Those who have followed my story will remember that a year ago, we were preparing for my assistant's wedding to one of our lab guys. I was still recovering from my leg injury at the time. I was enjoying the memory as I was listening to the same playlist and the same song played. The song was called "Stand Beside Me" by Jo Dee Messina. When it played, I remember that it sparked a discussion about balance and how a good relationship has that balance.
I've never claimed to be a relationship guru. Hell, Marcie is my second wife although I lost Missy to cancer. The thing is that being with my girl has taught me plenty about how to balance with her. One of the things I strived for when Marcie and I became more serious was to take the lessons I learned from my marriage to Missy and apply it. Marcie received a well-trained man when we started becoming serious. Our relationship that started as friends and graduated to friends with benefits evolved to the point where I couldn't imagine my life without her. Marcie deserved a better man after all the years she was with her good husband.
Mitch wasn't a bad husband. Mitch, from what Marcie told me, was her knight before they married. He worked tremendously hard to ensure his queen was well taken care of to the point the house she shares with me was completely paid off prior to his retirement. Marcie, since his battle with cancer, had become a more independent woman. A fool would have tried to stifle that after she started dating again. I allowed her to be her and was rewarded with the most thoughtful partner a man would want.
I rarely wax that thoughtful in moments like that. I have always been a straight-forward person who only gets methodical when necessary. My business partner refers to this process as my "tactical" mind. It usually comes into play at times when we must discuss a business move or, sadly, when I need to defend the honor of my friends as the readers of my story with Marcie has seen a few times. It netted me the disliked moniker of Matt's "Enforcer" which is far from everything I strive to be. When given the choice, I'd rather be peaceful when dealing with issues. I have become better since Marcie came into my life and still rather avoid it much more.
As I reflected, I could hear Marcie in the other room moving things around. One of the lessons I had learned in my almost two years of marriage to my Amor was that it's always better to allow Marcie to do her thing. It doesn't mean I let her struggle because I'm better than that. There are just times I know she has things in hand. After all, it's Marcie's house and I just live in it.
It grew quiet from our room for a bit while soft music was still playing on my playlist. It was when I looked up from the laptop and those numbers when I saw Marcie. Marcie's hair was in a ponytail. That was nothing new since she usually did that when she was organizing. What caught me by surprise was that she was wearing one of her swimsuits. Marcie had the ones we bought before the recent trips we took, but the one she wore was an older one. This one was predominantly white with colored splotches on it. It was a two piece. I could feel my breath caught as I looked her over. She looked at me innocently before she spoke.
"Does this suit still look good on me, Leo?" she asked.
There was no trace of seduction in her voice. It was a real question my gorgeous wife was asking me. Still, I was spellbound. I saw how in shape she was from the working out she did with Nikki and her times going to the gym. I saw the tanning she did. I saw....wow. I saw my wife being the enchantress she was naturally even though she wasn't trying.
"Leo?" she asked sounding a little scared.
"You look amazing, my love," I answered when I finally found my voice. "I mean, wow!!"
She started to blush.
"You don't have to pour it on, Leo. It's just me in an old suit. I just wasn't sure if it still fit right. But you're saying it looks good?"
I nodded my head as my tongue was having a difficult time moving. I watched as she walked towards me. I cautiously slipped my laptop on our coffee table as she walked towards me. My arms automatically opened as she straddled my lap and edged in close for a kiss. We started to kiss, my hands sliding along her lower back. It started as gentle kisses before they moved to the deeper ones. The kisses were slow. They felt deliberate.
"I wasn't trying to seduce you, Leo," she whispered.
