If anyone were to ask me if Marcie needed to persuade me on anything, I'd be honest and say no. I say this not because I am whipped or anything of that nature. I have been known to be a hardhead at times. Her late husband was as well from what we have discussed in the past. The thing is Marcie had all those years of Mitchell being stubborn to deal with. When we started dating, I made more of an effort to be less stubborn because she deserved better than that. It's one reason I hold back from spending too much and surprising her as much as I could. I always want Marcie to be comfortable with me.
It has also caused her to understand why I was the way I was when it came to surprises and such. Missy's cancer diagnosis was and always had been the worst surprise I ever dealt with. When compounded with Missy's apprehension to share that with me, it's easy for one to understand why I am not a big fan of surprises. At the same time, I trust Marcie. I trust her with every bit of my heart. So, when she was being secretive about Aubrey's wedding plans, I was truly okay with it. That being said, if you think I was not going to let her "make it up" to me, you don't know me that well.
The drive to the hotel near the office was an exciting one. Because of the randomness of it, Marcie was already a bit excited. She was still dressed in the tank top and jean shorts we wore to breakfast. Traffic was a bit forgiving also. In my mind, I was concentrating on driving. After not driving for a few months, I wanted to make sure we made it there safely.
In my mind though was the thought of the last year of marriage. It had its challenges. It was definitely different than my first year with Missy. Our first year of marriage was both of us trying to find gainful employment. We had to scrap for everything. It was the typical first year for young lovers. Missy was an amazing woman who supported me so much.
I then took a glance at the angel next to me. Marcie is still an amazing woman. She was supportive of her husband through so many years and helped him so much before he left us. She was going to be an independent woman. She still is. She is very strong and intelligent. She was doing well on her own before our paths collided at my pool a few years ago. Even when we were dating, I respected her independence and held back from trying to sweep her off her feet.
Yet here we were at that moment. Married for one year. Headed to a fancy hotel to spend the night together. Still in love as much as we became during that time. I appreciated the fact that she told me her feelings about thinking she was stifling me with her fears. We always prided ourselves on being honest with each other about our feelings. It's that openness that makes things easier sometimes.
As we neared the hotel, I could feel the excitement in the air. We pulled into the front and parked so we could check in. I stepped out of the car and went over to her side to open the door for her. As I helped her to her feet, her arms went around my neck, and we shared a deep, long kiss. She looked in my eyes afterwards.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
I smiled.
"Another adventure with you? Of course,"
We walked into the hotel lobby hand in hand. We made it to the front desk where the desk person looked up and recognized us.
"Mr. Mercer?"
"Yes."
"Wow, it's been a bit. Do you have a reservation tonight?"
"We made it a couple hours ago."
