Page 153 of The Genius
“Solomon was more mature than you were. He knew he wanted Willow from the first moment he saw her and he was willing to risk paying the ultimate price for his love for her.”
Marco shrugged. “Putting your life at stake is stupid.”
“Says the man who has competed in at least three tournaments.”
Marco rolled his eyes. “Don’t make Solo sound like a fucking hero. He was nothing but a horny teenager.”
“He loved Willow.”
“Need I remind you that he’s down by the lake asking for her forgiveness because he fucked up?”
I threw up my hands. “I’m just saying it’s a shame it didn’t work out between them. I thought they had something special together.
“Not every love story has a happy ending like ours.”
I lifted my head to look at him. “How do you know ours has a happy ending? We’ve only been married for a day.”
“Because I’m planning to make sure you never introduce yourself as a sex-bot to another man.”
I gave a deep sigh. “When will you let that go?”
“Never. It’s the best story ever and now that you’re finally mine, I can even begin to laugh about it.”
“As long as you’re not laughing at me.”
“Oh, I will.” Rolling onto his side, Marco propped himself up on his elbow. “You say the most outrageous things, Shelly. Humor is key here.”
I mirrored Marco’s position, propping myself up too. “I’m pleased that I can be of entertainment to you.”
A line formed between Marco’s eyebrows and he looked down.
“What’s wrong?”
Marco picked at the grass. “I used to think that was all I was to you: entertainment.”
“And now you don’t?”
“Not after you said that you loved me.”
“Yeah, but I love mushroom risotto too.”
Marco’s eyes narrowed. “Did you just compare me to food?”
I smiled and kissed him again. “It’s a good comparison when you think about it. Food is a source of survival while a husband isn’t, so in a way I’m elevating you to a higher level of importance.”
Marco raised his eyebrows. “Wow, so you’re saying mushroom risotto has a higher ranking in your life than I do?”
“I couldn’t eat you for survival.” I grinned. “Well, I guess technically I could, but that would be disgusting.”
“So, I’m your entertainment and your back-up plan in case you need food for survival, is that it?”
My laughter was bubbly as I cupped his face. “Isn’t it wonderful to have a purpose in life?”
“It’s offensive is what it is.” Marco’s lips were twitching with his own laugh. “You’re supposed to be declaring your deep and eternal love for me and say romantic things like, I can’t live without you.”
“Oh, Marco, my truest and most eternal love,” I said in an exaggerated way with my free arm swinging in the air. “You are the sun above my head, and the foundation under my feet. Without you my life wouldn’t be worth living. I would wither and die out of boredom and starvation.”
Marco pushed out his chest and flashed a big smile. “Go on. You’re on to something.”
