in my living room.

  What the fuck is going on here?

  She smiles at me, although it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, and she says, “Anders, I’d like you to meet Wren, my fiancé. Wren, this is Anders, my brother’s best friend.”

  She holds her hand out to show me the fucking iceberg I missed when I was so caught up in wrapping her in my arms. How the hell did I not see that thing?

  I’m vaguely aware of the handshake he gives me, although my gaze hasn’t left her left hand since I noticed the giant rock on it. Engaged? She’s barely even been gone. How is she engaged? And to someone who isn’t me?

  Another wave of people come through to baggage claim, jostling our little group, but I don’t do a damn thing to move. I can’t even comprehend anything that’s going on right now. How is this happening?

  The dude she’s wrapped around clears his throat again, and I peel my eyes away from her hand, shifting my gaze to his face. What the hell is this guy’s problem? His hand tightens his grip on her side, and I’m sure he would be pissing on her right now if he could. Whatever, buddy. Just try to lay your fucking claim on what’s mine. She’ll come back to me, and we both know it.