Running into Coverage Ch. 06

The corner of her mouth curled and she reached up to touch his chin. "Okay then." His eyes flung back to her, searching her face. "I'm all in." Marcus stood mute so Hadley repeated herself, enunciating each word.

"Really?"

"Yes. I promise to do my best with this...us. But—and this is a really big but. If I see some skanky girl trying to latch her claws into you, the circus is on."

"You'd fight some girl?"

"If she's going after my man, hell yes!"

Marcus laughed and kissed her hard. "Amen." Hadley tugged his clothes so he would move inside. Glancing around the empty space he looked at her suggestively. "Where's Caitlin?"

"At her boyfriends for a few days, I guess I'm broody when I'm upset."

Laughing, Marcus followed her into her room but came up short when she walked over to the bed. Walking up behind her, he put a hand on her shoulder so she would stand still for a moment. A hot flame burned up her body, wondering what he was doing. As his fingers traced over her bottom, she nearly fell to the floor.

"Fifty-two, huh?"

Turning around she threw her arms around his neck, his hands lingering on his jersey number that was printed on her shorts, resting against her luscious backside. When he lifted her up, instinctively her legs wrapped around his hips and she spoke quietly into his neck. "I'm your number one fan, didn't you know?"

Laying her on the bed they drugged themselves on deep kisses and passionate strokes. He moved within her exactly how she loved and she gave back to him in a way that made him quiver. Afterward, they lay breathless and content; she opened her eyes and kissed the damp skin on his chest before snuggling closer and relaxing next to his side. Marcus moved, lifting her chin up so she could see his face. Speaking with a devils grin, "Hadley, will you be my fulltime girlfriend?"

In her small bed she curled up against him and laughed. As if she would ever say no to him. Comforted by the sound, he held tight and knew they were okay. He had his lady by his side and intended on keeping her there.

Epilogue

Marcus steered the rental car along Highway Twenty-Nine as they drove out to the restaurant opening. The warm spring air filled the car as both he and Hadley kept the windows down. His hand rest comfortably on her thigh as she leaned forward to look out of the windows; her eyes taking in several vineyards as they drove past. A lot had happened since that day back in January. The Cougars had gone into the playoff game against the Giants with momentum, but came up short in the fourth. New York had sacked Seton for a record breaking three times and overturned the ball, scoring a touchdown to win the game. When the team stumbled into the locker room, the coaches were inside toasting with champagne. They had come so far from the previous year, that even though they didn't make it to the Super Bowl, they had still come out of the season 13-3.

Right after the season ended, Hadley was cleaning out her bag and found the business card she received after showing a piece in Lincoln Park. As it turned out the curator had given her the number for another gallery that suited her work. Upon finding the number, she called immediately and was able to get several pieces showcased by the middle of February. It hadn't taken long for a few local enthusiasts to take note of Hadley's artistic impressions. Requests had started coming through and she was able to change her shifts at the coffee shop to on-call status. Marcus smiled against the sun remembering her voice as she spoke adamantly to him about keeping some regularity to her daily schedules.

They had traveled up to the little village in Michigan where Gabe and Samantha lived outside of the football season to attend their wedding just after Valentine's Day. Hadley had served as a bridesmaid wearing a pale yellow dress, she later told him that Samantha had chosen the garment because it was the same color of the dress she wore the night she met the man who caught her heart. During the reception, he dragged her out on the dance floor where she tugged at his tie and together they danced the night away.

The traffic began to thicken on the two lane highway just as they drove through Yountville. Hadley turned to Marcus and laughed as he was mouthing the words to a song on the radio. With the flip of her hand, she turned the radio up and smiled. Since they had decided to become official with each other, their relationship had only grown for the better. There were still times when she would get frustrated with him and he with her, but instead of turning a blind eye they made a strong vow to talk to each other and keep their communication open.

Her poor bedroom was probably collecting dust since she practically spent the majority of her nights at Marcus' condo. Occasionally if she was stuck in the studio, he would come over to her apartment and they would cook dinner. They both excitedly toasted a drink when they managed to get Caitlin out of the apartment with her boyfriend for a double date. Meeting up with the couple made Marcus wonder how on earth his girlfriend lived with such a timid girl. By the end of the night, Caitlin and her boyfriend had scampered off early leaving the two of them laughing and cuddling up in the big booth.

