Page 48 of His Forever

“Thank you.”

“Uh, Zeus?” George asked.

“Si?”

“I don’t know if Marleigh said anything or not, but it’s likely her mother will try to reach out to her soon.”

“She did, yes. I don’t know what to say other than I have encouraged her to listen to what her mother has to say to her, sir. I do know that their past has hurt her deeply.”

The older man sighed. It wasn’t his story to tell, but he knew how his wife had treated Marleigh her whole life. “Please, just be there for her.”

“No place else I would rather be, but you’ve probably already figured that out by now.”

“Yeah, your feelings about her were not lost on us. Paulie and Gray have also kept us filled in on it all.”

Jeanie, popping her head out, said, “Breakfast’s ready and Marleigh said she’s not saving bacon for anyone.”

Zeus started laughing at how fast the other two men moved to get into the house. Seeing his dog, he said, “C’mon, Duke, let’s get you fed.”

***

Breakfast done, Zeus waved her off with her aunt, saying, “You need to get ready, mi siempre hermosa. The men will clean it up and be there shortly, okay?”

“Fine. Tell them not to be late or I’ll give their appointments to someone else,” she replied. He laughed as he leaned down to capture her lips in a brief but thorough kiss.

“See you soon, Marleigh.”

“Bye Zeus. Can you make sure that Sheba hasn’t gotten herself stuck again before you leave?” she asked.

“Si, I will check on the cats before I head into town.”

***

The salon was quiet when she and her aunt pulled in with coffee and donuts for the ladies. “We’re a bit early Aunt Jeanie,” she told her aunt.

“That’s fine, sweetie. I don’t mind any extra time with you I can get, y’know?”

She smiled at her aunt as they made their way inside to take the food and drink into the breakroom. “I like getting here early when I can so I can make sure everything is set up just right.”

“I’m sure María-Luisa appreciates that, Mar.”

“We all pitch in here and it’s such a neat place to work, it doesn’t even feel like work, if that makes sense.”

“It makes perfect sense to me. It’s like a family in here and I love the environment. I think Paulie is going to enjoy it as well.”

“Me too.”

“So, explain to me why Colton is still hanging around this town.”

“Um, well, I honestly have no clue. I mean, he has been seeing Zeus’ ex-wife, so maybe that’s the draw?”

“He has?”

“Yeah, he came here a while back and wanted to discuss things with me.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him to go fuck himself after I threw his money at him! You know what his excuse was for cheating? He said it was because he hadneedsAunt Jeanie!”

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