Marcie and Leo

Everyone who knows me already knows I am not big on surprises. It had always been a reason why I try to analyze things so much. However, when Aubrey showed me the engagement ring, my first instinct was to hug my assistant. Aubrey, before that moment, had never found someone who could handle her long enough to put a ring on it. Even though Wes and her had only been dating for slightly less than a year, it felt right to me.

Marcie, June, and Mon saw the ring and cheered before they guided her towards the table for drinks. Luckily for me, Marcie's sisters committed to staying another night just to be on the safe side. As the night went on, I started feeling drowsy and headed towards bed before Marcie followed behind me. She helped get the blankets open enough before I sat down and started to undress. It was after I was down to my boxers that she bent down and was at eye-level with me.

"Are you okay, Leo?" she asked.

I smiled at her, albeit a little weakly.

"It was a hard day, huh?" she asked.

"I'm not used to all the attention and all. But you are worth it, Amor. And I love your family. Did you see what Dee asked me today?"

She shook her head.

"She asked me if I'm Uncle Leo now since I married you. It melted me so much."

Marcie took me into her arms and hugged me tightly.

"Leo, you have a bigger family now. You're not alone anymore."

I started to cry a bit before I lay down and looked up at my angel wife. She bent down and kissed me softly before she turned off the light.

"I'll be here with you in a little while. I love you, Leo."

"I love you too, Baby," I whispered back as I was starting to feel sleep overtake me.

It was a few days later when we went back to the doctor's office. As the cast was removed, I was afraid to look at my leg. It was when the walking boot was first put on me that I started to feel a bit better. For the first time, I saw an ending to this ordeal. Still, I kept the crutches with me to help me get back to the car. As Marcie drove me back to our house, I was thinking about all the changes going on. Aubrey engaged. A new accountant. Matt's son is growing. The predictable world I was in was unraveling more and more ever since Missy told me about her cancer. It was when I was deep in thought that Marcie spoke up.

"You're still uneasy about all this, aren't you?"

I looked at her.

"There are parts I am. But there are parts I am confident in."

I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. I saw her smile as we were almost home. We maneuvered our way into the house before I put the crutches on the side and tried to walk a bit. Marcie grabbed the crutches and handed them back to me. I looked at her before she explained it to me.

"Leo, it's going to take a while before you are used to walking. You can't overdo it."

I looked at her and listened. She had helped me through so much over the last year and a half. I would be a fool to doubt her. As I sat down on the couch, there was a phone call from the office. I answered and had my first conversation with our new accountant. It was an hour call where I was looking at my laptop while he went over the details that were perplexing me. It was his last words before ending the call that won me over.

"Sir, I know Mr. Masters had to be won over. He mentioned the fact that the best thing I can do for you is to tell you I will be diligent in letting you know the things that are off. He told me how detail-oriented you are and how dedicated you are to him and the rest of the company. I am hoping to earn your trust one spreadsheet at a time."

It was after the call that Marcie came over. She had her tablet in hand and was about to work on one of her games when she sat down. She scooted over and pressed against me before my arm wrapped around her.

"Why is it some change is difficult, and some is easy?"

She looked at me.

"Which change was easy?"

"Being with you."

She turned and looked at me before she spoke.

"It may have been easy for you. It was difficult changing from you being my friend and neighbor to you being my husband. Some of the things were easier than others," she said with a wink before she kissed me.

"But the part where we started doing more together was difficult. I was afraid just because of the age difference. You won me over on that. Then there was the moving in together. You won me on that also. It was like every time there was a change coming, the answer was you. Now we're together and you let me help you through this hiccup. I can totally understand what you're feeling."

I leaned in to kiss her before it went deeper. We were like that for a bit, lost in each other as we kissed. It was when I pulled her onto my lap that she looked down on me.

"This I miss a bunch," she whispered.

We sat like that for a while, our lips exploring each other. My hands were rubbing up and down her back while hers played with my hair before landing on the back of my neck. It would have gone deeper if not for the knock at the door. Marcie sighed a bit before sliding off my lap. She walked to the door and was surprised to find Aubrey on the other side.

"Hello there," Aubrey said before she walked in.

She looked over and smiled when she saw the boot on my leg. She then walked over and looked at both of us before she took a breath.

"I have a huge favor to ask."

Marcie started to look at her quizzingly.

"Wes wants to go to the justice of the peace. Would you two be willing to be our witnesses?"