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.
888
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?