The car turned off of the highway and into the parking lot of Benedine Vineyards in Rutherford. As they got out, the warm air of late March hit them both. For the party, Marcus wore deep gray dress pants with a white button up shirt. Because of the California heat that he wasn't accustomed to, he wore a tank top underneath and undid several of the buttons. Hadley chose to wear an off-white summer dress with shimmery sequins scattered up the front and strappy heels. Not knowing whether or not it would be cold at night, she brought a matching linen blazer.

Marcus reached for her hand as they walked up the front steps and opened the door. His Aunt Kathy shouted out from the back and made her way to greet Marcus. She squeezed him tightly and kissed his cheeks before turning to Hadley. "So this is Hadley."

"Kath, meet Hadley Wilkerson. Had, my Aunt Kathy."

Extending her hand, Kathy pushed it aside and pulled her in for a hug. "It is very nice to finally meet you, Hadley."

Glancing over at Marcus, he merely shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Nice to meet you too, thank you so much for having us here."

Kathy waved her off. "Family is family. Come in and get yourself settled. It's completely relaxed tonight so forget about asking me to get you anything."

All three laughed and they walked into the dining room where tables were intricately placed. Each table decorated with elegant plates and freshly lit candles on top. The lighting in the room itself was dim, only adding an intimate feel for any diner's experience. Felicia Jennings came over with a glass of wine for Hadley while Norm brought a glass of scotch and water for Marcus. They chatted for a bit before Hadley scooted away to look around the restaurant and tasting room. When she stood, Marcus kissed her briefly and watched her walk towards the back of the room.

The oak walls were stained to a deep brown; the varnish was somewhat fresh and tickled her nose as she took in its scent. Running her fingers along the wood, she figured it needed another full day to dry and hoped that nobody else in the party was going to touch the walls. Kathy seemed to have impeccable taste as each accenting wall boasted colorful works from artists she had no clue of; Hadley wondered if they were local. Following the trail of pieces along the wall brought her to the entrance where the hosts would stand. They had flown in that afternoon so her body was still sore from the seats; rolling her neck she turned her head to the side facing the roadway and faltered.

Straightening, she moved closer to get a better look. Staring back at her was one of the pieces she had sold from the gallery in SoHo back in January. Her mouth went dry with wonder before Marcus dropped his chin to her shoulder from behind and kissed her neck. Whispering to him, "I don't understand?"

"Do you remember sending pictures to my Mom?"

"Of course, but I don't get it."

"She loved them and showed Kath your work. Kathy saw this one in the email and knew she wanted it in the entranceway without having the space fully built up."

Turning to face him, she looked at him trying to sort it out. "But how did she find out how to get it?"

"Your refrigerator is a wealth of knowledge."

Smiling up at him, she faltered. "Oh my god...I have to return her money."

Marcus tipped her chin and kissed her lips, "she didn't buy the piece, Had. She told me about it and I purchased it for her. This way you have as much inside of this restaurant as I do."

"What?"

"Family is family."

Marcus leaned down and kissed Hadley with everything he knew. Tears poured earnestly from her but she didn't care. At one point in her life she may have run away from her fears, but for this day, it took her to where she was supposed to be. Leading her to the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and exposed her work from one coast to the next. As Marcus held her tight, she realized that she had everything exactly as she had ever wished for and couldn't be happier. That was of course, if the Cougars took the Super Bowl the following year.

****

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

And so this is the end to another story—a short one, but a sweet one nonetheless. Many thanks are in order to those who sent emails and messages reminding me that you were interested when my thoughts were focused on something else. Thank YOU. Love doesn't have to be an epic story or a raunchy tale every two pages--though, some of us wouldn't issue a complaint for a little extra fun. These characters were wonderful to explore, thank you Estragon for your editing and also all of your notes for this piece. Everything you say does not go unaccounted.

As always, your thoughts, comments and feedback is always appreciated.

Thank you for coming along on this crazy journey called...Romance.

M