Page 56 of Love Delayed

When the car finally stopped, I looked at her with an expression of hesitation.

“Go and make good decisions from now on,” she told me with a warm smile.

“I will,” I said before getting out.

I had no idea what the future had in store for me, but I knew for sure I didn’t want any parts of what I was leaving behind.

Once I exited the car, I leaned down and said, “Please tell Marcus I’m sorry, and I wish him and Zamora the best.”

She smiled once more while nodding. I was sure she wouldn’t relay my message, but I meant it. After closing the door, I turned to follow the tall man, letting him lead the way to my new beginnings.

Chapter Thirty

Zamora

Weeks had flown by, and we were doing better than ever. I was a couple of weeks away from my court date with Evan, but nothing could take away the joy I had inside of me. I rocked a beautiful engagement ring and was over the moon. The papers had been signed for Evan to refinance the house, and I decided to hold on to the storage unit until Marcus and I found a house. We had been looking but had yet to really look. We were enjoying the penthouse, so we weren’t in any rush.

That morning, after Marcus and I talked, we dressed, and I went to his doctor’s appointment with him. After leaving there, we went to his parent’s house so Marcus could have a long overdue conversation with them about the hotels and a private talk with his mother about Eliana. I thought it would be an easy conversation, but it didn’t go as smoothly in the beginning. However, things were better by the end. What his parents did to him was the same thing my parents had done to me many years ago, which was not listen to how their child felt and consider what they needed. I’m sure they believed they knew what was best for Marcus, but it’s not right for parents to not support their child’s decisions because they don’t align with what they wanted for them.

I was proud of Marcus for not backing down and convincing his parents to hear him out as he expressed his feelings about the entire matter. When they finally closed their lips and opened their ears, they could see Marcus had sacrificed his dreams to please them. They finally heard him.

“If the time comes that you are ready to step down, we will hire a management team to oversee the property or just sell it,” Marcus’s mother said in the sweetest voice to let him know they were not upset or disappointed with him. “All we’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.”

Marcus stood up from the sofa and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Son, you can always come to us. We don’t want you to ever feel stuck,” his dad added, standing from where he was sitting in his chair and wrapping his arms around the both of them.

After breaking their circle, Marcus looked at his mother and asked, “Can we talk in private? I need to talk to you about Eliana.”

At first, his mother froze. It made me wonder why she reacted as she did, but then she quickly nodded yes.

“Will you excuse us?” she asked Mr. Coleman and me, then left the room before either of us could respond.

Marcus leaned over, kissed my cheek, and followed behind his mother.

“Let me get another look at that diamond,” Mr. Coleman said, returning to his seat.

With a huge grin on my face, I extended my hand.

“That’s a beauty. I’m glad it’s finally on the right woman’s finger,” he commented.

“What do you mean, sir?” I quizzed, even though I had a good idea of what he meant by his statement.

“Hell, you met her. I knew that wasn’t going to work. Who on earth would marry a vegan?” Mr. Coleman said while shaking his head, and I burst into laughter.

“I know, right? That was over before it even started,” I quipped, and we both laughed harder.

Mr. Coleman and I fell into an easy conversation while we waited for Marcus and Mrs. Coleman to return. I didn’t remember Mr. Coleman being so funny back in the day. I guess it’s because I never had any one-on-one time with him. I laughed as he joked and shared random stories of the women Marcus had dated after we broke up. Marcus and I had our share of frogs if Mr. Coleman’s accounts were true. I was just glad life came full circle for us and that we were finally together again. I always knew Marcus was the man for me, and I couldn’t wait to exchange wedding vows with him.

When Marcus returned to the family room, I sensed things had gotten emotional during the discussion with his mother because his eyes were slightly red.

“You okay, baby?” I asked as he sat down next to me on the sofa.

“I’m good, babe. No worries. Everything is all good,” he said and gave me a faint smile.

I grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it.

“Are we going to head out?” I asked, figuring he’d had enough for the day.