Marcie and Leo Ch. 091

It was finally the day of Aubrey's pool party. The small affair of just Wes' friends grew in proportion to the point I was over helping Matt start the barbecue. One of our combined superpowers was that we were excellent at adapting to the weakness of the other. Matt's the salesman. I'm the Enforcer. Matt was the lady's man. I was the singer of the duo. It was the way we were. I was already wearing my blue trunks while Matt was in his black ones. Wes came out in a pair of green ones. I am glad none of us brought up the Power Rangers because we were just Pink and Red away.

"I think this brisket should be ready by lunch time," Matt said as he wiped his hands on paper towels.

"Thank you, Mr. Masters," Wes said.

"My pleasure. By the way, didn't we agree no Misters today, Wes?"

Wes smiled.

"You know, something Leo always told me pops in from time to time."

Matt looked at me.

"Well, Leo has always been a boundary guy. I'm glad you get to see him the way I do though."

"It has been an experience being neighbors with him. With the number of times that he's had to talk me down or help me figure stuff out, I can see why Aubrey and he were so close."

"Trust me, it wasn't immediate," Aubrey said as she started to bring out the bags of ice for the coolers.

I looked around and didn't see Marcie.

"Aubrey, have you seen Marcie?'

She pointed towards the living room.

"She's spending godmother time with Matt's little one."

I looked at Matt.

"Yeah, we told Marcie she's his godmother. Just because, you know..."

I smiled.

"Well, she has a magic touch with kids."

I started walking towards the door when Aubrey caught me.

"Think you could please bring me a few more bags of ice?"

"Sure, but aren't you afraid they'll melt?"

"I just want to make sure the first load of drinks is cold."

I walked into my old kitchen and found a few more bags. As I walked back towards the door, I heard her voice.

"Leo, what do you think?"

I turned and was stunned. I mean, I know I always talk about how gorgeous Marcie is normally. It's like my MO whenever I start a story. But that day, she was dressed to kill. Her hair was done up in a way to show her highlights. The yellow flower in her hair was a beautiful touch. Then there was the red lipstick. Talk about popping. Her girls were covered by the red cloth of a tropical print bikini. Her tan was on point before I saw the bottoms and her long shapely legs leading down to her flip flops. It took a moment before I felt myself breathe.

"Wow!"

"I'll say," Aubrey said behind me as she grabbed the bags out of my hand. "Maybe you two should kiss really quick. I think Leo's gonna need CPR soon."

Both girls laughed before Marcie walked towards me. Her arms went around my neck as my hands went to her hips and we kissed slowly. It was then we heard Matt's kid coo approvingly. We both started to laugh in each other's arms as she gave me a peck on the cheek.

"Do you like it, Baby?" she asked.

I smiled.

"I love it, Amor."

"I know you're not big on surprises, so I figured I'd let you see it before the rest of the guests come."

"I love you, Beloved."

"I love you too, Baby."

We had another kiss before we heard Matt behind us whisper for us to get a room. Marcie smiled before she walked back into the living room with Shannon. I went back outside where Wes was waiting.

"I don't mean to sound bad, but your wife is a knockout, Leo."

I smiled at him.

"She is. And she knows that's how I feel about her."

I felt myself melt right there as I helped get other things ready.

It was later, towards mid-afternoon, when most of the guests arrived. It was interesting seeing the different people mingling. Wes' coworkers were socializing with the wedding guests. I caught a glimpse of Amanda. She was one of the employees asking for a raise the first time I returned to the office after Missy's death. She walked forward, a red cup in her hand. She put it down before she hugged me.

"I never got to say thank you."

"You're welcome. How's things at home?"

"Mom's doing better. I'm going to visit her again next week. Did you really tell Wes to get a new lab tech?"

"I did."

"And yet I was able to come back."

"Because you're amazing."

She smiled wider before I received another hug.

"I didn't think anyone noticed besides Wes."

"You know I'm a numbers guy, right?"

She looked at me before Wes walked up.

"Leo knows about how productive our team is. It's one reason he told me to get a new tech while you were out. He saw how stressed out I was without you. It was no brainer for him."

She smiled and grabbed another hug before she went back with her friends. Wes looked at me.

"What were you like before Marcie?" he asked.

"Not as understanding. Missy was definitely good at getting me to start cracking that shell. Marcie just finished the job."

I felt Marcie's arms around me as I said that. We shared a kiss before we went back to mingling. The party felt successful and there were no uninvited guests. Life is good.