Committed to You

Chapter 6 The Road Forward

Marcella's tennis shoes clung to the embankment as she and Justin walked up the steep slope of Stone Mountain. Surprisingly he'd persuaded her to take a day off in the middle of the week, and so they practically had the climb alone. This new Justin was one whom she had learned to love even more. The old Justin was sweet, non-expressive in terms of feelings and would spend most of his time working, even when he flew down on the weekends to be with her. There was always some new client or some new problem he had to analyze. She was content with Justin being Justin.

This new person who had emerged over the last few weeks had an insatiable need to be with her, to ask how she was feeling and to put everything aside for her. He hadn't left her condo since Robert left for Morocco. Her dinner was prepared when she got home late in the evening from work. The old Justin would have ordered delivery or waited to see what she would cook. If he had been working when she arrived, he put it aside. If the television had been on, he turned it off too, saying that he'd rather have a conversation with her. A hot bath was waiting for her, and all her favorite candles would be lit, giving the home a floral saturation. It was wonderful. Whatever Sloan had said, she didn't want her to stop saying it.

Climbing Stone Mountain was a first. Even though they both had been raised in Georgia, they looked at Stone Mountain as being a regular popular tourist site. Today they saw what they had been missing their entire lives by taking a local attraction for granted.

"Justin, I should have done this a long time ago."

"Done what?"

"Taken a vacation day in the middle of the week. I feel like a new person let out of my cage. I love my job but ... "

"I know. Work is so consuming. Sometimes you've got to let go and live." Justin stunned himself at what he'd just said. He'd been a workaholic just like Robert. "I'm sorry for spending so many of our weekends together working, though I flew from Boston to be with you."

"You've changed. That pending divorce has done something good."

He didn't comment, but her words did sting because he knew they were true. At the midpoint of the climb she stopped to take a deep breath; her legs were burning from the sting of lactic acid flowing through her muscles. Unlike Justin, who jogged every day and for many years had taken part in the Boston Marathon, she was not in that kind of shape. Marcella loved to walk but only two or three days a week. He was ahead of her and was moving upward when she called his name. He was immediately by her side, his hazel eyes sweeping across her with concern. "Are you okay, dear heart?"

Marcella smiled—dear heart, that was nice, that was new. She gazed up at him lovingly, wondering what else would pop out of that sweet heart of his. She patted the rock that she was sitting on, beckoning him to have a seat. "I just need to rest a minute. I'm a little out of shape, but I'm really enjoying this, Justin."

"I'm glad. I was hoping that you wouldn't think badly of me for asking you to take a vacation day."

"No, I'm actually glad that you did. It says to me that you want to put us first. I see what is happening to you, Justin, and I love it." She leaned over and kissed him, and the way he kissed her back made her heart flutter.

"It feels like I'm getting to know you all over again," he whispered. "How can that be possible, when I've known you for so long?"

***

Sloan had been avoiding Jet the whole week. She made sure to call Nora before coming over to make sure that he wasn't at home. He and Justin had been splitting Robert's time at the store since he was away. This particular day Nora informed her that Justin had asked Jet to fill in for the whole day because he would be out. Sloan took full advantage of Jet's absence and spent more time with Nora.