Marcie and Leo

(The set starting with the last two chapters are all together. It is advisable that the reader read the last two prior to this one if they haven't already. )

It was a delightful lunch. The puzzling thing to me though was that Marcie did not order a Margarita. It is usually her custom for our lunches at our fav Mexican restaurant that a margarita would be part of it Still, she did say there were two more parts to my gift. As much as I started getting curious, I also knew that it was Marcie. This was the woman who I fell for while we grieved for our late spouses. This was the woman who made my life better just by being in it. This was the woman who had proven time and time again that she was a strong, independent woman.

As I buckled in, she leaned in and kissed my cheek. I smiled before I looked at her.

"This has been really nice so far, Baby," I said.

"Thank you, Leo. This took a ton of planning to pull off, but I am sure after we get done, you'll be pleasantly surprised."

She punctuated that line with her trademark wink. She then put the car in gear and started driving. It was during the drive that her phone rang. She pressed the answer button on her steering wheel and started talking.

"Hey, Aubrey. Leo's here with me."

There was a slight hesitation before she spoke.

"Are you on part two or three?"

"We're headed to part two now."

There was another pause.

"Okay, could you have your wonderful husband call me after part two? I have a couple work questions."

I chimed in.

"How complicated are they?"

I heard her laugh.

"There he is. I hope your Beloved isn't spoiling you too much."

"She's taking great care of me. So, what do we have?"

We started talking shop for about ten minutes while Marcie drove. I was not paying the best attention to where we were going until she parked the car. We were at one of the boutiques Marcie frequented. As I closed the call with Aubrey, Marcie motioned for me to step out of the car. She then walked around the car and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You're being a very good husband, Leo," she said before she kissed me.

Then she paused for a moment and looked at me.

"Actually, that's not enough," she started. "You have been a good everything since they found out about their cancers. You worried so much about Missy, but still made time to be there for Mitch and I until the end. You alleviated many of my worries while we were friends, then while we dated. You collared me and made me yours. You were patient with me when I was bouncing back and forth between taking your proposal. Every time the bubble went up, you respected it and helped me through whatever I was going through. You are not just very good. You are the best, Leo. I just hope all this stuff I have been working on shows you how much."

There was another kiss that was deeper, longer and promised more to come in just one moment. She then looked me in the eye as she took me towards the door. We watched as the girl inside walked forward. She had that tell-tale retail hangover look before she saw Marcie. Her smile then perked up as she unlocked the door.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Mercer. Is this the husband?"

"It is, Maggie. This is my husband, Leo."

I held out my hand as she extended hers. There was a slight shake before she looked in my face. She smiled at me, her blue eyes sparkling. I looked at Marcie who was smiling.

"So, dear husband. This will be the first part of the second portion of your gift. Just like the first part, we are 'suit' shopping. Just not in a conventional sense."

It was then my curiosity was piqued. Marcie took my hand as Maggie led us to what I guessed was the changing area. Maggie pointed out the curtain to the right before Marcie spoke up.

"When we went on our trip last year, your swim trunks were nice. But they were a bit too standard to be honest. I thought maybe we get you a few sets of trunks. Inside there are four sets. Try them on, then show me. I will help you pick the two colors that will look the best on you."

I looked at her in surprise before I realized this was her show. I went into the fitting booth and saw four sets of swim trunks. As I surmised, there wasn't any black as an option. There was a burgundy style red, a bright blue, a dark green and a bright yellow set. So, I did what any husband who knew what the score was would do. I slowly slipped into each set before walking out to show Marcie. She smiled every time I stepped out before I finished trying all four.

It was after I put my other clothes back on when I stepped out. I awaited the verdict with bated breath as Marcie was thinking. It was then Maggie walked up.

"Which was your favorite?" she asked.

Marcie thought about it.

"I like the red one. I would say that is my favorite. The blue comes in second."

"So, would you like me to put the other two back?"

Marcie smiled.

"I think we'll take all four. We'll need them."

As Maggie took them away, Marcie cuddled closer.

"Well, that was easy."

"So, the first store was to get me two suits for work. What was this one for, Amor?"

Her finger touched my lips before she smiled.

"You'll see. Let me go pay for those before we head to the next stop."