Page 44 of His Forever

“It’s…it’s your mother,” he said.

“What about her?”

“Well, she started seeing someone this week. A therapist,” he told her.

“A therapist? What brought that on?”

“After what you said last week, she realized it was past time to work through some things. All I’m asking is for you to keep an open mind when she finally reaches out to you, okay? Please?”

She sighed. Her mother had made her feel less than her whole life and she wasn’t sure why, but it was obviously important to her dad that she hear the woman out. “For you, Daddy. I’ll keep an open mind for you, okay?”

“It’s all I can ask, Princess. Now, can you introduce me to some of these people you’ve come to love so much?”

“Absolutely. Come on.” She walked him around the salon and introduced him to everyone and watched with interest how he interacted with María-Luisa. When the door chimed, she looked up and saw Zeus walking in. “Hey Zeus,” she said softly as he walked over and kissed her forehead.

“Hey mi siempre hermosa. So, the gang’s all here, huh?”

“Ha, yeah. Zeus, this is my dad, George Cross, and my aunt and uncle, Jeanie and Sam Gordon. You know Paulie and Gray, of course.”

“Zeus Álvarez, pleasure to meet all of you. Paulie? Gray? You guys have a good trip?”

“Yeah, man. Okay, so what all are we on the books for?”

They laughed and the stylists grabbed their “new” clients while Marleigh took Zeus back to the massage room. “You get ready and I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?” she asked him.

“Si, I will be ready and waiting, mi siempre hermosa,” he told her.

While he was getting ready, she went and double-checked the facial room as she would have her aunt first thing in the morning before she did everyone else’s massages. It was going to be a long day, but she didn’t care. The fact that they all wanted to meet Zeus meant so much to her that she would roll with it.

***

She thought she heard him moan as she worked his low back but chose to ignore it.No happy endings.Yetthe imp on her shoulder said.You know you want nothing better than to explore him fully.Shaking her head, she continued his massage. “Are you okay, Zeus?” she asked quietly.

“Si, mi siempre hermosa. I just forget from week to week how tight some of my muscles get,” he replied, his voice muffled by the head cradle.

“It’s going to be a crazy weekend, I think,” she said.

“Marleigh, I think I’m going to enjoy getting to know your family. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried exactly. I just saw how your mom was eyeing my dad is all and I wonder what she’s going to tell him!”

He started laughing. His mother’s meddling was well-known. “She’ll be extolling your virtues, I’m sure.”

Rolling her eyes, she finished his massage and said, “You’re all done. Take your time and I’ll see you out front, okay?”

He grabbed her hand as she walked by causing her to stop. “It’s really going to be okay, mi siempre hermosa. Promise.”

***

Walking back to the main part of the salon, she wasn’t surprised to see Paulie at the shampoo bowl. He had worked his way through barbering school and got his license, then when he met Gray, never followed through. “Hey man, you look good helping. Too bad you’ve got your own business now. We could use a barber in here, right Mamá?”

María-Luisa eyed the young man and smiled. “Si, we could. The girls are good at what they do but for some reason, the men are hesitant to let us do their hair.”

Paulie eyed Gray and then smiled at Marleigh. “You know we’re relocating here, right?”

“I remember y’all mentioning that, yes,” she replied.

“Well…Gray and I have been talking and honestly? I’d feel better being a silent partner. If y’all honestly have a need, we should talk.”

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