CHAPTER FIVE: RISING PASSION

Simon

Marriage seemed like a good idea. I didn’t think it hasty considering I’ve known her for six months. She was the right woman for me, I could feel it in my gut and I desperately wanted to touch her. I’ve been with so many women but never have I been eager to be with anyone as I was with her. If my rising libido was the push I needed to abandon my fears and marry the only woman who understood me beyond my success or wealth, then now was the perfect time to seal the deal forever.

“Let’s get married,” I said again, with more confidence.

“I heard you the first time. You don’t know what you’re saying,” she said, pulling away from under me and standing up. “You should leave,” she added, sounding a bit upset.

“Lily, I meant what I said.”

“That’s crazy. Do you want to get married for sex? Can you hear yourself? There’s so much more to marriage, and the fact that you demean it like that—and even me. What, you thought I’d jump at the idea and swing my legs wide open for you because you promised to marry me?” She scoffed.

“I know what it looks like. I’m not even going to lie, I want you…But, I don’t want to marry you only for sex. Believe me, I know what marriage means.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Isn’t that supposed to be our plan eventually? I’m only bringing it forward. You’re good for me. You have the purest heart I’ve known since my mother. I have fallen for you, and every day I find my affection for you stronger than the last. I can’t stand the thought of another man taking you away from me. You love me for me, Simon, I can’t say the same for any other woman out there. I have thought of no one else since we met. I have been with no one else. My affection for you has consumed my every waking moment. I want it all with you. I lost my family, and I want to build a new one with you. I want it all—partnership with you, watching you become the successful financial analyst I know you’ll be and having a part in it, children playing on the carpet.” I let out an unbelievable laugh. “I couldn’t believe I was the one saying all of this. I had fallen hard for you. You’re not a woman I want to play with, you’re the woman I want to marry. And if you have even one reason to be with me…then marry me,” I said, kneeling before her.

I could see the tears swelling under her eyes, rolling down her cheeks.

“In the time I have known you, as the boss and a man, you’ve thrived at both. You care about your employees. One time, I watched you give one of the cleaning ladies a day off when she was having a bad day. I noticed she was away from work for weeks. When she got back, I spoke to her. I asked her why she was absent and that’s when she told me you personally paid for her daughter’s surgery and all her medical expenses until she got back home, and she still got paid for the time she was absent. You didn’t take a dime from her. Most of the staff have similar stories where you make out-of-pocket expenses for them. I don’t love you because of some idea of you or because you’re cute—though you are cute and incredibly hot,” she said, chuckling, and I chuckled too.

“I love you for who you are, a good man, and there’s not much of you out there. I wondered sometimes that if you’d help people who are down or strangers, how much more would you do for the ones you love?” She stared at me. “Getting close to you, I felt your care, attention, and devotion to me whenever we worked together. You paid for every meal I ate the entire time, you taught me the ropes of your business, and you respected me. At first, I was crushing on your cuteness and career success, but as I knew more of you, I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. Thinking you didn’t feel the same way was terrible because I felt something good was going to someone else and not me.”

She smiled. “I can find more than one reason to marry you. My answer is yes,” she said.

I swooped her into my arms excitedly, swirling her around as I locked my lips onto hers.

“But it’s not that simple though. What about my parents, your father? Our different beliefs,” she said, as if it was too much.

“You’re my family now,” I said, rubbing my thumb on her lips. “I haven’t thought far about it. I only know I want to marry you with different beliefs or not.”

“It’s not that simple. I’m a Christian, but you don’t believe in God. I don’t think it’d work.”

“I remember my mother taking me to church on Sundays as a little boy, but that stopped when she died. My lack of belief is due to my lack of knowledge of Him. I hold nothing against your God.”

“I get it. My father taught me about God, and when I grew, I got to know Him for myself, but I wonder if my spirituality and your indifference would be problematic in our future.”

“Then let your God be mine. I’d rather not let anything come between us in the future.”

She smiled as I captured her lips in mine again, unwilling to let her go.

“Have a good night’s rest, my Lily,” I said as I slowly released her. “I’ll come tomorrow evening after work. Wait for me.”

“I’ll count the hours,” she said, walking me to the door. “Good night, Si.”

As she shut the door, I felt a rush of happiness within me. It was set. I was going to marry the woman I loved.